An interesting conference on forest operations in mountainous conditions will be held in Norway in 2013.This IUFRO conference is titled “Forest operations in mountainous conditions”, and it is being held in Bergen, Norway, from 2 to 5 June 2013. The conference theme addresses an area that is currently receiving global attention to the increased pressure to harvest steep slopes and difficult terrain more safely and cost effectively. Growing demand for forest products and services, coupled with the aim of the increased use of renewable resources such as forests, will result in the increased use of forests in steep areas.
Steep areas are often the most environmentally sensitive to log. Also, because these areas can be expensive to log, the potential for using non-optimal logging practices to reduce costs remains a concern. This conference aims to highlight existing and new information that can assist us with the sustainable utilisation of these steep areas. The conference will be focussing on the following areas:
- Planning and monitoring (access planning, operations planning and environmental planning).
- Steep terrain operations (roads, silviculture, harvesting and transport), examining techniques, machines and systems.
- Business (costing, economics and logistics).
- The human factor (recruiting, training, ergonomics, safety).
- Avoidance or mitigation of environmental or social impacts and influences.
Source: www.skogoglandskap.no/konferanse/forest_operations_in_mountainous_conditions