2018

New Solutions for Improving the Efficiency of Planting and Soil Preparation Works

The rising prices of services and the lack of qualified labour force encourage the search for solutions for successful and effective renovation and tending of forests. Similarly to other sectors, forestry efficiency needs improvements through replacing manual labour with machines or more efficient technologies. Also JSC "Latvia's State Forests" (LVM) conducts trials in the field of mechanical planting and soil preparation.

Preparation of wet mineral soils, peat and heavy clay soils is carried out in the form of micro elevations or bumps. Until now, they were made using only a digger equipped with a conventional excavation bucket, but the cost of this method is much higher compared to the widely used soil preparation in bands.

The cost can be reduced by using a wheeled tractor with a rotary accelerator that moves faster. Technical mobility is crucial for successful soil preparation in peat soils. The most suitable solution here is a wide trackside excavator, equipped with a special lifting bucket. It allows you to create this elevation at a faster rate with one continuous motion.

LVM's experiments with special planting equipment operated by a classic excavator revealed a number of advantages of this type of technology: constant planting quality according to the equipment's settings, preparation of elevations upon planting, performance of the work irrespective of the weather conditions and possibility of reducing the scope of quality control.

Since its foundation in 1999, LVM by implementing sustainable forest management has paid one billion euros to state and local government budgets. LVM's economic activities are carried out by maintaining and recovering forests, taking care of nature conservation, recreation opportunities and increasing timber volumes, as well as investing in expanding the forest land and developing forest infrastructure - renovation of drainage systems and forest road construction. The volume of timber in the forests managed by LVM increases by 12 million cubic metres annually.