A Review of Concerns Related to Chainsaw Lubricants for Sustainable Forest Operation

초록

Machines with an open-cutting system, such as chainsaws and harvesters, are utilized in foresting, gardening, and home and urban landscaping projects. However, these tools require the use of a lubricant, the droplets of which are scattered across the surrounding environment during operation. This use of an oil base and refining additives of petroleum origin in lubricants negatively impacts forest health and the environment. Therefore, the regulation that replaces petroleum-based lubricants with biodegradable lubricants requires improvement in both ecological and economical aspects. Numerous countries have made various efforts to realize sustainable forest management (SFM) and sustainable forest operation (SFO). From the perspective of those working to minimize environmental damage and realize SFO, it has been determined that the negative impact of lubricant droplets that are scattered during forest operations worldwide is not a significant global problem. However, logging is necessary for SFM, and, in many countries, non-biodegradable lubricants are typically used for forest operations because of their lower cost. Thus, to encourage the replacement of the mineral and synthetic oils typically used in forest operations with biodegradable lubricants, price reduction, federal regulations, and considerable research are required. This manuscript is intended to (1) provide information about the effects of lubricants on the environment, (2) raise awareness about the amount of lubricant that can be scattered across ecosystems over a single year of forest operations, and (3) discuss how developed and developing countries differ in terms of their approach to creating and implementing lubricant-use-related regulations. The overall goals of this review are to raise awareness about the need to improve regulations related to lubricants and to find alternatives to mineral-oil- and synthetic-oil-based lubricants. In future studies, it is expected that the area and quantity of lubricant scattered during chainsaw operation can be measured accurately on-site without labor-intensive sampling and subsequent works with more efficient ways using sensing techniques.

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