Energy Inputs in Motor-Manual Release Cutting of Broadleaved Forests: Results of Twelve Options

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass is used in various industries and its procurement involves a set of operations that are mainly done using equipment powered by internal combustion engines. The sustainability of forest operations may be characterized by balancing their energy inputs with those typically embodied in their outputted products. Forest tending operations are problematic because most of them cannot output marketable products while the data on their energy inputs are important for the forest management. Six of the most commonly used brushcutters equipped successively with discs and knives were tested to provide part of the data needed to run an energy analysis and to be able to characterize the energy inputs in release cutting operations by implementing the Gross Energy Requirements method. Fuel burning was found to have the greatest contribution (83–92%) in the total energy inputs (0.8–1.2 GJ/ha) of the studied operations and it was highly dependent on the efficiency of operations. Moreover, by simulation, it was identified that factors such as the assumed service life of equipment may significantly affect the outcomes of the analysis. Release cutting operations may be seen as important contributors in the energy balance of forest operations and data provided by this study may be of help for both forest management and more detailed and scaled analyses such as that of the Life Cycle Assessment.