Biomass or energy wood harvesting can be integrated with conventional log harvesting (saw log or pulpwood production) to allow more cost-effective energy wood supply. The efficiency of an integrated energy wood harvesting system was evaluated and compared with conventional log harvesting in a 32-year-old Pinus radiata plantation (radiata pine) located in south-west Western Australia. The harvesting system consisted of a harvester and a forwarder. The study included two treatments: a conventional log-harvesting operation where merchantable sawlogs and pulp logs were produced at the stump by the harvester and extracted by the forwarder; and an integrated energy wood operation where the harvester produced sawlogs, pulp logs and energy wood at the stump that were extracted by the forwarder. In the integrated energy wood harvesting plot, 37 m3 ha−1 of energy wood was extracted in addition to the sawlog and pulp log volumes. Extracting the additional energy wood reduced the productivity of the forwarder and inc...

New global and domestic policy and regulatory initiatives promoting a circular economy have renewed interest in the beneficial repurposing of commercial waste streams. Likewise, consumer trends and customers’ increased understanding of what they purchase, where it comes from, and what happens to it post-consumption have forced firms to consider reducing and reusing their production waste streams. The forest products industry is an exemplar of becoming more adept at reorganising and exploiting repurposed waste streams for beneficial reuse. This paper explores three case studies from the Australian forestry sector that illustrate how wood waste is being profitably repurposed as an input into other products. We use the lens of the entrepreneurial method to explore how firms recognise, strategically access, and exploit the sustainable opportunities that can range from sustainably sourced inputs to environmental-, social-, and governance-driven consumption and investments. Effectual logic allows the reconceptualisation of forestry waste streams into inputs for use in creating new commercial products and provides a theoretical framework. While the repurposing of wood waste is profitable for the forestry firm, we found that social and economic gains reach far beyond the region in which these activities occur. Innovations often stimulate other innovations, resulting in a virtuous cycle within regional Australia’s emerging circular economy.

Purpose of Review: The comprehensive assessment of timber and fuelwood harvesting operations through the consideration of the three pillars of sustainability: Economic, social, and environmental has not received much attention. The use of criteria can significantly improve impact assessment. Therefore, the objective of this review paper is to compile and analyze the most commonly used criteria and indicators for each dimension of sustainability in logging operations over the last 6 years. This review provides an overview of these criteria for different harvesting machines, geographical areas, slope classes, time periods, types of research, and silvicultural treatments. Recent Findings: The environmental pillar was the most studied (46%), followed by the economic pillar (38%). Productivity was the most investigated criterion (15%). On the one hand, productivity is linked to the environmental and social pillars, as it is related to the level of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and the employment rate. However, productivity is mainly used as a criterion of financial interest, as it is most often studied in combination with costs. In addition to productivity, the other most frequently examined criteria were costs (10%), soil nutrients (9.5%), and soil compaction (9%). The social dimension was the least studied pillar (16%). This may be due to a lack of knowledge of social sustainability issues in this area. Summary: Sustainability is achieved when all three dimensions are balanced. The results of this review show an imbalance, with economic and environmental aspects being weighted more heavily than social aspects. Balancing all three dimensions typically requires an assessment of trade-offs. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the criteria that have been studied to date and can be used as a checklist and guideline for future sustainability assessments of harvesting operations.

Mountainous hardwood mixed stands offer challenges to timber harvesting operations in practice, including a harsh climate, variable topography, steep terrain, and large-sized timbers. This paper aims to develop productivity and cost models for a mountain-ground-based harvesting operation across the terrain (e.g., slope conditions), stand (e.g., tree volume) environmental (e.g., weather), and yard (e.g., winching distance) variables and to assess GHG emissions related to the equipment in use. This development was implemented in a timber harvesting practice under single-tree selection in mountainous forests of Iran where a motor-manual chainsaw is used for felling and a rubber-tired cable skidder is used for log extraction. The average delay-free productivity was 4.55 m³ for felling and 14.73 m³ h⁻¹ for skidding. Lower production costs and higher productivity rates were observed over the gentle slopes and in sunny conditions. The average production costs ranged between USD 4.27 m⁻³ for felling and USD 5.35 m⁻³ for skidding. The average emissions ranged between 0.96 kg m⁻³ for felling and 7.06 kg m⁻³ for skidding in snowy conditions over steep slopes. The study’s results confirm avoiding harvesting operations on steep slopes (greater than 35%) and in extreme weather conditions to obtain higher work efficiency and to minimize adverse effects of machinery on forest ecosystems. The results should be of use to harvest managers and forest planners considering the application of ground-based harvesting operations using a semi-mechanized system on a range of operating conditions in mountain hardwood stands.