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This introduction sketches out what relevance wood and wood products have had in Europe's industrial societies. It also summarizes some peculiarities of the wood-based businesses caused by both the materiality of wood and the ecologies of forests. Most importantly, the introduction contextualizes the findings of this issue's individual articles in three topical fields, cutting some interpretational paths in an area still rather unknown to many historians: First of all, it argues that analysing wood-based businesses can help to re-consider the history of Europe's industrialization as a distinctively continental process. Second, the introduction reveals material and ecological barriers to globalization that come into view if one questions the supplies of Europe's ever increasing industrial wood demand. Third, it considers how a focus on the wood-based businesses can contribute to re-evaluate seemingly clear-cut divisions of Europe into industrial centres and peripheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood utilisation is an important factor affecting production costs, but the combined utilisation rate of wood is generally only 50 to 70%. During the production process, the rejection scheme of wood defects is one of the most important factors affecting the wood yield. This paper provides an overview of the main wood defects affecting wood quality, introduces techniques for detecting and identifying wood defects using different technologies, highlights the more widely used image recognition-based wood surface defect identification methods, and presents three advanced wood defect detection and identification equipment. In view of the relatively fixed wood defect recognition requirements in wood processing production, it is proposed that wood defect recognition technology should be further developed toward deep learning to improve the accuracy and efficiency of wood defect recognition.

Eucalyptus globoidea is an emerging plantation species. Its naturally durable heartwood has the potential to be used for solid wood outdoor products. Good machinability of a timber is essential for solid wood processing but was unknown for E. globoidea. The ASTM D1666 standard was used to assess the machinability of E. globoidea and compared to that of Pinus radiata, the dominating resource for the local wood processing industry and well-known for its good machinability. This study showed that E. globoidea machined equally well or better than P. radiata in planing, boring, mortising, grooving, edging, and turning. Sanding E. globoidea (723 kg/m3) was not possible at the prescribed settings, whereas a smooth finish was obtained for the lower density P. radiata (461 kg/m3). Reducing the sanding depth resulted in a satisfactory sanding finish. Defects that determined the machine scores were identified. When boring, mortising and grooving E. globoidea timber, most defects were chipping caused by the tool exiting the piece. When edging, most care needs to be taken at the corner. The comparable machinability of E. globoidea and P. radiata according to ASTM D1666 indicated that the well-established P. radiata wood processing industry should be able to process E. globoidea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was carried out to identify immediate and remote health hazards, including the need for health hazard assessment in the sawmill industry in Enugu State, Nigeria. A quantitative research approach was used and 300 well-structured questionnaires were directly administered to five sections of sawmill workers. Interviews and observational studies were also used to acquire data. The data was analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software using basic percentages and inferential statistics from chi-square test analysis. The significance level was set at 0.05. Respondents in this study identified several immediate and remote health hazards, including accidents and injuries, that were linked to the various tasks they do in the sawmill. Machine operators and carpentry/furniture workers, on the other hand, were shown to be more exposed to these hazards. Asthma, dermatitis, sequoiosis, respiratory problems, heart problems, and skin disorders are among the hazards reported. Others included cuts, piercings, crushed injuries, fractures, dislocations, bruises, falls, etc. There was a significant difference in the types of ailments suffered by different categories of workers. The study also found that the total cost of fire-related losses in sawmills between 2004 and 2014 was 4.09 billion Naira. Notwithstanding the hazards and medical concerns indicated by the workers, their use of PPE was unsatisfactory. Occupational safety and health legislation, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Framework Directive, which requires employers to adopt appropriate precautionary measures to make work safer and healthier, should be implemented in all sawmills.

