SCION is a New Zealand research institute with its head office in Rotorua. Its purpose is to build the international competitiveness of the New Zealand forestry industry and a stronger bio-based economy.
Scion is the trading name of the New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited, and is 100% owned by the New Zealand government. Scion has additional offices in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. They have approximately 300 staff which focuses on three major research areas:
- Sustainable design – New knowledge and technologies resulting in improved economic results with low environmental impacts and improved social and cultural outcomes.
- New forests and forest science – Innovation through diversification, by improving the benefits of new and existing forests.
- Bio-product development – New bioprocesses and bio-products from renewable resources.
Scion’s harvesting research programme is aimed at reducing the costs, and improving the productivity and safety of logging operations. They work closely with Future Forests Research and the industry itself. Their key capabilities are harvesting operations research, forest engineering research, human factors and ergonomics, and environmental impacts and mitigation. Their focus areas are as follows:
- Investigating implementation of field management tools to allow improved management control.
- Projects in ergonomics, with emphasis on optimal work scheduling and health and safety issues.
- Mechanisation of steep country harvesting.
- Cost-benefit analysis of new equipment and practices in harvesting systems.
- Environmental regulatory impacts on harvesting.
Source: www.scionresearch.com