Fuel and Time Consumption in Alpine Cable Yarder Operations

Raffaele Spinelli; Natascia Magagnotti; Giulio Cosola; Benjamin Engler; Stefan Leitner; Renato Vidoni

doi:10.3390/f13091394

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Fuel and Time Consumption in Alpine Cable Yarder Operations

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Fuel and Time Consumption in Alpine Cable Yarder Operations

Raffaele Spinelli, Natascia Magagnotti, Giulio Cosola, Benjamin Engler, Stefan Leitner and Renato Vidoni

Forests, Vol.13(9), pp.1-14

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091394

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Abstract

processor

logging

harvesting

mountain

A survey was conducted on 12 cable yarding operations in northern Italy, with the purpose of determining fuel consumption and time use. The observation unit was the individual operation, intended as all the activities needed to complete the harvesting of a sale (mean = 500 m3 of timber). All teams were equipped with a tower yarder, an excavator-based loader or processor and a truck or a tractor with trailer, if intermediate transportation to a larger roadside landing (two-staging) was required. The crew size was 3 or 4 operators. Time and fuel use were recorded separately for the following tasks: relocation; set up & dismantle; commuting; yarding; processing and/or loading; major delay events. Fuel consumption averaged 5.1 L m−3, of which 2.2 L m−3 was incurred by two-staging. In general, the yarder accounted for less than half the total fuel consumption of the operation: the processor was indeed the main consumer. Relocation had a very small incidence on time and fuel use. Set up and dismantle did not incur significant fuel consumption but occupied a meaningful share of total time (mean = 22%). Commuting also incurred unexpectedly large (and generally neglected) fuel and time use—with means at 13% and 7%, respectively. Technology developments aimed at reducing fuel consumption should target both main consumers: the yarder as well as the excavator-based processor. Significant benefits would also be achieved through improved planning and infrastructure development, aimed at minimizing the need for intermediate transportation (i.e. two-staging).

Details

Title: Fuel and Time Consumption in Alpine Cable Yarder Operations
Authors: Raffaele Spinelli (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Industries Research Centre
Natascia Magagnotti (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Industries Research Centre
Giulio Cosola (Author) - Associazione Imprenditore Boschivi del Friuli Venezia Giulia (AIBO) - Fusine in Valromana, Italy
Benjamin Engler (Author) - University of Freiburg
Stefan Leitner (Author) - Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Renato Vidoni (Author) - Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Publication details: Forests, Vol.13(9), pp.1-14
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.3390/f13091394
ISSN: 1999-4907
Copyright note: Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99669298602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Forestry

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