Simulating a harvester-forwarder softwood thinning : A software evaluation

A discrete-event simulation model of a mechanized forest harvest system was evaluated with special attention given to the effectiveness of using statistical distributions derived from field-study data as input. The simulation language, Promodel PC, demonstrated the wide variability in weekly production that can be expected even under similar operating conditions. The simulation model was particularly well suited to tracking the flow of materials during the processing steps. Because the field-study data had been collected without anticipating its use as input to a simulation model, the capability of the model to simulate different operation situations was severely limited. A process in which data collection and model building are interactive is recommended for improving both field studies and simulations.