Harmonization of ongoing European research in the field of harvesting operations and optimization of harvesting methods regarding environmental and economic constraints.

The basic aim of this joint European project is to develop and enhance the efficiency of timber production and timber trade in Europe by jointly introducing new information and processing technology on a broad scale throughout the wood chain and by incorporating successful features from one country in the development of the industry in an other (bench marking). The advances in relation to current state of the art would be to introduce and to improve wherever possibile fully mechanised harvester technology in most countries of the European Union. The harvesters will optimise the timber output according to end use, and in the most advanced case studies, operate them online with the industry using tree length optimising software from the present tree length terminals. Support systems to find out the market needs, the optimal stand for every type of demand, the best grading system according to end use will also be developed.