engleski

ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION OF WOOD RESIDUES UTILIZATION

The paper deals with environmental evaluation of two different harvesting methods of wood residues utilization. In the research, all harvesting volume, which is not technical roundwood, is defined as wood residues. According to this definition, wood residues consist of small sized roundwood (fuelwood) and branches. Research was carried out in two subcompartments of the same forest compartment, representing forest stand of pedunculate oak in the lowland part of Croatia. At first, technical roundwood was extracted by forwarders in each subcompartment. After that, wood residues were extracted by forwarders in the first subcompartment. Traditional method of wood residues utilization was applied in the second subcompartment, which comprises processing of fuelwood to 1 m length by chainsaws, extraction of fuelwood by tractor and semitrailer and bunching of branches on stumps without utilization. Environmental evaluation of two different harvesting methods of wood residues utilization was based on wheel numeric (Nw) – parameter which describes interaction between wheel load and soil. Cone penetrometer for measuring soil bearing strength, shear vane for measuring soil shear strength and platform scale for measuring wheel loads of vehicles were used in the investigation. The results pointed out more extensive soil damages during traditional wood residues utilization with extraction by tractors and semitrailers. Wheel loads of tractor and semitrailer are lower than wheel loads of forwarder during extraction of fuelwood. However, wheel dimensions of tractor and semitrailer are smaller, especially tire width, which leads to the smaller wheel-soil contact area and smaller value of wheel numeric. Also, a greater percentage of tracking area was noticed during extraction of fuelwood by tractors and semitrailers.

wood residues; tractor with semitrailer; forwarder; ecological suitability; wheel numeric; cone index; contact area

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