Evaluation of wood chipping efficiency through long-term monitoring

High volume of forest biomass can be available at roadside when whole three (WT) harvesting system is applied. Besides, salvage logging operations are favorable conditions to accumulate a large amount of low-quality biomass due to the recovery of damaged trees. In mountain regions, such as the Alps, the forest accessibility can be a significant constraint for the eco-efficiency of chipping operations. The present study aims to evaluate the sustainability of wood-chipping operations in mountain areas based on long-term monitoring. One chipper-truck was monitored during 114 working day using telemetry; different efficiency parameters were collected: machine position, collected using GNSS receiver, and engine parameters, collected using CAN Bus system. Efficiency parameters were used to compare different in-wood or landing configurations. The results show the influence of the different locations of the chipping sites according to the road network influence. The emission associated with frequent relocation and delays were 6.4 % of the total emissions.