scholarly journals Impact of Distance between Strip Roads on Productivity and Costs of a Forwarder in Commercial Thinning of Pinus Taeda Stands

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-249
Author(s):  
Oscar Manuel de Jesús Vera Cabral ◽  
Eduardo da Silva Lopes ◽  
Carla Krulikowski Rodrigues ◽  
Afonso Figueiredo Filho

Demand for higher value-added wood products stimulates research for new, mainly mechanized, thinning operations in order to increase productivity and reduce production costs. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of distance between strip roads on forwarder productivity and costs of thinning operations in Pinus taeda stands. The study was carried out in 10-year-old Pinus taeda stands located in Parana State, Brazil. Two thinning methods were evaluated: (1) TH5: systematic harvest in every fifth tree row and selective harvest in adjacent rows; and (2) TH7: systematic harvest in every seventh tree row and selective harvest in adjacent rows. Working cycle times, productivity and costs were determined through a time-motion study of the forwarder. The additional variables evaluated were wood assortments (industrial wood and energy wood) and extraction distances (50, 100, 150 and 200 m), and mean values were compared between thinning methods using t tests for independent samples (α=0.05). Loading and unloading elements consumed the most time in the working cycle, with lower participation time in TH7 due to greater availability of logs along the strip roads (higher pile volumes), influencing total cycle time up to the mean distance of 150 m for both assortments. TH7 consequently showed 6% higher productivity, its energy yield was 5.3% lower and its production cost was 3.0% lower.

FLORESTA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1883
Author(s):  
Oscar Manuel de Jesús Vera Cabral ◽  
Eduardo Da Silva Lopes ◽  
Carla Krulikowski Rodrigues ◽  
Afonso Figueiredo Filho

The need for higher value-added wood products and the high cost of mechanized operations stimulate the development of new thinning methods in order to provide gains in productive capacity of forest stands. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of two thinning methods on productivity and costs of the forest harvesting in the generation of multi‐products. The study was carried out in a 10-year-old Pinus taeda stand under to two thinning methods: TH5 (harvester, with systematic harvesting of the fifth tree row and selective in adjacent rows); and TH7 (chainsaw and harvester, with systematic harvesting of the seventh tree row and selective in adjacent rows). We determined the working cycle times, productivity, and production costs through a time and motion study, with the averages of partial and total times being compared between thinning methods by the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test (α ≤ 0.05). From the obtained results, it was found that the thinning methods directly affected the harvester’s partial and total times, with the largest time obtained in the TH7 thinning method due to the need to locate previously cut trees by chainsaw, with a consequent reduction in the productivity and an increase in the production costs when compared to the TH5 method. However, despite the higher production cost, the TH7 method showed potential with the use of mechanization in all activities, making it possible to increase selective thinning and contribute to gains in forest stand quality.


2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Tilley ◽  
Ian A. Munn

Abstract The economic impacts of the forest products industry in the South on state and regional economies were estimated using the Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) System, an input–output model. Economic impacts were characterized by the (1) direct effects of these industries through their own output, employment, value added, and total and personal income and (2) associated economic multipliers that illustrate the magnitude of the ripple effect direct effects have on the rest of the economy. Direct effects and social accounting matrix multipliers for 2001 are presented by sector (i.e., lumber and wood products, paper and allied products, and wood furniture) for the 13 southern states individually and the region as a whole.


2020 ◽  
pp. 23-27
Author(s):  
Maryna POLENKOVA

The paper defines the dynamics of agricultural production. The importance of rational distribution of production costs and capital investments of agricultural enterprises is substantiated. The sequence of application of the method of multifactor dynamic regression modeling is outlined. The influence of the main groups of production costs and capital investments on the results of enterprises specializing in crop production and animal husbandry is calculated. Control over production costs is a necessary condition for the functioning of every agricultural enterprise, farm or household. Thus development of investment potential for effective activity demands optimization of use of resources, in particular rational distribution of production expenses and capital investments. The study identified the impact of the main groups of production costs and capital investment on the results of enterprises specializing in crop production and separately for livestock products. The method of multifactor dynamic regression modeling, in particular dynamic balance cross-sectional regression, was used. In the process of applying this method, large-scale general samples were formed from 832 observations in crop production and from 576 observations in animal husbandry. All calculations were performed in the software environment Statistica 10.0. To increase the objectivity of the results of the study, all cost indicators are translated into US dollars and logarithmized. The results for the three dependent variables show the statistical significance of the calculations. Above average, the impact on the volume of output, value added and sales of enterprises specializing in crop production during 2012–2019 are characterized by the volume of material costs and costs of services used in production. Below the average level of impact on the value added of enterprises is the average number of employees in full-time equivalent. Statistical significance is also observed for the three dependent variables. The high level of impact on the volume of output and the volume of sales of enterprises specializing in animal husbandry during 2012–2019 is marked by the volume of labor costs. This, in turn, is due to the large amount of manual labor in animal husbandry. The average level of impact is characterized by the amount of material costs and costs of services used in production. The reverse effect (below average) is made by contributions to social activities.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minli Wan ◽  
Katja Lähtinen ◽  
Anne Toppinen

