Efficiency of timber harvesting from natural forest in Indonesia

Abstract

The efficiency of timber harvesting and damage to residual stands is an aspect that needs serious attention because it has impacts on 1) increasing logs production, 2) saving natural forest resources, and 3) reducing the volume of the waste left in the forest has potential to create a risk of greenhouse gas emissions. This paper aims to provide information on the efficiency of timber harvesting and residual stand damage caused by harvesting activities in natural forests. The results showed that: 1) Efficiency of harvesting natural forest timber ranged from 75-86% with an average of 80.6% before applying the low impact (RIL) and varied from 82-95% with an average of 87.6% for the RIL techniques; 2). Damage to residual stands due to logging of non-RIL and RIL ranged from 27.76-40.71% with an average of 31.97% and 5-40% with an average of 22.20%, respectively; 3). The application of RIL techniques and the existence of sustainable forest management certification could improve the efficiency of timber utilization.