WC-Co cemented carbides are the most commonly used material for machining wood-based materials. They owe their popularity to good properties, such as hardness and, at the same time, high fracture toughness. A significant impact on the properties of cemented carbides can have the method of their preparation. The durability of WC-Co tools can be improved by selecting the appropriate machining parameters. The study attempted to determine the optimum machining parameters for particleboard. The tools used in the study were both commercial blades and blades manufactured in laboratory conditions by sparkplasma sintering (SPS), using a mixture of WC6%Co powders. As part of this work, observations of the microstructure and durability tests of the blades during particleboardmilling processes were carried out. Wear of the tool was measured until loss on the contact surface VBmax, was 0.2 mm. Based on the tests, it can be concluded that when the lowest feed per tooth (Δz = 0.15 mm) was used, the tools had the longest tool life. In addition, the commercial tools covered a significantly longer cutting distance than the tools obtained using the SPS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using various wireless communication methods to achieve some type of remote monitoring and/or controlling of processes and systems, in general, is a continuously thriving industry. The wood industry is not immune to that but the prevalence of such systems, automated to a certain level, remains low. Their rise and presence, however, are unavoidable and will continue to grow. Wireless devices are used to continuously monitor environmental factors as well as the structural moisture of wood in a wooden plank during the natural aspirated drying process and the forced drying process all in a controlled environment. An exemplary system based on LoRa communication interfaces is configured, adapted, and operationally tuned for the wood processing industry. The selected LoRa communication system operates on an EU compliant RF spectrum. Nevertheless, since such devices must be tightly integrated within a pack of planks, wireless signal propagation is greatly impacted. The pack of planks has an effect on radio signal dispersion because it creates a dense environment hostile to RF propagation. A technique to strengthen measurement devices and receive units for wireless signal propagation is proposed in order to maintain a high-quality communication link. Furthermore, practical procedures for maintaining a desirable signal level and their upkeep suggestions are presented for applications with numerous obstacles in the working environment.

The Timber Products Output (TPO) survey is used to determine industrial uses of roundwood, reporting on volumes of roundwood received and residues generated by the primary forest industry by tree species and counties of harvest. This knowledge aids stakeholders in making informed decisions about available forest resources and/or harvest intensity. The widespread use of TPO estimates makes it important to understand the scale and scope of missing data in the survey. This first attempt analyzed respondent-level and question-level nonresponse (RLNR and QLNR, respectively) for Northern and Southern TPO regions, comparing response to mill profile questions (those providing general business information) to those related to mill activity (that related to wood processing information). The RLNR differed between regions, by question grouping, survey mode, and mill volume. The QLNR results for selected mill activity questions indicate that the Southern region generally has lower nonresponse than the Northern region. Parametric analysis of RLNR indicated survey mode was significant for both question groups in the Northern region whereas mill type was significant for mill activity questions in the Southern region. The QLNR parametric analysis indicated self-administered surveys in the Northern region were associated with higher nonresponse, and surveys completed by sawmills in the Southern region were associated with lower nonresponse. Study Implications: Analysis of survey item nonresponse in the national Timber Products Output survey provides analytic background needed to assess the accuracy and completeness of the survey data. Population estimates from the data are used to monitor roundwood production and make informed decisions about forest resources. Responses varied across specific questions, and regional differences appeared to be related to survey mode. Current survey design could be improved to allow for analysis of all survey questions and assessment of the quality of responses. For nonresponse adjustment methods to be comparable across regions, factors causing observed regional difference should first be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood processing operations, such as timber drying, are increasingly employing high temperatures, and the development and optimisation of these operations is often reliant on modelling from experimental data. These model outputs are only accurate if the experimental data has been collected under similar conditions. In this research, the Modulus of Elasticity (MoE) and yield stress in compression and tension of two Pinus radiata trees are presented for a range of 6–30%MC between 20 and 150°C in the three grain directions. Results indicate that in all grain directions both MoE and yield stress decrease with increasing moisture content and increasing temperature, and this effect is more pronounced with the combination of high temperature and high moisture content. For both MoE and yield stress, differences were seen between testing in compression and in tension, and this relationship varied with grain direction and test conditions. This underscores the importance of accounting for the direction of applied forces when modelling the behaviour of wood. Overall, this data set indicates that yield stress and MoE can vary considerably according to temperature, moisture content, grain direction and the direction of the applied force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractForest plantations provide a wide range of products. Therefore, it is vital to ensure the sustainable growth and adequate management of forest resources. This study aims to examine the current challenges facing the forest industry, such as the depletion of forest resources, the increasing cost of wood processing products, and intensifying competition in the timber market (caused by the tropical wood supply). These challenges force the world’s leading forest countries to intensify forest cultivation, to consult forest industries in the Far East and to optimize the sustainable use of forest resources. It was found that current distribution of cutting practices threatens the forest ecosystem. The study suggests a scheme where 10–30% of forest area is clear-cut, 70–90% is selectively logged, and 20–35% is exposed to gradual felling. Factors, such as harvesting time, exhaust emissions, the loss of young trees, topsoil degradation, load on the soil surface, and the slope angle are essential for building mathematical models of forest sustainability. The intensity of wood transportation is also a critical factor influencing the above indicators. The study proposes a model for reorganizing regional wood harvesting companies to improve their profitability. The theoretical model is adapted to the Far Eastern context, but is suitable for use in other parts of the world.

