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Articles by Dan Bergström

Category : Research article

article id 10462, category Research article
Yrjö Nuutinen, Jari Miina, Timo Saksa, Dan Bergström, Johanna Routa. (2021). Comparing the characteristics of boom-corridor and selectively thinned stands of Scots pine and birch. Silva Fennica vol. 55 no. 3 article id 10462. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10462
Keywords: biomass; forestry; first thinning; geometrical thinning; systematic thinning
Highlights: After boom-corridor thinning (BCT), the number of stems per hectare was higher than that after selective thinning. The number of future crop trees was at the same level; The removal of the simulated intermediate thinnings and clearcutting in BCT treatments was 10–18% higher than in selective thinning. The saw log volumes were at the same level in both treatments.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Young, dense forest in Finland and Sweden urgently need to receive first thinning. In such stands, conventional selective thinning methods make the harvester work time consuming and, thus, costly. To make small-sized trees economically competitive as raw material for bioenergy and biorefining, new harvesting technologies and/or thinning methods need to be developed. A potential solution is boom-corridor thinning (BCT), rendering effective cutting work. The aim of this study was to describe and compare the stand structure of two Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) and one birch-dominated (Betula pendula Roth with natural downy birch, B. pubescens Ehrh.) stand after BCT and selective thinning at the first thinning phase. Furthermore, simulations were conducted to predict the future stand development after the first thinning treatments. The density of the growing stock was 16–46% higher after BCT treatment than after selective thinning because BCT stands included more small and supressed trees with a dbh < 100 mm. However, the numbers of future crop trees with a dbh > 140 mm per hectare were at the same level in both treatments. The stem volume removal per hectare did not differ between treatments. However, simulation of stand development and intermediate thinning and clearcutting revealed that the total removal volume was 10–18% higher in BCT stands compared to selectively thinned ones. The saw log volumes harvested did, however, not differ between treatments. This study shows that BCT generates stands with higher biodiversity compared to conventional thinning as higher levels of biomass removal can be reached throughout stand rotations.

  • Nuutinen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Production systems, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: yrjo.nuutinen@luke.fi (email)
  • Miina, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Natural resources, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: jari.miina@luke.fi
  • Saksa, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Natural resources, FI-77600 Suonenjoki, Finland E-mail: timo.saksa@luke.fi
  • Bergström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Dept of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Section of Forest Operations, SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dan.bergstrom@slu.se
  • Routa, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Production systems, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: johanna.routa@luke.fi
article id 6993, category Research article
Lars Fridh, Lars Eliasson, Dan Bergström. (2018). Precision and accuracy in moisture content determination of wood fuel chips using a handheld electric capacitance moisture meter. Silva Fennica vol. 52 no. 5 article id 6993. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.6993
Keywords: heating value; biofuels; payment
Highlights: The studied capacitance meter can provide accurate estimates of mean moisture content for chips with M < 50% if a large sample is taken; It should be possible to use the capacitance meter to measure moisture content even for calculating payments depending of the needed accuracy; However a calibration function for each assortment is needed.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

According to the Swedish Timber Measurement Act, measurements affecting payments for wood fuels to landowners must be accurate and precise. In this regard, moisture content is an important quality parameter for wood chips which influences the net calorific value as received and thus the economic value. As standard practice moisture content is determined with the oven-drying method, which is cumbersome to use for deliveries to facilities without drying-ovens, which in turn necessitates that samples are taken elsewhere for measurement. An alternative solution is to use a portable moisture meter. Our aim was to evaluate the precision of a handheld capacitance moisture meter. Accuracy and precision of a capacitance meter was determined in the lab and a calibration function was made. Thereafter, the calibrated moisture meter was compared with the standard method for moisture content determination of truckloads of chips. The capacitance meter showed a moderate accuracy by underestimating moisture content by 6.0 percentage points (pp), compared to the reference method, at a precision of ±3.8 pp (CI 95%). For chips with M > 50%, both accuracy and precision decreased. Calibration increased the accuracy in the follow up study by 3 pp for chips with M < 50% but could not be made for wetter chips. The oven-drying method and the capacitance meter can provide equally accurate estimates of mean moisture content for chips with M < 50% if a larger sample is taken with the latter. It should be possible to use capacitance meters to measure moisture content even when used to calculate payments depending of the needed accuracy. A calibration function for each assortment is needed.

