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Forests
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Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas
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Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2020) | Viewed by 15062

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Raffaele Cavalli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
Interests: operations management; logistics; production planning; management; transportation; supply chain; vocational training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dalia Abbas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Interests: forest operations; ecological best management practices; life cycle assessment; supply and value chain management; sustainability sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in its broadest sense refers to critical areas characterized by conditions that require special treatment, within which forest operations are subject to limitations and restrictions or are prohibited altogether to avoid ecosystem damage and promote better ecosystem services.
Those conditions include steep soil, wet soils, both steep and wet soils, nutrient-deficient sites, rocky sites, waterways, fire hazards, biodiversity and habitats, historical interest.
Forest operations in ESAs can be costly and cause lands to be removed from production, because of soil erosion, compaction, rutting, reduction of vegetation and organic matter, injuries and stresses to the operator and the equipment, loss of aesthetic and cultural values, and reduction or loss of wildlife and biodiversity.
To operate in such conditions, it is essential to:

  • select the equipment and tailor the work conditions to terrain type, forest features, and management objectives
  • identify training needs and health and safety requirements for operators
  • integrate the details of environmental protection, technological appropriateness, and operator’s safety

Prof. Raffaele Cavalli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)
  • Forest Operations
  • Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) techniques
  • Machine operator’s health and safety requirements
  • Best Environmental Management Practices

