Log sorting location decisions under uncertainty
2005
Sessions, J. | Boston, K. | Hill, R. | Stewart, R.
In forest operations, the decision of how to transport trees from the stump to the manufacturing destination involves several considerations: cost and effort of transporting the logs or trees to the roadside; the relative efficiency of bucking in the woods, on landings, or in centralized sort yards; legal restrictions on log or tree transportation; distances to mills; and prices paid for logs or trees at the various destinations. Included in the decision is whether to sort logs of different species, grades, or other specifications at the landing or at a centralized location, often referred to as a sort yard. Centralized sort yards provide an opportunity to more closely examine log characteristics, but increase handling costs. A decision model is presented for evaluating the log sorting location decision considering the probability of making an incorrect log allocation at the sorting location. Explicitly incorporating the probability of log misallocation into the decision model permits managers to more correctly weigh log sorting alternatives, reduce costs, and identify areas for possible work improvement. For the case study analyzed in this paper, a savings of approximately $1.50 per cubic meter was found when sorting was accomplished at the landing, as compared to using a centralized sort yard, including the expected cost of mis-sorting.
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