Copyright of Annals of Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, Forestry & Wood Technology is the property of Wydawnictwo SGGW and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In many applications of joining and reinforcing timber elements with self-tapping fully threaded screws, the exact positioning of the screws becomes difficult as the screws tend to "stray" from their designated axis during insertion in wood and wooden semi-products. Experimental investigations show that besides natural local discontinuities like knots or resin inclusions, the screw-to-grain angle and the screws stiffness have an influence on the insertion process and thus can be identified as factors to a deviation of fully threaded screws. Mechanical predrilling cannot solve this problem, as the drills also stray during the predrilling process. As an alternative, a pyrolytic method of predrilling based on laser radiation proved suitable for obtaining guide holes with adequate straightness. This paper includes a description of the developed drilling processes using different lasers beam sources. The resulted borehole geometries of a QCW fiber laser, as well as an ultrashort pulsed laser, show satisfying results. Furthermore, the short- and long-term bond behavior of fully-threaded screws in a glued-laminated timber matrix, installed in laser predrilled guide holes, was tested and evaluated. The results show that with the new innovative wood processing method an exact positioning of fully-threaded screws is possible, almost without loss of withdrawal resistance of the screws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood utilisation is an important factor affecting production costs, but the combined utilisation rate of wood is generally only 50 to 70%. During the production process, the rejection scheme of wood defects is one of the most important factors affecting the wood yield. This paper provides an overview of the main wood defects affecting wood quality, introduces techniques for detecting and identifying wood defects using different technologies, highlights the more widely used image recognition-based wood surface defect identification methods, and presents three advanced wood defect detection and identification equipment. In view of the relatively fixed wood defect recognition requirements in wood processing production, it is proposed that wood defect recognition technology should be further developed toward deep learning to improve the accuracy and efficiency of wood defect recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using various wireless communication methods to achieve some type of remote monitoring and/or controlling of processes and systems, in general, is a continuously thriving industry. The wood industry is not immune to that but the prevalence of such systems, automated to a certain level, remains low. Their rise and presence, however, are unavoidable and will continue to grow. Wireless devices are used to continuously monitor environmental factors as well as the structural moisture of wood in a wooden plank during the natural aspirated drying process and the forced drying process all in a controlled environment. An exemplary system based on LoRa communication interfaces is configured, adapted, and operationally tuned for the wood processing industry. The selected LoRa communication system operates on an EU compliant RF spectrum. Nevertheless, since such devices must be tightly integrated within a pack of planks, wireless signal propagation is greatly impacted. The pack of planks has an effect on radio signal dispersion because it creates a dense environment hostile to RF propagation. A technique to strengthen measurement devices and receive units for wireless signal propagation is proposed in order to maintain a high-quality communication link. Furthermore, practical procedures for maintaining a desirable signal level and their upkeep suggestions are presented for applications with numerous obstacles in the working environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to describe the issue of determining the characteristics and parameters of raw timber natural losses due to shrinkage at long-term storage, defining the theoretical basis for creating standards, and verify its finding by means of a case study in raw timber storing. This issue is very topical in forestry practice in the Czech Republic as well as in other countries. The lower and upper limits of the standards were calculated, and the proposed mean value was grouped according to woody plants that reflected the most frequent commercial usage with respect to subsequent processing. Subsequently, experimental verification was carried out on a representative sample of 2 209.99 m3 of raw timber of Norway spruce (Picea abies /L./ H. Karst.) at selected forest administrations. Furthermore, the article addresses the related accounting and tax issues of the standards of natural losses of raw timber. Currently, no legislation mandates an entity to establish standards.

