Computer technology continues to evolve at blinding speed. Today’s mobile technology enables what used to be recorded on desktop computers or on paper just a few years ago. Now, data can be viewed, shared and recorded on devices such as smart phones or other mobile devices used within harvesting operations. In addition, telecommunications capabilities in Canada have significantly improved, providing connectivity where it was not available in the past, although there are still large areas where forestry operates with limited cellular communication services.
In order to better orient its technology development strategies, FPInnovations has invited a number of its members throughout Canada to take an on-line survey to obtain information on the current and future state of technology platforms, data collections mechanisms and communications being used or soon-to-be used in forestry field operations. This information will help FPI understand the current state of technology and the direction its members are heading to with respect to mobile computing needs.
MOBILE EQUIPMENT
FOREST OPERATIONS
Survey
Abstract
La technologie informatique continue à évoluer à une vitesse fulgurante. La technologie actuelle permet de saisir des informations qui étaient, il y a quelques années à peine, enregistrées dans des ordinateurs de bureau ou consignées sur papier. Aujourd’hui, les données peuvent être visualisées, partagées et enregistrées sur des appareils tels que des téléphones intelligents ou sur d’autres appareils mobiles utilisés dans le cadre des opérations forestières. Les télécommunications dans notre vaste pays se sont aussi considérablement améliorées, fournissant une connectivité dans des endroits qui en étaient auparavant dépourvus, même s’il reste encore de grandes régions où les opérations en forêt se déroulent avec des services limités de communications.
Dans le but de mieux orienter ses stratégies de développement en matière de technologie, FPInnovations a invité plusieurs de ses membres partout au Canada à répondre à un sondage en ligne afin de recueillir des renseignements relatifs à l’état actuel et futur des plateformes technologiques, aux mécanismes de collecte des données et aux communications qui sont utilisées actuellement ou qui le seront prochainement dans les opérations forestières sur le terrain.
Ces renseignements nous aideront à comprendre l’état actuel des technologies ainsi que les avenues vers lesquelles nos membres se dirigent en ce qui touche les besoins d’informatique mobile. Les résultats de l’étude seront pour leur part utilisés pour guider notre programme de recherche. Ils seront partagés avec les participants.
Forest companies across Canada are interested in using laser scanners for scaling logs because it has potential for reducing scaling costs. Scanning logs over bark requires a method to obtain the under-bark diameter in order to calculate the solid wood volume. This report evaluates the methods of applying a bark factor to determine under-bark diameter. It also identifies new scanner scaling technologies for measuring bark thickness.
The changes to climatic conditions in Canada are anticipated to have a significant impact on the Canadian forest industry. Resource roads are considered particularly vulnerable to the immediate and short-term impacts of climate change. Adaptation strategies for resource roads and infrastructure must be developed and implementation initiated to ensure that the road infrastructure required for forest access is maintained and made resilient to climatic impacts. This report presents the risks and vulnerabilities of resource roads to climate change and suggested adaptation methods and practices.
This paper presents the productivity and utilization of a system comprising a skidder and an assisting self-propelled winch working on steep terrain. Environmental impact is also assessed for both conventional and winch-assisted skidding.
Forest-origin biomass estimates were made by FPInnovations for a location in Northern Alberta, largely following the process previously established for six BC Timber Supply Areas using FPInterface (2010 13). The biomass inventory was based on 20-year harvest and road network plans for Crown land provided by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry as well as local forest tenure holders. Includes Excel data sheet which is saved separately at \\fpinnovations.lan\structure\Commun_Common\Publications\FOP/2017N38.XLSX
Current forest management policy in many jurisdictions in North America manages excess woody debris by piling and burning it, mainly as a post-harvest fire hazard abatement obligation. This study highlights three key points to consider regarding utilization and disposal of waste wood piles:
1) Allocate most woody debris waste to the biofuels sector in a cost-effective manner;
2) Allocate a small portion of woody debris (e.g. 10-15%) to implement windrow habitats where necessary to maintain mammalian biodiversity on clearcuts;
3) Limit burning of waste wood to those sites near human activity (potential fire hazard) that do not have an opportunity for biofuels or windrow purposes.
FLNRO, with technical assistance from the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and FPInnovations, conducted a case study of the vulnerability to climate change of infrastructure on the 70 km-long in-SHUCK-ch forest service road. The workshop participants followed a process established by the Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC). This case study provided both meaningful analysis of the risks and opportunities faced by the in-SHUCK-ch FSR corridor and the communities it provides access to, and establishes a benchmark for future iterations of the process with resource roads.
A series of recommendations are made that arise from the PIEVC analysis. These recommendations included the need to streamline and focus the PIEVC process specifically for resource roads, capacity building actions by road managers and maintainers, a review of emergency preparedness plans for the communities accessed by the FSR, actions to safeguard FSR infrastructure and residential development on lakeshore debris fans, a general review and inspection of drainage structures, actions to review and improve the resiliency of stream crossing structures and, finally, a recommendation to review the scope and size of the road maintenance program.
This report presents a case study of the vulnerability to climate change of infrastructure on the Tum Tum Forest Service Road using the Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) protocol. This case study provided analysis of the risks and opportunities faced by the road, recommendations to mitigate the identified risks, and established a benchmark for future iterations of the process with resource roads.
FPInnovations, in cooperation with Alberta Transportation and the Laval University i3C Chair, undertook a review of the starting threshold for initiating winter weight hauling in Alberta. The objective of this project was to conduct an engineering analysis of freezing pavements to determine the minimum frost depth at which log hauling at winter weight premiums (WWP) in Alberta could start without compromising pavement service life. The report describes literature on freezing pavement engineering, Canadian winter weight policies, a controlled trafficking simulation of an instrumented pavement as it was frozen, and subsequent modeling to valiidate results and extrapolate results ot a wider range of pavement structures. It was recommended that the current 1.0 m starting frost depth threshold be reduced to a depth of 700 mm.
In 1997, FERIC studied a partial cutting operation in the Interior Cedar-Hemlock biogeoclimate zone, on a site west of Kitwanga, B.C. The operation used a Skylead C40 16000 skidder-mounted yarder and Mini-Maki II radio-controlled carriage in a standing skyline configuration and in single-and multi-span applications. The study provided information on productivity and costs for the harvesting system, impact on soil surface conditions, and damage to the residual stand. Productivity functions were derived to predict yarding productivity and costs over a range of operation conditions.
