Purfürst Thomas, PhD.

The aim of the study was to provide a comprehensive overview of global long-distance road transportation of industrial roundwood. The study focused on the maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) limits allowed with different timber truck configurations, typical payloads in timber trucking, the road transportation share of the total industrial roundwood long-distance transportation volume, and the average long-distance transportation distances and costs of industrial roundwood. The study was carried out as a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was sent to timber transportation logistics experts and research scientists in the 30 countries with the largest industrial roundwood removals in Europe, as well as selected major forestry countries in the world (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Türkiye, the United States of America and Uruguay) in February 2022, and closed in May 2022. A total of 31 countries took part in the survey. The survey illustrated that timber trucking was the main long-distance transportation method of industrial roundwood in almost every country surveyed. Road transportation averaged 89% of the total industrial roundwood long-distance transportation volume. Timber truck configurations of 4 to 9 axles with GVW limits of around 30 tonnes to over 70 tonnes were most commonly used. The results indicated that higher GVW limits allowed significantly higher payloads in timber trucking, with the lowest payloads at less than 25 tonnes, and the highest payloads more than 45 tonnes. The average road transportation distance with industrial roundwood was 128 km, and the average long-distance transportation cost in timber trucking was €11.1 per tonne of timber transported. In the entire survey material, there was a direct relationship between transportation distance and transportation costs and an inverse relationship between maximum GVW limits and transportation costs. Consequently, in order to reduce transportation costs, it is essential to maximise payloads (within legal limits) and minimise haul distances. Several measures to increase cost- and energy-efficiency, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in road transportation logistics, are discussed in the paper. On the basis of the survey, it is recommended that up-to-date statistical data and novel research studies on the long-distance transportation of industrial roundwood be conducted in some countries in the future.

Timber harvesting tends to generate controversy in society. Some emphasize the benefits of obtaining renewable resources, while others lament the loss of forest carbon stocks and the resulting emissions. However, as long as the wood does not decompose, it continues to store carbon. Consequently, buildings and goods made of wood become carbon sinks. To illustrate this carbon storage potential, we developed an application that calculates the carbon footprint of mechanized timber harvesting using the production reporting input files »harvested production-hpr« and »machine operating monitor-mom« in the StanForD format generated by harvesters and forwarders. The »HarvestCO2-App« is a free, user-friendly web application for forest owners, machine operators/owners, and policymakers, programmed in R with an R Shiny user interface. The app aims to raise awareness of the carbon storage potential of wood use by providing a quantitative basis for discussion. The app also inquires about the conditions under which timber was harvested. By evaluating this information alongside the calculated carbon footprint, it will be possible in the medium term to conduct a sensitivity analysis of the impact of individual factors on emissions.