Search Results (6)

Local effects of ground-based timber harvesting, such as soil compaction, are often important for forest management and resilience of forests. One way to evaluate the compaction of the forest soils is by the penetration resistance. Most often, however, the control over the weight of the means used to extract the wood is difficult to maintain, influencing therefore the outcomes of the comparison studies. In this study, a controlled experiment was set up to see how the penetration resistance is affected by the number of passes of three wood extraction methods. A first objective of the study was to characterize the undisturbed soils by the mean values of penetration resistance along the profile. The second objective of the study was to compare the changes in penetration resistance induced by the number of passes along the soil profile. The extraction means were selected based on their typical use in flat-land operations, namely horse logging, skidding and forwarding, and the weight of their loads was determined before the experiment; then, each one was tested in a different area by operating in a closed loop on flat land, with 15 passes over the respective testing area. Penetration resistance was sampled up to 80 cm in depth in 10 control points, as well as in 10 sampling points over the wheels’ footprints. Ten samples were taken on the latter after the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, tenth and fifteenth passes, and comparisons were set up based on natural changing points in penetration resistance found in the control areas. The comparisons found significant differences by an increase in penetration resistance for all three extraction means, and there was a difference by an order of magnitude and depth; horse logging affected it the least and forwarding the most in magnitude, while skidding seemed to produce more significant changes in depth. However, the magnitude and depth of these changes may have depended on the characteristics of the soils from the test areas, and it cannot be concluded that the found levels of penetration resistance will affect the trees located nearby the experimental trails. The problem of soil compaction should be further examined by dedicated studies, given the variability in soil characteristics and diversity in means used to extract timber. Full article

Small-scale forestry and sustainable forest operations represent a key interest in Europe. Although animal-powered logging could be, in part, considered less harmful to topsoil, wood stands, saplings, and natural values than heavy machines, this method is rarely covered by scientific studies. Our main aim was to explore the occurrences of horse logging in Hungarian state-owned forests, especially those that are close to nature areas. We contacted every forest district in Hungary (n = 116) by phone in 2013 and 2021. While 39 out of the total 116 Hungarian state forestries hired teams that apply animal logging (a draft horse in every case) in 2013, their number fell to 24 in 2021. Within this data, the number of constantly hired horse logging contractors fell by 53.3% (from 30 to 14). Only three forest districts owned a horse stock in 2013 (the others employed contractors), while five owned them in 2021. However, none of them used horses for logging (only for touristic and hunting activities). All teams operated at least partially on nature conservation areas in both studied years. Despite this negative tendency, 34 out of the 44 forestries that operate on hilly and mountainous areas still claim horse logging in 2021, but they cannot find suitable people and horses. It is important to conserve animal logging and promote it among potential loggers with training and financial incentives. Full article

Skidding is considered to be one of the most stressful works for the forest environment. This paper presented the results obtained from the analysis of soil deformation and selected physical and mechanical parameters of soils on skid trails in the Gorce National Park. The study analyzed two horse and tractor skid trails that are in continuous use in the park. Measurements of parameters were recorded before (summer) and after (autumn) a total of 81 skidding cycles, using a profilometer and a penetrometer, and soil samples were collected for analysis. The measurements obtained from the horse trails indicated that soil compactness was considerably higher in the lower sections of the trails and on the side more loaded by horse traffic and the transported load, which was related to the trail course in the field. The values of penetration resistance were high in the middle of those trails, reaching 6.8 MPa in the layer up to 10 cm. In the tractor trail the values of soil compactness reached 7.62 MPa in the layer up to 10 cm deep and were similar across the width of the trail and deep into the soil profile, with only slight changes observed in the monitored period. As a result of skidding, there were increases in the maximum depth of ruts reaching up to 4.6% on horse trails and up to 10.8% on tractor trails. Soil erosion per 10 m of trail caused by skidding and other natural factors during the study reached 1.314 and 0.390 m³ for the tractor and horse trail, respectively, wherein volume of skidded wood on the tractor trail was 180.1, and 18.1 m³ on horse trails. This confirms that the volume of eroded soil on the trails is determined by the type of skidder used and volume of skidded wood, so it is important to choose the right kind of skidder based on the conditions in which the skidding work will be carried out. Full article

