Goetz Roth, Interpine’s lead for the implementation of mechanised harvester production data has recently returned from Europe. In Europe Goetz attended 48th FORMEC, one of the biggest international Forest Engineering Conferences in the world. Over 300 attendees from around the globe came together to discuss and present their work in engineering. Following FORMEC Goetz visited the AustroFOMA forest machinery exhibition. AUSTROFOMA is the only Austrian forestry machine and device demonstration where all the machines on display are shown performing real-life tasks, unlike standard exhibitions where they are only seen while stationary. After his visit to Austria Goetz continued to Sweden where he met with several parties to learn more about the implementation of mechanised harvester data in the Swedish Forestry.
Travel Report:
FORMEC:
At FORMEC I was particularly interested in seeing where other countries are at in regards to the use of harvester data. This presentation was hereby of particular interest to me:
Sensor-based, automated monitoring of fully mechanised harvesting processes – including options for automated process control, M. Ziesak1*, D. Rommel1 , S. Ying2 , P. Preusch3
No one I met at the conference was working in the space of harvester data management. As central European countries are primarily focused on the harvest of single trees they don’t seem to be particularly interested in this space.
AustroFOMA:
I’ve visited the AustroFOMA a large harvest technology exhibition following FORMEC. The European harvesting systems were impressive, but again no new inventions in the space of harvester data management or optimizing were presented.
http://www.austrofoma.at/en/news.html
CGI Forestry:
Meeting with our business partner CGI. Presentation of new APT Bulk Generator:
Work in Progress: English Version (Beta) will be released in March.
At Stora Enso I met with Emiliano Zocca. He is working as a Resource Forester in the Falun office. He is responsible for the operational as well as the wider strategical planning. He was able to show me a practical implantation of harvester data and LiDAR.
SkogForsk (Forestry Research Institute of Sweden):
Rolf Bjoerheden (Program Manager – Forest Operation & Products):
Rolf gave me an introduction into SkogFrosk. He talked me through its administration, touched based on its funding and led into the presentation of some current findings.
Victor Asmoarp (Research – Operational Planning & Logistics)
Victor presented the general wood supply chain within the Swedish forestry. He talked about the PapiNet standard which he is involved in rolling out within the Swedish forestry to smoothen data transfer along the logistics chain. We also discussed transportation of the raw material from the forest to the mill. Herby we discussed transport optimization algorithm as well as the advantage of bigger trucks with bigger payloads. Victor presented a current Swedish case study.
John Arligner (Research – Operational Planning & Logistics)
As I’ve been in contact with John in the past, our meeting was more a general talk about StanForD, its implementation and prospects for the future. Interesting from my point of view was the willingness of a cooperation between the NZ/AUS forestry and the StanForD panel. John was very interested in getting input from NZ/AUS on further development. This input can reach from adequate bark models within StanFord over to the inclusion of additional machinery into the standard, like felling machines for example.
Key points:
- New bark function introduced (confirmed). Parameters for P.radiata needed!
- StanForD 2010 is replacing the classic standard. In the New Zealand the transition is much slower than in Scandinavia.
- Boom angle and reach will be recorded in addition to machines GPS coordinates in StanForD 2010. This leads to the new implementation of StanforD as an inventory tool as the exact location of every tree is known.
- The New Zealand very common ODB Timbermatic H09 can be upgraded to StanforD 2010
- StanForD 2010 will record the exact time for each log cut.
- StanForD 2010 will be allow record the felling only.
- The advantage of harvester head volume based system is the shift of responsibility for delivery from mill gate to skid. The Forest owner isn’t longer responsible for the delivery and can’t be hold accountable for any loss of wood during delivery.
Maria Nordström (Research Forest Operations & Products)
Maria presented to me SkogForsk work in the area of harvester head accuracy and harvester head calibration.
Key points:
-
Current benchmark set by SkogForsk:
- At least 50 % of diameter measurements within +/- 4 mm of manual control
- At least 60 % of length measurements within +/- 2 cm of manual control
-
Near Future:
- At least 55 – 60 % of diameter measurements within +/- 4 mm of manual control
- At least 70 % of length measurements within +/- 2 cm of manual control
-
Long Term:
- At least 90 % of diameter measurements within +/- 4 mm of manual control
-
At least 90 % of length measurements within +/- 2 cm of manual control
(New measurement technologies required)
Furthermore I got introduced to the“Harvester Quality Assurance System”
Components:
- Randomly selected control stems (within in quality limits)
- Independent auditor field visits
- Follow up on audit results
- Education and Coaching (!How to correctly calibrate!)
Other key points:
-
Accurate Measurements are affected by:
- Correct Calibration (Correct use of calibration calliper)
- Operator Support (Continues operator feedback loop)
- Attitude (Educated Operators will increase accuracy)
Mellanskog (Swedish Forestry Management Company)
- Mellanskog manages the forest on behalf of its 32,036 members
- Managed Area: 1,686,000ha
- Harvested Volume: 4.37 million m3
- Employees: 231
(As of year: 2014)
At Mellanskog I met with Anton Bondesson in the Västerås office. He is holding the position of a local forester His field activities reaches from the management of planting, over siliviculture to the final harvest.
The time I spend with Mellanskog was divided in two parts, an office based session in the morning and a field trip in the afternoon:
In the morning we talked about NZ and Swedish forestry, its differences and similarities. Anton explained to me the principals of the thinning models used in Sweden. Furthermore he showed me some of the IT solutions currently in use in the area he is managing, like a tablet application which allows him to review forest information remotely.
In the afternoon we went into the forest and met with a forwarder operator who was currently working in a thinning operation. He was a contractor and only owned this own machine (Model: Rottne F10B). He didn’t speak English so Anton had to translate for me.
His machine was equid with a DASA computer system. No data transfer of production, and spatial information between the harvester and the forwarder was happening.
Another interesting contact I met was Per Svensson. His position is similar to a wood supply chain manager here in NZ. He is the link between the forest management and the saw/ pulp mill.
He is receiving reports which are a direct results of the of the harvester accuracy from the SDC scanner at the mill gate.
