Forest Disturbance and Efficiency of Vehicle Logging Operations through Selective Cutting Harvest in a Natural Forest

Abstract

Forest disturbance and operational efficiency were discussed through a ground logging system in a selective cutting harvesting. Grapple skidder operation together with a winch skidder resulted in small disturbance when the grapple skidder mainly execute logging operations. Trees were injured often at slopes where gentler than ten degrees and at slopes steeper than twenty degrees. The former is because of easiness to run a skidder to make free direction long skidding path, and the latter is because that felled trees often roll down on the slope to hit trees when hauled. Decreasing branching of skidding paths enables shorten the paths length and is expected to suppress forest disturbance.