IoT-Ready Temperature Probe for Smart Monitoring of Forest Roads

Currently, we are experiencing an ever-increasing demand for high-quality transportation in the distinctive natural environment of forest roads, which can be characterized by significant weather changes. The need for more effective management of the forest roads environment, a more direct, rapid response to fire interventions and, finally, the endeavor to expand recreational use of the woods in the growth of tourism are among the key factors. A thorough collection of diagnostic activities conducted on a regular basis, as well as a dataset of long-term monitored attributes of chosen sections, are the foundations of successful road infrastructure management. Our main contribution to this problem is the design of a probe for measuring the temperature profile for utilization in stand-alone systems or as a part of an IoT solution. We have addressed the design of the mechanical and electrical parts with emphasis on the accuracy of the sensor layout in the probe. Based on this design, we developed a simulation model, and compared the simulation results with the experimental results. An experimental installation was carried out which, based on measurements to date, confirmed the proposed probe meets the requirements of practice and will be deployed in a forest road environment.

Research on Tracking the Behavior of the Ciobanus Forest Road over a Season Time through Specific Tests and Analysis

Forest roads are of great economic importance as they ensure the transport of logs and forest biomass toward collection and processing centers, which is why they should be evaluated periodically, in order to establish the degree of degradation and periodicity and rehabilitation methodology and procedures. The main purpose of the paper is to follow the behavior of the Ciobanus forest road through specific tests over a difficult season of 5 months, in order to diagnose the degree of surface wear and structure degradation. Regarding the traffic on this forest road, an exhaustive study was made during the 2013–2017 period, and for in situ or in laboratory tests a more complex study during the year 2018, in the March-June period was also made. Out of the total of 20 tests that evaluated the Ciobanus forest road, 5 of them were classified as appropriate and 15 unsuitable for traffic, meaning the forest road had to be completely rehabilitated. Moreover, it has been shown that this forest road is part of the category of secondary forest roads and needs a total overhaul to cope with the increasing traffic or tonnage of trucks. Through the methodology and the obtained results, the paper supports the specialists in the field of forest roads to be able to diagnose or evaluate such a road, and to realize a program and its timing for maintenance.

Analysis of the Characteristics of the Land Creeping (Slow-Moving) at Seomyeon, Suncheon-Si Area

This study was conducted to prevent land creeping by examining various features such as geology, topography, and physical characteristics, using the case of a land-crawled region. The first land creeping occurred in Seomyeon Suncheon-si in 2000, and the second occurred in 2020; the damaged surface area of the second event was approximately 21.7 times that of the first, and it was discovered Sunchoen-si Landcreep occur because of forest road cut affected. After 1 h, it was moderate at a soil depth of 20, 100, 200, and 250 cm from the surface soil, according to a measurement result of soil dispersity. It was severe at soil depths of 100, 200, and 250 cm, and the clay soil between the bedrock was mild to severe, and it was determined to be severe in locations where groundwater was leaching. The objective study area was a typical land creeping-type landslide caused by weathered rocks, and this area belonged to a type of convex terrain ground (凸) form. The land creeping occurred in the convex area (凸). As a result of analyzing the landslide hazard grade, the creeping land area is found to be different from ordinary landslides because it includes most areas of landslide hazard grade 3–5 and out of the grade. Results show that the land creeping has proceeded in the directions of S15°E, S20°E, S25°E, and S30°E, which is consistent with the direction following the flow duration of groundwater determined using the electrical resistivity survey method.

Risk Assessment of Runoff Generation Using Artificial Neural Network and Field Plots in The Area of Roads and Forest Lands

Runoff generation potential (RGP) on hillslopes is an important issue in the forest roads network monitoring process. In this study, the artificial neural network (ANN) was used to predict RGP in forest road hillslopes. We trained, optimized, and tested the ANN by using field plot data from the Shirghalaye watershed located in the southern part of the Caspian Sea (Iran). 45 plots were installed to measure actual runoff volume (RFP) in different environmental conditions including land cover, slope gradient, soil texture, and soil moisture. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) network was implemented. The runoff volume was the output variable and the ground cover, slope gradient, initial moisture of soil, soil texture (clay, silt, and sand percentage) were the network inputs. The results showed that ANN can predict runoff volume within the values of an appropriate level in the training (R2=0.95, MSE= 0.009) and test stages (R2=0.80, MSE= 0.01). Moreover, the tested network was used to predict the runoff volume on the forest road hillslopes in the study area. Finally, an RGP map was generated based on the results of the prediction of the ANNs and the GIS capabilities. The results showed that using both an ANN and a GIS is a good tool to predict the RGP in the forest road hillslopes.

Changes in Soil’s Chemical and Biochemical Properties Induced by Road Geometry in the Hyrcanian Temperate Forests

Forest roads play an important role in providing access to forest resources. However, they can significantly impact the adjacent soil and vegetation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of road geometry (RG) on the chemical and biochemical properties of adjacent soils to assist in environmentally friendly forest road planning in mountainous areas. Litter layer, canopy cover, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, total nitrogen (TN), the activity of dehydrogenase (DHA), and urease (UA) enzymes at a 0–20 cm soil depth were measured by sampling at various distances from the road edge to 100 m into the forest interior. The measurements were done for three road geometries (RG), namely straight, curved, and bent roads, to ensure data heterogeneity and to reflect the main geometric features of the forest roads. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the effects of RG on the measured variables were statistically significant. Spearman’s correlation test clearly showed a strong positive correlation between environmental conditions, SOC, TN, DHA, and UA for given RGs. Based on piecewise linear regression analysis, the down slope direction of the straight and the inside direction of bent roads accounted for the lowest and highest ranges of ecological effects, respectively. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the environmental effects brought about by road geometry, which can be important for forest road managers when applying the best management practices.

