Shawn T. Grushecky

Logging injuries for a 10-year period in Jilin Province of the People's Republic of China

PROBLEM Logging continues to be a major source of injuries in northeast China. This paper describes logging-related injuries in the Jilin Province of the Peoples Republic of China. METHODS Logging fatalities and nonfatal injuries were summarized from 1981 to 1990 in Jilin. Injury data from 1991 for the entire forestry sector in China were also analyzed. RESULTS Fatalities were mainly from of head injuries and were caused by being struck by an object. Nonfatal injuries were most often to the lower extremities and the head and were normally caused by being struck by an object or a fall or slip. The majority of both fatal and nonfatal logging injuries occurred to workers with less than 1 year of employment and those under 35 years old. Most injuries occurred November through March in Jilin. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY Patterns of logging injury in Jilin of China were similar, but not identical, to those described in other studies of logging injuries worldwide. Methods found to be effective in reducing logging-related injuries in other parts of the world might be used in China to reduce the injuries associated with logging.

Energy Consumption and Efficiency of Appalachian Hardwood Sawmills

Abstract A study of energy consumption and efficiency for Appalachian hardwood sawmills was conducted in the Appalachian region. Primary data were collected through a mail survey on sawmills in the region in 2010, while secondary data were obtained from site audits at 17 sawmills over the last 10 years in West Virginia. The results from the mail survey showed that hardwood lumber production volume ranged from 700 to 600,000 board feet (BF) per wk, and monthly electricity consumption per mill averaged 220 kWh per thousand board feet (MBF) with an average electric bill of

Examination of roundwood utilization rates in West Virginia

17.78/MBF/mo. The energy audit results indicated that hardwood lumber production volume ranged from 4,250 to 400,000 MBF/y, and the energy use and total cost per thousand board feet of lumber production averaged 160.89 kWh/MBF and

Algorithm for detecting defects in wooden logs using ground penetrating radar

10.04/MBF, respectively. The average marginal cost for all energy audits was

Motor-Based Energy Consumption in West Virginia Sawmills

17.87/MMBtu (¢6.10/kWh). The annual carbon dioxide emission conserved was 587,045 pounds per mill. On average, engineers on site vis...

Affordable Home Builder Demand for Green and Certified Wood Products

ABSTRACT Forest harvesting is an integral part of the West Virginia forest economy. This component of the supply chain supports a diverse array of primary and secondary processors. A key metric use...

Assessment of Woody Biomass Availability from Surface Mining Operations in West Virginia

Presently there are no suitable non-invasive methods for precisely detecting the subsurface defects in logs in real time. Internal defects such as knots, decays, and embedded metals are of greatest concern for lumber production. While defects such as knots and decays (rots) are of major concern related to productivity and yield of high value wood products, embedded metals can damage the saw blade and significantly increase the down time and maintenance costs of saw mills. Currently, a large number of logs end up being discarded by saw mills, or result in low value wood products since they include defects. Nondestructive scanning of logs using techniques such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) prior to sawing can greatly increase the productivity and yield of high value lumber. In this research, the GPR scanned data has been analyzed to differentiate the defective part of the wooden log from the good part. The location and size of the defect has been found in the GPR scanned data using the MATLAB algorithm. The output of this algorithm can be used as an input for generating operating instructions for a CNC sawing machine. This paper explains the advantages of the GPR technique, experimental setup and parameters used, data processing using RADAN software for detection of subsurface defects in logs, GPR data processing and analysis using MATLAB algorithm for automated defect detection, and comparison of results between the two processing methods. The results show that GPR in conjunction with the proposed algorithm provides a very promising technique for future on-line implementation in saw mills.

Landowner willingness to engage in long-term timber leases in West Virginia, USA

Abstract Energy costs have risen immensely over the past decade and have strained US industrial sectors. The forest products sector is considered an energy-intensive industry group, and energy use ...

Defect Detection in Wooden Logs Using Ground Penetrating Radar

ABSTRACT Annual new housing starts in the United States decreased dramatically between 2005 and 2012. Consequently, products that are heavily tied to new housing starts, such as flooring, cabinetry...

Natural and anthropogenic controls over suspended sediments within a mountainous Appalachian watershed: implications for watershed restoration

Abstract Gross biomass stocks were estimated during 2010 and 2011 on three areas to be surface mined in central West Virginia. Approximately 835 acres of forest lands had been harvested for merchantable timber on the study sites during 2009 and 2010, leaving wood fiber that was to be disposed of before mining. A total of 133 one-fifth-acre forest inventory plots were established to develop standing resource and logging residue estimates. The sampled plots were dominated by cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminatae), followed by red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). The average diameter of all standing trees was 7.9 inches, and the average merchantable height of all trees was 32.5 feet. Biomass availability per acre before grubbing operations was estimated to be 31.3 green tons/acre, including 17.0 green tons/acre standing trees and 14.4 green tons/acre logging residues. When the estimated availability of 31.4 green tons/acre is extrapolated to the ent...