In Mediterranean regions, afforested areas were planted to ensure the permanence of land cover, and to protect against erosion and to initiate the vegetation processes. For those purposes, pine species were mainly used; however, many of these stands, without silvicultural treatments for over fifty-sixty years, were in a poor state from physical and biological perspective, and therefore, clear-cutting on strips was conducted as silvicultural operation with the aim to eliminate 50% of the pine trees and to favor the affirmation of indigenous broadleaves seedlings. At the same time, the high and increasing demand of the forest based sector for wood biomass related to energy production, needs to be supplied. In a modern and multifunctional forestry, in which society is asking for sustainable forestry and naturalistic forest management, forestry operations should ideally be carried out in a sustainable manner, thus support the concept of sustainable forest management. All these aspects are also related to the innovation in forestry sector for an effective energetic sustainability. Three different forest wood chains were applied in pine plantations, all differing in the extraction system (animal, forestry-fitted farm tractor with winch, and double drum cable yarder). The method of the sustainability impact assessment was used in order to assess potential impacts of these alternative management options, and a set of 12 indicators covering economic, environmental, and social dimensions was analyzed. Further, to support decision makers in taking informed decisions, multi-criteria decision analysis was conducted. Decision makers gave weight towards the indicators natural tree regeneration and soil biological quality to support the achievement of the forest management goal. Results showed that first ranked alternative was case 2, in which extraction was conducted by a tractor with a winch. The main reason for that lies in the fact that this alternative had best performance for 80% of the analyzed criteria. Full article

Renaturalization treatment in black pine afforestation is an important topic that should be considered. There is a need to favor the evolution of artificial pine forests toward natural forest systems. Overall, this study focused on pine forests, and suggests one typology of clear-cutting (dismantling cutting) on strips, which is associated with different extraction management techniques. Some ecological and environmental aspects associated with renaturalization treatments that have been applied by different mechanizations in black pine afforestation have been highlighted, as well as how renaturalization and the active ecological management of these stands could affect soil and vegetation. The main objectives of this research were to: (1) analyze the impact of silvicultural treatment and logging activities on forest soil, and (2) assess tree regeneration and floristic biodiversity in an ecological management system, in terms of both quantity and quality characteristics. These analyses were planned to obtain an overview of the environmental impact related to a multifunctional approach to the forest management of black pine afforestation. Essentially, the answers to the main research questions are: (1) less invasive extraction systems seem to use a cable yarder and forest winch; (2) a clear soil recovery trend with good capabilities is visible, in particular for the two extraction systems by cable; however, over a three-year period, only a partial but substantial recovery has been shown; (3) in general, silvicultural treatment showed qualitative and quantitative improvement in terms of tree regeneration; in particular, the extraction systems by forest winch and cable yarder showed better results; (4) silvicultural treatment seems not to have led to improvement at the level of the herbaceous and shrubby layers; however, clear differences are shown among the different harvesting systems. Significant recovery after use of the cable yarder was observed. Full article

Horse skidding for extracting logwood is characterized as a niche activity in small-scale forestry, limited to small tracts and low volumes, where environmental impacts and aesthetics are concerned, and to operations with no wood-processing facilities. This article documents and analyzes the widespread persistence, current magnitude, and multiple advantages of horse skidding in large-scale industrial community forest enterprises in Chihuahua, Mexico. We extracted data from the logging permit files of 59 communities in the Sierra Tarahumara and conducted semi-structured interviews with community leaders and foresters in 18 communities, 17 random selections, and one purposefully selected case. There are nine communities that can be considered large-scale. Six of them use animal traction for 20%–100% of their volume. All have sawmills integrated with their operations. This includes the El Largo community with a ten-year volume of 3,169,019 m³ extracted from 123,810 ha entirely with horses. Respondents to the interviews report that horse skidding is more cost-effective than mechanized skidding, generates more employment, and has less impact on forests due to reduced carbon emissions. The widespread use of animal traction in large-scale industrial community forestry in Chihuahua demonstrates that horse skidding is not only a niche activity in small-scale forestry. Our data is preliminary, but we suggest that it highlights a need for further assessments of whether animal traction should be part of future efforts towards reduced impact, lower carbon emissions, and socially and economically just forest management. Full article