The wood industry is facing many challenges. The high variability of raw material and the complexity of manufacturing processes results in a wide range of visible structure defects, which have to be controlled by trained specialists. These manual processes are not only tedious and biased, but also less effective. To overcome the drawbacks of the manual quality control processes, several automated vision-based systems have been proposed. Even though some conducted studies achieved a higher recognition rate than trained experts, researchers have to deal with a lack of large-scale databases and authentic data in this field. To address this issue, we performed a data acquisition experiment set in the industrial environment, where we were able to acquire an extensive set of authentic data from a production line. For this purpose, we designed and implemented a complex technical solution suitable for high-speed acquisition during harsh manufacturing conditions. In this data note, we present a large-scale dataset of high-resolution sawn timber surface images containing more than 43 000 labelled surface defects and covering 10 types of the most common wood defects. Moreover, with each image record, we provide two types of labels allowing researchers to perform semantic segmentation, as well as defect classification, and localization.

The wood industry is facing many challenges. The high variability of raw material and the complexity of manufacturing processes results in a wide range of visible structure defects, which have to be controlled by trained specialists. These manual processes are not only tedious and biased, but also less effective. To overcome the drawbacks of the manual quality control processes, several automated vision-based systems have been proposed. Even though some conducted studies achieved a higher recognition rate than trained experts, researchers have to deal with a lack of large-scale databases and authentic data in this field. To address this issue, we performed a data acquisition experiment set in the industrial environment, where we were able to acquire an extensive set of authentic data from a production line. For this purpose, we designed and implemented a complex technical solution suitable for high-speed acquisition during harsh manufacturing conditions. In this data note, we present a large-scale dataset of high-resolution sawn timber surface images containing more than 43 000 labelled surface defects and covering 10 types of the most common wood defects. Moreover, with each image record, we provide two types of labels allowing researchers to perform semantic segmentation, as well as defect classification, and localization.

Expanded Wood is an openwork panel made out of wood that maintains its original strength but significantly gains width and minimally loses weight. The material uses raw wood in a more efficient way that can help to reduce deforestation and may offer a solution to the problem of dwindling natural resources. This article explores the process of creating and developing the new material through making, experiencing physical models and empirical, physical testing. The combination of these three techniques produces a creative process that is based in both individual sensory perception and quantitative data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wood industry is facing many challenges. The high variability of raw material and the complexity of manufacturing processes results in a wide range of visible structure defects, which have to be controlled by trained specialists. These manual processes are not only tedious and biased, but also less effective. To overcome the drawbacks of the manual quality control processes, several automated vision-based systems have been proposed. Even though some conducted studies achieved a higher recognition rate than trained experts, researchers have to deal with a lack of large-scale databases and authentic data in this field. To address this issue, we performed a data acquisition experiment set in the industrial environment, where we were able to acquire an extensive set of authentic data from a production line. For this purpose, we designed and implemented a complex technical solution suitable for high-speed acquisition during harsh manufacturing conditions. In this data note, we present a large-scale dataset of high-resolution sawn timber surface images containing more than 43 000 labelled surface defects and covering 10 types of the most common wood defects. Moreover, with each image record, we provide two types of labels allowing researchers to perform semantic segmentation, as well as defect classification, and localization.

