by Ben Spong | Jan 7, 2022 | Current Research, News
SU First Thursday Presentation Videos Stellenbosch University Forestry hosts a webinar series on the first Thursday of each month covering a wide variety of topics related to forest operations and other forestry issues. The archive recordings of these presentations...
by Ben Spong | Nov 23, 2020 | News
FREE E-LEARNING COURSE NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT The South African timber industry is geographically dispersed and gathering people to attend a course or training is often expensive and time constrained. In order to effectively and efficiently transfer skills and...
by Ben Spong | Nov 12, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
This study continues to build upon the database of average time consumption and productivity models of forwarder machines in mechanised CTL operations in South African pine sawtimber plantations. The aim of this study was to calculate the time consumption,...
by Ben Spong | Nov 12, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
This study explored the relationship between the productivity produced using two methods of data collection: Time Study – manual Time Study following the Standards for Time Studies for the South African Forest Industry and Stem File – using the machine...
by Ben Spong | Nov 12, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
In this study, a South African pine saw-timber mechanised cut-to-length harvesting operation was analysed with the main objective of describing and modelling productivity development learning curves of beginner operators in both clear-felling and thinning operations....
by Marius Terblanche | Nov 12, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
This study aims to determine the carbon balance of South African plantations by assessing the emissions associated with mechanised CTL harvesting and comparing these to the carbon stored in the logs harvested. The objectives are as follows: Estimate diesel and...
by Ben Spong | Nov 12, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
A time study of a mechanised cut-to-length system was conducted in Pinus elliottii sawtimber plantations in the Southern Cape forestry region of South Africa. A harvester and a forwarder were studied with the objectives of finding average productivity across the work...
by Marius Terblanche | Aug 27, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
This study sets out to see if the slope can affect mechanized cut-to-length harvester operations’ productivity and harvesting cost. To test this assumption, two different harvesters were applied to the study: an excavator-based machine (EBM) (Volvo EC210BF) and a...
by Marius Terblanche | Aug 26, 2019 | News, Technical Notes
The study was commissioned to test the durability, productivity and fuel consumption of different nylons used on brush cutters. Two nylons were identified, paired (by diameter) and tested in one trial (per nylon diameter) fitted randomly to two brush cutters. The...
by Ben Spong | Aug 23, 2019 | Current Research, News
This document contains summaries of three student projects (two Masters and one intern) recently completed or in progress under the supervision of Prof. Pierre Ackerman and Simon Ackerman. These project form part of the Forest Operations Project at Stellenbosch...
