Original scientific paper
Damage to Soil and Residual Trees Caused by Different Logging Systems Applied to Late Thinning
Anna Cudzik
orcid.org/0000-0002-4341-1585
; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology Institute of Agricultural Engineering ul. J. Chełmońskiego 37a 51-630 Wrocław POLAND
Marek Brennensthul
; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology Institute of Agricultural Engineering ul. J. Chełmońskiego 37a 51-630 Wrocław POLAND
Włodzimierz Białczyk
; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology Institute of Agricultural Engineering ul. J. Chełmońskiego 37a 51-630 Wrocław POLAND
Jarosław Czarnecki
; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology Institute of Agricultural Engineering ul. J. Chełmońskiego 37a 51-630 Wrocław POLAND
Abstract
This paper concerns the evaluation of logging systems in terms of the damage to the forest ecosystem. Damages to trees and soil during late thinning conducted in foothills areas in Poland using tree-length and cut-to-length logging systems were assessed. In both stands, the test plots were located within the primary and secondary skid trails. In the study, areas occupied by skid trails were determined as well as the depth of ruts. In order to determine changes in the soil properties at selected measurement points, a soil penetration resistance and a maximum shearing stress were measured. For each logging system, the share of trees damaged during harvesting operations and location of injuries were determined. The studies have shown that a 70% larger area was required to form technological trail with CTL than with TL. After CTL, skid trails were scarred by shallow ruts, and the share of ruts with the depth between 0.16 and 0.25 was three times smaller than after TL. The average increase in penetration resistance of soil in the ruts after TL was 324% and 302% and after CTL 308% and 220%, respectively, for primary and secondary skid trail, in comparison to the values obtained in measurement points located 5 m from the trails. In TL, comparable changes of soil properties were caused by skidder wheels and by hauled wood. The research has shown a greater share of damaged trees after TL. In both logging systems, the most damage was found within the root collar and lower parts of the bole.
Keywords
logging system; soil disturbance; damage to trees
Hrčak ID:
174453
URI
Publication date:
20.1.2017.
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