Given the ongoing climate warming that can lead to water scarcity, water retention has been on the forefront of forest ecosystem services. Water harvesting pits on forest roads are one of the possible engineering measures that can help mitigate some of the negative impacts forest roads have on the hydrological regime of the forest ecosystem. The aim of the research is to inform the scientific and professional public about the function and potential of water harvesting pits under forest road culverts and to offer insight into the significance of expected benefits of these objects for water retention and improvement of forest stand hydrological conditions. In this study, standard engineering methods were used to design and build water harvesting pits connected and not connected to culvert mouths and to equip the whole surrounding area with soil moisture and water level sensors. During the two-year study period, a number of irrigation experiments were also performed. The goal was to observe and evaluate the distribution of water from the pits to the surrounding soil and forest stands. Even though water harvesting pits and similar water retention objects on the forest road network seem very beneficial on paper, data from our research does not fully support it. According to our results, the benefits obtained seem much smaller than originally expected to a point that the viability of such measures is probably very low both from the forest stand and water management standpoint. More research is definitely needed in a wider variety of conditions and with a longer time frame.

The investigation of the effects of the noise generated by harvesting equipment on the environment is one of the important topics in sustainable forestry. During timber harvesting, not only workers but also wildlife are exposed to the noise generated. Exposure to noise has both direct and indirect effects on humans and wildlife. The negative effects of noise exposure can be observed depending on its intensity and duration. Noise exposure, which has various psychological and physiological effects on humans, also negatively affects plants and animals. In this study, sound measurements of the chainsaw were conducted during thinning operations within the boundaries of the Alara Forest Management Directorate in Alanya, Antalya Province. The measurement area is a Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) stand with a canopy density of 60–65%, a slope of 30–35%, and tree diameters ranging from 20 to 35 centimeters. The noise emitted by the chainsaw during production, ranging from approximately 1 meter to 200 meters, has been modeled using a feedforward Artificial Neural Network (FANN) for sound propagation. The measurement data was used 60% for training, 20% for testing, and 20% for validation. Random trees were assigned to noise attenuation effects on the sound according to the stand characteristics of the study area. Thus, it was aimed to create a realistic sound propagation model and estimation maps. The average performance metrics of the model, RMSE and R² values, were calculated as 4.84 and 0.88, respectively. According to the sound propagation model predicted by the FANN as a static model, it is estimated that the distance at which the chainsaw could affect wildlife behavior is 400 meters or less.

In some specific yarding situations ground contact needs to be reduced to an absolute minimum. In such cases, a double-hitch system can serve as an alternative to helicopter logging. In the present investigation, a cable yarding operation using double-hitch carriages for selective thinning in intermediate slope was accompanied by a time and motion study to better understand the working steps and resulting productivity of cable yarding in this unconventional situation. The main aims were to develop a model that can be used to estimate the productivity of comparable yarding operations before their implementation, and to quantify the additional effort relative to the use of a cable yarder with a single-hitch carriage. The results indicated an overall productivity of 5.69 m3ob per productive system hour including delays of up to 15 minutes (PSH15), leading to yarding costs of 97.54 CHF (m3ob)-1 (in addition to costs for installation and felling). Compared to a system with a common single-hitch carriage, the inclusion of a second lateral yarding stage increased time and cost, contributing 13.30 € (m3ob)-1. Key factors affecting productivity were payload size, number of load pieces, and terrain difficulty, while yarding distances had minimal impact. Compared with traditional yarding, double-hitch operations were less productive and more costly, but they can still be considered a suitable alternative to helicopter logging in sensitive areas.

The use of hydraulic binder materials for the improvement of pavement subgrade has many implications for the surrounding ecosystem due to the possible leakage of alkaline compounds. The objective of this study is to evaluate the capacity of plants to remedy the subgrade affected by alkaline inclusion. To reduce the impact and return the subgrade to its original state, a phytoremediation process is studied. The impact of two materials commonly used for the subgrade improvement is analysed – fluid ash (slag) and lime+cement mixture. Three different mixes of plants – Mix A, Mix B and the native natural vegetation Mix N – are proposed. Totally 99 samples were collected and 990 specimens were chemically and geotechnically analysed and statistically evaluated. The success of phytoremediation process for both Mix A and Mix B can be observed. It is considerably higher for the undersurface alkaline inclusion than for the surface one. Mix B appears to be the best for fluid ash binder and Mix A for lime+cement mixture binder. It is worth noting that the native natural vegetation in Mix N also contributes to the phytoremediation process and that the appropriate plant selection – e.g. Mix A and Mix B – can accelerate this process.

