Forest Operations and Engineering

Forest operations and engineering is a forestry discipline which addresses the design, implementation, control, and continuous improvement of forest operations systems and technologies related to environmental complexities and sustainability. The associated IUFRO division 3.00.00 which summarizes its research aims at two main topics: (1) understanding the fundamental principles that underline the behavior of forest operations systems and (2) developing concepts, methods and tools that support the design, control, and management of these systems. Within this journal section, as highlighted and suggested by Heinimann (2007), it will be important to undertake challenges in forest harvesting and wood transportation engineering, forest operations management, and forest operations ecology. In addition, considering the importance of understanding the major driving factors for the future development of forest operations that promote economic, environmental, and social wellbeing, some scientists (Marchi et al., 2018) reviewed previously developed concepts of forest operations, suggesting a new interesting paradigm, “Sustainable Forest Operations (SFO)”. The contributions to this section should be in relation and/or synergy with the five SFO key performance areas to ensure the sustainability of forest operations: (i) environment; (ii) ergonomics; (iii) economics; (iv) quality optimization of products and production; and (v) people and society.

One of the main aims will be to promote knowledge for the future relations between forest logging, environmental protection, and management of forests in order to provide timber at reasonable costs and other ecosystem services such as recreation and conservation as well as biodiversity. These aspects can be guaranteed only through a Sustainable Forest Management in synergy with SFO, tools essential for a proper environmental protection, and they are mandatory in order to maintain forests and their multiple functions. In particular, forest operations are interesting but delicate issues to be analyzed and evaluated in order to have a real sustainability.

Authors are invited to contribute to these scopes with original papers covering the following subjects:

• Sustainability in forest operations and engineering;
• Impact assessment due to forest logging and management;
• Innovative forest harvesting systems, technology, and techniques;
• Role and potential of precision forestry (robotics, LIDAR, etc.) for improving management;
• Sustainability of wood supply chains;
• Environmentally friendly forest operations and reduced impact logging (RIL);
• How can forest operations be adjusted to preserve levels of biodiversity necessary to keep forests healthy and productive?

It will also be essential to follow and recognize new developments in the forest sector, aimed at operations in tree plantations for energy or technological purposes or in urban tree systems.

These and other research topics are also planned in Special Issues, which are published periodically and disseminate results of the latest research.

Reference

Heinimann, H.R. Forest operations engineering and management - The ways behind and ahead of a scientific discipline. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering. 2007, 28(1), 107–121.

Marchi, E., Chung, W., Visser, R., Abbas, D., Nordfjell, T., Mederski, P.S., McEwan, A., Brink, M., Laschi, A. Sustainable Forest Operations (SFO): A new paradigm in a changing world and climate. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, 634, 1385–1397.