The aim of the article is to describe the issue of determining the characteristics and parameters of raw timber natural losses due to shrinkage at long-term storage, defining the theoretical basis for creating standards, and verify its finding by means of a case study in raw timber storing. This issue is very topical in forestry practice in the Czech Republic as well as in other countries. The lower and upper limits of the standards were calculated, and the proposed mean value was grouped according to woody plants that reflected the most frequent commercial usage with respect to subsequent processing. Subsequently, experimental verification was carried out on a representative sample of 2 209.99 m3 of raw timber of Norway spruce (Picea abies/L./H. Karst.) at selected forest administrations. Furthermore, the article addresses the related accounting and tax issues of the standards of natural losses of raw timber. Currently, no legislation mandates an entity to establish standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During machining, wood particles are generated, released, and accelerated at high speed. Wood dust is known to be unpleasant, causing technical problems, but bears also considerable health risks. Wood dust consists of fractured tissues and has a high, irregularly structured surface due to tiny hooks formed by abundant sticking out fibrillar fragments. Targeting at a novel approach for dust reduction, this communication investigates triboelectric charging of wood particles upon cutting of wood samples using a hand-guided miter saw. The impact of wood species, number of saw blade teeth, cutting direction, and wood moisture, on electric field strength levels and polarity of generated wood particles were measured, using a electrostatic detection apparatus. The generated wood particles have shown accumulated triboelectric charging, as indicated by electric field strengths, which varied between −4 and +10 V m−1. The intensity of the charge transfer was inversely proportional to the moisture content, especially when cut cross-sectionally. Highest field strengths were observed for beech, cut perpendicular to grain. Even though being a highly undesired effect, triboelectric charging of wood bears a novel opportunity for reducing the current dust burden in home and industrial wood processing environments, which is subject of ongoing and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The woodworking industry, with its universal and wide use of products and the level of employment of people, has existed for centuries and will continue to do so, as forest management and the processing of harvested timber is a long process. Customizing consumer orders ranging from cheap everyday things to exclusive, individual projects is about quality. And for quality assurance, companies in various industries have developed and use a general quality management system standard – ISO 9001. The topicality of the research relates to the companies' doubts about the implementation and maintenance of the quality management system (ISO 9001) as a valuable long-term investment in the company's development and market expansion. The aim of the research is to study the quality management system of three wood processing companies and to evaluate them. In the research, the authors gave insight into the development of the concept of quality and the formation of the quality management system, the ISO 9001 quality standard. The assessment of the quality management system of three wood processing companies is based on the main financial performance indicators of the companies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to know the variation profile of the specific energy consumption required to cut woods with varying densities and moisture contents. Therefore, peripheral cuts were performed in the longitudinal direction of the grain with numerical control controlled by Computational Numerical Command in woods of different densities, established at different drying stages. An energy analyzer, capable of calculate the specific energy consumed during the wood processing, was used to measure the energy information. The results indicated that the higher the wood density, the greater the positive influence of the moisture content on the specific cutting energy. In the anhydrous condition, the higher the wood density, the higher the cutting energy. With increased moisture content, less cutting power was required during the wood processing. Therefore, it was possible to conclude that during the milling type mechanical processing of wood, moisture content has a great influence on the specific cutting energy consumption.

Objectives The purpose of the research is to develop theoretical and practical recommendations for the improvement of forest management in Ukraine through the use of outsourcing scheme in the field of forestry services and wood processing. Material and methods The object of the research is economic relations in the field of forestry in Ukraine. Мethods: the method of normative analysis is used to determine the basic norms, which are guided by the subjects of management in the field of forestry in Ukraine; abstract-logical method is used to identify contradictions in the existing system of forestry activities; axiomatic method is used to identify conflicts of interest in the activities of employees of state forest enterprises. Results The article analyzes the theoretical aspects of using the outsourcing scheme in the enterprise activity, identifies the ways of separating woodworking shops from the structure of state forestry enterprises and justifies the necessity of using the outsourcing scheme in the field of rendering services in forest rehabilitation and reproduction. Conclusions The separating woodworking shops from the structure of state forest enterprises will simplify the management system of these enterprises, reduce administrative costs, increase revenues from the sale of unprocessed timber and increase competition in the market of unprocessed timber. Involving for rendering services in forest rehabilitation and reproduction third parties will create conditions for deepening the division of labor and the specialization of forestry contractors and improving the quality of services which provided, that in result will allow forestry companies to purchase these services at lower prices and higher quality.

