Energy Consumption and Efficiency, CO₂ Emissions and Alternative Powertrains in the Forestry Sector—A Sustainable Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

The forestry sector is fighting an ongoing battle against climate change and global warming. A significant portion of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of forest industries originate from the wood supply chain, i.e., logging operations and the secondary transportation of timber. Currently, almost all forest machinery and transportation fleets in the wood supply chain are diesel-powered. The energy efficiency, fuel consumption, and GHG emissions of diesel-powered forest machines (e.g., harvesters, forwarders, feller bunchers, skidders, cable yarders) and transportation vehicles (e.g., timber trucks) have been studied extensively in recent years. Nowadays, many researchers investigate the utilization of alternative low- or even zero-carbon powertrains (i.e., hybrid, electric, biofuel, biogas, and hydrogen) in the machinery and vehicle fleets of the forestry sector. This research, development, and innovation (RDI) work is crucial in order reduce GHG emissions globally.

This Special Issue of Sustainability seeks RDI papers that clarify and report upon the energy consumption and efficiency in the whole value chain of the forest industry through the application of alternative powertrains. We welcome papers that focus on developing energy efficiency—for instance, in training eco-driving techniques, operator/driver assistant systems, and automation—in the diesel-powered machines and transportation vehicles of the forestry sector. State-of-the-art papers and technical review papers on GHG emissions and environmental sustainability in the value chain of the forestry sector are also encouraged for submission.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Kalle Kärhä
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• energy efficiency
• energy consumption
• greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• carbon footprint
• hybrid
• electricity
• biofuels
• biogas
• hydrogen