SOFOR 4.0

Project

Acronym: SOFOR 4.0

Record: IN852A 2016/107

Execution: 2016-2018

Task performed: coordinator

Consortium: SEISTAG + CERNA INGENIERÍA + FORESCULTURA

Grant: GAIN (Axencia Galega de Innovación)

Support: Xunta de Galicia

Funds origin: FEDER fonts 2014-2020

General description

Target: a new model for forestry business: open, collaborative and based on win/win relations

Challenge: making industry and small properties match together

Idea: to integrate properties in order to create critic mass, and to integrate producers with the industrial needs

Development: protocols for SOFOR constitution and TIC tools develoment

Impact: optimization of the chain from forest to industry

2016 summary of works

At SOFOR-4.0 there are two main objectives.

The first one is to integrate small properties.
The second one to integrate forest owners with industry.

The three companies have worked to develop tools according to those objectives:

During 2016, CERNA has worked on the field of a data model suitable for forest certification, management, and harvesting. The model should support future apps. Those apps should be compatible with different frontends such as websites, desktop applications and mobile applications. The tools should allow a more efficient management of forest resources. That efficiency is critical in a context of small plots of lands. Moreover, efficiency is important as long as production is focused on the external market and for that reason production-costs should be kept competitive at worldwide scale.

During the first year of activity, FORESCULTURA has worked on the field of forest harvesting monitoring. The company has worked in two fields. From one hand, FORESCULTURA tested its technology to estimate and keep under control the labour costs considering the plot dimensions. On the other hand, the company has developed its own tools to enable low-cost and fast estimation of wood volume. The tools applied during 2016 allow a more efficient organization of harvesting work in the context of the exploitation of small properties in order to feed small sawmills.

During 2016, SEISTAG has coordinated the project. The company provided its own experience on R&D management to organize the collaboration. Because of this, at the beginning of 2017 the efforts of the partners of the consortium have achieved one SOFOR and expect to achieve two more SOFOR in the first months of the year.

Plots for testing trials

Work on the field

Taking out the material

Transportation

Processing of material

2017 summary of works

During the 2017 annuity, validation tests have been started in the field and factory.

At the level of forest exploitation, demonstration tests were carried out on plots of lands with aid application and directly on the material to be cut. Thanks to the demonstration experiences, corrections were made to models. Those corrections were implemented in the measurement system. In addition to this, price simulators were implemented into the models.

The factory tests consisted in the design of new cutting schemes based on the conditioning of: (i) the thickness, (ii) the start of the cut with the smaller diameter and the analysis of statistical data of products obtained, and (iii) the quality evaluation of the tables according to the transformer itinerary.

During this annuity, the profile of the forest mediator in terms of skills, training and characteristics has also been addressed. Within the CERNA partner, several people have been identified to develop that task. In addition to this, a review of forest management instruments has been carried out. These tools have been implemented in the SOFOR support application with web interface and app.

2018 Summary of works

2018 was the last annuity of the SOFOR4.0 project.

CERNA completed the development of a computer application for joint forest management (BIDOdss) that serves as an on-line storage of files related to forest management, inventory, forestry schemes, economic projection, simulation, planning and cartographic visualization. The main silvicultural itineraries for market-oriented species have also been defined based on three main industrial purposes: crushing, sawing and firewood. Silviculture itinerary files have been prepared based on the regeneration, the necessary treatments and the final cut. Finally, the rest of the applications compromised in the project have been prepared (management of chain of custody certificates, mediators, etc.)

There has also been an experience of the tool to support the work of the forest mediator. The application provides functionalities to facilitate the work of this figure in the management of purchases and maintenance of the mountain. In parallel, BIDOdss has also been tested, the web of support for forest certification, management of forest certificates and management of chain of custody certificates. All the validations have been correct, having improved the errors that have been found.

SEISTAG has optimized the wood transformation itineraries by studying cut patterns according to the diameter depending on the processing line used. Production cost indicators were obtained to determine profitability based on the sawed product and saw conditions. It was accompanied by a quality evaluation study according to the company's market-oriented classification system. It was also an experience of use of native hardwoods, determining that the first transformation to block of 70x70 is the most favorable situation for the sawmill.

A web tool has been prepared to facilitate the concentration of exploitation mass that allows managing the harvesting collectively and limiting the operational cost of the same. It has been validated and improved over 40 real experiences and has been based on free programming to address future expansions and improvements. Approximate calculations were made of savings in operations of management of cutting and movement of equipment for these 40 experiences, estimated at around 15 thousand euros.

The partner FORESCULTURA has developed a performance chart of the use by joint management, by structuring costs. A calculation routine has been prepared for approximation and estimation of the exploitation costs, in order to establish the necessary means to carry out the exploitation of a farm in conditions of competitiveness. The accuracy of the program was validated through the realization of 8 real cases obtaining a very good approximation to the model. In this year the eucalyptus mass estimation model was also completed.