Use of Forests
Forestry as a branch of the economy represents, from the aspect of production organisation, a specific field. This specificity is reflected above all in the uneven distribution of trees in the stand, in the characteristic orographic, hydrographic, climatic and other factors. The management system depends on the influence of these factors. All of the above supports the fact that the process of wood assortment production takes place under very complex conditions.
As an activity, the use of forests occupies a very significant place in the profession. In the complex chain of regeneration, tending and protection of forests, the use of forests is the main instrument for carrying out these phases, which indicates that the use of forests is one of the important links in forestry.
Without timely and professionally performed felling, there is no biologically stable and economically valuable forest. From the aspect of forest use, the forest is an open-air worksite, and the main object of work is voluminous and heavy. Forest use as an activity has its technical, technological, but also economic character, and at the same time it is the direct link between forestry and the wood industry. With the increase in the value of wood and the demand for it, knowledge about its quality also grows.
The Sector for Forest Use, Mechanisation, Safety and Occupational Health includes:
- Felling and processing of wood assortments;
- Cutting, grading and acceptance of wood assortments;
- Skidding of wood assortments;
- Construction of permanent forest truck roads;
- Establishment of work standards and norms for the purpose of improving and rationalising forestry operations;
- Protection of employees’ safety and occupational health;
- Organisation of and participation in chainsaw operator competitions.
Production of Wood Assortments
The methods of felling and processing differ from the aspect of the mode of regeneration and the phase of forest tending, then from the aspect of the place and degree of processing of wood assortments, as well as the degree of mechanisation. The development of technologies applied in felling and processing is very intensive. Constant competition among manufacturers has conditioned the production of efficient and high-quality machines at acceptable prices. Therefore, developing countries can afford top-level technologies in work systems for the production of wood assortments, unlike earlier times when modern technologies were used only by developed countries. In addition to the economic advantage, the use of these technologies also has an ecological one, due to reduced environmental pollution.
During its twenty years of existence, PE “Vojvodinašume” has strived to mechanise this phase of work as much as possible, in addition to the intensive recruitment of its own fellers. The reason for this is the increasing outflow of labour, both in qualitative and quantitative terms. Along with PE “Vojvodinašume”, all enterprises engaged in the same activity face the problem of qualified labour. As a result, PE “Vojvodinašume” today has in its composition:
- • 6 harvesters (John Deere) and
- • 180 of its own chainsaw operators.
At the time when there were no problems with qualified labour, 10% of the total fellings were mechanised. Today the situation is different: machine felling (with harvesters) accounts for about 40% of the annual felling and processing plan, the enterprise’s own chainsaw operators also about 40%, and services about 20%. In the coming period, the continuation of this trend is expected.
In the past twenty years, felling and processing of wood assortments in FE “Sremska Mitrovica” was mainly carried out by the enterprise’s own chainsaw operators, and in the last ten years also by harvesters. The use of harvesters in other forest estates culminated in the last five years. This has to a certain extent contributed to the fulfilment of annual plans. It is evident that in recent years the fulfilment of annual felling plans has been without major oscillations, thereby ensuring the financial stability of the enterprise.
In addition to labour, the fulfilment of plans also depends on a number of other factors. The area managed by PE “Vojvodinašume” is located in the riparian and floodplain zone, especially FE “Sombor”, FE “Novi Sad” and FE “Banat” Pančevo. Therefore, the fulfilment of the plan partly depends on the duration of flood periods in the river floodplains. This was particularly pronounced in 2006, when a hundred-year maximum water level was recorded, then in 2009, when rivers experienced seven to nine flood waves lasting as long as nine months, and in 2014, when floods were abundant and the flood period was very long.
