Abstract

The need to obtain multi-products from the forest makes the wood processing an important step in the timber harvest, being necessary, then, to understand the influence of the stand characteristics on the operational performance of the machines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the individual tree volume on the operational performance of the harvester forest processor in Pinus taeda L. stands, in order to assist in planning operations and reducing production costs. The analyzes were carried out by means of a time and motion study, determining the time consumed in the phases of the operational cycle, mechanical availability, operational efficiency, productivity, and production costs in three stands with different individual mean volumes (IMV): I (1.21 m3 tree-1); II (1.34 m3 tree-1) and III (1.61 m3 tree-1). In a completely randomized design, the averages of the variables were compared, as well as models for estimating productivity and production costs were fitted according to individual tree volume. The results showed that the processing element consumed a significant part of the total operational cycle time, with 46, 53 and 64% in treatments I, II and III, respectively, with an average operational efficiency of 56% in all treatments. Productivity increase and reduction of production costs were observed in the order of 43 and 30%, respectively, with the increase in IMV from 1.21 to 1.61 m3 tree-1. Such behavior can be represented by the third degree polynomial, which demonstrated the operational limit of 1.5 m3 tree-1 for the harvester forest processor.

Highlights

  • Processing is an important activity in the harvesting of wood, characterized by the measurement, dewatering and tracing of the shaft in logs of different dimensions specified by the consumer unit (SANT'ANNA, 2014)

  • The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of individual tree volume on the operational performance of the forest processor harvester in a whole tree system, in order to subsidize the operations planning, the increase of productivity and the reduction of production costs, taking into account the hypothesis that the increase of individual mean volumes (IMV) entails higher machine operating efficiency

  • The time spent with the machine displacement was directly related to the volume of the bundle of trees deposited by the skidder on the edge of the field, where it was possible to note that the higher the IMV of the stand, the greater the volume of the bundles of trees and less the need of displacement of the machine

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Summary

Introduction

Processing is an important activity in the harvesting of wood, characterized by the measurement, dewatering and tracing of the shaft in logs of different dimensions specified by the consumer unit (SANT'ANNA, 2014).

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