Work Efficiency of Battery-Powered Chainsaws during the Commercial Thinning in the Young Pine Stand †
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Forest Utilization, Wojska Polskiego 71A, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 3rd International Electronic Conference on Forests—Exploring New Discoveries and New Directions in Forests, 15–31 October 2022. Available online: https://iecf2022.sciforum.net .
Environ. Sci. Proc. 2022, 22(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/IECF2022-13052
Published: 15 October 2022
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Forests—Exploring New Discoveries and New Directions in Forests)
Abstract
:The beginnings of the petrol chainsaw in forestry date back to the early 20th century. For more than a century, engineers have been refining the chainsaw to make it as efficient and comfortable as possible for woodcutters. In recent years, environmental protection and the reduction in CO2 emissions policies have been particularly prominent. As a consequence, the use of battery-powered electric tools, including chainsaws, has become increasingly widespread, especially in gardening. However, electric chainsaws have limited battery capacity and, therefore, are not used daily in forestry. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of a battery-powered chainsaw during commercial thinning. The research compared the work efficiency of the petrol chainsaw Dolmar PS 5000 and the battery-powered Echo ECCS-58V during commercial thinning in a 14-year-old pine stand. In seven repeats, the following variables were measured each time: working time, working area and noise load to which the logger was exposed. Obtained results were used to calculate average productivity, a weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq) and a weighted noise exposure level normalized to a nominal 8h working day (LEX,8h). The average operating length of the battery-powered chainsaw was 00:41:26 and was comparable to the working length of a petrol chainsaw, for which the average working time was 00:41:41. The average work output of the petrol chainsaw was 100 m2/h higher. The recorded noise exposure, LAeq and LEX,8h, were lower for the battery-powered chainsaw. Using a battery-powered chainsaw was less workload, because of smaller noise levels and zero emissions. This study found that six fully charged batteries allowed the user to effectively complete a work shift. It can be concluded that battery-powered chainsaws can be used effectively during commercial thinning. Further tests should be run in winter to determine the effect of low temperatures on battery consumption.
Supplementary Materials
The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/IECF2022-13052/s1, Conference presentation video.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization K.T. and B.N.; methodology, K.T. and B.N.; formal analysis, K.T. and B.N.; investigation, B.N.; data curation, K.T.; writing—original draft preparation, K.T. and B.N.; writing—review and editing, K.T. and B.N.; visualization, K.T. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Tomczak, K.; Naskrent, B. Work Efficiency of Battery-Powered Chainsaws during the Commercial Thinning in the Young Pine Stand. Environ. Sci. Proc. 2022, 22, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/IECF2022-13052
AMA Style
Tomczak K, Naskrent B. Work Efficiency of Battery-Powered Chainsaws during the Commercial Thinning in the Young Pine Stand. Environmental Sciences Proceedings. 2022; 22(1):18. https://doi.org/10.3390/IECF2022-13052
Chicago/Turabian StyleTomczak, Karol, and Bartłomiej Naskrent. 2022. "Work Efficiency of Battery-Powered Chainsaws during the Commercial Thinning in the Young Pine Stand" Environmental Sciences Proceedings 22, no. 1: 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/IECF2022-13052
