A new guide for work studies in forestry

A team of international specialists has developed a new guide for conducting forest work studies. The guide is a quick how-to manual designed for the field researcher, and it may contribute to the international harmonization of work-study methods. This endeavor was supported by the European Union through COST Action FP0902; however, the author team was not limited to European scientists, it was world-wide. The draft was reviewed by three international experts external to the team and to the action. Two provisional versions were administered to a test group of students, who elected the current version. Feedback was sought after publishing, through an online survey. Ninety-three researchers responded to the survey. The largest majority of respondents believed that the guide was state-of-the-art and that they were able to do a better job after reading the guide. The guide is available for free download from the Forest Energy Portal (www.forestenergy.org).