Damage to trees and regeneration as a result of motor-manual timber harvesting using equipment aggregated with farm tractors

Stanczykiewicz A., Sowa J.M., Szewczyk G. 2011. Uszkodzenia drzew i odnowienia w wyniku reczno-maszynowego pozyskania drewna z wykorzystaniem urzadzen agregowanych z ciagnikami rolniczymi. Sylwan 155(2): 129-137. The research was Conducted in thinned pine stands, age class II, where cutting was carried out with chainsaws. Subsequent operations were performed using a NIAB 5-15 and HYPRO 450 delimber-bucker processor and a FRANSGARD 6000 cable winch aggregated with farm tractors. The timber harvesting technology was applied with a cut-to-length system using processors, and with a tree-length system using a cable winch. In the selected stands, nine study plots were established, in which the inventory of stand layers: trees and undercanopy regeneration was carried out twice (before and after felling). Based on the obtained data, the level of damage to trees and regeneration after thinning operations was calculated. In the case of the technology using processors, the level of damage to trees in individual manipulation plots was within the range of 4.3%-8.6% (total 7%), while for the winch technology it was from 3.1% to 5.8% (total 4.5%). As regards regeneration, damage resulting from the harvesting and skidding of timber using processors in individual manipulation plots was at a level of 4.1%-13.5% (total 8.5%) and damage resulting from the harvesting and skidding using a winch cable from 5.8% to 17.0% (total 9%).