  • Fridh, Skogforsk, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, Uppsala Science Park, 751 83 Uppsala, Sweden; Skogsägarna Mellanskog, Uppsala Science Park, Box 127, 751 04 Uppsala, Sweden ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4721-1193 E-mail: lars.fridh@mellanskog.se
  • Eliasson, Skogforsk, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, Uppsala Science Park, 751 83 Uppsala, Sweden ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2038-9864 E-mail: lars.eliasson@skogforsk.se (email)
  • Bergström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, S-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dan.bergstrom@slu.se
article id 1563, category Research article
Kristina Ahnlund Ulvcrona, Dan Bergström, Urban Bergsten. (2017). Stand structure after thinning in 1–2 m wide corridors in young dense stands. Silva Fennica vol. 51 no. 3 article id 1563. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1563
Keywords: heterogeneity; conventional thinning; future crop trees; production
Highlights: Boom corridor thinning (BCT) results in more stand structure heterogeneity than conventional thinning or pre-commercial thinning (PCT), maintaining both smaller-diameter trees and deciduous species; Neither dominant height nor number of possible future crop trees is jeopardized, and boom corridor thinning results in higher values of stem volume and biomass; The technique is flexible as various corridor types give similar stand structure results.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Boom corridor thinning (BCT) has been proposed as a cost-effective technique for biomass thinning (BT) in young dense stands. The objective of this study was to determine how various BCT operations affect stand structure following biomass thinning and to compare the results with conventional selective thinning methods. Two series of field experiments were established; BCT 1-series: Three sites in south of Sweden (9 and 11 m in mean and dominating tree height) with five treatments, including a control, conventional selective thinning and three BCT treatments (1 m and 2 m wide corridors and selective BCT). The second BCT series: Three regions in Sweden (in the north, centre and in the south), with two stand sites in each region with different tree heights (4/9 m and 5/10 m in mean/dominating tree height). Treatments were control, pre-commercial thinning (PCT), conventional selective thinning and BCT (high and low thinning). Following the first biomass thinning, BCT regimes and selective thinning methods resulted in similar stand structures based on the number of possible future crop trees (>80 mm in diameter at breast height). However, BCT maintained a higher diversity of tree sizes as well as more stems per hectare, including deciduous species, than the selective thinning approaches. The stands after BCT should have more vertical complexity, especially when compared to pre-commercial thinning. The structural heterogeneity resulting from BCT may also increase stand biodiversity and ecosystem service values.

  • Ahnlund Ulvcrona, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: kristina.ulvcrona@slu.se (email)
  • Bergström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dan.bergstrom@slu.se
  • Bergsten, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: urban.bergsten@slu.se
article id 1377, category Research article
Raul Fernandez-Lacruz, Fulvio Di Fulvio, Dimitris Athanassiadis, Dan Bergström, Tomas Nordfjell. (2015). Distribution, characteristics and potential of biomass-dense thinning forests in Sweden. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 5 article id 1377. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1377
Keywords: bioenergy; GIS; wood fuel; early thinning; small-tree harvesting; biomass potential; biomaterial
Highlights: Biomass-dense thinning forests (BDTF) cover 2.1–9.8 M ha in Sweden, which represents 9–44% of the country’s productive forest land area, depending on the constraints applied; 65% of BDTF area is found in northern Sweden; Analyses revealed a yearly harvesting potential of at least 4.3 M OD t of undelimbed whole trees (3.0 M OD t of delimbed stemwood including tops).
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Understanding the characteristics of unutilized biomass resources, such as small-diameter trees from biomass-dense thinning forests (BDTF) (non-commercially-thinned forests), can provide important information for developing a bio-based economy. The aim of this study was to describe the areal distribution, characteristics (biomass of growing stock, tree height, etc.) and harvesting potential of BDTF in Sweden. A national forest inventory plot dataset was imported into a geographical information system and plots containing BDTF were selected by applying increasingly stringent constraints. Results show that, depending on the constraints applied, BDTF covers 9–44% (2.1–9.8 M ha) of the productive forest land area, and contains 7–34% of the total growing stock (119–564 M OD t), with an average biomass density of 57 OD t ha–1. Of the total BDTF area, 65% is located in northern Sweden and 2% corresponds to set-aside farmlands. Comparisons with a study from 2008 indicate that BDTF area has increased by at least 4% (about 102 000 ha), in line with general trends for Sweden and Europe. Analyses revealed that the technical harvesting potential of delimbed stemwood (over bark, including tops) from BDTF ranges from 3.0 to 6.1 M OD t yr–1 (7.5 to 15.1 M m3 yr–1), while the potential of whole-tree harvesting ranges from 4.3 to 8.7 M OD t yr–1 (10.2 to 20.6 M m3 yr–1) depending on the scenario considered. However, further technological developments of the harvest and supply systems are needed to utilize the full potential of BDTF.

