Forest harvesting operations worldwide are becoming increasingly mechanised. Advantages of mechan... more Forest harvesting operations worldwide are becoming increasingly mechanised. Advantages of mechanised felling include increased productivity compared with manual felling, the opportunity to bunch stems for more efficient extraction, and greater protection from physical harm for operators. Recent interest in Australia and New Zealand—and positive experiences elsewhere—in increasing mechanisation in steep terrain prompted this research trial to evaluate the potential of a self-levelling feller-buncher to improve the overall productivity and economics of a swing yarder. The main goal of the study was to determine the effect on productivity of the extraction by cable of bunched wood as opposed to unbunched wood.
In-forest drying of roundwood and biomass (residues) can result in more efficient transport opera... more In-forest drying of roundwood and biomass (residues) can result in more efficient transport operations from an economical and environmental perspective. On the negative side, in-forest drying may result in dry matter losses (DML), impacting the quantity and quality of residues delivered to energy plants. This paper investigated the impact of roundwood and residues in-forest drying and DML on supply chain costs and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. For the assessment, a short-term optimization planning tool was applied to a supply chain located in Asturias, Spain, consisting of fourteen supply points and two demand points: A pulp mill (demanding roundwood) and a power plant (demanding residues). Four scenarios were included in the analysis comprising different combinations of DML for roundwood and residues resulting from in-forest drying. Our results indicate that in scenarios that include in-forest drying and DML, the negative economic effects are offset by the substantial reductions ...
Tree morphological characteristics, particularly straightness and lean, significantly influence t... more Tree morphological characteristics, particularly straightness and lean, significantly influence the value of the commercial products that can be obtained. Despite this, they are not usually evaluated in timber field inventories because traditional techniques are labor-intensive and largely subjective, hence the use of these parameters is limited to research and genetic breeding programs. Here, a non-destructive, fully automated methodology is presented that estimates the parameters for describing straightness and lean using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. It is based on splitting stems into evenly spaced sections and estimating their centers, which are then used to automatically calculate the maximum sagitta, sinuosity, and lean of each tree. The methodology was applied in a breeding trial plot of Pinus pinaster, and the results obtained were compared with field measurements of straightness and lean based on visual classification. The methodology is robust to errors in the es...
As a part of the renewable energy cycle, forest biomass resources are considered to be important ... more As a part of the renewable energy cycle, forest biomass resources are considered to be important renewable materials and energy sources in many countries. It is evident from international and local research into forest biomass utilization that several challenges must be addressed to ensure logging waste can be transformed into material of commercial value. Several logistical and supply chain challenges have already been identified, including uncertainty about the nature, amount, and quality of forest residues. In this context, this paper presents a summary review of estimation methods and techniques for managing forest and woody residue along the timber supply chain. The review examines both the opportunities and the challenges evident in the international forest residue estimation methods within each supply chain for primary and secondary forest resources. The review also discusses techniques for supply chain and management planning and highlights the limitations of existing inform...
Traditionally forest products markets have required logs with particular external properties such... more Traditionally forest products markets have required logs with particular external properties such as diameter, length and knot size. However, markets are now beginning to include requirements for new internal properties, such as basic density and stiffness. Although markets have responded to these new requirements with prices that afford only limited incentive for producers to meet such demands, the new characteristics are valued by these markets and are considered key for competitive forest companies to stay in business. This paper presents a general methodology to estimate relative log prices of Douglas-fir when logs of different wood density classes are processed and converted into end products (lumber and pulp). Three log density classes were evaluated. For the lowest basic density class (300-399 kg/m3), net returns for pulp were about 28 percent lower than the middle class (400-499 kg/m3). The upper class (500-600 kg/m3) net return was 32 percent higher than the middle class. F...
Mallee plantations have been integrated into wheat farms in Western Australia as a large-scale an... more Mallee plantations have been integrated into wheat farms in Western Australia as a large-scale and multipurpose woody crop since the 1990s. Mallee describes the growing habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems shooting from an underground crown root (lignotuber), usually to a height of up to 10 meters. These types of plantations could be a considerable source of biomass to produce renewable energy. In this project the supply chain of Mallee was modelled using BIOPLAN's linear programming model to investigate the impact of tree size, extraction distance and transport distance on supply chain costs. The harvesting system included a feller-buncher, front end loader, in-field chipper and truck. The mobile Bruks chipper was found to be more efficient than Peterson Pacific to chip Mallee trees. The results indicated that harvesting larger tree sizes can slightly diminish chipping cost. Extraction cost was very sensitive to the extraction distance in this case st...
