Development of a Sensorized Timber Processor Head Prototype – Part 1: Sensors Description and Hardware Integration

Forest operations are in constant development to provide increasingly higher standards of economic and environmental sustainability. The latest innovation trends are concentrated in the generation, storage and management of data related to the harvesting process, timber products and logistics operations. Current technologies provide productivity and position, but only physical parameters are made available for timber products. The possibility of providing a comprehensive quality evaluation of roundwood early in the supply chain and linking the information to each log provides a new tool for optimization of the whole forest-timber supply chain. Current in-field methods for grading logs are based on visual rating scales, which are subjective, operator-dependent and time-consuming. As an alternative, a sensorized processor head was developed, featuring the following sensors: near infrared (NIR) spectrometer and hyperspectral cameras to identify surface defects, stress wave and time of flight sensors to estimate timber density, hydraulic flow sensor to estimate cross-cutting resistance and delimbing sensors to estimate branches number and approximate position. The prototype also deployed an RFID UHF system, which allowed the identification of the incoming tree and individually marked each log, relating the quality parameters recorded to the physical item and tracing it along the supply chain. The tested sensors were installed and designed to be independent, nevertheless, their integrated use provides a comprehensive evaluation of timber quality. This paper presents the technical solutions adopted, the main hindrances found and some preliminary results of the operative prototype as tested in laboratory and in forest operational conditions

Development of a Sensorized Timber Processor Head Prototype – Part 1: Sensors Description and Hardware Integration

Forest operations are in constant development to provide increasingly higher standards of economic and environmental sustainability. The latest innovation trends are concentrated in the generation, storage and management of data related to the harvesting process, timber products and logistics operations. Current technologies provide productivity and position, but only physical parameters are made available for timber products. The possibility of providing a comprehensive quality evaluation of roundwood early in the supply chain and linking the information to each log provides a new tool for optimization of the whole forest-timber supply chain. Current in-field methods for grading logs are based on visual rating scales, which are subjective, operator-dependent and time-consuming. As an alternative, a sensorized processor head was developed, featuring the following sensors: near infrared (NIR) spectrometer and hyperspectral cameras to identify surface defects, stress wave and time of flight sensors to estimate timber density, hydraulic flow sensor to estimate cross-cutting resistance and delimbing sensors to estimate branches number and approximate position. The prototype also deployed an RFID UHF system, which allowed the identification of the incoming tree and individually marked each log, relating the quality parameters recorded to the physical item and tracing it along the supply chain. The tested sensors were installed and designed to be independent, nevertheless, their integrated use provides a comprehensive evaluation of timber quality. This paper presents the technical solutions adopted, the main hindrances found and some preliminary results of the operative prototype as tested in laboratory and in forest operational conditions

Survival Test of RFID UHF Tags in Timber Harvesting Operations

Traceability of wood products is more and more relying on high technology systems. Among them the Radio-Frequency IDentification with Ultra High Frequency (RFID UHF ) tags are probably the most flexible and promising tools. Several studies address their use in timber logistics, but the possibility to mark standing trees and maintain intact the information along a whole-tree extraction system is still not explored. Under this perspective one of the main challenges is the capacity of UHF RFID tags to survive the harsh conditions of timber harvesting. Different tag models and different placement positions on the tree may lead to diverse ratio of tags arriving intact up to the landing. Particularly extracting operations may play a major role in damaging or removing the tags from the trees. In the present study, two tag models and two fixing modalities were compared during three commercial hauling and one transport operation in mountain conditions. Over a total of 239 tracked tags, just 5 were lost, proving a good reliability for this traceability system. This preliminary result will serve for addressing the electronic tree/log marking method in the frame of the project SLOPE, co-funded by the EC

