Mohammad has extensive research background in forestry. He led several forest operation research projects in native forests of Iran from 2002 to 2005. He then worked at BOKU Vienna University from 2005 to 2010 as a research assistant and Postdoctoral Fellow, exploring efficiency and cost of forest biomass utilisation in Austria being one of the leading countries in forestry and bioenergy. In April 2010 he was appointed as a Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania to lead the forest operations and biomass harvesting projects. In May 2012 Mohammad was offered a research position at the University of the Sunshine Coast to investigate the efficient and sustainable timber harvesting operations and forest biomass utilisation systems which have resulted in significant economic saving and environmental benefits for the Australian forest industry.
Mohammad has published more than 140 research articles and industry reports. He also serves as a reviewer to different international forestry journals.
Professional Memberships
- Council of Forest Engineering (COFE)
- International Union of Forest Organization (IUFRO)
- Forest mechanization (FORMEC)
- European Journal of Forest Engineering - editorial board member
- Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering - international editorial board member
- Australian Journal of Forestry - editorial panel member
Potential Research Projects for HDR & Honours Students
Evaluating the quality and quantity of woody waste for sustainable bioenergy usage |
Assessment of forest harvesting residues in Sunshine Coast plantations |
Smart phone application for productive forest operations |
Sustainable systems for safe and productive timber harvesting operations |
Research areas
- Sustainable forestry and natural resource management
- Sustainable forest operations
- Assessment of forest harvesting productivity
- Forest harvesting planning
- Biomass harvesting technology
- Reducing environmental impacts of harvesting operations
- Forest road network planning
Teaching areas
- Forest Operation Management
Top 5 Research Publications
- Ghaffariyan, M.R., Dupuis, E. 2021. Analysing the impact of harvesting methods on the quantity of harvesting residues: An Australian Case Study. Forests 12(9), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091212
Ghaffariyan, M.R. 2020. General productivity predicting model for skidder working in Eucalypt plantations. European Journal of Forest Engineering 6(1): 1-6.
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Acuna, M., Sessions, J., Boston, K., Zamora, R., Boston, K., Brown, M., Ghaffariyan, M.R. 2019. Methods to manage and optimize forest biomass supply chains: A Review. Current Forestry Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-019-00093-4
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Ghaffariyan, M.R., Brown, M., Acuna, M., Sessions, J., Gallagher, T., Kühmaier, M., Spinelli, R., Visser, R., Devlin, G., Eliasson, L., Laitila, J., Laina, R., Iwarsson Wide, M., Egnell, G. 2017. An international review of the most productive and cost effective forest biomass recovery technologies and supply chains. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 74: 145-158
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Ghaffariyan, M.R., Acuna, M., Brown, M. 2013. Analysing the effect of five operational factors on forest residue supply chain costs: A case study in Western Australia. Biomass and Bioenergy 59: 486- 493
Dr Mohammad Ghaffariyan’s specialist area of knowledge include sustainable forest management, forest harvesting planning and optimisation, timber transportation planning, forest biomass utilisation for bioenergy purposes, and forestry road network planning.