Full Length Research Paper

An investigation on roundwood extraction of Fagus orientalis lipsky, Abies nordmanniana (Stew.) Spach. and Picea orientalis (L.) Link. by Urus M III forest skyline on snow

Habip Eroğlu¹, M. Sinan Özkaya², H. Hulusi Acar³, Ali Karaman¹ and H. Ahmet Yolasığmaz²

¹Artvin Çoruh University, Faculty of Forestry, 08000, Artvin, Turkey.

²Regional Forest Directorate, 08000, Artvin, Turkey.

³Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Forestry, 61080, Trabzon, Turkey.

*Corresponding author. habip_eroglu@yahoo.com

Accepted 5 January, 2009

Harvesting and transportation of woods from forest are extremely difficult, expensive and time-consuming operations. In the most regions of Turkey, the application of mechanized harvesting equipment is currently very limited due to low labor cost and high fuel cost. In Turkish forestry, the most common harvesting method is cut-to-length system, which is carried out intensively during the late spring and summer, as well as during the winter with a limited extent. In this study, productivity of roundwood extraction (Fagus orientalis Lipsky., Abies nordmanniana (Stew.) Spach. and Picea orientalis (L.) Link.) by Urus M III skyline on snow in Artvin, Turkey was investigated. The average total time of shift was measured as 13.10 min for uphill logging and 22.92 min for downhill logging. Increases in number of pieces, log diameter, log length and log volume increased the total transportation time. The results also indicated that the productivity value of Urus MIII skyline varies among the sites (5.87 m³/h in Site-1, 6.82 m³/h in Site-2, 4.08 m³/h in Site-3 for uphill and 1.69 m³/h in Site-4 downhill), and uphill yarding by Urus MIII was more productive than downhill yarding on snow.

Key words: Artvin, skyline, roundwood logging on snow, oriental spruce, oriental beech, nordmann fir.