Description:
Logging planning and layout costs were examined for commercial thinning of
40- to 50-yr-old stands of Douglas-fir on the Willamette National Forest in the
Cascade Mountains of Oregon. The study consisted of four replications of three
silvicultural treatments. Thinning involved three types of logging systems: mechanized
cut-to-length (a combination of single-grip harvester and forwarder), tractor,
and skyline. Data for the study came from two sources: activities completed by the
Forest Service in preparing sales for bid, and the layout completed by the logging
contractor after a contract was awarded. Planning and layout costs showed no
consistent relationship to type of silvicultural treatment. Logging contractor layout
costs showed a relationship to type of logging system: the mechanized system had
the lowest layout cost, followed by the tractor systems, with the skyline systems
having the highest costs.