The transport of timber and biomass represents a significant proportion of the operational cost f... more The transport of timber and biomass represents a significant proportion of the operational cost for the forest industry worldwide. This calls for optimization solutions so that companies can organize their transport operations and allocate resources efficiently, and reduce the impact of transport operations on the environment. This paper presents an extensive overview of the transport and biomass optimization problem in the forest industry. It provides a detailed description of mathematical solutions, including linear programming models and algorithms, to solve complex transportation planning problems involving annual, monthly and daily decisions. Also, the paper presents and describes two decision support tools, MCPLAN and FastTRUCK, which have been implemented to assist transport planners to optimize the flows of timber and biomass from the forest to mills and energy plants, and to schedule and route the trucks efficiently between these supply and demand points.
Under the Korean Emission Trading System in The Forestry Sector (KETSF) initiative, the Korean go... more Under the Korean Emission Trading System in The Forestry Sector (KETSF) initiative, the Korean government has developed several greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction programs that include forestry activities as cornerstones of the initiative. Forest management is deemed to be a major strategy to implement KETSF; this has been confirmed by most participants in the program, who have shown their preference for forest management projects as the most effective and encouraging strategy to participate in the KETSF program. For a successful implementation of KETSF projects, it is essential to explore methods that optimize the positive impacts of such strategies, thereby maximizing the economic returns and carbon stocks that result from the implementation of forest management activities. Thus, this study investigated the economic returns of several KETSF projects in Korea, which included simulated scenarios under two main forest management strategies, one based on an extension of the rota...
An important problem for forestry in-field chipping operations is the efficient daily truck trans... more An important problem for forestry in-field chipping operations is the efficient daily truck transportation of chips from different coupes being harvested, with known supplies, to customer destinations with known daily demands. This paper presents initial results from a trial with FastTRUCK, a software tool that uses a simulated annealing approach to optimise truck schedules. The software was developed by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Forestry, to evaluate some of the factors that affect transportation efficiency within Australian in-field chipping operations. The analysis of results focused on: chipper productivity and utilisation; number of chipping operations accessible to each truck; truck loading and unloading time; net payload on daily transportation costs; number of truck;, and finally, average truck utilisation. Results obtained on synthetic data, derived from expert knowledge, suggest payload and chipper utilisation are the main factors affecting transportation e...
Forest harvesting operations worldwide are becoming increasingly mechanised. Advantages of mechan... more Forest harvesting operations worldwide are becoming increasingly mechanised. Advantages of mechanised felling include increased productivity compared with manual felling, the opportunity to bunch stems for more efficient extraction, and greater protection from physical harm for operators. Recent interest in Australia and New Zealand—and positive experiences elsewhere—in increasing mechanisation in steep terrain prompted this research trial to evaluate the potential of a self-levelling feller-buncher to improve the overall productivity and economics of a swing yarder. The main goal of the study was to determine the effect on productivity of the extraction by cable of bunched wood as opposed to unbunched wood.
In-forest drying of roundwood and biomass (residues) can result in more efficient transport opera... more In-forest drying of roundwood and biomass (residues) can result in more efficient transport operations from an economical and environmental perspective. On the negative side, in-forest drying may result in dry matter losses (DML), impacting the quantity and quality of residues delivered to energy plants. This paper investigated the impact of roundwood and residues in-forest drying and DML on supply chain costs and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. For the assessment, a short-term optimization planning tool was applied to a supply chain located in Asturias, Spain, consisting of fourteen supply points and two demand points: A pulp mill (demanding roundwood) and a power plant (demanding residues). Four scenarios were included in the analysis comprising different combinations of DML for roundwood and residues resulting from in-forest drying. Our results indicate that in scenarios that include in-forest drying and DML, the negative economic effects are offset by the substantial reductions ...
Tree morphological characteristics, particularly straightness and lean, significantly influence t... more Tree morphological characteristics, particularly straightness and lean, significantly influence the value of the commercial products that can be obtained. Despite this, they are not usually evaluated in timber field inventories because traditional techniques are labor-intensive and largely subjective, hence the use of these parameters is limited to research and genetic breeding programs. Here, a non-destructive, fully automated methodology is presented that estimates the parameters for describing straightness and lean using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. It is based on splitting stems into evenly spaced sections and estimating their centers, which are then used to automatically calculate the maximum sagitta, sinuosity, and lean of each tree. The methodology was applied in a breeding trial plot of Pinus pinaster, and the results obtained were compared with field measurements of straightness and lean based on visual classification. The methodology is robust to errors in the es...
