Ground-Based Extraction on Salvage Logging in Two High Forests: A Productivity and Cost Analysis

Working time studies, work productivity, and cost assessments of forest logging are of interest to forest managers and planners. These aspects are particularly important in salvage logging, because of difficulties due to irregularly positioned fallen trees in forest areas, and due to particular aspects related to the absence of work planning. In this research, system productivity and the cost of salvage logging are analyzed for two mountain forests managed with close-to nature-silviculture: the Hyrcanian forest, using extraction by a skidder, and the Camaldoli forest, using extraction by tractors. The system productivity of salvage logging by skidders and tractors was calculated as 1.54 and 0.81 m3·h−1, respectively. In contrast to common logging, system productivity was about 6- to 15-fold lower in salvage logging. The effective cost consumptions for the skidder and tractor were calculated as $72.57 and $118.62 USD·m−3, respectively. For both yards, winching time increased due to increasing winching distance and winching load volume. The same result was determined for skidding time in relation to load volume and distance. The possible cost decreases for the skidder and tractor were calculated as 2.6% and 4.3%, respectively. The results revealed that operational costs for extracting wind-fallen trees are higher than for traditional standing-trees extraction for both situations studied. In both cases, the harvesting costs were higher than the timber price by 10% to 30%. Therefore, extraction of wind-fallen trees has no economic justification in these forests.