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1541 KiB  
Article
Comparison of A Cable-Based and a Ground-Based System in Flat and Soil-Sensitive Area: A Case Study from Southern Baden in Germany
by Janine Schweier and Christian Ludowicy
Forests 2020, 11(6), 611; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11060611 - 29 May 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2262
Abstract
The results of this study showed that the application of cable-based systems in flat terrain must not necessarily be more cost intensive than its application in other terrains. In recent years, criteria other than purely economic ones have been taken into account in [...] Read more.
The results of this study showed that the application of cable-based systems in flat terrain must not necessarily be more cost intensive than its application in other terrains. In recent years, criteria other than purely economic ones have been taken into account in forest management decisions, with the aim of avoiding ecosystem damage and promoting better ecosystem services. Since precipitation in winter is becoming more intensive and weeks with frozen soils are becoming rare, one option might be the use of cable-based instead of ground-based extraction systems. Both vary in terms of economy and flexibility. Thus, it is important to make reliable estimates of potential costs and benefits before an operation is conducted. The aim of this study was to analyze a cable-based and a ground-based extraction system that could be applied to a forest stand in a flat and soil-sensitive area. The study, based on a cable-based operation, was conducted in a mixed forest stand that was vulnerable to traffic. Furthermore, we modeled an alternative operation focusing on a ground-based system, addressing the soil vulnerability by considering manual felling, processing, and use of a combi-forwarder for extraction. In the cable-based system, yarding productivity was high (20.3 m3ub/PMH15) due to several reasons, such as a high share of larger dimension timber, the fact that heavy timber was partially de-limbed and processed motor-manually in the stand, the fact that a mini forestry crawler was used for pre-winching the material and finally due to the experience of the operators. Resulting costs for harvesting and extraction were on average €27.8/m3ub. In the ground-based system, costs were on a comparable level (€28.30/m3ub). In our case, the application of a cable yarder in flat terrain was a good alternative and should be considered in future forest management to support environmentally friendly operations and allow independent planning of the operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas)
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12 pages, 2121 KiB  
Article
The Accessibility of Post-Fire Areas for Mechanized Thinning Operations
by Dariusz Kulak, Janusz M. Sowa, Grzegorz Szewczyk and Arkadiusz Stańczykiewicz
Forests 2020, 11(4), 471; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11040471 - 22 Apr 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2017
Abstract
In 1992, in Southern Poland, large areas of Silesian forests were affected by the country’s largest forest fire. Stands introduced in the 9000-ha post-fire region are currently undergoing early thinning. Due to the scope of these treatments, the chance for their timely implementation [...] Read more.
In 1992, in Southern Poland, large areas of Silesian forests were affected by the country’s largest forest fire. Stands introduced in the 9000-ha post-fire region are currently undergoing early thinning. Due to the scope of these treatments, the chance for their timely implementation is ensured only by the application of cut-to-length (CTL) technologies, i.e., with the use of harvesters and forwarders. The use of CTL technologies may, however, be difficult due to the fire history of these stands, which could affect the bearing capacity of their soils. The objective of this study is to determine the accessibility of stands for forest machines in relation to the bearing capacity of the soils and changes in soil compaction in the post-fire sites. Soil compaction was measured in terms of penetrometer resistance in the stands introduced in the post-fire area in question, as well as in control stands growing on five different soil types. It was shown that in the topsoil layer—from 8 to 18 cm thick depending on the soil type—differences in soil compaction in the post-fire and control areas were relatively small. The impacts of the forest fire—manifested as a significant increase in the compaction of the forest soils—were still visible, but only in the deeper layers of the soil profile. In all of the compared pairs of forest compartments located in the stands regenerated after the fire, significantly higher values of cone indexes (CI) were found. The average value of this index in the post-fire stands was 2.15 MPa, while in the control stands it was 1.60 MPa, which indicates that in both groups of stands the bearing capacity of the soils should not limit the accessibility for vehicles used for timber harvesting and extraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas)
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15 pages, 2893 KiB  
Article
Comparing Hot and Cold Loading in an Integrated Biomass Recovery Operation
by Anil Raj Kizha, Han-Sup Han, Nathaniel Anderson, Anil Koirala and Libin T. Louis
Forests 2020, 11(4), 385; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11040385 - 28 Mar 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2183
Abstract
The balance of production activities at the landing is pivotal to the success of any forest harvesting operation and has a direct impact on the cost and efficiency of the enterprise. The primary objective of this study was to understand the operational characteristics [...] Read more.
The balance of production activities at the landing is pivotal to the success of any forest harvesting operation and has a direct impact on the cost and efficiency of the enterprise. The primary objective of this study was to understand the operational characteristics of the loader in a hot operation (handling both sawlog and biomass components concurrently) and cold operation (handling biomass and sawlogs separately) for harvesting sawlogs and biomass. Systematic work sampling techniques were employed to obtain “snapshots” of the loader activities for a cable logging operation, including the interaction of the loader with other operational phases and delay time for both hot and cold configurations. The results show that for hot loading at the landing, the yarder was the most utilized machine (85%), and was the bottleneck of the operation, followed by the loader (70%). In the hot loading configuration, 39% of operational delay during truck loading was caused by the loader and was predominantly due to movement of the loader within or between the landings. This was followed by the yarder (19%, due to rigging activities) and the chaser (15%, to maintain the crews’ safety). In the cold loading configuration, delays due to the unavailability of roll-off bins constituted up to 77% of the operational delay. This suggests that the number of bins and trucks hauling biomass has a crucial role in the overall efficiency of the biomass harvesting system, and should be well balanced with loading capacity. Additionally, the choice of hot or cold biomass loading operations is highly dependent on the site and operating conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas)
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14 pages, 1981 KiB  
Article
Forwarder Productivity in Salvage Logging Operations in Difficult Terrain
by Alberto Cadei, Omar Mologni, Dominik Röser, Raffaele Cavalli and Stefano Grigolato
Forests 2020, 11(3), 341; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11030341 - 19 Mar 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4042
Abstract
Large scale windthrow salvage logging is increasing in Central Europe because of the growth of severe atmospheric events due to global heating. Sustainable forest operations in these conditions are challenging in terms of both productivity performances and safety of the operations. Fully mechanized [...] Read more.
Large scale windthrow salvage logging is increasing in Central Europe because of the growth of severe atmospheric events due to global heating. Sustainable forest operations in these conditions are challenging in terms of both productivity performances and safety of the operations. Fully mechanized harvesting systems are the preferred solution on trafficable terrains and proper slopes. However, different work methods and logistic organization of the operations could largely change the overall performances. The study observed three harvesting sites based on fully mechanized cut-to-length systems and located in areas affected by the Vaia storm, which hit north-eastern Italy in October 2018. The objectives were to estimate forwarder productivity in salvage logging in difficult terrain and to identify significant variables affecting this productivity under real working conditions. Time and motion studies were carried out and covered 59.9 PMH15, for a total of 101 working cycles, extracting a total volume of 1277 m3 of timber. Average time consumption for each site was 38.7, 42.2, and 25.1 PMH15 with average productivity of 22.5, 18.5, and 29.4 m3/PMH15, respectively, for Sites A, B, and C. A total of seven explanatory variables significantly affected forwarder productivity. Average load volume, maximum machine inclination during loading, and number of logs positively affected the productivity. On the contrary, travel distance, load volume, maximum ground slope during moving and loading have a negative influence. With an average travel distance of 500 m, the productivity resulted 20.52, 16.31, and 23.03 m3/PMH15, respectively, for Sites A, B, and C. An increase of 200 m of travel distance causes a decrease in productivity of 6%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas)
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26 pages, 23968 KiB  
Article
Automated Cable Road Layout and Harvesting Planning for Multiple Objectives in Steep Terrain
by Leo Gallus Bont, Sabrina Maurer and Jochen Ruben Breschan
Forests 2019, 10(8), 687; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f10080687 - 14 Aug 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3954
Abstract
Cable yarding is the most commonly used technique for harvesting timber from steep terrain in central Europe. During the planning process, one important task is to define the cable road layout. This means that the harvesting technology and cable road location must be [...] Read more.
Cable yarding is the most commonly used technique for harvesting timber from steep terrain in central Europe. During the planning process, one important task is to define the cable road layout. This means that the harvesting technology and cable road location must be specified for a given timber parcel. Although managers must minimize harvesting costs, it is even more important that such work on forests reduces the potential for damage to the residual stand and ensures that environmental conditions remain suitable for regeneration. However, current methods are geared only toward minimizing harvesting costs and are computationally demanding and difficult to handle for the end user. These limitations hinder broad application of such methods. Further, the underlying productivity models used for cost estimation do not cover all conditions of an area and they cannot be applied over a whole harvesting area. To overcome these shortcomings, we present: (1) a multiobjective optimization approach that leads to realistic, practicable results that consider multiple conflicting design objectives, and (2) a concept for an easy-to-use application. We compare the practical applicability and performance of the results achieved with multiobjective optimization with those achieved with single-objective (cost-minimal) optimization. Based on these points, we then present and discuss a concept for a user-friendly implementation. The model was tested on two sites in Switzerland. The study produced the following major findings: (1) Single-objective alternatives have no practical relevance, whereas multiobjective alternatives are preferable in real-world applications and lead to realistic solutions; (2) the solution process for a planning unit should include analysis of the Pareto frontier; and (3) results can only be made available within a useful period of time by parallelizing computing operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas)
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