  • Fernandez-Lacruz, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9284-8911 E-mail: raul.fernandez@slu.se (email)
  • Di Fulvio, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Ecosystems Services and Management Program (ESM), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria E-mail: Fulvio.di.Fulvio@slu.se
  • Athanassiadis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: Dimitris.Athanassiadis@slu.se
  • Bergström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: Dan.Bergstrom@slu.se
  • Nordfjell, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: Tomas.Nordfjell@slu.se
article id 1312, category Research article
Simon Karl Nils Berg, Tomas Nordfjell, Dan Bergström. (2015). Effect of stump size and timing of stump harvesting on ground disturbance and root breakage diameter. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 5 article id 1312. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1312
Keywords: Picea abies; scarification; Sweden; stump harrow; Ecorex30; site impact; glacial till soil
Highlights: The ground disturbance and root breakage diameter during conventional stump harvesting on mineral soil were quantified; A function for estimating the disturbed area based on stump size was constructed; Many fine roots were found to be harvested; The total ground disturbance at the site after stump harvesting was similar to that caused by soil scarification.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Stump wood is a possible alternative to fossil fuel. Its harvesting, however, disturbs the ground and this has not yet been quantified at stump level. Such disturbance is likely to be dependent on stump size, type of soil and timing of stump harvesting. Therefore, we measured ground disturbance and root breakage diameter at two Norway spruce sites with sandy glacial till soil. The sites were harvested with a fork type head, 6 and 18 months after clear cutting. Measurements were made within 2 weeks of harvest. No difference was found between the two sites. The mean area of disturbed ground was 6.06 (std 3.14) m2 per stump and increased exponentially with stump size. A regression function modelling the relationship was constructed. Unexpectedly, many fine roots where extracted in the harvest. The arithmetic and basal area weighted mean root breakage diameter was 4.6 (std 2.2) and 29.5 (std 17.9) mm, respectively. There seems to be a limited increase in root breakage diameter with increased stump size. The small root breakage diameter is associated with reduced fuel quality and greater nutrient removal. It appears that much of the ground disturbance is associated with the creation of ruts rather than stump harvest per se. Stump harvesting disturbs a larger percentage of the area of a harvested site than mounding. Postponing stump harvest by one year did not decrease the ground disturbance or increase the root breakage diameter. To achieve less disturbance and larger root breakage diameter, probably new stump harvesting technology is required.

