News

Interforst from October 15 to 18, 2026 in Munich

At Interforst 2026, the largest trade fair for forestry and forest technology in the German-speaking region this year, the Department of Forest Work Science and Engineering was represented with two booths at the special exhibition area organized by the Bavarian State Institute for Forestry (LWF). In the thematic area "Focus on People," Marius Kopetzky demonstrated various passive exoskeletons that can be used in forestry work to relieve strain on employees' backs or shoulders. Numerous inquiries from fair visitors and lively discussions demonstrated practical interest in this novel type of prevention, on which Mr. Kopetzky is currently writing his dissertation. At a second booth, the method used by the department for measuring ground pressure distribution under moving forestry machines was demonstrated live. Supported by Jan Niklas Eiken, Dr. Lorenz Breinig used a small battery-powered tracked vehicle to illustrate the variability of load distribution observable even under a rigid track undercarriage when driving over sandy soil. This research topic of the department also sparked intensive exchange, particularly with specialist visitors. Not only was the measurement technology used discussed, but also the possibilities for joint investigations.

The “Muffel” mini crawler (on loan from Grube) rolls over the pressure sensor in the sand bed, with the pressure distribution displayed on the screen at a resolution of approx. 1 cm².

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NHN Conference on May 7, 2026

On May 7, 2026, the annual conference of the Competence Network for Sustainable Wood Utilization (NHN) took place once again in Göttingen. Due to the diverse challenges and changing climatic conditions of recent years, the oak and its management became the center of focus. Under the title "Eichenwirtschaft – Risiken und Zukunftsperspektiven", nearly 300 participants gathered to discuss and exchange views on the oak in the forestry and timber industry based on eight diverse and in-depth presentations.

© Peter Heller, NHN Conference in the Lecture Hall of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences

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Podcast on the Regulus Project

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Educational Hike in the Area Around Bad Hersfeld on October 16, 2025

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Work anniversary

On October 4, 2024, Christhilde Bobbert celebrated her 40th work anniversary at the University of Göttingen.
She began her work in September 1984 at the former Isotope Laboratory on Burckhardtweg. Subsequently, she transferred in February 1985 to the Institute of Plant Pathology and Plant Protection, where she remained until May 1990. Since June 1, 1990, she has been employed at the former Institute of Forest Work and Forest Machinery Engineering —now the Department of Work Science and Engineering— under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Siegfried Häberle.
On May 23, 2025, all university employees with a 40-year work anniversary were honored during a special ceremony. The photo below was taken during this event, featuring the interim President of the University of Göttingen, Prof. Dr. Axel Schölmerich.

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NHN Conference on May 7, 2025

On May 7, 2025, the annual conference of the Competence Network for Sustainable Wood Utilization e.V. (NHN), led by its chairman, Prof. Dr. Dirk Jaeger, took place in Göttingen. Under the title "Forst- und Holzwirtschaft in Deutschland: Grüne Klimasünder oder grüne Heilsbringer?", the latest findings from the Fourth German National Forest Inventory (BWI4) were presented, examined from various scientific and practical perspectives, and discussed in an interactive debate. Around 300 representatives from the forestry and wood industry, interested stakeholders, and students attended the event in person to engage in lively exchange. The central questions raised by the release of the BWI4 results in autumn 2024 have already been a major topic of discussion within the forestry and wood sectors. On Wednesday, renowned researchers and representatives from science, forestry, and the wood processing industry presented their insights and findings. Nevertheless, the silvicultural, technical, and scientific potential exists to continue preserving and enhancing the diverse functions of forests. The individual presentations from the event can be read via the following link:
www.kompetenznetz-holz.de/nhn-tagung-2025/

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Outdoor Seminar "Waldarbeit und Walderschließung" (in German)

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Ground Pressure Measurements of Forestry Crawlers

Remote-controlled forestry crawlers have become popular in forest operations as compact pre-skidding machines, driver for attached devices or transport vehicles in recent years. Due to their low tare weights in relation to most other forest machines, reduced soil disturbance is expected from the use of remote-controlled forestry crawlers. To allow for a better understanding of their impact on the soil, the Department of Forest Work Science and Engineering is carrying out ground pressure measurements with different types of remote-controlled forestry crawlers as well as, for reference, with a medium-sized forwarder and a side-by-side vehicle in an ongoing co-operation project. Pressure sensors with high spatial resolution are used for the measurements implemented under controlled, homogeneous conditions in a sand bed to provide the best possible repeatability and thus comparability.

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Double success

At the beginning of October, two doctoral students successfully completed their doctorates with a disputation.

Bastian Hinte defended his dissertation on the topic „Untersuchung verschiedener Rad-Band-Kombinationen und deren Einfluss auf den Spurbildungsprozess in Feinerschließungssystemen“ on October 5, 2023.

Florian Hartsch followed the next day with his defense on the topic “Influence of Forest Machine Operator Work Practices and Operator Assistance Systems on the Efficiency of Fully Mechanized Timber Harvesting Systems”.

The entire ergonomics and process technology team warmly congratulates both of them and wishes them all the best for their future careers.

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Exoskelett (in German)

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Newspaper article on the visit of the canadian ambassador (in German)

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With a sensitive nose for detecting bark beetles (in German)