Overview of the Volume of Fellings in m³ in the Period 2002–2024
| Year | PE “Vojvodinašume” | FE “Sremska Mitrovica” | FE “Sombor” | FE “Novi Sad” | FE “Banat” Pančevo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 487.539 | 147.468 | 71.616 | 124.158 | 144.297 |
| 2003 | 508.827 | 148.751 | 100.622 | 114.398 | 145.056 |
| 2004 | 511.822 | 184.067 | 99.166 | 95.81 | 132.779 |
| 2005 | 455.658 | 153.575 | 92.55 | 79.219 | 130.314 |
| 2006 | 502.109 | 166.537 | 97.101 | 100.933 | 137.538 |
| 2007 | 510.507 | 166.894 | 93.976 | 107.026 | 142.611 |
| 2008 | 539.549 | 172.739 | 104.722 | 115.901 | 146.187 |
| 2009 | 491.47 | 161.522 | 96.718 | 105.596 | 127.634 |
| 2010 | 499.253 | 171.751 | 91.86 | 101.208 | 134.434 |
| 2011 | 535.01 | 170.345 | 117.704 | 107.6 | 139.361 |
| 2012 | 539.589 | 175.97 | 114.718 | 115.714 | 133.187 |
| 2013 | 553.507 | 174.413 | 119.392 | 112.617 | 147.085 |
| 2014 | 504.17 | 168.831 | 114.404 | 104.594 | 116.341 |
| 2015 | 541.251 | 174.064 | 114.517 | 116.499 | 136.171 |
| 2016 | 528.891 | 170.491 | 108.878 | 123.812 | 125.71 |
| 2017 | 515.848 | 163.199 | 107.455 | 102.734 | 142.46 |
| 2018 | 499.693 | 164.534 | 98.677 | 102.392 | 134.09 |
| 2019 | 546.551 | 188.187 | 111.9 | 111.19 | 135.274 |
| 2020 | 549.679 | 190.836 | 112.318 | 118.349 | 128.176 |
| 2021 | 604.746 | 220.185 | 122.106 | 115.904 | 146.551 |
| Total | 10.425.669 | 3.434.359 | 2.090.400 | 2.175.654 | 2.725.256 |
- In the last few years, the technology of felling and processing and the manner of performing works have undergone several significant changes, of which the three most important are:
- Instead of one-metre firewood, the production of multi-metre firewood has been introduced wherever conditions allow;
- Increasing use of harvesters in all branches of the enterprise;
- Use of harvesters in the sanitation of windthrows and windbreaks over large areas.
By producing multi-metre firewood of hard broadleaves in FE “Sremska Mitrovica”, felling has been greatly accelerated and in this way a large quantity of technical wood of pedunculate oak (several thousand m³) was saved, which would otherwise have remained in the forest and subsequently decayed, causing the enterprise to suffer major financial losses.
As already stated, in recent years there has been an increase in the use of harvesters in felling and processing, not only in FE “Sremska Mitrovica” but also in other forest estates. The felling and processing phase has become the most stable phase of forestry operations, as evidenced by the volume of fellings carried out in the last three years.
The ultimate goal is that through intensive management in plantations and cultures, three-quarters of the annual allowable cut be carried out mechanised (by machine felling). The introduction of harvesters in the sanitation of windthrows and windbreaks has achieved much both from the social and from the ecological aspect. The risk of injury to employees in extremely hazardous working conditions has been significantly reduced. The use of harvesters in sanitation has contributed to faster remediation of damage caused by strong winds, thereby preventing the loss of increment in newly established young stands.
Cutting, Grading and Acceptance of Wood Assortments
By cutting of the tree stem spindle is meant the determination and marking of the places where the tree should be cross-cut, whereby the quality and dimensions of the assortments are defined. Cutting is a very complex and responsible task, on which both the quantitative and qualitative utilisation depend.
Since the beginning of harvester application in felling and processing, two cases of cutting wood assortments have developed in the field of PE “Vojvodinašume”. In the case of classical felling and processing with chainsaws, cutting is performed in the “usual” way, i.e. by marking the cross-cutting points by the felling and processing foreman. If felling and processing are carried out by a harvester, cutting without marking the cross-cutting points is determined by the harvester operator. Bearing in mind that an increasing share of felling is carried out mechanised with harvesters, the operator of this machine has become one of the main “technologists” in forest use. For this reason, the education and training of employees directly engaged in cutting of the tree stem spindle have been the main task in the past period and will continue in the future. The importance of this operation is very great, both in professional and in economic terms.
Grading and acceptance of processed wood assortments in the past twenty years have undergone considerable changes. Grading of wood assortments is carried out according to the applicable standard, with minor adjustments in line with the development of the wood industry and its processing capacities.