  • Berg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: phd.simon.berg@gmail.com (email)
  • Nordfjell, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: tomas.nordfjell@slu.se
  • Bergström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT), Skogsmarksgränd, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dan.bergstrom@slu.se
article id 904, category Research article
Raul Fernandez-Lacruz, Fulvio Di Fulvio, Dan Bergström. (2013). Productivity and profitability of harvesting power line corridors for bioenergy. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 1 article id 904. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.904
Keywords: accumulating felling head; clearing; maintenance; motor-manual; power grid; wood fuel
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info
Trees growing under the wires and around the pylons carrying power lines (PL) represent a significant threat to the power supply because they can cause power outages and damage. The vegetation in these PL corridors is cleared motor-manually on a regular basis, which represents about 50% of the PL maintenance costs. In Sweden, PL corridors account for 140 000 ha of productive forest land, with an estimated bioenergy potential of 3 TWh/year. The aim of this study was to measure the productivity of a harvester (with an accumulating felling head) and a forwarder, performing PL corridor clearing (with the collection of whole trees for energy use) and to calculate how the cost and economic profitability is dependent on tree height, biomass removal, harvested area, forwarding distance and wood fuel price. The study also compared the economic profitability of the mechanized harvesting system with motor-manual clearing. Experimental units were inventoried along a PL corridor in central Sweden and a time study of one harvester and one forwarder (with a single operator per machine), working in those units, was carried out. The results showed that if the tree height was greater than about 6 m, the mechanized harvesting system became a more cost-efficient alternative, when compared to motor-manual clearing, but it was also found that mechanized clearing is not always the most cost-effective option. Nevertheless, mechanization of PL clearing has a huge potential for expansion, requiring further research in the combined management of the PL corridors and side areas.
  • Fernandez-Lacruz, Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: raul.fernandez@slu.se (email)
  • Di Fulvio, Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: fulvio.di.fulvio@slu.se
  • Bergström, Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dan.bergstrom@slu.se
article id 134, category Research article
Dan Bergström, Urban Bergsten, Tomas Nordfjell. (2010). Comparison of boom-corridor thinning and thinning from below harvesting methods in young dense Scots pine stands. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 4 article id 134. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.134
Keywords: bioenergy; comparative time studies; energy wood; geometric thinning; pre-commercial thinnings; systematic thinnings
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
At present, only a small proportion of the potential extractable bioenergy from young dense forests in Sweden is utilized. The conventional mechanized first thinning systems used in such stands suffer from low productivity, so the operation is only profitable in stands with bigger trees and high standing volumes. Conventional harvesters are used for this operation equipped with accumulating felling heads designed for handling several trees during each crane cycle. In thinning from below the felling and bunching work requires many time-consuming non-linear crane movements to avoid felling or damaging of future crop trees. However, higher productivity can be achieved when trees between strip roads are harvested in about 1 m-wide corridors with a length corresponding to the reach of the crane. We refer to this operation as boom-corridor thinning. The objective of this study was to compare felling and bunching productivity in young dense stands when employing thinning from below or boom-corridor thinning. Experiments were performed using a randomized block design involving between 4400 and 18 600 trees x ha-1 with a corresponding average tree size of 7.2 and 3.2 cm dbh, respectively. Based on the average tree being removed at a dbh of 5.7 cm, the productivity (ODt x PW-hour-1) was significant (almost 16%) higher for the boom-corridor thinning than for thinning from below treatment. At the same time, the time taken for the work element “Crane in-between” (the period between the loaded crane starting to move towards a tree and the felling head rapidly slowing down for positioning) was significantly reduced, by almost 17%. The positive results were achieved even though the operator was new to the method. To achieve a significantly higher efficiency during the felling and bunching operation, development of new harvesting equipment and operating techniques seems crucial.
  • Bergström, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept of Forest Resource Management, Section of Planning and Operations Management, Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dan.bergstrom@srh.slu.se (email)
  • Bergsten, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept of Forest Resource Management, Section of Planning and Operations Management, Umeå, Sweden E-mail: ub@nn.se
  • Nordfjell, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept of Forest Resource Management, Section of Planning and Operations Management, Umeå, Sweden E-mail: tn@nn.se

Category : Research note

article id 311, category Research note
Dan Bergström, Urban Bergsten, Tomas Nordfjell, Tomas Lundmark. (2007). Simulation of geometric thinning systems and their time requirements for young forests. Silva Fennica vol. 41 no. 1 article id 311. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.311
Keywords: bioenergy; forest technology; multi-stem
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
In Fennoscandia, large areas that have not been subjected to pre-commercial thinning (PCT), and thus support dense stands, are becoming suitable for harvesting biomass. However, efficient systems for harvesting biomass from young stands have not yet been developed. In order to optimise biomass harvesting it is here hypothesized that the handling unit should not be a single tree but a corridor area, i.e., all trees in a specific area should be harvested in the same crane movement cycle. Three types of corridor harvesting approaches (using accumulating felling heads for geometric harvesting in two different patterns) were compared in terms of time required to fell a corridor of standardised size. Corridors are defined as strips of harvested areas between conventional strip-roads. Harvests were simulated in two types of stands, first thinning (FT) and delayed PCT stands, in which the spatial positions of the trees had been mapped. The differences in simulated time consumption per corridor were minor when the only variable changed was the corridor pattern. However, there were ca. 2-fold and 3-fold differences in simulated time consumption per corridor between the harvesting approaches for the FT stand and the PCT-stand, respectively. Furthermore, area handling (felling head accumulating all trees corridor-wise, with no restrictions on the accumulated number of trees except for a certain load limit) was found to give up to 2.4-fold increases in productivity compared to a single-tree (reference) approach for the FT stand. In conclusion, the simulation results clearly show the benefits of applying area-harvesting systems in young, dense stands.
  • Bergström, SLU, Dept. of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: db@nn.se (email)
  • Bergsten, SLU, Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: ub@nn.se
  • Nordfjell, SLU, Dept. of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: tn@nn.se
  • Lundmark, SLU, Vindeln Experimental Forests, Svartberget Field Station, SE-922 91 Vindeln, Sweden E-mail: tl@nn.se

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