Measuring Soil Surface Changes after Traffic of Various Wheeled Skidders with Close-Range Photogrammetry

Soil surface is directly affected by heavy traffic of machinery during harvesting operations. Machine often causes damage to forest soil which visible on the (ruts) and invisible changes in, for example, bulk density, penetration resistance, etc. Close-range photogrammetry state-of-the-art method used recording evaluation changes. This study aims analyze caused three types wheeled skidders without a load Cambisol in Central Slovakia. We use Structure-from-Motion (SfM) close-range record evaluate depths ruts their volumes after 40 passes individual skidders. compared Root Mean Square Errors (RMSEs) dense point clouds created from various numbers images taken plots. Rut volume calculated SfM manual measurements were one skidder. The final values RMSE did not exceed 10 mm except plot with lowest number photos. rut varied between 0.026 0.050 m, fluctuated 0.021 0.089 m3. skidder type terrain slope had significant impacts magnitudes results methods assessing correlated. Based presented we can conclude that be applied detect forestry machinery.