In the previous two decades there were several attempts to switch to electronic recording, but with little success. In 2024, the introduction of a new method of recording (acceptance) of wood assortments using PDA devices was completed in all branches of the enterprise. These devices read information on assortments via QR codes from plastic tags embedded in the log ends. The PDA device is directly connected to the merchandise accounting database (AB Soft), where every change in assortment movement is recorded (from acceptance, through skidding to the depot, to dispatch). In this way, stock monitoring is ensured in real time.
Quality control of works performed at worksites is carried out through procedures defined by FSC forest certification, which are prescribed by the guideline for the given production process and the record of the technical acceptance of works in forest use.
Skidding of Wood Assortments
The production of wood assortments is characterised by the fact that the place of production is considerably distant from the place of product delivery to customers. Skidding of wood assortments, or the first phase of transport, represents an integral part of the technological process, i.e. one of its phases. Timber transport (skidding) consists of repeated transport cycles (tours). Processed wood assortments must be transported in a timely manner from the stump to the depot, as they are subject to rapid deterioration, i.e. devaluation of quality. Today, in PE “Vojvodinašume”, 90% of timber transport (skidding) is carried out by the enterprise’s own mechanisation.
From its very foundation, the orientation of PE “Vojvodinašume” was to carry out this phase of work entirely with its own mechanisation. For this reason, the mechanisation that had belonged to forest administrations was centralised into one work unit at the level of the forest estates. In each forest estate, a Work Unit “Forest Mechanisation” was established. Thereafter, investment in new and modern mechanisation was intensified in every forest estate, since the condition of the existing, outdated mechanisation could not meet the set tasks. Through increased engagement and exchange of experiences by confronting opinions, the approach evolved from forest estates procuring machines based on their individual ideas and wishes to a systemic and planned determination of the needs for specific models and types of machines to be purchased. In this way, the aim was to achieve standardisation of mechanisation at the enterprise level, in order to avoid previous negative experiences. By acting jointly, better-quality equipment was procured under more favourable conditions, while at the same time machine maintenance was facilitated.
Mechanisation
Overview of Mechanisation Equipment Procured in PE “Vojvodinašume” in the Period 2002–2022.
| No. | Type of Equipment | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-2012. | 2013-2022. | ||
| 1 | Harvester | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Forwarder | 4 | 14 |
| 3 | Tractor | 81 | 136 |
| 4 | Crane | 13 | 8 |
| 5 | Trailer | 19 | 52 |
| 6 | Attachment machine | 114 | 247 |
| 7 | Truck | 7 | 15 |
| 8 | Roller | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | Bulldozer | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | Excavator | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | Off-road vehicle | 55 | 63 |
| 12 | Official vehicle | 79 | 94 |
| 13 | Van | 7 | 2 |
| 14 | Bus | 5 | 4 |
| 15 | Mini bus | 4 | 7 |
| 16 | Chainsaw | 412 | 437 |
| 17 | Boat | 51 | 48 |
| 18 | Outboard motor | 58 | 38 |
| 19 | Trencher | 1 | |
| 20 | Motor cutter, mower, auger, etc. | 68 | |
| 21 | Grader | 2 | |
| 22 | Loader | 1 | |
| 23 | Combined machine | 1 | |
More dynamic procurement of mechanised equipment in the enterprise began in 2007. In accordance with needs and financial possibilities, new mechanised equipment has been procured every year in order to improve technical capacity.
The globalisation of the market has led major world equipment manufacturers to merge, which results in very frequent changes of models and types within the same manufacturer. This certainly complicates not only the procurement of machines but also the procurement of spare parts, and consequently the maintenance of machines and assemblies. For these reasons, in cooperation with suppliers, training of employees in mechanisation maintenance has been organised.
The mechanisation of PE “Vojvodinašume” annually skids around 450,000 m³ of various wood assortments, mainly with forwarders (24 units) and tractor assemblies (30 units). Tractor assemblies consist of an adapted agricultural tractor (with a power of about 130 HP) combined with a trailer without drive (with a load capacity of 8 to 12 t) and a hydraulic crane.
Frequent relocations of machines from worksite to worksite throughout the enterprise necessitated the procurement of a so-called “haul train” (a truck tractor with a low-bed trailer). This assembly represents the true “lifeline” of forest mechanisation in PE “Vojvodinašume”.
