Researchers have tested a prototype felling head that is capable of rapidly felling small diameter trees for biofuel.
The research was titled “Continuous felling of small diameter trees in boom-corridors with a prototype felling head", and appeared in the Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2012, Vol. 27. The researchers were D Bergstrom, U Bergsten, T Hornlund and T Norfjell. The prototype chainsaw felling head was based on the SuperCut 300 cutting unit, which had a mass of 325 kg (720 lb). Chainsaw blade length was 950 mm (37.4 in) and chain speed was 29.5 m (97 ft) per second. The carrier used was a 12 t Gremo harvester fitted with a Cranab crane with 9.34 m (30.6 ft) of reach.
The head was used to fell trees with an average diameter (DBH) of 7cm (2.3 in) and a stand density of 10,000 trees per hectare. The initial results showed a felling speed of 0.4 m (1.3 ft) per second, which translated into a felling time of 3.5 seconds per tree. Subsequent tests showed felling speeds of up to 1.3 m (4.3 ft) per second on trees of up to 8 cm (3.1 in) DBH. The felling work element produced 12.2 oven-dry tons of biomass per productive machine hour (no machine movement times included). 84% of trees were felled in the desired direction. The results showed that further development of the head would be feasible. For a full account of the research, please access the article at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/sfor20/current
The research was titled “Continuous felling of small diameter trees in boom-corridors with a prototype felling head", and appeared in the Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2012, Vol. 27. The researchers were D Bergstrom, U Bergsten, T Hornlund and T Norfjell. The prototype chainsaw felling head was based on the SuperCut 300 cutting unit, which had a mass of 325 kg (720 lb). Chainsaw blade length was 950 mm (37.4 in) and chain speed was 29.5 m (97 ft) per second. The carrier used was a 12 t Gremo harvester fitted with a Cranab crane with 9.34 m (30.6 ft) of reach.
The head was used to fell trees with an average diameter (DBH) of 7cm (2.3 in) and a stand density of 10,000 trees per hectare. The initial results showed a felling speed of 0.4 m (1.3 ft) per second, which translated into a felling time of 3.5 seconds per tree. Subsequent tests showed felling speeds of up to 1.3 m (4.3 ft) per second on trees of up to 8 cm (3.1 in) DBH. The felling work element produced 12.2 oven-dry tons of biomass per productive machine hour (no machine movement times included). 84% of trees were felled in the desired direction. The results showed that further development of the head would be feasible. For a full account of the research, please access the article at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/sfor20/current