As a part of the renewable energy cycle, forest biomass resources are considered to be important ... more As a part of the renewable energy cycle, forest biomass resources are considered to be important renewable materials and energy sources in many countries. It is evident from international and local research into forest biomass utilization that several challenges must be addressed to ensure logging waste can be transformed into material of commercial value. Several logistical and supply chain challenges have already been identified, including uncertainty about the nature, amount, and quality of forest residues. In this context, this paper presents a summary review of estimation methods and techniques for managing forest and woody residue along the timber supply chain. The review examines both the opportunities and the challenges evident in the international forest residue estimation methods within each supply chain for primary and secondary forest resources. The review also discusses techniques for supply chain and management planning and highlights the limitations of existing inform...
Traditionally forest products markets have required logs with particular external properties such... more Traditionally forest products markets have required logs with particular external properties such as diameter, length and knot size. However, markets are now beginning to include requirements for new internal properties, such as basic density and stiffness. Although markets have responded to these new requirements with prices that afford only limited incentive for producers to meet such demands, the new characteristics are valued by these markets and are considered key for competitive forest companies to stay in business. This paper presents a general methodology to estimate relative log prices of Douglas-fir when logs of different wood density classes are processed and converted into end products (lumber and pulp). Three log density classes were evaluated. For the lowest basic density class (300-399 kg/m3), net returns for pulp were about 28 percent lower than the middle class (400-499 kg/m3). The upper class (500-600 kg/m3) net return was 32 percent higher than the middle class. F...
Mallee plantations have been integrated into wheat farms in Western Australia as a large-scale an... more Mallee plantations have been integrated into wheat farms in Western Australia as a large-scale and multipurpose woody crop since the 1990s. Mallee describes the growing habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems shooting from an underground crown root (lignotuber), usually to a height of up to 10 meters. These types of plantations could be a considerable source of biomass to produce renewable energy. In this project the supply chain of Mallee was modelled using BIOPLAN's linear programming model to investigate the impact of tree size, extraction distance and transport distance on supply chain costs. The harvesting system included a feller-buncher, front end loader, in-field chipper and truck. The mobile Bruks chipper was found to be more efficient than Peterson Pacific to chip Mallee trees. The results indicated that harvesting larger tree sizes can slightly diminish chipping cost. Extraction cost was very sensitive to the extraction distance in this case st...
The transport of timber and biomass represents a significant proportion of the operational cost f... more The transport of timber and biomass represents a significant proportion of the operational cost for the forest industry worldwide. This calls for optimization solutions so that companies can organize their transport operations and allocate resources efficiently, and reduce the impact of transport operations on the environment. This paper presents an extensive overview of the transport and biomass optimization problem in the forest industry. It provides a detailed description of mathematical solutions, including linear programming models and algorithms, to solve complex transportation planning problems involving annual, monthly and daily decisions. Also, the paper presents and describes two decision support tools, MCPLAN and FastTRUCK, which have been implemented to assist transport planners to optimize the flows of timber and biomass from the forest to mills and energy plants, and to schedule and route the trucks efficiently between these supply and demand points.
Under the Korean Emission Trading System in The Forestry Sector (KETSF) initiative, the Korean go... more Under the Korean Emission Trading System in The Forestry Sector (KETSF) initiative, the Korean government has developed several greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction programs that include forestry activities as cornerstones of the initiative. Forest management is deemed to be a major strategy to implement KETSF; this has been confirmed by most participants in the program, who have shown their preference for forest management projects as the most effective and encouraging strategy to participate in the KETSF program. For a successful implementation of KETSF projects, it is essential to explore methods that optimize the positive impacts of such strategies, thereby maximizing the economic returns and carbon stocks that result from the implementation of forest management activities. Thus, this study investigated the economic returns of several KETSF projects in Korea, which included simulated scenarios under two main forest management strategies, one based on an extension of the rota...
An important problem for forestry in-field chipping operations is the efficient daily truck trans... more An important problem for forestry in-field chipping operations is the efficient daily truck transportation of chips from different coupes being harvested, with known supplies, to customer destinations with known daily demands. This paper presents initial results from a trial with FastTRUCK, a software tool that uses a simulated annealing approach to optimise truck schedules. The software was developed by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Forestry, to evaluate some of the factors that affect transportation efficiency within Australian in-field chipping operations. The analysis of results focused on: chipper productivity and utilisation; number of chipping operations accessible to each truck; truck loading and unloading time; net payload on daily transportation costs; number of truck;, and finally, average truck utilisation. Results obtained on synthetic data, derived from expert knowledge, suggest payload and chipper utilisation are the main factors affecting transportation e...
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Papers by Mauricio Acuna