Construction of Permanent Forest Truck Roads
Forest roads represent a prerequisite for rational, economical and integrated management of all forest resources. They serve for transport, implementation of biological measures, fire protection, as well as for easier utilisation of other forest resources.
The costs of timber transport constitute a significant part of the total costs in the forestry production process, and they mostly depend on the skidding distance (transport distance). Reducing skidding costs is imposed as one of the basic tasks in forest management planning. Theoretically, skidding costs would be the lowest if roads could be brought directly to the stump. Naturally, this is impossible to achieve in practice. The construction of a well-spatially-distributed network of forest roads is not a simple task. Considering the present road density of the forests managed by PE “Vojvodinašume”, which is not satisfactory, skidding of wood assortments is still carried out over relatively long distances. The insufficient density of the forest road network results in relatively high skidding costs. The construction of new roads has a significant effect on reducing skidding costs.
Forest roads have direct effects on forest utilisation, but they also represent objective prerequisites for carrying out other activities in forestry, primarily silviculture and forest protection in the broadest sense, and they influence the rationality of their implementation.
However, a high density of the forest truck road network is not a decisive factor in shortening the average skidding transport distance. The decisive factor influencing the openness of a forest area on the average skidding transport distance is a well-planned and implemented network of forest truck roads, i.e. a designed optimal network of forest roads. In lowland areas, optimal openness is considered to be from 9 m/ha to 12 m/ha.
In the area managed by PE “Vojvodinašume”, more than 300 km of forest roads have been built to date. The need for the construction of new roads still exists, as the density of the road network is far from sufficient. In the last ten years, 128 km of new forest roads have been built, along with continuous maintenance of the existing ones.
The forests managed by PE “Vojvodinašume” are mostly located in the floodplains of the Danube, Sava, Tisa and Tamiš rivers, in long narrow belts along their banks. FE Sremska Mitrovica manages forests that constitute a significant and concentrated complex. Owing to the proximity and position of the rivers, the greater part of wood assortments is delivered to customers by waterway. Under such conditions, the opening of forests is very specific and complex.
The lack of an appropriate strategic act at the enterprise level, as well as the necessity of having road construction projects when applying for certain funds, created an urgent need for the preparation of the Enterprise Forest Opening Programme for the period 2009–2029.
Most of the forest roads of PE “Vojvodinašume” are built with the enterprise’s own mechanisation.
Establishment of Work Standards and Normatives for the Improvement and Rationalisation of Forestry Operations
The application of uniform technical standards in broader areas of forestry, both in their dispositive part and with regard to their sanctioning function, represents an important step in overcoming the traditionally low level of organisation of production work in forestry.
In monitoring works at the level of PE “Vojvodinašume”, the use of a larger number of inadequate and outdated work standards and material consumption normatives was observed. For this reason, the necessity arose to develop a greater number of standards and normatives, which resulted in the project launched in 2008 in cooperation with the Chair of Forest Utilisation of the Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade. This was the project “Research on Work Effects and Establishment of Work Standards and Normatives in Forest Utilisation Operations with Special Reference to the Training of Personnel for Normative Tasks”.
Based on the analysis of the applicability of the existing work standards and normatives, which preceded the activities on the development of new work standards and energy consumption normatives, it was concluded that for a certain number of operations in forestry there are no standards, and that on the basis of the existing standards it is not possible to objectively evaluate the work results in silviculture and forest utilisation in the lowland area of Serbia.
The main objective of the project was the improvement and rationalisation of forestry operations through the application of work standardisation and the definition of material consumption normatives for the existing working conditions. During the implementation of the project, training of employees engaged in normative tasks was carried out. This enabled the recording of work standards and normatives throughout the entire area of PE “Vojvodinašume”.
On several occasions, practical training was organised for all workers engaged in these tasks, at worksites and in forest administrations where the recordings were carried out. Later, during the course of the project, the training of employees was improved, i.e. it was also extended to planning officers due to the necessary coordination and interconnection of these services.
As a result of many years of work on the project, in 2020 PE “Vojvodinašume” published Book 1 “TECHNICAL WORK STANDARDS AND NORMATIVES IN FORESTRY”.
The optimal use of labour and work resources is the obligation and responsibility of a large enterprise such as PE “Vojvodinašume”, and this can be achieved precisely through the proper application of work standards and normatives in forestry. For this purpose, in 2022 a new Rulebook on the Application of Technical Work Standards and Normatives was adopted in the Public Enterprise “Vojvodinašume” Petrovaradin.
