This study aimed to evaluate the impacting profile of the technological innovation process on forestry harvesting. We analyzed the innovation process on the traditional subsystem change (chainsaw + forwarder) to the innovative (Feller Buncher + Clambunk Skidder). We used the consolidated method for environmental impact assessment of technological innovation on agro-livestock, which assesses the environmental performance of a certain methodology or technology in relation to that previously established. The method was adapted for the impacts evaluation on forestry harvesting. The impacts were analyzed for the physical media indicators (air, soil, water), biotic (flora and fauna), and anthropic indicators. Matrices were prepared for each indicator, which were weighted in relation to the occurrence scale and importance scale factor. Technicians on the forest harvesting field filled the matrices using changing coefficients previously defined. The impact coefficient resulted from the coefficient changing product by weighting factors, being evaluated on a scale of -15 to +15. The overall impact index has been determined for the same scale pattern. According to three evaluations average, two indicators showed a positive impact coefficient (health and management), six were negative coefficient (air, soil, flora, fauna, landscape, and employment), and one remained unchanged (water). The overall impact index was positive (1.29), indicating in the global context environmental conditions favorable to the innovative subsystem adoption.
Forestry harvesting; Technological innovation; Environmental impact
