Time consumption models for predicting harvester productivity when selection cutting, thinning from below, and clearcutting Scots pine-dominated stands in Finnish Lapland

Abstract

In this study, time consumption models to predict harvester productivity when selection cutting, thinning from below, and clearcutting Scots pine-dominated (Pinus sylvestris) stands in Finnish Lapland were constructed because no up-to-date or comparable studies were available. A conventional single-grip harvester was used to harvest industrial roundwood from time study stands in winter and fall conditions. The compiled models and parameters can be used to evaluate the feasibility of alternative forest management practices, e.g. the conversion of even-aged stands into continuous cover ones in northern Fennoscandia. Continuous cover forestry and especially selection cutting are considered as a complementary alternative to the dominant even-aged forest management and can facilitate the integration of wood production with multiple uses of boreal forests, e.g. in Finnish Lapland, where reindeer herding, nature-based tourism, and forestry are important livelihoods. The results indicated that harvester time consumption was strongly affected by the stem volume of the harvested trees and the number of harvested stems per hectare. The productivities of selection cutting and thinning from below were at the same level when the volume of harvested stems was equal, and this productivity was significantly lower than in clearcutting.