Production and Costs of motor-manual tree felling in Hyrcanian forest

Authors

Abstract

Tree felling includes all activities undertaken to fell standing trees and prepare them for extraction. This study was conducted in Gorazbon district in the Hyrcanian forest. The objectives of the study were to discover the special characteristics in the time consumption of manual tree felling, productivity and costs, and develop regression model of tree felling in selection conditions. The continuous time study was conducted with professional operators for chain-saw felling and the cycles were broken down into time elements. Different variables were measured such as time consumption, inter-tree distance, tree species, tree volume, and tree diameter. Rest and meal time of working crew was the most time-consuming element in felling, followed by under-cut and walk-to-tree times. The operational delay was the most time-consuming delay time. The results showed that time consumption for under-cut and backcut was increased with increasing diameter. Labor costs accounted for 44 % of the hourly cost while only 2 % was related to machine cost. A significant linear relationship was found between cycle time and diameter. Productivity of chainsaw felling was increased related to tree DBH as a power function. The cost of chainsaw felling with and without delay time were USD 3.03 and 2.7 per cubic meters, respectively. The cost of felling was increased as simple exponential function when DBH of harvested tree was decreased. However, the unit felling cost for chainsaw operation decreased as size of tree increased. Total felling cycle time without delay averaged 4.1 minutes and with delay time were averag...

Keywords


- Behjou, F.K. Majnounian, B. Dvorák, J. Namiranian, M. Saeed, A. and Feghhi, J. 2009. Productivity and
cost of manual felling with a chainsaw in Caspian forests. Journal of Forest Sceince. 55(2): 96–100.
- Bjorheden, R. and Thompson, M.A. 1995. An International Nomenclature for Forest Work Study. Paper
presented at the XX IUFRO World Congress, Tampere, 6-12 August 1995. 16 p.
- Conway, S. 1979. Logging practice, principle of timber harvesting system. Miller Freeman, USA, 416 p.
- Dykstra, D. and Heinrich, R. 1996. FAO. Model code of forest harvesting practice. Rome, FAO. 85 p.
- Ershadifar, M., Nikooy, M. and Naghdi, R. 2011. Ability assessment of felling crew in directional felling
in west forest of Guilan province. Iranian Journal of Forest. 3(2): 169-176.
- Han, H.S. and Renzie, C. 2005. Effect of Ground Slope, Stump Diameter, and Species on Stump Height
for Feller-Buncher and Chainsaw Felling. International Journal of Forest Engineering. 16(2): 81-88.
- Heinemann, H.R. 2004. Forest operation under mountainous conditions. In Encyclopedia of Forest
Sciences, J. Burley, J. Evans, and J. Youngquist, Editors. Elsevier Academic Press: Amsterdam, etc. P: 279285.
 - International Labour Office (ILO), 1998. Safety and health in forestry work. Geneva. Italy. 116 p.
- Kluender, R. Lortz, D. McCoy, W. Stokes, B. and Klepac, J. 1997. Removal intensity and tree size effects
on harvesting cost and profitability. Forest Products Journal. 48(1): 54-59.
- Kluender, R.A. and Stokes, B.J. 1994. Productivity and costs of three harvesting methods. Southern
Journal of Applied Forestry. 18(4): 168-174.
- Laitila, J. Asikainen, A. and Nuutinen, Y. 2007. Forwarding of whole trees after manual and mechanized
felling bunching in pre-commercial thinning. International Journal of Forest Engineering. 18(2): 29-39.
- Li, Y., Wang, J. Miller, G. and McNeel, J. 2006. Production economics of harvesting small-diameter
hardwood stands in central Appalachia. Forest Product Journal. 56(3): 81-86.
- Lortz, D., Kluender, R., McCoy, W., Stokes, B. and Klepac, J. 1997. Manual felling time and productivity
in southern forests. Forest Product Journal. 47(10): 59-63.
- Mitchell, J. 2000. Productivities and costs of harvesting small openings in the Cariboo Forest Region.
FERIC, Vancouver, BC. Advantage. Vol. 1 (22) 8 p.
- Nikooy, M. 2007. Optimizing Production Cost and Damage Reduction to Wood, Trees and Forest by
Harvest Planning (Case Study: Asalem Forest District area). Ph.D. Thesis. Natural Resurces Faculty.
University of Tehran. 215 p.
- Parker, S. 2002. Methods to improve falling safety in coastal British Columbia. FERIC, Vancouver, BC.
Advantage. Vol. 3 (13) 8 p.
- Pearce, K. and Stenzel, G. 1972. Logging and pulp wood production, John Wiley & Sons, 453 p.
- Renzie, C. 2006. A Comparison of Partial Cut and Clearcut Harvesting Productivity and Cost in Old
Cedar-Hemlock Forests in East Central British Columbia. MSc thesis. The University of Northern British
Columbia. 131 p.
- Rummer, R. and Klepac, J. 2002. Mechanized or hand operations: which is less expensive for small
timber? Published in Small Diameter Timber: Resource Management, Manufacturing, and Markets
proceedings from conference held February 25-27, 2002 in Spokane, Washington. Compiled and edited by
D.M. Baumgartner, L.R. Johnson, and E.J. DePuit. Washington State University Cooperative Extension. 268
p.
- Sarikhani, N. 2008. Forest utilization. Tehran University, Tehran. 728 p.
- Sessions, J. K. Boston, G. Murphy, M.G. Wing, L. Kellogg, S. Pilkerton, J.C. Zweede, and Heinrich, R.
2007. Harvesting operation in the Tropics. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg. 170 p.
- Sobhani, H. and Rafatneia, N. 1997. Guideline for forest harvesting plan. Forest, Range and Watershed
Management Organization. Iran. 39 p.
- Spinelli, R. and Visser, R. 2008. Analyzing and estimating delays in wood chipping operations, Biomass
and Bioenergy. 3: 1-5.
- Thibodeau, E.D. Krag, R.K. and Hedin, I.B. 1996. The Date Creek study: productivity of ground-based
harvesting methods in the Interior Cedar-Hemlock zone of British Columbia. FERIC, Vancouver, BC.
Special Report SR-114. 38 p.
- Wang, J. Long, C. McNeel, J. and Baumgras, J. 2004. Productivity and cost of manual felling and cable
skidding in central Appalachain hardwood forests. Forest Product Journal. 54(12): 45-51.