Woodworking facilities: Driving efficiency through Automation applied to major process steps

The investment scenario applied to forestry development analyzes the fundamental changes in the production structure, among other things. These changes refer to the priority development of the pulp and paper industry through the chain of large-scale woodworking facilities, where pulp, paper and cardboard manufacturing plants are the key links. Such facilities include sawmilling facilities, wood-processing factories, and timber factories. Those provide a significant economic benefit, so improving them is one of the top priorities. Considering this priority is the purpose of this article. The goal was achieved using common and scientific research methods, including mathematical modeling. Theoretical research resulted in three sets of formulas adapted for evaluating the pulpwood barking from theoretical findings on image recognition. © 2018 Authors

Method of variational calculation of influence of the propulsion plants of forestry machines upon the frozen and thawing soil grounds

The forests, which grow in the conditions of complete expansion of the perpetually frozen ground, are unique forests in accordance with their taxational characteristics, quality indicators of the felled timber, and the ecological functions, which these forests perform in the nature. They are characterised by the low biological productivity, as well as by the high vulnerability due to climatological changes and human economic activities. It is fair to say that conservation of the permafrost is one of the main functions of the forests, which grow within the cryolithozone. Because of this, it is necessary to ensure special regimes for the forestry management and forest exploitation within the forests of the cryolithozone. We formulated the variational problem in order to determine influence of the changeability of the physical and mechanical properties of the thawing soil ground at the boundary with the permafrost ground. © 2019 SERSC

Efficiency improvement of forest machinery exploitation

The purpose of this work was to develop a model of the interaction process between the wheeled forwarder and the soil of the cutting area, which allows evaluating the influence of soil conditions, the parameters of the wheeled forwarder, as well as load and number of cycles of its application, on the indicators of resistance and adhesion of the forwarder to the traction surface. Modeling results for 3-and 4-Axle forest machines with different load levels showed that for different soil categories, types of bodies, and tire sizes. The results of the approximation analysis enabled the derive of calculation formulas for estimating the propulsive coefficient and rut depth after the first passage depending on the values of load-bearing capacity, body load coefficient, wheel width, and soil deformation module. The proposed model can be used at laying down the skidding roads and its optimization not only in economic terms but also with respect to the environment as intensive harvesting operations lead to extensive soil destructions. The practical application of the results is expressed in increased performance capacities of wood skidding operations and minimization of costs for restoring the productivity of forest area. © 2020 Polish Society of Technical Diagnostics. All rights reserved

Improving the efficiency of forest companies by optimizing the key indicators of sustainable forest management: a case study of the Far East

Forest plantations provide a wide range of products. Therefore, it is vital to ensure the sustainable growth and adequate management of forest resources. This study aims to examine the current challenges facing the forest industry, such as the depletion of forest resources, the increasing cost of wood processing products, and intensifying competition in the timber market (caused by the tropical wood supply). These challenges force the world’s leading forest countries to intensify forest cultivation, to consult forest industries in the Far East and to optimize the sustainable use of forest resources. It was found that current distribution of cutting practices threatens the forest ecosystem. The study suggests a scheme where 10–30% of forest area is clear-cut, 70–90% is selectively logged, and 20–35% is exposed to gradual felling. Factors, such as harvesting time, exhaust emissions, the loss of young trees, topsoil degradation, load on the soil surface, and the slope angle are essential for building mathematical models of forest sustainability. The intensity of wood transportation is also a critical factor influencing the above indicators. The study proposes a model for reorganizing regional wood harvesting companies to improve their profitability. The theoretical model is adapted to the Far Eastern context, but is suitable for use in other parts of the world. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Using Machine Vision to Improve the Efficiency of Lumber Mills

This work provides rationale for the implementation of a machine vision-based approach for promoting timber processing efficiency. With efforts to combat the climate change, criteria for the success of wood industries shifted. Now, they need to ensure economic efficiency while taking the reduction in carbon intensity into account. This may be achieved in either of two ways, through the improvement of energy efficiency in production and by minimizing waste. So far, the traditional methods for the improvement of timber processing efficiency became obsolete. Hence, using advances in electronic engineering and machine vision may be viewed as a promising step. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Substantiating optimum parameters and efficiency of rotary brush cutters

The problem of untimely forest thinning is quite common in today's society. It leads to the emergence of the underbrush, which negatively impacts the growth and development of young trees. Therefore, this work aims to estimate the feasibility of applying a new rotary brush cutter model to eliminate excessive vegetation. The dependence of the tractor's speed when removing underbrush with different diameters of tree trunks was established by performing mathematical modeling to optimize the brush cutter parameters. Three types of flexible inertia cutting devices were investigated: flat knives, sprocket chains, and knife chains. Knife chains are the most optimal choice as they cut plants most efficiently (94.61% and 92.5% for two-year and three-year underbrush, respectively). They also show the lowest energy consumption for underbrush with a trunk between 1 and 2.4 cm in diameter. Further experiments are required to determine if the developed mathematical model can be used for more neglected forestry stands. © 2022 Institut za Istrazivanja. All rights reserved

Modeling the effect of wheeled tractors and skidded timber bunches on forest soil compaction

An increasing demand for forest products incites a large number of log transportation operations, which may lead to negative consequences for the soil and the ecosystem as a whole. This paper is focused on establishing a mathematical model to estimate the soil deformation and compaction processes under tires of wheeled forest machines and individual components of the skidding system such as forwarder, limbs, butts, and tops of tree-lengths in high latitudes, permafrost soil and forests. The method applied is based on simulating the impact processes of elastic tires and the skidding system on the soil through a mathematical device for the measurement of the compaction parameters for different types of soil and the size of the shelterbelt. The effectiveness of the proposed models was evaluated according to experimental results. The influence of the rheological (elastic, viscous, and plastic) properties of soil were studied. The elasticity of tires and the running speed of forest machines can help to control the performance of forest machines. This can be done by reducing the pressure exerted on the soil and increasing the number of skidder passes 1.5-2-fold. Comparative analysis showed that the calculated data differ from the experimental ones by no more than 10%. The obtained results and the developed model will allow for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of technological impact on the soil during the projecting maps for logging operations. © 2021 Institut za Istrazivanja. All rights reserved

Methodology for assessing and managing the environmental performance of skidding and feller buncher tractors

Systematic assessments on the effects of skidding systems on features of forest blueberry pine soil were conducted as part of this study. Assessing the ecological efficiency of forest skidding machines showed that the most significant impact (by 2.0–2.2 times) on soil compaction was observed at loading sites rather than during transportation. Lightweight loam density and sand density increased by 25% and 2%, respectively, after more than two passages of the skidding system. Pressure in 33L-32 tires of forestry machinery in operation on a solid surface varied from 46.5 kPa to 196 kPa at maximum load. Studying the impact of tires on soil compaction showed that the environmental efficiency of forestry equipment can be enhanced if the optimal tire pressure at average loads does not exceed 70 kPa for tracked vehicles and 150 kPa for wheeled vehicles in summer seasons. When ground grips were fully immersed, the pressure of forwarders on soil was reduced. These study results can be used to establish organizational and technological measures in order to manage the negative impact of skidding systems and to increase the environmental effects of their performance. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Non-destructive testing of internal structure of the low-quality wood

Radiographic non-destructive examination of the round timber became a popular technique in the middle of the twentieth century when radiography was first applied to study the structure of materials. The X-ray television testing equipment is widely used in non-destructive inspection for a long time, but up to now, this equipment was not applied to find the heartwood rot in wood sticks of any diameter. This article analyzes the innovative method of non-destructive testing of low-quality wood, which was performed using the portable X-ray television testing system. Furthermore, it provides positive results of experimental investigations. In addition, this article describes possibility of taking quality images of the internal structure of wood, as well as possibility of the automated image processing. © IAEME Publication

Forest preservation techniques in the Urals

Logging is essential to provide society with fuel, building materials, furniture and myriad other needs. At the same time, the ecosystem must be conserved so that the resources are sustainable. This paper considers the impact of forestry activities on forest vegetation and soil indicators: mean height, mean diameter, mean age, tree stock, plant density, soil density, thickness and porosity. The authors analyse the effect of five types of forest machinery operating three extraction (skidding) procedures: butt-first, top-end first, and untrimmed trees. Butt-first skidding using the Amkodor 2242B wheeled tractor was found to have a minimal effect on plant valuation indices; the least damage to soil attributes was inflicted by crawler tractors skidding untrimmed trees. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group