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Query: "author" (Ruben Laina) .

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1.
Private forest owner willingness to mobilise wood from dense, small-diameter tree stands
Matevž Triplat, Satu Helenius, Ruben Laina, Nike Krajnc, Thomas Kronholm, Zdenka Ženko, Teppo Hujala, 2023, original scientific article

Abstract: Forests are a source of renewable biomass, and their utilisation will play a vital role in the transition towards a climate-neutral economy. Small-diameter tree management could contribute to this transition via providing renewable biomass for sustainable uses and fostering tree growth towards long-lifecycle bioproducts. The utilisation of small-diameter trees in the EU is still low since new technologies and work models are required to make the operations economically profitable, environmentally sound, and socially attractive. The supply of biomass from small-diameter tree stands is dependent on forest owners with diverse perceptions on their forests and diverse ownership objectives. However, there is scarce research on forest owner perceptions on small-diameter tree management, which encompasses home consumption, self-active work, and commercial forestry services. A survey in four EU countries was designed to identify the main factors affecting the motivation of forest owners to mobilise biomass from small-diameter stands. Factor and clustering analyses were used to identify four forest owner segments: weakly-engaged traders, well-being seekers, self-active profit-seekers, and well-informed service users. The willingness to utilise biomass from small-diameter tree stands and participate in the market was shaped by forest owner knowledge of forestry, economic and socio-cultural motivations, and sensitivity to service offerings. Forest owner preferences for market participation are heterogenous, and thus different policy implementation approaches are needed and proposed.
Keywords: customer profiles, factor analysis, forestry services, management objectives, biomass, communication strategies
Published in DiRROS: 05.01.2023; Views: 630; Downloads: 250
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2.
Environmental impacts of boom-corridor and selectively thinned small-diameter-tree forests
Teresa de la Fuente, Dan Bergström, Raul Fernandez-Lacruz, Teppo Hujala, Nike Krajnc, Ruben Laina, Tomas Nordfjell, Matevž Triplat, Eduardo Tolosana, 2022, original scientific article

Abstract: European forest stands of small-diameter trees can provide industries with biomass as an alternative to fossil use. Small-tree harvesting is costly using conventional methods but using accumulating felling heads (AFH) in combination with a novel boom-corridor thinning (BCT) technique can increase harvester productivity and supply cost efficiency. This method has great potential to reduce costs, but its environmental impact compared with selective thinning (ST) needs to be determined. The objectives of this study were therefore to quantify and compare tree and soil damage as well as air, water and soil emissions for both BCT and ST in various European small-diameter-tree forests. Trials were performed in 84 study units (42 replications per thinning technique) across four countries. Damaged trees (with a diameter at breast height ≥ 7 cm) were measured after thinning and after forwarding. Harvesting emissions were calculated from a life cycle assessment. The percentage of remaining trees that had been damaged by the harvesting processes was 13% and 19% for BCT and ST, respectively, and the difference was significant. BCT exhibited the lowest emissions in all environmental impact categories considered, in all countries. Greenhouse gas emissions were on average 17% lower for BCT. BCT in small-diameter-tree stands therefore reduces the environmental impact of thinning operations compared with conventional methods, and results in less damage to the remaining trees.
Keywords: first thinning, harvesting damages, GHG emissions, forest biomass, forest operations
Published in DiRROS: 17.05.2022; Views: 641; Downloads: 367
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