Purpose – China is a leading country in the production, consumption and exports of value-added wood products. Despite this fact, the sources of competitiveness and the existing strategies in the Chinese wood products companies have not been profoundly studied in an international context. The purpose of this paper is to fill these gaps by exploring managerial perceptions of these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical ingredients originating from the value chain theory, functional upgrading, the dynamic capability perspective and the natural resource-based view were combined to explore the shift of business functions and sources of the firm-level competitiveness in the Chinese wood products companies. In the empirical part, data from qualitative semi-structured interviews made with 28 managers of seven companies in China based on the case study method were used. Findings – Our results indicate a transition from non-branded manufacturing to original equipment manufacturing to original brand manufacturing business model. With this strategic transformation, the amount of resources and the relative importance of intangible resources increased and the nature of tangible resources also changed. Practical implications – Chinese companies tend to shift from low-value-added to high-value-added products production. Our results are not only informative about the current situation of the Chinese wood products companies, but also can be used as a background for assessing the impact of China’s increasing competitiveness on the future international wood products market. Originality/value – The dynamic capability perspective was incorporated in a new empirical approach to study the strategic management of woodworking industries, and our results provide new information on the importance of intangible resources for firm competitiveness.


FLORESTA ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Juliano Araujo Stadler ◽  
Eduardo Da Silva Lopes ◽  
Carla Krulikowski Rodrigues ◽  
Felipe Martins De Oliveira ◽  
Carlos Cézar Cavassin Diniz

The increased demand for several forest products makes it necessary to apply different management regimes in forest stands, which may influence the wood harvesting operations. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of average individual tree volumes obtained through different management regimes on harvester productivity and costs, thereby enabling to generate information for forest managers. The study was carried out in three Pinus taeda L. stands under clear cutting with different average individual tree volumes (AIV): I (0.367 m3); II (0.582 m3); and III (0.766 m3). Working cycle times, productivity per productive machine hour, energy yield and production costs were obtained by a time and motion study, in which the average values obtained were compared by the Tukey-Kramer test (α ≤ 0.05). The work elements of the harvester’s work cycles were affected by forest management regimes, mainly the movement and the processing, with significant statistical difference between stands, but no difference between total working cycle times. The management regime applied to forest stands influenced the spacing and whole trunk volume which consequently increased the average productivity of the machine from 36.8 to 74.1 m³ per productive machine hour in treatments I and III, respectively, and reduced production costs by 50%. The forest management regimes influenced the clear-cutting operation with harvester.


2021 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 02016
Author(s):  
Michal Dzian ◽  
Hubert Paluš ◽  
Ján Parobek

Research background: The development of the Slovak economy depends on the demand in foreign markets. The Slovak economy is open and responds very sensitively to global changes. Globalisation brings positive as well as negative impacts on national economies. These impacts are also noticeable in the case of value added wood products. Globally, the furniture trade has grown more quickly than furniture production in the last ten years. The value of the world furniture trade has grown by 65%. On the other hand, domestic sales of furniture are low due to the orientation of the Slovak furniture producers on export, even if at the present time the positive development is reflected in an increasing total sales volume. Purpose of the article: This paper is focused on the assessment of globalisation impact on value added wood products trade. The aim of the paper is to determine the relationship between the trends of globalisation and furniture trade in Slovakia. Methods: The development of foreign furniture trade in Slovakia was analysed. In addition, the development of the KOF globalisation index was examined in the period from 2001 to 2017 by applying the linear regression and correlation analysis. Findings & Value added: Based on the analysed results, a positive linear relationship between the development of furniture trade in Slovakia and globalisation was observed. The results further show that the impact of globalisation is more significant in the case of export of furniture rather than its import.


