Mechanized processes bring greater yield and optimization of the scarce labor
The mechanization of the planted forests in Brazil is still far from the level of the harvesting and transport systems existing in other countries, which in turn harms its competitivity in the international market. According to surveys by the Forest Research and Study Institute (Instituto de Pesquisa e Estudos Florestais – IPEF), held bi-annually since 2018 with companies members of the institute – some of the largest Brazilian forestry companies – the mechanization index reaches 51.1% of the companies at a level five: mechanical and tool sets that demand only the driver, without the use of auto-pilot. Most of them, 30.9%, still at level 2 using tools with mechanical activation. The latest survey, from 2019, can be viewed here.
And what does that mean for the forestry sector? According to Professor Saulo Guerra, PhD, from the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences at Unesp – Botucatu campus, and scientific leader of the Forestry Mechanization and Automation Program (Programa de Mecanização e Automação Florestal – PCMAF) from IPEF, mechanization is a spontaneous need of the forestry sector for several reasons: it promotes the reduction of operation costs, increases yield, and optimizes the labor on the field. “Additionally, there is also a matter of comfort, of ergonomics, of reducing efforts or repetitive actions for the worker. The person who is heading the silviculture operations must have appropriate work conditions”, he says.
According to the PCMAF presentation, the increasing costs with labor and the decrease in its offer, the domestic tax burden higher than that of countries such as China and the US, and the cost of electricity in Brazil, among other factors, make the country, despite holding the highest average productivity for the main forestry genre (Eucalyptus and Pinus), it no longer holds the title of most competitive and profitable country in the forestry sector. “In a very objective manner, the mechanization level varies according to the other operations. If we consider the soil preparation operations, 75% of the forestry areas with eucalyptus are mechanized. However, in the following stage, which may be planting, 65% of the areas today are on manual plantation. In other words, even within the eucalyptus planted forests, there is a huge variation of manual, semi-mechanized, mechanized and automatic operations. It is important to emphasize that, in relation to the information that there are some automatic operations in place, if one considers the use of drones for applying herbicides and even ant baits, for instance”, he explains.
According to Guerra, what still hinders the greater level of mechanization in the Brazilian production is the acquisition cost. “In addition to the investment, which is high, some machines require special training. This is a problem since there is a current shortage of qualified labor for operating forestry operation machines and equipment in silviculture. Furthermore, there is no specific financing program for those machines. What happens is that many farmers can use the financing options for tractors, and hose tractors then go on to work on forestry operations”, he says.
Mechanized harvest – The Paraná Wood Group, which already works with mechanization in most of its forestry operations, is preparing itself to mechanize its harvesting, similar to the large forestry companies. Paraná Wood Florestal has already purchased a Komatsu tractor and is only waiting for the arrival of the Wharatah hydraulic head for cutting and processing the eucalyptus logs. The part is imported from Canada and is scheduled to arrive until December. According to Douglas Mendes, PWF manager, the head harvests the eucalyptus and cuts the logs into specific sizes. The equipment has the capacity for cutting trees up to four tons and 50-cm diameter. “The machine is able to harvest up to 70 tons/day working two shifts”, he explains. The company invested BRL 1.26 million on this acquisition.
According to Paraná Wood Group owner, João Luiz Garcia de Faria, the mechanization is the key process for increasing the quality of the harvest, which is important for exporting wood. According to him, the mechanization will also make PWF able to get international certifications. “Furthermore, you avoid the risk of accidents with workers during harvesting. By decreasing the number of workers on this stage, you also decrease risks and quality operators. It’s the natural evolution of the processes: making things safer, with greater quality, and greater qualification. This also provides greater opportunities to the employees”, he points out. According to the manager, no employee among the 44 who currently work at the company will be laid off. “Since the company is expanding, they will be reassigned to other areas. It is a valuable, trained, and highly skilled work force, and we are not going to waste it”, he assures.
The company, with a log removal equipment already in operation, wants to acquire another one and full harvesting equipment until next year. With two sets of machines, it will also be able to provide services for other producers in the region, according to Mendes. “And as we grow, more machines will be purchased”, he declares.