Harvesting whole trees with processing and log allocation (in the forest) to conventional and energy products

Abstract

Conventional harvesting operations currently collect large quantities of biomass used for energy generation in the form of hog fuel and black liquor produced as by-products at sawmills and pulpmills. An increase in this quantity will be obtained from integrated systems when components of existing harvesting tasks are improved, in particular delimbing by processing trees in bulk. Methods to improve profitability by the optimum allocation of the various portions of a tree to the different products, including energy wood, are being successfully implemented through the use of computer-based bucking algorithms.