HDSS International is a tool for estimating the productivity of harvesting systems in different scenarios by assessment of the effect that changing parameters has on the productivity.

The decision support system works by allowing a user to build up a harvesting system based on any of the machines contained in the database. This database of information has been built up using production functions submitted by project partners from different IEA Bioenergy member countries.

In this instance a production function is defined as an equation representing the productivity of a machine with respect to the environment in which it is working. For example, if tree size increases then volume productivity might be expected to increase, if terrain worsens it may decrease.

The different elements of a particular system created by a user can be represented by machinery from any of the countries which submitted a suitable production function, these elements are put together on the final results screen.

HDSS International was developed as part of the Harvesting Activity (1.2) of Task XII of IEA Bioenergy.

The application has been produced by members of the Wood Supply Research Group in the Department of Forestry, University of Aberdeen, Scotland UK.