Design and building of an automatic harvesting system for SRC nurseries that includes the sorting and packaging of the cuttings.
Funding:
Research for the benefit of SME 7.EU-Framework programme
Project Duration:
01.10.2012 – 30.09.2014
Project Manager:
Bárbara de Mena
Homepage:
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In order to cover the expected demand of planting material for Short Rotation Coppices (SRCs), approximately 1,410 hectare of parent tree nurseries have to be harvested each year. Harvesting on these areas is characterized by a high degree of manual work at present.
Overall objectives:
- Development, construction and testing of an innovative, competitive and automatic harvesting and sorting system for SRC cuttings for European energy farmers
- To enable the broad implementation of SRC in Europe by reducing the costs of the SRC cuttings by 60 %.
- To increase the general competitiveness and sustainability of the European agricultural sector
Scientific and technological objectives:
- To develop, build and test a ROD-PICKER prototype including a harvesting, sorting and packaging module
- To reach and assure the compatibility of the ROD-PICKER prototype with existing handling and transport equipment
Further information on this topic and related topics at ttz Bremerhaven:
- Press release: Harvesting trees at the push of a button
- Project description: BIO-HEAT
- Project description: Short Rotation Coppice network Germany
- Press release: Hotspot Eastern Europe: Researchers couple district heating and wood energy
- Press release: Cost-efficient and sustainable bioenergy through Short-Rotation Coppice
- Press release: European regions: Green with energy