The article investigates the timber enterprises’ integration in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra as a way to improve the efficiency of the timber industry. Currently, in the region, only 10 of 130 timber enterprises are large and mediumsized enterprises. The other companies are small and chronically underfunded. These small enterprises use outdated equipment and production technology, are unable to organize wood processing and reforestation; to develop forest infrastructure. However, the integration of timber industry enterprises can become the way to address this situation. The article discusses various types of possible enterprises’ integration, such as vertical and horizontal integrations, the combined and unrelated diversification (financial integration). The combined diversification is a mixed type of the integration of enterprises from related and unrelated industries. This type of integration is most in keeping with the characteristics of the development of timber industry of Khanty- Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra. The combined diversification will maximize the effect from the association of enterprises. The author has justified the rationale for establishing six integrated industrial and financial associations (IIFA) according to improved forest and economical zoning of Okrug area. I defined the profile of each IIFA taking into account of special aspects of forest resources as well as social and economical development characteristics of the area and demand for the products. In Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, the integrated industrial and financial associations will address four critical challenges of the socio-economic development of the region. Firstly, these associations will contribute to the diversification of the economy. Secondly, they will enable the production of new types of forest products. Thirdly, the creation of the integrated industrial and financial associations will increase the efficiency in use of wood raw materials (including low-grade wood and wood waste). And last, it will enhance job creation and wage increases for the employees in the forest industry. The integration in the timber industry of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug can be applied by other regions of Russia. However, technologies of integration have to be adapted to socio-economic and forest vegetation conditions of a certain region.

Defects on a solid wood board have a great influence on the aesthetics and mechanical properties of the board. After removing the defects, the board is no longer the standard size; manual drawing lines and cutting procedure is time-consuming and laborious; and an optimal solution is not necessarily obtained. Intelligent cutting of the board can be realized using a genetic algorithm. However, the global optimal solution of the whole machining process cannot be obtained by separately considering the sawing and splicing of raw materials. The integrated consideration of wood board cutting and board splicing can improve the utilization rate of the solid wood board. The effective utilization rate of the board with isolated consideration of raw material sawing with standardized dimensions of wood pieces and board splicing is 79.1%, while the shortcut splicing optimization with non-standardized dimensions for the final board has a utilization rate of 88.6% (which improves the utilization rate by 9.5%). In large-scale planning, the use of shortcut splicing optimization also increased the utilization rate by 12.14%. This has certain guiding significance for actual production.

This paper addresses the identified issue of the inefficient use of post-consumer wood (PCW) in the technological wood processing due to its surface contamination. An option to resolve this issue by cleaning PCW in a mechanized manner has been proposed, specifically by using a needle milling tool and selecting the tension value and feed rate. The impact of the tension of needle milling tools before processing on the cleaning depth of the contaminated surfaces of workpieces made from the PCW has been determined. The constructed model of the contact between a needle milling tool and the contaminated PCW surface has made it possible to describe the essence of the cleaning technique involving this tool. It was found that the depth of the layer removed by the needle milling tool’s wire is reduced in proportion to an increase in the distance before cutting is completed. A nomogram has been built to determine a change in the front angle depending on the needle milling tool’s tension value. Knowing the front angle at a certain point of the needle touch on the contact arc enables determining the thickness of cleaning, which is important for practical application, specifically, at a tension of 4.5 mm the thickness of the removed material can equal 3.46 mm. An adequate regression model was derived, the analysis of the coefficients of which showed a significant impact of tension (+0.895) on the depth of cleaning over the feed speed (+0.256). The devised model makes it possible to forecast the thickness of the removed layer to ensure the required cleanliness of the PCW wooden. Practical recommendations on the operational modes of a needle milling machine have been formulated: the feed rate should equal 10‒12 m/min, the tension ‒ 0.5–5.0 mm, which could ensure, depending on the material’s type, hardness, and the kind of PCW surface contamination, the removal of the surface layer with a thickness of 0.4–4.0 mm. A rational tension of the needle milling tool of 2.5 mm has been proposed for industrial application, which ensures the cleaning depth of contaminated surfaces within the range of 1.8–2.2 mm [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article object of research - synthesis of foreign practice of steady forest exploitation and management of timber processing complex. A research objective - identification of major factors of formation of competitive advantages in the industry. The research has shown that the timber processing complexes of such countries as Finland, Sweden and Canada have made great progress in increase in competitiveness of the industry. At the same time, Russia is faced by problems of a solution of the problem of import substitution and increase in export orientation of this industry. In the article approaches of the leading countries of the world to the organization of reforming of forest industry for the purpose of its fuller integration into the world economy are considered and generalized.

