Dr. Raffaele Spinelli, Director of Research at the National Research Council of Italy's Institute for BioEconomy (CNR-IBE) in Florence, is widely regarded as the most published researcher in the history of forest operations and engineering, with a 38-year career defined by prolific scholarship, global collaboration, and mentorship.
Dr. Spinelli earned his degree in Forest Science from the Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, in 1985 (with honors) and his Ph.D. in Forest Engineering from University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, in 2007. He began his career as a CNR researcher in 1988, conducting his first field studies in 1989, and rose to Senior Researcher in 2020 and Director of Research later that year. He has also held adjunct research positions at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia and Skogforsk, the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden.
His research focuses on forest operations mechanization and biomass harvesting, spanning natural, semi-natural, and planted forests; timber, pulpwood, and residue products; and techniques ranging from manual to fully autonomous systems. He has worked across most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States, with a long-standing association with the University of California, Davis, dating back to 1998. His bibliometric record is exceptional: more than 240 published articles, over 5,260 citations, and an h-index of 39 on Scopus (41 on Google Scholar).
Dr. Spinelli's international standing is reflected in his service on nine journal editorial boards, including Biomass and Bioenergy and the International Journal of Forest Engineering, where he has also reviewed dozens of manuscripts with a top-tier reviewer rating. He has served as Principal Investigator or coordinator on numerous EU-funded projects — including Tech4Effect, INFRES, SLOPE, and Dendromass4Europe — and has been Principal Investigator on 66 additional nationally funded projects, in addition to leading roles with IUFRO, FORMEC, COFE, FAO, and the International Energy Agency.
He has received thirteen fellowships and scholarships across three continents, including four Erskine Fellowships at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and six visiting scholar appointments at UC Davis. Colleagues describe him as an exceptional and generous mentor: he has supervised 15 master's and Ph.D. projects, served as external examiner for at least nine postgraduate defenses, mentored 16 CNR interns, hosted 22 visiting foreign scientists, and delivered lectures at 24 university courses and 33 international seminars.
Beyond academia, Dr. Spinelli has organized eight international conferences and 30 live machinery demonstrations and field days, working closely with equipment manufacturers, logging contractors, and forest managers to translate research findings into operational practice. Colleagues consistently praise his rare combination of scientific rigor, generosity toward younger researchers, and skill as a communicator across English, French, Spanish, and Italian.
Dr. Spinelli's career embodies the global reach and collaborative spirit the COFE International Forest Engineering Achievement Award seeks to recognize — a scientist whose influence spans continents, disciplines, and generations of forest engineering professionals.
