1,721,228 research outputs found
Water management: global differences and similarities in guidelines for forest road design and potentials for climate change adaptation
No full textAbstract Forests roads follow standardized design protocols which utilize unpaved gravel to ensure rapid water drainage but also leaves them prone to erosion. However, in many places, precipitation patterns are significantly affected by global climate change. The design of forest roads should be adapted to these changing conditions, which requires a fundamental understanding of current design standards. This systematic literature review was intended to examine the state of the practice by analyzing 32 guidelines from 26 regions worldwide for 46 design features (parameters) significant for drainage and water management. The review was conducted in three phases: identifying relevant design features and categorizing them into six groups (alignment, cross-sectional profile, side slopes, ditches, ditch relief structures, and water crossings), examining their regional specifics and similarities, and discussing climate change adaptation potentials. Several parameters were found to be uniform and in agreement across the analyzed guidelines e.g., the use of a crowned cross-sectional profile and “V”-shaped ditches, the dimension and orientation of cross-culverts. In contrast, some design guidelines included additional or conflicting parameters, such as the discharge of surface runoff water from ditches into streams or riparian buffer zones, and the use of “U”-shaped ditches. Future studies should prioritize the identified key parameters, such as the spacing of ditch relief structures, the choice of ditch type, riparian buffer widths, and dimensions of stream crossings, to develop designs that are well proven and easily adaptable under changing climates. The results of this review can provide a foundation for improving road design practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change.Waldklimafonds http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010297Georg-August-Universität Göttingen 50110000338
Digitization in wood supply – A review on how Industry 4.0 will change the forest value chain
No full textInfluence of two types of flotation bogie tracks on the distribution of static vertical soil stress
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100005908 Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschafthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100020631 Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculturehttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100022804 Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundatio
Optimizing storage emissions of wood flakes by gas sensor controlled thermal oxidation of lipids
No full textManagement Implications of Using Brush Mats for Soil Protection on Machine Operating Trails during Mechanized Cut-to-Length Forest Operations
No full textMechanized cut-to-length forest operations often rely on the use of brush mats created from harvesting debris (tree limbs, tops, and foliage) to reduce soil disturbances as a result of in-stand machine traffic. These brush mats, placed directly on the forest floor within machine operating trails, distribute loads of timber harvesting and extraction machinery to a greater area, thereby reducing peak pressures exerted to the ground and rutting for maintaining technical trafficability of operating trails. Forest biomass has also been promoted as a source of green and renewable energy, to reduce carbon emissions from energy production. However, to maintain sufficient quality of biomass for bioenergy operations (high heating value and low ash content), brush needs to be free of contaminants such as mineral soil. This constraint eliminates the possibility of the dual use of brush, first as a soil protective layer on machine operating trails and afterwards for bioenergy generation. Leaving machine operating trails uncovered will cause machine loads to be fully and directly applied to the soil, thus increasing the likelihood of severe soil disturbance, tree growth impediment and reducing trail trafficability. The main objective of this study was to quantify the effect of varying machine operating trail spacing and width on the amount of brush required for soil protection. This was achieved by creating five model forest stands (four mature and one immature), commonly found in New Brunswick, Canada, and using their characteristics as input in the Biomass Opportunity and Supply Model (BiOS) from FPInnovations. BiOS provided several key biomass related outputs allowing the determination of the amount of biomass available for soil protection, which was the main focus of this research. The simulation results showed that regardless of trail area tested, all four mature forest stands were able to support uniform distribution of 20 kg m−2 brush mats (green mass) throughout their entire trail network during clear-cut operations but not during partial harvests. From the three factors assessed (brush amount, trail width, and trail spacing), trail width had the highest effect on the required brush amount for trail protection, which in turn has a direct impact on the amount of brush that could be used for bioenergy generation
Insights on motor-manual tree felling in Germany, recent developments to ensure efficient operations in singletree selection harvest
No full textCost Comparison of Drone and Foot Based Early Bark Beetle Detection
No full textEarly bark beetle detection is still a challenge, as the symptoms of early infestation stages are hard to identify. Conventional foot-based detection is time consuming, and the associated costs mostly depend on stand characteristics. Detection by gas sensor equipped drones has the potential to be more economical, as it does not rely on the limitations of walking speed on the ground. A novel drone-based system for early bark beetle detection by means of resin odor cues was compared to conventional foot-based detection. The results showed that the cost efficiency of the drone system was highly dependent on flight speed and hourly costs of the pilot, while the cost efficiency of the foot-based assessment highly depended on terrain slope and forest floor characteristics. In general, the drone-based detection of early infestation stages becomes more economical in comparison to the conventional foot-based detection method as forest areas, terrain slopes and understory density increase
Influence of Saturated Organic Matter on the Accuracy of In-Situ Measurements Recorded with a Nuclear Moisture and Density Gauge
Full text linkThe impact of machines on forest soils is regularly assessed and quantified using absolute bulk density, which is most frequently obtained by soil cores. However, to allow for repeated measurements at the exact same locations, non-destructive devices are increasingly being used to determine soil bulk density and moisture content in field studies. An example of such a device is a nuclear moisture and density gauge (NMDG), originally designed as a control measurement for soil bulk density and moisture content in geotechnical applications. Unlike road construction or foundation projects that use mineral soil or gravel, forest soils have complex structures and the presence of organic matter, which can skew moisture and density readings from a NMDG. To gain further knowledge in this respect, we performed controlled tests in a sandbox to quantify the influence of varying amounts of saturated organic matter (3, 5, 10, and 15%) mixed with mineral soil in different layers (0–5, 0–10, 0–20 and 0–40 cm) on the accuracy of soil moisture content obtained by a NMDG and soil theta probe at varying depths. Main results illustrated that the presence of saturated organic matter per se was not problematic but moisture content overestimations and related underestimation of dry bulk density occurred when the tested measurement depth was below the created organic layer. Since forest soils often exhibit higher organic matter contents in the upper horizon, correction factors are suggested to minimize the moisture content variations between NMDG and reference method. With the use of correction factors, NMDG can present a non-destructive, fast, and accurate method of measuring soil moisture and bulk density in forestry applications
Application of spiroergometry to determine work metabolism related strain in the course of cable work with a mini forestry crawler
No full textThe local immunological microenvironment in colorectal cancer as a prognostic factor for treatment decisions in the clinic: The way ahead
No full textAnalysis of the local immunological microenvironment in colorectal cancer lesions yielded prognostic markers. Harnessing these insights for clinical application however requires the use of sophisticated technology and algorithms, especially the robust and reproducible quantification of immune cells. These technologies are available and will allow individualized treatment decisions beyond the current standard
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