Abstract
Forest roads are characterized by low traffic, but heavy timber haulage trucks have a sign ificant influence on road conditions and usually exceed the limit of 80–100 kN per axle. The excessive weight of the trucks degrades the road surface and the forest environment. This article presents the results of a stud y of timber transport loads from their places of acquirement (forest districts) to the recipient (a larg e sawmill). The analysis includes the parameters of the timber transport vehicles and focuses especially on the gross vehicle weight (GVW), the total weight of empty truck and trailer during transport, and the weight of their loads. Scania, Iveco, Man, and Mercedes trucks with trailers and semitrailers designed for large-size pine timber transport were analyzed. ANOVA results revealed that all 80 analyzed vehicles exceeded the permitted GVW in the range from 2.28 to 19.94 Mg, transporting from 20.1 to 37.5 m 3 of timber. The coefficient of determination between the amount of hauled timber and the GVW equaled 62.7%. Research conducted previously concluded that forest roads with ground and gravel surfaces are not suitable for overloads of 120–150 kN per axle. Therefore, it is necessary to find a logi stical solution that will allow the load volume to be maintained at an acceptable level without destroying the forest road surface.
Highlights
Timber transportation affects the forest environment and neighboring communities, and the general public, because of all forest operations, only timber transportation has effects beyond the forest borders
Because the timber haulage trucks transport various loads, this paper reports the results of an analysis of Scots pine timber loads of varying dimensions
An increased axle-pressure of up to 130 kN is accepted in France, and an increased gross vehicle weight (GVW) is accepted in Sweden, Finland, and Norway (Department of the Environment 1997; FSVA 2001; Pravilnik... 2005)
Summary
Timber transportation affects the forest environment and neighboring communities, and the general public, because of all forest operations, only timber transportation has effects beyond the forest borders. In 2008, Polish State Forests National Forest Holding (PGL LP) harvested more than 30 million cubic meters of timber; large-size timber constituted almost half of that amount (CSO 2009). The transportation of such large amounts of timber is a fundamental, but extremely complicated task. The fact that transport operations are carried out by many small private companies makes this
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