Linguistic Miner

Abstract: In this paper we present a project titled "Linguistic Miner", designed and coordinated by Eugenio Picchi. The project arises from the availability of the PiSystem tools and the familiarity with the automatic treatment of human language. The project goal is the extraction of linguistic information from the texts and the validation of linguistic patterns. We show the objectives and the results of the project as achieved in the first months of work

A new generation of sensors and monitoring tools to support climate-smart forestry practices

Climate-smart forestry (CSF) is an emerging branch of sustainable adaptive forest management aimed at enhancing the potential of forests to adapt to and mitigate climate change. It relies on much higher data requirements than traditional forestry. These data requirements can be met by new devices that support continuous, in situ monitoring of forest conditions in real time. We propose a comprehensive network of sensors, i.e., a wireless sensor network (WSN), that can be part of a worldwide network of interconnected uniquely addressable objects, an Internet of Things (IoT), which can make data available in near real time to multiple stakeholders, including scientists, foresters, and forest managers, and may partially motivate citizens to participate in big data collection. The use of in situ sources of monitoring data as ground-truthed training data for remotely sensed data can boost forest monitoring by increasing the spatial and temporal scales of the monitoring, leading to a better understanding of forest processes and potential threats. Here, some of the key developments and applications of these sensors are outlined, together with guidelines for data management. Examples are given of their deployment to detect early warning signals (EWS) of ecosystem regime shifts in terms of forest productivity, health, and biodiversity. Analysis of the strategic use of these tools highlights the opportunities for engaging citizens and forest managers in this new generation of forest monitoring.Peer reviewe

A new generation of sensors and monitoring tools to support climate-smart forestry practices

Climate-smart forestry (CSF) is an emerging branch of sustainable adaptive forest management aimed at enhancing the potential of forests to adapt to and mitigate climate change. It relies on much higher data requirements than traditional forestry. These data requirements can be met by new devices that support continuous, in situ monitoring of forest conditions in real time. We propose a comprehensive network of sensors, i.e., a wireless sensor network (WSN), that can be part of a worldwide network of interconnected uniquely addressable objects, an Internet of Things (IoT), which can make data available in near real time to multiple stakeholders, including scientists, foresters, and forest managers, and may partially motivate citizens to participate in big data collection. The use of in situ sources of monitoring data as ground-truthed training data for remotely sensed data can boost forest monitoring by increasing the spatial and temporal scales of the monitoring, leading to a better understanding of forest processes and potential threats. Here, some of the key developments and applications of these sensors are outlined, together with guidelines for data management. Examples are given of their deployment to detect early warning signals (EWS) of ecosystem regime shifts in terms of forest productivity, health, and biodiversity. Analysis of the strategic use of these tools highlights the opportunities for engaging citizens and forest managers in this new generation of forest monitoring.Peer reviewe

Prospettive e potenzialità della digitalizzazione del settore forestale in Italia