This research analysed the motivating and demotivating factors amongst employees in two wood processing companies in Croatia. Research was conducted over the year 2014 and 2015, during the economic recovery of the companies and Croatian economy in general. Research was conducted with a survey using a questionnaire containing six questions with multiple choice statements. The questions were closed-ended, and respondents used the Likert four-level scale of importance for each statement. A total of 180 employees were surveyed, and results were statistically processed by using the χ2 - test and cluster analysis. This study established that the motivation factors most important to employees between researched companies are significantly different. Employees were most concerned about social needs. Also, employees consider psychological circumstances of work to be very important. Employees’ overall motivation can be linked to higher efficiency and higher quality production and business results, and such research should be conducted more often.

The activity of woodworking enterprises of the Western region and their place in the market of woodworking of Ukraine is invest igated. The types of activity of active woodworking enterprises are characterized. The degree of diversificat ion of the activity of woodworking enterprises has been invest igated, as well as the most promising forms for the direct ions of economic activity in the woodworking industry have been substant iated by carrying out a detailed analysis of enterprises of the Western region, which have posit ioned themselves as act ive market part icipants. The main groups of enterprises are dist inguished by the degree of processing, according to the product chain of woodworking. The main problems of the timber market in the context of business development are pointed out. It is noted that the timber industry has significant potential for doing business, in part icular, growing demand, raw material potent ial, free market niches in certain sectors of the timber business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Wood Science / Revista Ciência da Madeira is the property of Brazilian Journal of Wood Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Compared with the world's major forest products trading countries, China's forest products industry still has relatively high carbon emission intensity. Based on the environment Kuznets curve model of the global value chain, the paper uses the MRIO model to decompose the carbon emissions of China, focusing on the carbon emission intensity of the forest products industry, and calculating the value chain participation index and value chain position indicators of the forest products industry. It is found that both the wood processing industry and the paper printing and publishing industry value chain participation have a significant impact on carbon emission. Because of great significance to the energy conservation and emission reduction of China's forest products industry, policy implications are to improve the status of division of labor in the value chain and to achieve green economic development by absorbing, developing and adopting more green technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical chainsaw is the most frequently used piece of equipment in forestry, in wood processing or in individual household work. A huge number of countries acknowledge the fact that timber harvesting is a high-risk activity and the use of the mechanical chainsaw is always considered extremely dangerous. Therefore, this paper presents the qualification systems of professional mechanical chainsaw operators in Romania and Europe. The paper emphasizes the drawbacks of national occupational standards which constitute the basis for the qualification of professional chainsaw operators and it presents statistics on workplace injuries and their causes. On the whole, the paper represents an attempt to raise awareness about the importance of reviewing national occupational standards in accordance with the demands of certification systems, with European standards and with the recommendations of the International Labour Office of Geneva so that work with the mechanical chainsaw would become safer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aim at performing the highest precision during woodworking, a mix of alternative approaches, fruitfully integrated in a common design strategy, is essential. This paper represents an overview of technical solutions, recently developed by authors, in design of machine tools and their final effects on manufacturing. The most advanced solutions in machine design are reported side by side with common practices or little everyday expedients. These design actions are directly or indirectly related to the rational use of materials, sometimes very uncommon, as in the case of magnetorheological fluids chosen to implement an active control in speed and force on the electro-spindle, and permitting to improve the quality of wood machining. Other actions are less unusual, as in the case of the adoption of innovative anti-vibration supports for basement. Tradition or innovation, all these technical solutions contribute to the final result: the highest precision in wood machining.