Equilibrium ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-677
Author(s):  
Tomasz Sosnowski

Research background: An initial public offering (IPO) creates an excellent opportunity to research the impact of changes in the institutional environment of companies on the trustworthiness of the information disclosed in financial statements. Purpose of the article: The main aim of the study is to analyze the use of accrual and real earnings management to inflate earnings, revenue, or total assets around the going public event. Therefore, this paper contributes to the stream of study on the quality of financial reporting of new stock companies. Methods: Two main approaches reflect the use of various types of earnings management activities, i.e., discretionary accruals and real earnings management. In both cases, it was necessary to use proper OLS method estimated models to identify the normal level of categories that affect the results reported in financial statements. Findings & value added: Based on a sample of 183 IPOs from the Warsaw Stock Exchange between 2005 and 2015, generally, managers of newly-listed companies actively use discretionary accruals, reduce production costs and certain discretionary expenses, and abnormal cash flows from operations ? i.e., all proxies of earnings management used in the paper ? in the periods around the IPO. In the period prior to the IPO, managers more often introduce techniques typical of the real sphere of the company's operations, in particular, the deliberate modeling of certain discretionary costs. In turn, the use of discretionary accruals dominates in the year after the IPO.


The application of preparations of biological origin in the protection system of soybean grown under conditions of intensive irrigated crop rotations conforms to the modern tendencies of science and production development. The use of them contributes to solving ecological, production and social-economic problems. The study presents the three-year research on the efficiency of systems protecting soybean from pests and diseases based on biological and chemical preparations. The research was conducted in typical soil and climate conditions of the South of Ukraine. Zonal agricultural methods and generally accepted research methodology were used. The purpose of the research was to create a soybean protection system based on preparations of biological origin, ensuring high productivity of high-quality products reducing a negative impact of the crop production on the environment. The study emphasizes that, under irrigated conditions of the South of Ukraine, the application of biological preparations has a positive impact on the indexes of growth, development and formation of the elements of soybean yield structure. There was an increase in the crop biological weight by 13.8 % and 22.1 % and the number of seeds per plant rose by 11.6 and 14.6 % as a consequence of eliminating harmful organisms with the plant protection systems. The larger ground mass was formed by medium-ripe varieties Danai and Svyatogor, on which the increase from protection measures was higher. Weight 1000 pcs. the seeds did not undergo significant changes. It is established that the larger seeds were formed by Danaya and Svyatogor varieties, in which the average weight is 1000 pcs. seeds were 142 and 136 g, respectively, while in the variety Diona this figure was 133 g. There was an increase in the height of the lowest pod when the total plant height rose. For medium-ripe varieties was characterized by a higher attachment of beans, where the highest values of this indicator acquired in the variety Svyatogor. The medium maturing soybean variety Danaia formed the maximum yield of 3.23 and 3.35 t/ha respectively, when biological and chemical protection systems were applied. The research establishes that the application of the bio-fungicide Psevdobakterin 2 (2.0 l/ha) in the crop protection system at the beginning of soybean flowering and the bio-fungicide Baktofit (2.5 l/ha) with the bio-insecticide Lepidotsid-BTU (10.0 l/ha) at the beginning of pod formation does not reduce the productivity of the soybean varieties under study considerably, when compared to the application of chemical preparations. The research determines that the soybean protection system under study ensures a decrease in the coefficient of soybean water uptake by 7.2-13.0 %, increasing the total water intake to an inconsiderable degree. Biologization of the soybean crop protection system leads to a reduction in production costs compared to the chemical protection system. Taking into account the needs for the collection of additional products, costs increase by an average of 1 thousand UAH/ha, while for chemical protection systems by 1.8 thousand UAH/ha. At the same time, the cost is reduced by 220-360 UAH/t and the profitability of growing crops is increased by 3.8-7.8 %. There has been a reduction in the burden of pesticides on the environment and the production of cleaner products. This indicates the prospect of using the biofungicides Pseudobacterin 2 and Bactophyte and the bioinsecticide Lepidocid-BTU on soybeans to protect plants from pests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-37
Author(s):  
Arjun K. ◽  
Sanjay Kumar ◽  
A. Sankaran ◽  
Mousumi Das

The present study investigates the impact of human capital, knowledge capital which is a function of human capital, and real exchange rate scenario in explaining long-run industrial total factor productivity (TFP) from 1980 to 2015 on the theoretical basis of the open endogenous growth model. The variables employed in the contemporary study include manufacturing value added (MNVA) as industrial output measure, gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) as a measure of capital and labour input which is measured using employment data. Gross enrolment ratio (GER) is taken as a measure for human capital formation, expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proxy for knowledge capital, and real exchange rate indicates global economic shocks. The study involves estimating TFP for Industrial Sector during the post-liberalization period by employing Cobb-Douglas production function. The ARDL bounds test technique for cointegration revealed long-run relation among the varying factors studied. The Toda-Yamamoto causality test concluded bi-directional causality running between, R&D expenditure and Industrial TFP which sends a strong signal to the policymakers for a well-framed long-term integrated approach for human & knowledge capital formation which will act as a strong impetus for manufacturing firms to come up in terms of augmenting production and productivity and expanding foreign market horizon. JEL Classification: D24, E2, J24


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