Will RFID tags remain on logs during handling and storage?

Will RFID tags remain on logs during handling and storage?

Friday 18 Dec 2015

Using RFID tags on logs greatly improves the efficiency of their traceability – but will they remain on the logs in the harsh logging environment? The logging industry has been considering various ways to improve the traceability of logs - especially for high value logs or to ensure that logs do not originate from illegally logged forests.

RFID tags have shown to be a success in tracing higher value logs tagged at landings and transported to mills, but researchers wanted to determine whether tags applied to standing trees would be able to withstand harsh whole-tree extraction systems and still retain their information. Standing trees were tagged on various positions on the stem with various tag models.

Practitioners are concerned that tags may be damaged or removed from the tree during whole-tree extraction operations. The researchers compared two tag models and two fixing locations on the stem in three commercial hauling and one transport operation in mountain conditions. The results shows that of the 239 tags attached, just 5 were lost, proving a good indication that the RFID tags could be applied with success.

The research was published in the Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering, Vol. 36(2), 2015. The article was titled “Survival Test of RFID UHF Tags in Timber Harvesting Operations”. The authors were G Picchi, M Kühmaier and J de Dios Diaz Marques. The report can be viewed by Clicking here

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