Quantitative and qualitative of wood loss following motor-manual tree felling (Case study: Kheyrud forest)

Understanding “what kind of damage, where it occurs during the timber harvesting process, and how serious it is” can help the wood products industry to make proper decisions and take the necessary precautions to promote better utilization of forest resources. The objectives of this study are to determine which processes cause damage, the type of damage, where and how they occur, to focus on whether the volume and value of hardwood logs harvested in this region are affected by harvest operations, to determine what actions can be taken to minimize the effects of damage throughout the tree felling process. This study was carried out in compartments 208 and 211 in Namkhaneh district in Kheyrud forest. In order to calculate the wood value loss following tree felling, 206 trees consisting of beech and hornbeam species were measured. There were five types of damage recorded: split damage, gouge damage, slab damage, scrape damage & no damage. The total volume of damaged logs was 46.87 cubic meters (5.2 %) for all trees. The majority of woody tissue damage is caused by splits and slabs. Gouges and scrapes caused a small amount of volume loss. Finally, wood value losses for each group were measured.