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Forests
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Forest Operations: A Tool for Forest Restoration
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Forest Operations: A Tool for Forest Restoration

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 7380

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Han-Sup Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
Interests: forest operations analysis; forest harvesting systems and equipment; forest restoration; biomass utilization; forest road and transportation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditionally, wood production has been the main objective of forest harvesting and transportation operations, supplying raw materials (i.e., logs and wood chips) to the forest products manufacturing sector. While this is still an important objective of today’s forest operations, the equipment and systems are now often employed to address other forest restoration issues such as forest, watershed, and wildlife habitat improvement, and fuel treatments to reduce wildfire risks. The use of forest harvesting systems and equipment as a tool for a wide range of forest restoration objectives is now increasingly common, as we often deal with changing climactic conditions, threats from wildfire, as well as the continued maintenance of actively managed stands.

This Special Issue will illustrate and exchange ideas about how forest management tools and practices that are commonly used in today’s forest operations can effectively accomplish a wide range of forest restoration objectives. We would welcome any topics and examples of original research articles showcasing the use of forest operations as a means to accomplish forest restoration objectives, such as (but not limited to):

  • forest ecosystem restoration treatments
  • controlling the spread of insects and pests
  • enhancement of wildlife/fish habitats and biodiversity
  • increased watery yield and supply,
  • removal and utilization of non-native species
  • fire hazard reduction,
  • utilization of woody materials resulting from forest restoration treatments, and
  • other innovative forest operations that contribute to the success of forest restoration.

Prof. Dr. Han-Sup Han
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecological restoration
  • forest harvesting systems
  • small wood and biomass utilization
  • thinning
  • forestry machines
  • ecosystem services

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 21955 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Productivity and Cost between Two Integrated Harvesting Systems in South Korea
by Min-Jae Cho, Yun-Sung Choi, Seung-Ho Paik, Ho-Seong Mun, Du-Song Cha, Sang-Kyun Han and Jae-Heun Oh
Forests 2019, 10(9), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10090763 - 3 Sep 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2806
Abstract
Interest in the production of renewable energy using forest biomass is increasing in South Korea, and improved knowledge on operations logistics to lower biomass harvesting costs is needed. This study aimed to build a low-cost forest-biomass harvesting system by analyzing the costs of [...] Read more.
Interest in the production of renewable energy using forest biomass is increasing in South Korea, and improved knowledge on operations logistics to lower biomass harvesting costs is needed. This study aimed to build a low-cost forest-biomass harvesting system by analyzing the costs of two integrated (cut-to-length and whole-tree) harvesting systems for logs and logging residues. Two integrated harvesting systems were carried out in the clear-cut mixed forest on a steep slope. Compared to the cut-to-length system that separately extracts logs and logging residues in a forest, the cable whole-tree harvesting system can save $8.8/green weight ton (Gwt) because it requires no additional yarding operation cost of logging residues. Moreover, a breakeven analysis shows that the required machine utilization rates that favor whole-tree harvesting systems over cut-to-length harvesting were more than 70% for cable harvesting systems. The introduction of the whole-tree harvesting system is, therefore, required to produce forest biomass at a low cost. In the future, studies on forest-biomass processing and transportation systems will be needed to provide a biomass feedstock supply cost from stump to biomass power plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations: A Tool for Forest Restoration)
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14 pages, 3737 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of Log Extraction by a Small Shovel Operation in Steep Forests of South Korea
by Eunjai Lee, Sang-Kyun Han and Sangjun Im
Forests 2019, 10(7), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10070585 - 13 Jul 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4219
Abstract
In South Korea, logs for low-value products, such as pulpwood and fuelwood, are primarily extracted from harvest sites and transported to roadside or landing areas using small shovels. Previous studies on log extraction, however, have focused on cable yarding operations with the goal [...] Read more.
In South Korea, logs for low-value products, such as pulpwood and fuelwood, are primarily extracted from harvest sites and transported to roadside or landing areas using small shovels. Previous studies on log extraction, however, have focused on cable yarding operations with the goal of improving productivity on steep slopes and inaccessible sites, leaving small-shovel operations relatively unexamined. Therefore, the main objectives were to determine small-shovel extraction productivity and costs and to evaluate the impact of related variables on productivity. In addition, we developed a model to estimate productivity under various site conditions. The study took place in 30 case study areas; each area has trees with stems at a diameter at breast height ranging from 18 to 32 cm and a steep slope (greater than 15%). The areas ranged from 241 to 1129 trees per hectare, with conifer, deciduous, and mixed stands. Small-shovel drives ranged from 36 to 72 m per extraction cycle from stump to landing. The results indicated that the mean extraction productivity of small-shovel operations ranged between 2.44 to 9.85 m3 per scheduled machine hour (including all delays). At the forest level, the estimated average stump-to-forest road log production costs were US $4.37 to 17.66/m3. Small-shovel productivity was significantly correlated with stem size (diameter at breast height and tree volume) and total travelled distance (TTD). However, a Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that stand density and slope did not have a significant effect on productivity. Our findings provide insights into how stem size and TTD influence small shovel performance and the predictive ability of productivity. Further, this information may be a valuable asset to forest planners and managers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Operations: A Tool for Forest Restoration)
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