Assessment of soil compacted state in forest road costruction

The issue of soil compacted state forecasting during the construction of a forest road is considered. The mechanical system formation of contacting particles of the compacted soil are given and substantiated. A model of compaction of a loose soil layer in the system "compaction device - compacted material" has been developed. A new compartment approach in this field of applied research was used, within which the system under study is subdivided into interconnected units, called compartments, the content of a certain substance in each of them is a separate variable of the system. Various technological situations are analyzed with the minimum and maximum allowable boom outreach of the excavator. The modeling of the effect of porosity on the soil layer thickness during its compaction, denser packing of particles and the appearance of residual (irreversible) deformations has been carried out. A method for determining the relationship between the degree of soil compaction and changes in its porosity and deformations has been developed. The complexity of the theoretical study of the compacted soil is substantiated. The practical significance of the developed model of soil layer compaction and the methodology for assessing its deformations has been confirmed with successful implementation at the design and monitoring stages of the construction of a pilot section of a forest road located in the Republic of Karelia on the basis of Petrozavodsk State University.

Potential Evaluation of Forest Road Trench Failure in a Mountainous Forest, Northern Iran

After road construction in steep and mountainous areas, there is always a risk for trench failure. Estimation of this probability before forest road design and construction is urgent. Besides, to decrease failures costs and risks, it is necessary to classify their occurrence probabilities and identify the factors affecting them. The present study compares three statistical models of logistic regression, frequency ratio, and maximum entropy. The robust one was applied to generate trench failures susceptibility map of forest roads of two watersheds in Northern Iran. Also, all failures repairing costs were estimated, and subsequently, all existing roads were surveyed in the study area, detecting 844 failures. Among the recorded failures, 591 random cases (70%) were used in modeling, and others (30%) were used as validation data. The digital layers, including failure locations, were prepared. Three failure susceptibility maps were simulated using the outputs of the mentioned methods in the GIS environment. The resulted maps combined with repair cost prices were analyzed to statistically evaluate the repair cost unit per meter of forest road and per square meter of failure. The results showed that the logistic regression model had an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 74.6% in identifying failure-sensitive areas. The probabilistic frequency ratio and Entropy models showed 68.2 and 65.5% accuracy, respectively. Based on the logistic regression model, the distance to faults and terrain slope factors had the highest effects on forest road trenches failures. According to the result, about 43.25% of the existing road network is located in »high« and »very high« risky areas. The estimated cost of regulating and profiling trenches and ditches along the existing roads was approximately 108,772 $/km.

Biomass residues adjacent forest roads in two different forest species (Fagus sylvativa and Pinus brutia): quantities and evaluation of their biogas production potential

In this study the quantity of biomass residues accumulated at a low-altitude Mediterranean forest (pinus and fagus clusters) were evaluated under field conditions. Samples of fresh and dry leaves (litter) were digested in batch anaerobic reactors to evaluate their biogas production potential. The quantity of pine needles and fagus leaves accumulated onto the forest carpet was on average 670 and 1440 g/m2, respectively and they were characterized by a low moisture content (10-11%). The biogas production potential was 100 and 150 L/kg volatile solids for pinus and fagus litter respectively (compared to 140 and 300 L/kg VS for the fresh pine needles and fagus leaves). The data from both field and laboratory studies were used to calculate the biogas yield per km of forest road, if the collected biomass is disposed of to an anaerobic digestion facility. The conceptual model applied revealed that it is possible to recover up to 500 and 1000 m3 CH4 / km, from the pinus and fagus clusters respectively. Concluding, pine needles and fagus leaves are important resources and can be efficiently used for energy production in anaerobic digestion facilities.

NECESSITY OF A SOFTWARE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOR PREPARATION OF PROJECTS FOR FOREST ROAD CONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATION IN THE CONTEXT OF BIM-TECHNOLOGIES

This article discusses the features of the development and applicationBIM technologies in the preparation of BIM projects for timber roads in the Russian Federation. The main types of software products used in the preparation of BIM-projects of forest roads have been established. The procedure for using software products is given, their main types are established and functional capabilities are analyzed. The drawbacks and limitations of software products for general-purpose project management in the context of the use of BIM technologies are identified. The necessity of developing a specialized software product for the preparation of elements of projects for the organization of construction «Planworks», in order to increase the efficiency of the use of BIM-technologies in the preparation of projects of timber haul roads. The article describes the proposed procedure for using the developed software product, and also formulates the main stages of developing a project for organizing construction in it. The main list of the initial data required for the preparation of the organization’s project in the developed software product is disclosed. The features of the automated generation of a network model of tasks for the construction of structural elements of a timber road are described, the main types of generated tasks, as well as the features of automated task linking, are given. The advantages of using the developed software product at the stages of development of a technical design and construction of a timber road have been determined.