M. Chad Bolding, Joseph L Conrad IV, Natascia Magagnotti, Raffaele Spinelli, Timothy R Miller. (2026). Productivity and cost of cut-to-length harvesting on small wet sites in the US South. Silva Fennica vol. 60 no. 2 article id 26004. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.26004

Keywords: forwarder; cost; harvester

Highlights: Harvester productivity was most impacted by tree size and species; Wet site conditions and scattered logs reduced forwarder productivity; Adding a mobile loader or using setout trailers could significantly improve system productivity and reduce costs.

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The cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting system is utilized globally in diverse forest types, prescriptions, and terrain conditions. Despite this versatility, the system is used sparingly in the US South, which predominantly uses full-tree (FT) systems. The region also contains forested areas characterized as wet mineral flats with hydric soils ranging from sandy loams and fine sands to mucky fine sands. Wet site harvesting is challenging for FT wheeled machines; therefore, these sites are often harvested with shovel logging systems (SL) utilizing tracked excavators and large wheeled skidders. Due to high logging costs, SL requires large sites and timber volumes for economic feasibility. Wet sites that are too small for cost-effective SL and too wet for FT machines often go unmanaged. Due to value recovery potential, low ground pressure, and trafficability in wet conditions, we evaluated the use of a CTL system on small wet sites (<15 ha). Time-and-motion studies were conducted on a Ponsse Ergo harvester and Elephant forwarder while felling-processing, forwarding, and loading. Studies determined productivity and cost for each machine and evaluated opportunities for improvement. Onboard truck costs averaged $15.91 m^–3. Adding a mobile tracked loader to load trucks would increase system productivity by 53% and reduce onboard truck costs by $1.71 m^–3. Alternatively, adding setout trailers would increase system productivity by 32% and reduce onboard truck costs by $2.92 m^–3. Our results provide information on an alternative harvesting system for harvesting small, wet sites. With modifications, the CTL system can be cost effective to recover timber often unutilized.

Bolding, Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6212-7133 E-mail: bolding@uga.edu
Conrad IV, Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA E-mail: jlconrad@uga.edu
Magagnotti, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Bioeconomia (CNR IBE), Firenze, Italy E-mail: natascia.magagnotti@cnr.it
Spinelli, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Bioeconomia (CNR IBE), Firenze, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9545-1004 E-mail: raffaele.spinelli@cnr.it
Miller, Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5499-3073 E-mail: timothy.miller@uga.edu

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