A harvesting equipment selection process for the Pacific Northwest

Managers of forest operations are routinely faced with the need to replace existing equipment, or to select new machines for changing harvest conditions. However, before capital investment funds are committed, an analysis should be made to see if there is sufficient justification for the replacement or proposed change. A process is needed by which the manager of an industrial forestry operation can determine the harvesting systems that are cost effective and environmentally acceptable. The process should allow comparison of the current and the proposed system in regard to both total system cost and wood quality. The Harvesting Equipment Selection Process (HESP) fulfills this need. HESP is conducted by a process-improvement team in seven stages: Stage I is idea evaluation; Stage II is preliminary feasibility; Stage III is comprehensive feasibility and design; Stage IV is planning and budgeting; Stage V is field trials; Stage VI is start-up; and Stage VII is operations. After analysis at each stage, the team recommends to a manager whether to proceed to the next stage for a more thorough analysis or to discontinue analysis of the alternative under consideration. HESP analysis, by covering both economic and other factors for all operations, can eliminate poor alternatives early and prevent both technology lag and unnecessary innovation.

You must be logged in to download any documents. Please login (login accounts are free) or learn how to Become a Member