%0 Research article
%T Two felling methods in final cutting of shelterwood, single-grip harvester productivity and damage to the regeneration
%A Glöde, Dan
%A Sikström, Ulf
%D 2001
%J Silva Fennica
%V 35
%N 1
%R doi:10.14214/sf.604
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/604
%X In order to find an efficient and careful way of final-cutting  shelterwoods, two felling methods, in a single-grip harvester system,  were compared with respect to productivity and damage caused to the  regeneration. The shelterwood (140–165 m3/ha) consisted of Norway spruce  (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and the  natural regeneration (9530–11 780 seedlings/ha) mostly of Norway spruce.  Treatments were: (i) conventional felling on both sides of the  harvester striproad, preferably in blanks of the regeneration; (ii)  felling of the trees top-end first into the striproad using a method  named “tossing the caber”. Both treatments included forwarding after  felling. Conventional felling had a non-significantly higher  productivity (27.4 m3/E15–h) and lower cost (25.9 SEK/m3) than tossing  the caber (26.1 m3/E15–h and 27.2 SEK/m3). However, tossing the caber  was significantly more efficient in the felling and processing of pine  trees compared with conventional felling. The mean proportions of the  disappeared and damaged seedlings were approximately 40% after both  treatments. The logging-related damage to the regeneration decreased  with increased distance to the striproad in the tossing the caber  treatment but not in conventional felling. The conclusions were that  there were no differences between the treatments regarding productivity,  cost and total damage to the regeneration in mixed conifer shelterwoods  but that tossing the caber could be a more productive method than  conventional felling in pine dominated stands. Tossing the caber could  also be beneficial at a regeneration height of 2–3 m since at this  height the damage to the regeneration seems less than at conventional  felling.