The process of recording work standards and normatives in forestry is a process that never ends…
Occupational Safety and Health
Forestry is an economic branch that takes place under the open sky, in very difficult working conditions, which causes frequent injuries and occupational diseases of workers. In order to reduce the harmful impact of unfavourable working conditions, a Risk Assessment Study was prepared for each workplace, on the basis of which all necessary protection measures were determined. Employees are provided with personal protective equipment in accordance with applicable regulations and standards. Training of employees for safe and healthy work is carried out, as well as professional training of employees conducted by licensed instructors for proper work and use of equipment and work machines. Employees are regularly referred to mandatory medical examinations and systematic check-ups, and through the Committee for Prevention, Disability and Rehabilitation, they are referred to spa treatment for recovery.
Through the application of modern machines and work equipment, much has been achieved in the field of work humanisation. Workers perform their tasks in much better conditions than before, particularly machine operators, since the machines are now equipped with air conditioning, sun protection, heating, etc. In addition to machines, the enterprise procures every year the most modern chainsaws, in which a large part of the earlier shortcomings that caused occupational diseases have been eliminated.
Continuous control of the use of personal protective equipment and compliance with prescribed work methodologies has produced visible results both in the short and the long term.
A new “Act on Risk Assessment at the Workplace and in the Working Environment of PE Vojvodinašume” was adopted in June 2021.
Participation in Chainsaw Operator Competitions
Chainsaw operators employed in PE “Vojvodinašume” are regular participants in many local, national and international competitions.
Results Achieved at National and International Competitions:
Chainsaw operators from FE Sremska Mitrovica — Milan Zujić, Goran Bojanić, Dragan Stojanović (members of the senior national team) and Goran Miličević (member of the junior national team) — were part of the Serbian national team that participated in the 2012 World Chainsaw Championship in Belarus. The coach of the Serbian national team was Ivan Tomašević, also from FE Sremska Mitrovica. As a member of the Serbian junior national team, Goran Miličević won 4th place in the discipline of precision cross-cutting of a log on a support.
At the national chainsaw operator competition held the following year, 2013, in Vrnjačka Banja, participants included Milan Zujić and Milan Lazić (both from FE Sremska Mitrovica). Milan Zujić won 2nd place, while Milan Lazić won 3rd place. With the results they achieved, they secured the right to participate in the 2014 World Championship in Switzerland.
The 2014 World Chainsaw Championship was held in Switzerland. Participants included Milan Zujić and Milan Lazić from FE Sremska Mitrovica. The team leader was Milenko Ilić.
In 2016, the World Chainsaw Championship was held in Poland. Participants in this competition were Milan Zujić and Goran Bojanić (both from FE Sremska Mitrovica). In the discipline “Relay” they won the silver medal. The team leader was MSc Ivan Tomašević, also from FE Sremska Mitrovica.
Another World Chainsaw Championship was held in 2016, this time in Norway. Participants in this competition were Milan Zujić from FE Sremska Mitrovica and Ljuban Žilić from FE Sombor, who won the bronze medal in the discipline “Relay”. The team leader was MSc Ivan Tomašević from FE Sremska Mitrovica.
The 2022 National Chainsaw Operator Competition was held at Deliblato Sands (Čardak). First place in this competition was won by Milan Zujić from FE Sremska Mitrovica, while second place was won by Ljuban Žilić from FE Sombor. With this placement, the two of them secured the right to participate in the upcoming World Championship, which was scheduled to be held in Estonia in 2023. The team leader was MSc Ivan Tomašević.
Another World Chainsaw Championship was held in 2024, this time in Austria. Participants in this competition were Dragan Nikolić from FE Sremska Mitrovica and Ljuban Žilić from FE Sombor, who won the bronze medal in the discipline “Relay”. The coach was MSc Ivan Tomašević from FE Sremska Mitrovica.
It should be noted that in the period from 2013 to 2020 no national championships of chainsaw operators were held, and participation in the world championships was decided based on the scoring during the preparations.
Competitions at the local level – employed chainsaw operators participate every year in the “Šumarijada” event organised by PE “Vojvodinašume”.
