Technodiversity Glossary

Due to the confusing number of different harvesting methods, there is a need to define functional groups of them where some crucial attributes are the same. One possibility that is often used in practice is to subdivide the methods by the form in which the tree arrives at the forest road:

-       as a full tree = full tree method

-       as a tree length = tree length method

-       as a short log = short wood or cut-to-length method

-       or as chips = chip method.

(See more at TDiv PR1-B07)

Functionality describes whether any systems functions in a way that it fulfils the demands. In our technical context, it may be seen as synonym for economic effectiveness.

Functionalize see functionalizing

Functionalizing is the first step of the three-step-model of decision-making in forest technology. The second step is localizing and the third one is individualizing.

The first step aims at finding and designing all harvesting processes that can work under local conditions and technical constraints of the stand. Here, machines that are available and operators, who are available, are combined to working methods that can be assumed to do the demanded job. In order to expand the search space as large as possible, several options should be selected that differ greatly from one another (different machines, different degrees of mechanization etc.). And one option should never be forgotten: the option to do nothing, the so-called zero-option.

(See more under TDiv PR1-A04 and TDiv PR1-B01 to B07)

Functions can be divided into two groups: Main functions and auxiliary functions.

Main functions influence directly the working object. Again, we have two sub-groups: those that change the state of the object and those that change its position.

Auxiliary functions help to manage the process, but don’t have a direct input to the working object. On to highest level, we have two auxiliary functions: the handling that is a more physical sub-process and the steering that operates the process and deals with data.

In tree harvesting operations, the main functions are the harvesting and the extraction. Though the auxiliary functions are important, too, in Technodiversity they will not be treated further.