Evaluation of wood productivity rate in primary and secondary transportation in Nekachub region

Wood transportation from cutting areas to saw mills includes two phases; 1) transport of logs from cutting areas to road side (primary transportation) by skidder and 2) wood hauling by logging tracks from road side to saw mills (second transportation). The goal of the current study was to evaluate the total time skidding and wood transportation and production rate of skidder and logging trucks and effective factors of logging operation in Nekachoub area, north of Iran. In this study, based on data from continuous time studies for different phases, 45 and 60 turns were recorded on skidder and logging trucks, respectively. Collected data were analyzed by mathematical model of skidding time by TAF skidder, including winching distances, slope, number and volume of logs and hauling time, hauling distances, number and volume of logs. The results showed that submitted models were valid for skidding and hauling times. Thus, logging cost would be calculated. In this research, production rate for TAF skidder, wood transportation by logging trucks from road side (landing in forest) to saw mill depot by truck were 10.26 m³/hr and 5.79 m³/hr, respectively.