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Log.
The greatest cost component in the production of
forest products by far is the cost of log harvesting and transport.
As the rapidly expanding plantation estates come on line for
harvesting, safety and productivity demands are driving high levels
of sophisticated mechanisation in these processes, signifying an
even greater level of capital investment. These financial
considerations along the entire production chain mean that
harvesting and log transport operations must be efficiently planned
and implemented.
The primary objective of the Harvesting and
Operations Programme is to significantly improve the safety and
efficiency of industry partners' forest harvesting and log
transport operations. The measure of efficiency will depend on the
specific aspect of harvesting or transport operations under
consideration; for example, operator safety, cost or revenue per
cubic metre of production, per cent recovery and fuel consumption.
The secondary objective of the programme is to build capacity in
forest harvesting and transport operations research in
Australia.
The research programme will study forest
harvesting and log transport operations in a range of locations
extending across southern Australia and in both native forest and
plantations. The research work will be carried out by seven staff:
a Principal Research Fellow based at the University of Melbourne
(Creswick campus, Victoria), two Research Fellows based at the
University of Tasmania (Tasmania) and Murdoch University (Western
Australia) and four part-time staff based in Melbourne or Creswick
(Victoria), together with up to six postgraduate students. The
programme is strongly supported by at least 12 industry
partners.
Research will be conducted under five sub-projects:
- Safety, productivity and cost effectiveness of harvesting
systems across sites / operations
- Safety, productivity, cost effectiveness and design of wood
transport infrastructure
- Forest resource utilisation and waste reduction
- Bucking / scheduling optimisation
- Stand parameter information from harvest data
Ultimately, the research conducted will
contribute to the development of safer and more efficient forest
harvesting and log transport operations with increased levels of
resource utilisation and value recovery from harvested areas. The
development of a core group of internationally recognised
Australian researchers will underpin ongoing improvements in these
areas of interest well into the future.