Today in many countries and regions, forestry sector deals with a considerable shortage of forestry workers and faces the serious challenge of ensuring a qualified and sustainable workforce. Current global processes and structural changes, such as emigration from rural areas, aging of the population, unfavorable age structure of existing employees, negative demographic trends (migrations, decline in birth rate, negative natural increase, etc.), lack of interest in the so-called 3D (dirty, dangerous and demeaning) jobs, low cost of labor and others, significantly contribute to such an adverse situation. Additionally, forestry work, especially wood harvesting, represents a very risky, professionally highly demanding and physically extremely intensive activity, which is regularly classified as one of the most dangerous occupations with a high proportion of serious injuries, fatalities and occupational diseases. For these reasons, the forestry profession is considered unattractive, and the job of a forestry worker undesirable. All of this makes finding the people interested in these jobs very difficult, and the task of ensuring the necessary workforce for all regular activities in sustainable forest management becomes very hard. In this paper, based on the surveys carried out in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), i.e. evaluation of forestry workforce sustainability factors, and on the study of available strategic documents, policies and case studies, strategic directions aimed at strengthening the sustainability of forestry workforce were elaborated. The sustainability factors were observed in three categories related to: a) stronger recruiting in forestry, b) more successful retention of forestry workers, and c) higher work commitment of forestry workers. Established rankings, together with other findings, were used to define four separate strategic directions: (1) Direct financial strategy, which emphasizes direct monetary payments to workers and is oriented towards labor productivity, (2) Indirect financial strategy, which focuses more on providing indirect material gains to workers and the quality of performed work, (3) Educational strategy, aimed at the education and training of workers, and (4) Technical-technological strategy, aimed at increasing the mechanization in forest operations thus reducing the demand for labor. The paper elaborates the basic starting points and main characteristics (priorities, measures and activities, stakeholders, responsible authorities, etc.) of each strategic direction considering the possibility and conditions of their implementation in national forestry sector. The objective of the paper is to raise the required awareness of the forestry workforce issues, its position and status, and also to provide foundations for enhancing the attractiveness of forestry work and improving the overall sustainability of the forestry workforce. The results of the study point out the critical issues and provide valuable insights that can help in formulating effective policies and strategies for the future.

With recent technological development, photo-optical measurement systems in mobile devices have been increasingly used for automatic wood volume estimation because of their ease of use and efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the use of photo-optical mobile apps for measuring solid wood volume of the stack in Turkish forestry practices. For this study, 21 log stacks were measured using the traditional technique and two photo-optical mobile apps – iFovea Pro and Timbeter. A strong correlation was found between the traditionally measured solid wood volume of the stack and the volume estimated using both photo-optical apps, the number of logs in the stack, and the mean diameter of the stack. The estimated number of trees from the two apps and manual measurement were not statistically different. However, statistical differences were observed between all three measurement approaches for the mean diameter of the stack. Also, statistical test results indicated mixed results for estimated solid wood volume in the stack. In addition, the study tested whether both apps correctly measure the diameter of the logs in the stack. Thus, manually measured diameter of the randomly selected 50 trees within 21 stacks was compared to the log diameters measured automatically using both mobile apps. The results indicated no statistical difference between the three measurement approaches. The study results are promising for using photo-optical mobile apps in Turkish forestry in terms of transition to digital forestry. However, there are still opportunities to improve the capabilities of the method through further analysis of estimating stack volume using the image from both sides of the logs considering different quality and diameter classes with bark conditions.

