A cost-benefit analysis of pre-sorting using a feller-buncher in underdeveloped short rotation poplar plantations

Spinelli, Raffaele; Magagnotti, Natascia; Kováč, Barnabáš; Heger, Patrik; Heilig, Dávid; Heil, Bálint; Kovács, Gábor; Mihelič, Matevž

doi:10.1080/14942119.2022.2107863

International Journal of Forest Engineering

2022

DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2107863

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A cost-benefit analysis of pre-sorting using a feller-buncher in underdeveloped short rotation poplar plantations

Raffaele Spinelli¹,

Natascia Magagnotti²,

Barnabáš Kováč

et al.

Abstract: Acknowledgments: This study was funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 745874 »Dendromass for Europe« (D4EU). Additional support was provided by the Pahernik foundation -University of Ljubljana. https://www.uni-lj.si/news/news/6498/"

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Integrated Harvesting of Medium Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations: Systems Compared

Francesco¹,

Magagnotti

Kováč³

et al. 2022

Forests

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In this study, the authors provide a direct comparison made between whole tree-harvesting (WTH) and cut-to length (CTL) methods, which was conducted in two sites in the Slovak Republic and applied to poplar plantations. Both systems, WTH and CTL, have been employed at the highest mechanization level in two sites: “Nivky” and “Skalica”. Two different strategies, namely, “mass handling” and “small-scale mechanization”, have been used for WTH and CTL, respectively. The study results showed that the level of productivity (ODT SMH−1) in the felling operation was almost double for WTH than for the CTL method in Nivky (+84%) and more than double in Skalica (+113%). The extraction operation under WTH showed a productivity increase from one fifth (+20%) to more than double (104%) that of the CTL method in the Nivky and Skalica sites, respectively. Regarding cost-efficiency (EUR ODT−1), the WTH system offers a similar trend except with respect to extraction in Nivky (higher productivity site), in which the CTL extraction was 4.5% less expensive than the WTH extraction. The study results show that the mass-handling technique deployed in the WTH system offers very good performance in poorer plantations since the very small tree size and low-growing stock challenge the CTL system more than the WTH system. The total operation (felling, bucking, and extraction) costs (EUR ODT−1) recorded by the study in commercial conditions (as contractors perform for revenue purposes) were 32.50 and 45.80 EUR ODT−1 for CTL and 43.30 and 53.60 EUR ODT−1 for WTH for the higher-yield site (Nivky) and lower-yield site (Skalica), respectively. Regarding the WTH System, the researchers found that the drop in efficiency (and the consequent rise in the costs-per-ton of product) depends largely on the bucking phase conducted using the harvester at the landing of the stacked piles of interlocked trees. The main results of this study demonstrate the promising strategy of mass handling associated with the WTH system in medium rotation coppice (MRC) harvesting and shows that bucking is the weaker phase. Future efforts must be made to ensure feasibility of the “mass handling” strategy alongside the entire workflow by means of finding suitable mobile machinery that can delimb, debark, and crosscut tree bunches instead of single trees.

show abstract

Integrated Harvesting of Medium Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations: Systems Compared

Francesco¹,

Magagnotti

Kováč³

et al. 2022

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

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A cost-benefit analysis of pre-sorting using a feller-buncher in underdeveloped short rotation poplar plantations

Cited by 1 publication

References 27 publications

Integrated Harvesting of Medium Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations: Systems Compared

Integrated Harvesting of Medium Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations: Systems Compared

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