Operational Efficiency and Environmental Impacts: A Study on Cut-To-Length Logging in the Carpathian Forests

Michal Allman ^1* Martin Jankovský ¹ Vladimír Bobrík ² Zuzana Dudáková ³

• ¹ Department of Forestry Technologies and Construction, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
• ² Forests of Slovak Republic, SOE, Regional branch of CTL technologies, Sládkovičova 7, 034 01 Ružomberok, Slovakia, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
• ³ ORCID:0000-0003-4776-6903, Prague, Czechia

The performance and consumption of CTL technologies in the forest harvesting process are influenced by a wide range of technological conditions and factors, requiring detailed analysis to increase machine performance and reduce environmental impacts.In the presented study, we investigated the efficiency of different CTL (cut-to-length) logging machines in 1,390 forest stands from 2020 to 2022. We focused on analyzing variables that substantially affect machine productivity, fuel consumption, and the resulting CO2 emissions of harvesters and forwarders. Utilizing data from 4,044 work shifts, we determined the effect sizes and order of the variables in terms of their effects on productivity and fuel consumption. We used linear mixed models, one-way ANOVA, and regression and correlation analyses.Results: Our findings revealed fuel consumption rates ranging from 2.65 to 2.95 liters per cubic meter of timber, directly influencing CO2 emissions, estimated between 7.11 and 7.91 kilograms per cubic meter of timber. Linear Mixed Models showed a significant effect (p˂0.05) of the mean volume of the harvested trees (m 3 ), duration of downtime, and other variables on the productivity of the CTL machines. Regression and correlation analyses showed a significant relationship (p˂0.05) between variables: fuel consumption (l), mean productivity (m 3 ), number of days worked, and number of down days, which have a substantial effect on CO2 emissions. Formátované: Dolný index Conclusion: This study sheds light on the environmental footprintcarbon emissions of modern forestry technologies and underscores the critical importance of optimizing logging operations to reduce carbon emissionsthem.