Wood Quality in Russia and Two-Way Information Service in Forestry (Interreg), Comparison of Harvesting Methods – Impacts on Wood Quality and Overall Performance of Wood Harvesting Companies (Tacis)
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The general goal of the project was to promote trade and production cooperation between wood harvesting companies and refineries in East Finland and the Republic of Karelia and to support technology transfer in the forest industry. A goal of the joint project was to improve the information exchange and its utilisation between forestry research institutions. Moreover, information concerning the most essential learning requirements of harvesting companies was to be offered to Russian forest industry educational institutions.

Main activities

Interreg: • Studying the quality of the Russian birch and spruce round-wood raw material for plywood and lumber production, • Completing a report on the effects of the wood harvesting methods on the quality of the raw material, • Gathering information to a registry concerning the forest and wood industry companies in Northwest Russia for the Eastern Forest Information Internet service: www.idanmetsatieto.info • Adding information about the Finnish forest to a parallel website at www.lesinfo.fi in Russian. Tacis: • Implementing a comparative study on the Nordic shortwood method and the Russian stem method and their effect on wood quality, occupational safety and ergonomics, financial profitability and the environment. • Publication of a book titled ’Comparison of wood harvesting methods in the Republic of Karelia’ in both Russian and English • Assessing the training needs of Russian harvester companies’ employees and the skill level of the harvester drivers, • A literature review regarding the wood quality study in Northwest Russia. • Producing a summary of the results of the comparative research and adding it to www.lesinfo.fi in Russian and to www.idanmetsatieto.info in Finnish.

Achievements

The Interreg section studied the quality of the Russian birch round-wood raw material for plywood and lumber production. Similarly, spruce was studied for producing lumber and products. The research focused on wood originating in the Republic of Karelia. However, the material was supplemented with wood from the Leningrad and Vologda regions. The effect of the wood harvesting methods (stem and shortwood method) on the quality of the raw material was included in a report based on literature reviews and a survey completed by the most significant wood harvesting companies in the Republic of Karelia. Petrozavodsk State University Faculty of Forest Engineering was the specialist authority responsible for conducting the harvesting study. Information concerning the forest and wood industry companies in Northwest Russia was gathered and included in a registry for the Eastern Forest Information Internet service: www.idanmetsatieto.info. The contact information and a short description of 260 Russian forest and wood industry companies from the Republic of Karelia, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and Leningrad regions were gathered for the registry The registry of the forest and wood industry companies in Northwest Russia can be used independently by Finnish companies as a suitable tool for seeking partners. The new internet service targeted at Russian audience (www.lesinfo.fi) published material, 20 pages in length, on the Finnish forest sector, including information respective to forest resources, policies and management, wood harvesting, the forest industry and forest diversity. In addition, it published information respective to the Finnish wood industry’s quality requirements for raw materials and a report on Finnish wood harvesting technology being used in Russia. A wood quality section was added to both the Finnish and the Russian website, which included a review of the results of the spruce and birch quality study. The book published by the project provided companies with new information based on research to assist in selecting their harvesting method. In addition, it offered new perspectives for assessing technologies by including ergonomics, environmental impact, and lumber quality in addition to the traditional financial criteria. Based on the research, it could be concluded that by moving from the stem method to the shortwood method in wood harvesting, a company’s profitability could be increased by 30 percent. Copies of the books were also sent to educational institutions in the industry for instructional purposes. A report of the training need assessment was prepared in Russian and Finnish, and it can be used as a tool by educational institutions when planning their future course selections. The report presented, for example, the most urgent needs for forest harvester driver training in Russia. A total of 7 extensive and 16 more concise reports and articles were produced during the project. During the project, the cooperation relationships between the Finnish Forest Research Institute and the Faculty of Forest Engineering at Petrozavodsk State University were strengthened, and a cooperation network was created with the harvester companies of the Republic of Karelia.