Makerere University Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, 2024
Sawmill performance is anchored on three key indicators: timber volume recovery, timber value rec... more Sawmill performance is anchored on three key indicators: timber volume recovery, timber value recovery, and log throughput. Traditionally, sawyers use the volume sawing strategy, which prioritizes maximising timber volume recovery. However, it is unclear whether this approach yields superior sawmill performance compared to the value sawing strategy. To determine the optimal sawing strategy, a study was conducted at four sawmills across three forest plantation clusters in September and October 2023. Data were collected from randomly selected logs grouped using cluster analysis. The PHP programming language was used to determine sawing patterns that maximised timber volume and/or value from each log. A paired t-test (5% significance level) was used to test the difference in timber volume and value recovery between the volume and value sawing strategies. The results showed that timber volume recovery from the volume sawing strategy was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that obtained using the value sawing strategy, except in smaller logs (10-20 cm). Conversely, timber value recovery was superior to the value sawing strategy across all log sizes. The adoption of the value sawing strategy increased timber value recovery by US$ 2, 3 and 12 m-3 for small, medium and large logs, respectively, with a 2 % drop in sawmill timber
This study determined timber volume and timber value recovery of different plantation sawmill tec... more This study determined timber volume and timber value recovery of different plantation sawmill technologies. Data were collected from four sawmills in three forest plantation clusters. A two-way ANOVA was used to test the difference in performance between sawmill technologies and the combined effect of sawmill type and log diameter on performance. Sawmill technology significantly (p < 0.05) affected timber volume recovery and value recovery. The medium band sawmill had both the highest volume recovery (43%) and value recovery (209,700 UGX/m3) whereas the mobile circular sawmill had both the lowest volume recovery (26%) and value recovery (90,000 UGX/m3). The interaction effect of sawmill technology and log diameter significantly (p < 0.05) affected timber volume and value recovery. Mean timber volume recovery of sampled sawmills was 32% while value recovery was 123,800 UGX/m3. Studies on effect of market demands and sawyer's skills on volume, value and throughput and how they can be optimized to improve profitability and sustainability of the resource are recommended.
Makerere University Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, 2024
Sawmill performance is anchored on three key indicators: timber volume recovery, timber value rec... more Sawmill performance is anchored on three key indicators: timber volume recovery, timber value recovery, and log throughput. Traditionally, sawyers use the volume sawing strategy, which prioritizes maximising timber volume recovery. However, it is unclear whether this approach yields superior sawmill performance compared to the value sawing strategy. To determine the optimal sawing strategy, a study was conducted at four sawmills across three forest plantation clusters in September and October 2023. Data were collected from randomly selected logs grouped using cluster analysis. The PHP programming language was used to determine sawing patterns that maximised timber volume and/or value from each log. A paired t-test (5% significance level) was used to test the difference in timber volume and value recovery between the volume and value sawing strategies. The results showed that timber volume recovery from the volume sawing strategy was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that obtained using the value sawing strategy, except in smaller logs (10-20 cm). Conversely, timber value recovery was superior to the value sawing strategy across all log sizes. The adoption of the value sawing strategy increased timber value recovery by US$ 2, 3 and 12 m-3 for small, medium and large logs, respectively, with a 2 % drop in sawmill timber
This study determined timber volume and timber value recovery of different plantation sawmill tec... more This study determined timber volume and timber value recovery of different plantation sawmill technologies. Data were collected from four sawmills in three forest plantation clusters. A two-way ANOVA was used to test the difference in performance between sawmill technologies and the combined effect of sawmill type and log diameter on performance. Sawmill technology significantly (p < 0.05) affected timber volume recovery and value recovery. The medium band sawmill had both the highest volume recovery (43%) and value recovery (209,700 UGX/m3) whereas the mobile circular sawmill had both the lowest volume recovery (26%) and value recovery (90,000 UGX/m3). The interaction effect of sawmill technology and log diameter significantly (p < 0.05) affected timber volume and value recovery. Mean timber volume recovery of sampled sawmills was 32% while value recovery was 123,800 UGX/m3. Studies on effect of market demands and sawyer's skills on volume, value and throughput and how they can be optimized to improve profitability and sustainability of the resource are recommended.
Uploads
Papers by John Ngobi