Stephan Hoffmann
Research Scientist
Biography
My educational background encompasses International Forestry, with a B.Sc. from HNE Eberswalde and a M.Sc. from the University of Freiburg. Afterwards, my professional journey commenced in the forestry industry of Ghana, where I developed a growing passion for forest operations. This experience paved the way for me to engage in diverse applied projects worldwide, collaborating with various institutions in a range of climate zones. This journey also fueled my ambition to pursue a Ph.D. in the field of forest operations.
Consequently, I've evolved into a versatile forest operations expert, with a particular focus on steep terrain harvesting, forest road management, and the practical application of forest science.
Abstract
Time and motion studies in forest operations benefit from video-based analysis, but manual annotation is time consuming. This pilot study aims to reduce analysis time by developing a deep-learning framework that classifies dashcam video into four work elements: crane out, cutting and processing, driving, and processing. Using a 3D ResNet-50 (PyTorchVideo) trained on manually annotated clips, the model achieved validation F1 = 0.88 and precision = 0.90, showing that spatiotemporal CNNs can capture rele-vant motion and appearance cues in forest environments. Overfitting indicates that more diverse data and better class balance are needed, but the approach shows clear potential to scale automated work-element monitoring and efficiency analysis.
Abstract
Collection, processing and provision of comprehensive geometric information of forest roads is decisive for its technical classification to facilitate sustainable timber supply chains. An automized classification system based on the mobile proximal sensor platform RoadSens was developed, applied and validated through a case study approach in Eastern Norway. Six sample roads of various vegetation stages were surveyed through RoadSens and complemented through sampled total station measurements for validation purposes. The determined geometric parameters road slope, curvature and width were used for technical classification following the national forest road standard. Road width was identified as the main constraint in meeting the standard, resulting in a general downgrading of the sampled roads according to its technical class. The results showed a root mean square error (RMSE) ranging from ±0.53 to 1.50 m (12–33%) depending on the road and vegetation stage compared to the validation data. Despite these accuracy constraints, the application case study already indicates a general need for improvement of road data acquisition and updating of associated databases. The study underscores that, despite the challenges and limitations, there is a clear need for an automated sensing and classification system, which offers a cost-effective alternative to manual surveying and requires less specialized expertise.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
