Are electric forestry machines and electric vehicles, and lorries with lower noise levels, merely a dream, or a trend that already has to be taken into account?

By the end of this decade, the scene described above could become an everyday sight in every forest. How so? The forest sector is looking for low-emission energy sources to power the machinery and vehicles involved in its supply chains.

Most forestry machines and timber lorries, along with the equipment used to process timber at mills and terminals, still run on fossil fuels, oils and other materials. That will soon have to change, with low-emission energy sources becoming mandatory across all forest sector operations, processes and supply chains. Several forest sector companies have decided to join forces and take part in the Accelerating Climate Efforts and Investments (ACE) project.

ACE is funded by the European Union's LIFE programme, and it supports the goal of curbing emissions by 2030 in those sectors that operate under the emissions reduction agreement. These sectors have committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.

The appetite for change was plain to see at the Stora Enso mill in Imatra this May. Experts and mill specialists assessed the lorries used to haul timber. The mill uses vehicles and machines of many different models. The possibility of replacing diesel engines with alternative energy sources is currently being explored. Given the working practices refined over many years and the skilled personnel, achieving emissions reductions with the current equipment is quite a challenge. The Stora Enso group is keen to find new solutions for transporting timber along its supply chain from the forest to the wood processing mills.

In the near future, the heavy-duty vehicles used to transport roundwood at the Stora Enso mill in Imatra could run on electric drive.

New systems to assist drivers and operators

For Stora Enso, an important part of the ACE project is developing systems that would assist lorry drivers and machine operators, as well as allowing information to be gathered automatically from forest areas and roundwood to be transported. Alongside the current calculation models, more accurate and up-to-date data is needed in order to develop operations as a whole. Improving how current-level indicators are defined and monitored will help reveal the impact of the decisions taken on the carbon footprint of deliveries.

In developing these systems, ever greater attention will be paid to automated data collection, since drivers and operators already have plenty of tasks and are unlikely to want an even heavier workload. One of the more ambitious goals is to improve the systems so that drivers and other staff carrying out operational tasks can assess for themselves, on the spot, the impact of their work on emissions.

Infrared photography reveals additional energy consumption

High intensity of use subjects today's machines to heavy mechanical loads. Machine maintenance is undoubtedly important, but in the autumn and winter period in particular it is difficult to spot even small changes in fuel consumption.

The infrared camera is one of the solutions being trialled to address this problem; it is used to detect excessive heat given off by power transmission components, which can be caused by, for example, stones or branches lodged between moving parts. Stora Enso plans to extend the use of infrared photography beyond forestry machinery to timber lorries as well, so as to ensure a smooth working process.

Useful innovations are not always digital. Alongside digital solutions, the sector still needs simple solutions that work. Technological innovations of this kind are the fruit of collaboration, which the ACE project successfully supports.

What is ACE?

• Accelerating Climate Efforts and Investments (ACE LIFE) is a project supporting Finland's carbon neutrality targets. It runs for seven years and will conclude in 2030.
• The project seeks solutions for reducing emissions that fall outside emissions trading — in agriculture, the heavy transport sector and manufacturing processes.
• More than 50 participants are involved in the project: public sector organisations, research institutions, companies and foundations.
• Most of the project's funding is provided by the European Union's LIFE programme.
• The project is coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke). Various work stages of the project are also the responsibility of the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment.
• So far the project has published a report by the research and development company Metsäteho on emissions calculation and on data concerning forestry operations and timber transport.