Analysis of Logging Systems for Pre-Commercial and Commercial Thinnings Within the Non-Industrial Private Forest Sector

1991

76 S.

14 Anhang, 44 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200034469

The need for thinning is great in Sweden, especially within the non- industrial private forestry sector. The young stands which have grown after the large clearcuts of the 50's and 60's are now in great need of thinning. For the self-employed woodlot owner, conventional cutting with motormanual methods and off-road transportation with a forwarder, or with a farm tractor supplemented by a trailer and a wire crane loader has long been the dominating method. Since the beginning of the 1980's, however, several new machines and concepts have been introduced with the selfemployed woodlot owner and part-time contractor in mind. The following equipment can be mentioned as examples of this: trailers with knuckle-boom loaders, processors for the farm tractor, mini-skidders, all terrain vehicles etc. The damage to the ground and residual trees through the use of large machines has also contributed to the increased interest for the small-scale logging techniques. The private woodlot owner has a number of factors to take into account when deciding how thinnings should be carried out. The following factors are examples of this: available own time, size of holding, forest management needs, economics of different machine systems, biological result through the use of different systems, work environment etc. It is therefore important to analyze and evaluate the most common logging methods within the private forestry sector. The objective of this study has therefore been to compare different logging systems in precommercial and commercial thinning. Both conventional shortwood systems and systems where woodfuel assortments are extracted have been included in the study. This has involved the following: To calculate productivity and costs for the compared systems in some type stands for precommercial and commercial thinnings. To compare different assortment choices in respect of resulting volumes and wood values in the type stands. To calculate the work compensation during self-employment for the different systems in different type stands at different annual levels of activity (hours/year, volume/year). To present and discuss other aspects and effects of importance in the choice of different logging systems. The analysis intends to provide advisors and individual forest owners with a basis for decision-making regarding the choice of management strategy, new techniques and degree of self-employment.