Establish the productivity of winch-assist machines and the factors that effect it

Steep slope harvesting with machines is a recent element of the forest industry, still experimenting with winch-assist machines and the different harvesting approaches that each comprises. The aim of this research topic will compare the productivity of six different winch-assist forest harvesting operations; three in New Zealand and three in Canada. The primary goal will be to establish the productivity for each operation, and relate the different stand and terrain factors at each harvest operation. The stand factors assessed will be the number of trees in a certain area, and the average size of the trees. The terrain factors assessed will be the slope of the terrain and the soil quality. To achieve this, five days of direct contact will be necessary at each operation. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Dominik Roeser

Student:

Cameron Leslie

Partner:

FPInnovations

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Program: