Multi-tree cut-to-length harvesting of short-rotation poplar plantations
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Multi‑tree cut‑to‑length harvesting of short‑rotation poplar plantations Natascia Magagnotti1 · Raffaele Spinelli1 · Kalle Kärhä2 · Piotr S. Mederski3 Received: 11 May 2020 / Revised: 20 October 2020 / Accepted: 4 November 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Small tree size represents the main challenge when designing a cost-effective harvesting system for European short-rotation plantations. This challenge is further complicated by the need to obtain 4-m logs for high-end products, which rules out the possibility of deploying whole-tree chipping. Both challenges can be met through mass or multi-tree handling (MTH), which must begin at the time of felling and continue uninterrupted along the whole supply chain. The objective was to: (1) gauge the productivity and the cost of CTL harvesting applied to these plantations; (2) assess log yield and capacity to match dimensional specifications; (3) determine if MTH applied to CTL technology offers a real benefit compared with conventional single-tree handling. The authors conducted a time study using a block design with a two-machine cut-to-length harvesting system (i.e. harvester and forwarder) in single- and multi-tree handling operations on the clear cutting of a hybrid poplar plantation in Poland, as well as we manually measured the produced volumes of the study. Higher productivity (+ 8%) was achieved under the multi-stem handling mode. The MTH system proved capable of containing harvesting costs below € 15 per green ton, while fulfilling set timber quality requirements in terms of value recovery and log quality specifications. A new, software-based, MTH system is recommended to be used in short-rotation poplar plantation for logs and biomass harvesting. When the coppicing season is over, the system can be deployed for the conventional thinning operations. Keywords Multi-tree handling (MTH) · Logging · Felling · Forwarding · Productivity · Cost efficiency
Introduction
Communicated by Eric R. Labelle. * Piotr S. Mederski [email protected] Natascia Magagnotti [email protected] Raffaele Spinelli [email protected] Kalle Kärhä [email protected] 1
CNR IBE ‑ National Council for Research, Institute of Bioeconomy, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
2
Stora Enso, Forest Division, Wood Supply Finland, P.O. Box 309, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
3
Department of Forest Utilisation, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 71A, 60‑625 Poznań, Poland
Economy of scale favors concentrated production in very large plants, and that is true for all sectors—including the wood industry. Large plants or clusters of multiple complementary manufacturing plants have become a characteristic of the global wood industry, and Europe is no exception. While concentration offers important advantages in terms of production efficiency, it also carries equally important challenges when it comes to logistics. That is seldom more true than when i
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