Abundance of forests in the territory of the Republic of Croatia was the reason for the development of sawmill industry that has a century long tradition. Although lagging behind the European countries, the Croatian sawmilling industry, along with forestry, represents the first phase of wood processing development, which is based on high manufacturing technology, trained employees and skilled workers. Costs are the core of many business decisions. It is, however, not enough to analyze the costs of a specific or restricted business area, but the costs of the entire business process – from supplier to product/service buyer. The aim of this paper was to compare the selected production process factors so as to make comparison between the Croatian and foreign companies, in order to get an idea of competitiveness of the Croatian sawmilling industry. Factors that were compared were: output cost per unit, costs of raw material including transportation, energy costs, cost of capital (in this case amortization), and the cost of labor. In order to further increase and maintain competitiveness of sawmill industry, it is necessary to make higher investments into technology with the aim to reduce the unit production costs. It is also necessary to determine the optimal technology in terms of quality, quantity and wood species.

This research analyzed the motivating and demotivating factors amongst employees in a wood processing and furniture manufacturing company. Research was conducted over the year 2010, during the time of a full economic crisis and before the restructuring of the company was done. Analysis also was conducted in 2014, during the beginning of the economic recovery and after the restructuring of the company. Research was conducted with a survey using a questionnaire containing six questions with multiple choice statements. The questions were closed-ended, and respondents used the Likert four-level scale of importance for each statement. A total of 180 employees were surveyed, and results were statistically processed by using the χ2- test and cluster analysis. This study established that the motivation factors most important to employees in a company are significantly different during the time of an economic crisis, and in the period of economic recovery, i.e. before and after restructuring of the company. Employees were most concerned about physiological needs in the time of a crisis, whereas in the time of an economic recovery, employees consider social needs to be of more importance. Also, employees consider psychological circumstances of work to be more important in the year 2014 than in the year 2010. Employees’ overall motivation can be linked to higher efficiency and higher quality production and business results, and such research should be conducted more often.

A detailed analysis of the behavior of a commercial magneto-rheological device is presented in the context of woodworking machine tools. This type of device can provide resistive torque to a rotating shaft via a change in fluid viscosity due to a modification in magnetic field, with the resistive torque being proportional to the current passing through an electric winding inside the device. In this way, it is possible to control the transmission of torque by modulating an electrical current. This solution is particularly relevant where highly accuracy torque control is required. At the same time, it is recognized that magneto-rheological devices can introduce a significant delay between activation of the control signal and application of torque. As a consequence, it is necessary to analyze the behavior of the clutch by direct evaluation. Several tests have been performed while increasing the current and experimentally evaluating the applied torque and hysteresis behavior. The presented results demonstrate the need to use software algorithms to fill the time gap between the expected and measured torque and to overcome difficulties related to hysteresis before such a clutch can be implemented for high accuracy applications.

Research Highlights: A low-cost experimental system was developed to enable the production monitoring of small-scale wood processing facilities by the means of sensor-collected data and the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, which provided accurate results for the most important work operations. Background and Objectives: The manufacturing of wood-based products by small-scale family-held business is commonly affected by a lack of monitoring data that, on the one hand, may prevent the decision-making process and, on the other hand, may lead to less technical efficiency that could result in business failure. Long-term performance of such manufacturing facilities is limited because data collection and analysis require significant resources, thus preventing the approaches that could be pursued for competitivity improvement. Materials and Methods: An external sensor system composed of two dataloggers—a triaxial accelerometer and a sound pressure level meter—was used in combination with a video camera to provide the input signals and meta-documentation for the training and testing of an artificial neural network (ANN) to check the accuracy of automatic classification of the time spent in operations. The study was based on a sample of ca. 90 k observations collected at a frequency of 1 Hz. Results: The approach provided promising results in both the training (ca. 20 k) and testing (ca. 60 k) datasets, with global classification accuracies of ca. 85%. However, the events characterizing the effective sawing, which requires electrical power, were even better recognized, reaching a classification accuracy of 98%. Conclusions: The system requires low-cost devices and freely available software that could enable data feeding on local computers by their direct connection to the devices. As such, it could collect, analyze and plot production data that could be used for maintaining the competitiveness of traditional technologies.