Industrial round-wood losses associated with motor-manual tree felling and bucking (Case study: Kheyrud forest, Iran)

Damage to the harvested log can occur during the felling، delimbing، bucking، skidding، piling، and hauling functions of wood harvesting. A field-based study was performed to determine the amount of industrial round-wood losses associated with most applicable motor-manual tree felling and bucking systems in Gorazbon district in Kheyrud forest northern Iran. Observations were made for motor-manual harvesting systems during the felling and bucking operations. The damages detected were broken down into four groups in felling operations: split damage، stump height، slab damage، and splintering or breakage damage. There were tree types of damage recorded following the bucking operations: split damage، splintering or breakage damage and measurement error or deviation from the desired log dimensions. In the felling operations، splintering or breakage damage and splits were the most frequent types of damage. The majority of woody tissue damage in the bucking process was caused by measurement error. The total losses in industrial round-wood volume were measured as 32. 6 cubic meters (in the felling and bucking operations; were as 86 and 14 percent، respectively). The total losses in industrial round-wood value at the study area were estimated as 196. 6 million Rials (in the felling and bucking operations; were as 85 and 15 percent، respectively).