Skidders are very cost-effective extraction machines, and winch-assist systems may extend their operating range to increasingly steep terrain. The use of skidder is relatively new, little information available about operational efficiency potential soil impact. A productivity disturbance study was carried out in Southland (New Zealand) gauge the benefits winch assistance by comparing performanc...

Skidding by means of heavy forestry machinery can affect soil physical properties. We assessed the effects of ground based skidding on soil bulk density and total porosity under the Iranian mountainous forest conditions. Treatments included a combination of four levels of traffic intensity (1, 3, 6, and 15 passes) of a Timberjack 450C rubber skidder and two levels of slope (<20% and >20%). The ...

A comparison of 14 currently applicable wood harvesting systems was assessed with respect to ergonomic point of view. For this purpose, the research method, based on the Hodges-Lehmann rule and the integrated work-severity rate of single machinery, was developed for ergonomic evaluation of cut-to-length, tree-length and full-tree harvesting systems. Altogether, about 130 different parameters of...

Cut-to-length (CTL) timber harvesting technology currently accounts for approximately 90% of Caspian forests. The technology involves felling, branching, cross-cutting, and then the skidder carries the logs to a landing, where the timber is temporarily stored, sorted and assembled for transportation to the mill. Cut-to-length systems typically require less labor, less access road construction, ...

Cut-to-length (CTL) timber harvesting technology currently accounts for approximately 90% of Caspian forests. The technology involves felling, branching, cross-cutting, and then the skidder carries the logs to a landing, where the timber is temporarily stored, sorted and assembled for transportation to the mill. Cut-to-length systems typically require less labor, less access road construction, ...

Skidding operations induce changes in soil physical properties, which have the potential to impact soil sustainability and forest productivity. Our objective was to investigate the effects of traffic frequency, trail slope, and soil moisture content on soil compaction, total porosity and rut depth. Treatments included a combination of three different traffic intensities (3, 7, and 14 passes), t...