Cost-effective Integrated Harvesting of Short-Rotation Poplar Plantations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Spinelli ◽  
Natascia Magagnotti ◽  
Carolina Lombardini ◽  
Elaine Cristina Leonello
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Poplar Plantations

scholarly journals Low-Investment Fully Mechanized Harvesting of Short-Rotation Poplar (populus spp.) Plantations

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Spinelli ◽  
Natascia Magagnotti ◽  
Carolina Lombardini
Keyword(s):  
Capital Investment ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Farm Tractor ◽  
Poplar Plantations ◽  
Populus Spp ◽  
Whole Tree

European short-rotation poplar plantations are harvested at 5–8 year rotations and produce relatively small stems (0.05–0.10 m3), which represent a major challenge when designing a cost-effective harvesting chain. Until now, the challenge has been met through whole-tree chipping, which allows mass-handling all through the harvesting chain. However, the production of higher value logs for the panel industry requires devising different solutions. This study presents a fully mechanized low-investment system using an excavator-based feller-buncher shear, a grapple skidder obtained from the conversion of a common farm tractor and an excavator-mounted grapple saw adapted to work as a makeshift slasher. The system was tested in Northwestern Italy, achieving high productivity (between 14 and 20 t fresh weight per scheduled machine hour) and low harvesting cost (between 9 and 14 € t−1 fresh weight). However, crosscutting quality needs further improvement, because almost 50% of the logs did not meet factory specifications. Solutions to solve this issue are proposed. The tested system is suitable for local small-scale operators because it can be acquired with a reasonable capital investment (400,000 €) and it is versatile enough for use in a number of alternative jobs, when the coppice harvesting season is over.

The effect of cutting technique on the mortality and re-sprouting vigor of poplar stumps in short-rotation plantations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Spinelli ◽  
Natascia Magagnotti ◽  
Carolina Lombardini ◽  
Elaine Cristina Leonello
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Populus Nigra ◽  
Effective Solution ◽  
Shoot Height ◽  
Hybrid Poplars ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Poplar Plantations ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Cost

Mechanical felling is the cost-effective solution for harvesting short-rotation poplar plantations, but the damage inflicted by conventional shear cutting devices on tree stumps has raised concerns about stump mortality and re-sprouting vigor - both crucial to coppice regeneration. In order to determine if such concerns are justified, the experiment monitored the survival and resprouting vigor of eleven sample blocks, composed of two 10-stump row segments cut according to either of two methods: 1) lternately with a chainsaw (control) or 2) and with an excavator-mounted shear. The sample blocks were located within the same plantation, established 7 years earlier with hybrid poplars (Populus nigra x P. deltoides), belonging to the "AF8" clone. One year after cutting, no differences were found between treatments in terms of stump mortality, number of shoots per stump, shoot diameter at 30 cm from the insertion and shoot height. These results support the use of mechanical shears to fell short-rotation poplar coppice. However, further studies should be conducted on multiple fields and clones for a safe generalization of this preliminary study.

Bird and Small Mammal Use of Short-Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations

1997 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald P. Christian ◽  
Patrick T. Collins ◽  
Joann M. Hanowski ◽  
Gerald J. Niemi
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Poplar Plantations

scholarly journals Multi-tree cut-to-length harvesting of short-rotation poplar plantations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natascia Magagnotti ◽  
Raffaele Spinelli ◽  
Kalle Kärhä ◽  
Piotr S. Mederski
Keyword(s):  
Block Design ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Poplar Plantation ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Value Recovery ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Quality Specifications ◽  
The Cost

AbstractSmall tree size represents the main challenge when designing a cost-effective harvesting system for European short-rotation plantations. This challenge is further complicated by the need to obtain 4-m logs for high-end products, which rules out the possibility of deploying whole-tree chipping. Both challenges can be met through mass or multi-tree handling (MTH), which must begin at the time of felling and continue uninterrupted along the whole supply chain. The objective was to: (1) gauge the productivity and the cost of CTL harvesting applied to these plantations; (2) assess log yield and capacity to match dimensional specifications; (3) determine if MTH applied to CTL technology offers a real benefit compared with conventional single-tree handling. The authors conducted a time study using a block design with a two-machine cut-to-length harvesting system (i.e. harvester and forwarder) in single- and multi-tree handling operations on the clear cutting of a hybrid poplar plantation in Poland, as well as we manually measured the produced volumes of the study. Higher productivity (+ 8%) was achieved under the multi-stem handling mode. The MTH system proved capable of containing harvesting costs below € 15 per green ton, while fulfilling set timber quality requirements in terms of value recovery and log quality specifications. A new, software-based, MTH system is recommended to be used in short-rotation poplar plantation for logs and biomass harvesting. When the coppicing season is over, the system can be deployed for the conventional thinning operations.

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