EFFECT OF INDIVIDUAL TREE VOLUME ON OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF HARVESTER PROCESSOR

The need to obtain multi-products from the forest makes the wood processing an important step in the timber harvest, being necessary, then, to understand the influence of the stand characteristics on the operational performance of the machines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the individual tree volume on the operational performance of the harvester forest processor in Pinus taeda L. stands, in order to assist in planning operations and reducing production costs. The analyzes were carried out by means of a time and motion study, determining the time consumed in the phases of the operational cycle, mechanical availability, operational efficiency, productivity, and production costs in three stands with different individual mean volumes (IMV): I (1.21 m 3  tree -1 ); II (1.34 m 3 tree -1 ) and III (1.61 m 3 tree -1 ). In a completely randomized design, the averages of the variables were compared, as well as models for estimating productivity and production costs were fitted according to individual tree volume. The results showed that the processing element consumed a significant part of the total operational cycle time, with 46, 53 and 64% in treatments I, II and III, respectively, with an average operational efficiency of 56% in all treatments. Productivity increase and reduction of production costs were observed in the order of 43 and 30%, respectively, with the increase in IMV from 1.21 to 1.61 m 3  tree -1 . Such behavior can be represented by the third degree polynomial, which demonstrated the operational limit of 1.5 m 3 tree -1 for the harvester forest processor.