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a key role for improving the implementation of sustainable forest management at local, regional, and global level. The ICT potential to easily exploit a wider and more up-to-date set of information on the economic, environmental, and so- cial value of forests is of relevant help for the daily work of technicians, land owners, and companies in boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of forest management. The concept of “Precision Forestry” (PF) was developed from the early 2000s, as a branch of precision farming or precision agriculture. PF includes the use of ICT, remote and proximal sensing technologies, and other devices to coordinate and control several processes on a spatial scale (“Precision”) for monitoring, planning, and managing forest resources (“Forestry”). The aim of this monography is to collect and describe some of the most important PF experiences applied or potential- ly useful for the Italian forestry sector. It may represent a reference guide for the stakeholders, such as forest owners, professional technicians, public administrators, and policy makers. The book includes eleven chapters reviewing the main tech- nological tools available in the Italian context and the most recent advances of ICT in forestry, also focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of their practical implementation. The opportunities and challenges of implementing PF meth- ods, practices and technologies are also discussed. In the first two chapters the precision forestry concept and its historical development are introduced. In the third chap- ter some basic elements of ICT, GIS, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), remote/proximal sensing, and related technologies which are essential for a better compre- hension of PF applications are recalled. In chapter 4 recent advances in large scale forest inventories with a focus on mapping and on the spatial estimation of forest variables integrating field surveys and multisource re- motely sensed data are described. Current advancements in the acquisition of field information including Terrestrial La- ser Scanning (TLS), new digital dendrometers, tree-talkers, terrestrial cameras, and APP for portable devices such as smartphones or tablets for dendrometric tree measures and new citizen science applications to support quantitative and qualitative spatial estimation of forest variables over large areas (i.e., forest health, fuel types) are also presented. The chapter ends up with the description of some experiences in the implementation of Forest Information Systems in Italy to provide a simple open-access to such new generation of spatial forest information. In chapter 5 PF tools, instruments, and technologies to sup- port sustainable forest management are illustrated. APPs developed to acquire field plots data to simulate manage- ment operations, the application of photogrammetric tech- nologies from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and TLS data for monitoring with high-spatial scale forest monitoring and for acquiring indicators at single tree level are presented. A de- tailed description of new user-friendly tools for forest roadplanning, design and construction, as well as forest opera- tion planning is also included. Precision forest tree farming (with particular reference to poplar cultivation), useful to promote and increase the prof- itability and sustainability of forest plantations within the Italian context is described in chapter 6. The innovation and enhancement within the supply chain of wood plantations (from planting to harvesting, including monitoring and identification of stress) by soil proximal sensing techniques, Early Warning Systems, and specific software are highlight- ed. Considering the even higher market demands, promoted by the large-scale planting programs for climate changes mit- igation and the demands for propagation material for en- vironmental recovery, innovative techniques and methods supported by ICT in the forest nursery sector are described in chapter 7. In chapter 8 available technologies related to precision har- vesting are analyzed and described taking into consideration the wood chain efficiency, by means of improved commu- nications between the owner/buyer and operators as well as among machineries used in forest operations, health and safety of forest operators, environmental impacts mitigation and recovery, and operators training. Advanced communi- cation systems and sensors for the exchange of data and information between machines, machine-equipments and/or machine-operators, teleoperations and automation are also described. Chapters 9 and 10 are related to wood products traceabil- ity, timber quality assessment as well as the technologies for the optimization of wood transformation processes. The concepts of wood product traceability and tracing, togeth- er with latest digital technologies for the identification and tracking of the logs (i.e., fingerprinting and RFID), are de- tailly reported. Chapter 11 is finally dedicated to the relationship between the EU policy framework and the digitalization process in both agricultural and forestry sectors. The book summarizes, under a proactive and homogeneous framework, PF methods, tools and technologies in relation with the digital transition of the Italian forestry sectors. The authors hope this book will be useful for improving the implementation of sustainable forest management practic- es at all levels in Italy, providing a comprehensive review useful for policy makers, technicians, forestry owners and students

Marking Standing Trees with RFID Tags

Precision forestry and traceability services for the certification of timber products require reliable systems for the identification of items throughout the supply chains, starting from the inventory of standing trees. AutoID systems based on radio frequency identification (RFID) are regarded as the most promising technology for this purpose. Nevertheless, there is no information available regarding the capacity of RFID tags to withstand the climatic and biological wearing agents present in forests for long periods, while maintaining the stored information and the capacity to return a readable signal over time. In order to assess this aspect, seven RFID UHF tags, selected from the range of commercial models or developed for this purpose, were used to mark standing trees for two years. Results showed that all models proved able to maintain sufficient operative capacity to be identified with manual (proximity) readers. Some models suffered damage to the protective case or were deformed, with a strong decrease in readability. Tags with simple structure and lower cost proved strong enough to endure one year without major drawbacks, and could be best suited for deployment in integrated auto-ID supply chains if used as disposable components. More complex and expensive tags are best suited for long-term marking, but application on living trees requires specific solutions to prevent damage due to stem growth