Determining forest stand characteristics after thinning, in order to assess the quality of the work and update the inventory data of the thinned stand, is one of the few forest management tasks for which an efficient and accurate automation solution has not yet been developed. Currently, forest stand characteristics are determined by a certified inventory expert using manual instruments such as a range finder, digital or manual calliper, and a Bitterlich gauge. Manual measurements add a significant cost to forest management, and automating this process could increase the competitiveness of forest owners in the global timber market, helping reduce human error and providing more detailed information on the condition of stands and the distribution of trees of different dimensions in a stand.The aim of the study is to adapt a method developed in Sweden for the automated estimation of forest stand characteristics after thinning using the HprGallring software to Latvian conditions and to determine accuracy of the modelling-based prediction of stand characteristics.In the study, the height, number, diameter, and species of individual trees after thinning were determined using the sample plot method (according to methods applied in forest resources monitoring) and using photogrammetry as reference data for the study. In some felling areas, the diameters of all trees were measured before and after felling. The data obtained using different methods were compared with updated stand characteristics in the Forest resource database updated by certified inventory experts using plot measurement method.According to the results of the study, HprGallring can provide the data necessary for updating the forest inventory database after thinning, but the accuracy of the modelled projections, as compared to manual measurements, are not yet within the uncertainty range as required by the forest inventory regulations. The average tree height, as indicated in the State Forest Register, matches the HprGallring estimates within the regulatory uncertainty limits in 67% of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands, 65% of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) stands, and 48% of Birch (Betula sp.) stands. The diameter of an average tree after thinning estimated by the HprGallring is larger than that according to the manual measurement. The average diameter estimated using HprGallring in pine stands matches the data in State Forest Register in 40% of the assessed areas, in 47% for spruce stands, and 35% of birch stands. The accuracy of the predictions needs to be improved to make HprGallring usable in forest inventory, but even now it provides valuable spatial information about the distribution of trees of different dimensions and species within stands, enabling more accurate planning of management methods and spatial redesigning of the forest compartments.

This study was done to determine the appropriate maintenance strategies for the deteriorating gravel forest roads in the Mediterranean, sub-humid and semi-arid climates. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was used to monitor Unpaved Road Condition Index (UPCI), immediately after maintenance activities and seasonally in one year. The deterioration time of the wearing course was predicted using Markov chain analysis. Results showed that roads in sub-humid climates presented lower UPCI (7.19) compared to the Mediterranean (7.81) and semi-arid (8.82) climates. When roads were maintained by a high-budget strategy, deterioration time was longer than when other strategies were used. The cost-effectiveness (CE) value of the low-budget strategy was more favorable than different strategies in all traffic levels of the Mediterranean climate and high-traffic roads in a semi-arid environment. Low-budget maintenance activities include one culvert improvement per 6 km, light blading, and 30 mm layer graveling. In a semi-arid climate, a medium-budget maintenance strategy was more efficient in medium and low-traffic roads. Medium, high, and low-budget maintenance strategies were efficient in high, medium, and low-traffic roads in sub-humid climates. High-budget maintenance activities include one culvert improvement per 4 km, heavy blading and local compaction, and 60 mm layer graveling. Overall, it was concluded that monitoring UPCI over time and probability analysis using time series is helpful for a sustainable and long-term management of forest roads.

Planning forest truck roads network involves a lot of factors that directly affect their density and length. Depending on the purpose of the forest truck road network, this number is higher or lower. Our opinion was that these factors should be divided into invariable and variable. Common parameters, regardless of the purpose of the roads, are morphometric parameters because they can limit the length and density of the network of forest truck roads due to their variety of forms. For this reason, this paper deals exclusively with the morphometric characteristics of the terrain and their influence on the density of the network of forest truck roads. The DEM of the terrain was processed with GIS software based on the seven most important influencing factors. By standardizing the criteria, the obtained maps were reclassified, and then each of the seven selected parameters was weighted with the coefficients obtained by the AHP method.In this way, a map of the suitability of the terrain for the construction and addition to the existing network of forest truck roads was obtained. The terrain is divided into 4 categories of suitability. Zero lines were drawn with GIS tools for road design. During the creation of the optimal road network, it was tested with absolute and relative openness.As a final result, each of 26 Forest Economic Areas (FEA) was assigned to one of 4 categories of terrain suitability for the construction and density of the forest truck road network. For each category of terrain convenience, the optimal absolute and relative openness is shown. Based on this work, we suggest that the use of morphometric parameters should be considered as the first step of forest road planning in other regions.

Understanding the impact of reclamation measures on the quality of timber produced in post-mining areas is crucial for the proper establishment of future forest cultures on such sites. We studied European larch trees (Larix decidua Mill.) grown since 1981 on the external dump of a brown coal mine in Bełchatów (Central Poland). In particular, the effects of stand admixture and the intensity of mineral fertilization, applied in the initial phase of tree growth, on the increments and quality of larch wood were evaluated. Total tree height and stem diameter of 4-meter sections were measured. Qualitative timber classification took into account the share of wood defects, which excluded the timber from a higher quality-dimensional class. Larch trees grown in a monoculture had a better quality of wood compared to larch grown mixed with other species. Fertilization, applied in the initial afforestation period, had only a limited effect on the growth of larch trees. Curvature and knots determined timber quality most significantly. While knots had a decisive importance in larch growing in the monoculture stands, curvature determined wood quality in the admixed larch stands.