Recent developments in handheld computers now make it possible to improve log value recovery by bucking (cross cutting) a tree into log lengths that maximize its value. The use of a handheld computer allows these decisions to be made at the stump for each individual tree. One program developed for...
A great deal of research has taken place in an effort
to find more economically efficient yarding systems for
commercial thinnings. Almost all of this research has
centered on tractors or small yarders with limited
capabilities in terms of long yarding distances. The
purpose of this study is to determine...
Forest managers in the Blue Mountains, of northeastern Oregon are currently faced with
vast areas of forests with health problems and high fuel loadings. These conditions
resulted from a combination of insect infestations, past management practices and the
elimination of fire from the local ecosystems. These forests are now overstocked,...
Tropical island ecosystems have proven to be inordinately vulnerable to invasions by exotic plants and animals. Today these islands only contain small
remnant populations of the original flora and fauna, and these populations are facing increasing pressure from invasive plants. This paper attempts to answer four important questions whose solutions...
Transportation costs compose fifty to sixty percent of
the total operating cost in the forest products industry.
This paper develops a framework for incorporating rail
transportation into a statewide multi-modal transportation
planning model. It will allow for the analysis of various
transportation scenarios that can possibly increase the
efficiency of...
Land managers in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon are currently faced with large areas of forest with health problems and extreme levels of fuel loading in the stand and on the forest floor. These conditions resulted from a combination of insect infestations, past management practices and the elimination of...
Approximately 750 million acres, or one-third, of the total area in the United States is in forest land. The United States Forest Service, a 34,000 person agency of the Department of Agriculture, is responsible for the management of roughly 20 percent of the forest land in the United States. The...
Although soil tillage has been used successfully to alleviate compaction of forest soil after logging in a number of management contexts, little is known about the feasibility of tilling in residual stands. In an attempt to weigh the benefits of tillage against possible damage done to residual trees during tillage,...
This study looked at the soil compaction effects
resulting from a cut-to-length harvest system on an area in
the western Cascade Range of Oregon. The cut-to-length
harvest system is a mechanized system in which trees are fell,
deliinbed, and bucked into short log lengths by a mechanical
harvester. Logs are...
Traditional rationale for design factors is briefly reviewed. Methodologies for determining these traditional design factors are lacking and are usually based upon subjective reasons which result in applying a design factor of 3.0 in all cases (western United States).
Factors which affect wire rope life are discussed. These factors include...