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<p>In southern Brazil, loblolly pine (<i>Pinus taeda</i> L.) plantations represent a major share of planted forests and frequently occupy marginal agricultural lands, where operational constraints such as ground stoniness may affect wood extraction efficiency. This study evaluated the influence of ground stoniness on forwarder productivity, extraction costs, and optimal economic forest road density in a 33-year-old loblolly pine stand. An elemental time study was conducted, comprising 95 sampled work cycles in non-stony ground and 47 in stony ground. Productivity models were used to estimate extraction costs across extraction distance, slope, and log volume. Optimal economic road density scenarios were generated for both ground conditions to minimize the combined costs of extraction and forest roads, including construction, maintenance, and loss of productive area. Mean forwarder productivity was 23.5% higher in non-stony ground, reflecting a 24.9% greater average time consumption per work cycle in stony ground. Wood extraction costs were higher under stony conditions across all operational scenarios. Under the assumption of equal road construction and maintenance costs, optimal economic road density was higher in stony ground, enabling reductions of 21.5% and 16.2% in total extraction and road costs for non-stony and stony ground, respectively. A sensitivity analysis considering increases of 10–70% in road construction and maintenance costs in stony ground showed that optimal economic road density decreases as road costs increase, becoming equivalent between ground conditions at a 70% cost increase. These results demonstrate that recommendations for higher road density in stony terrain are conditional upon road cost assumptions.</p>

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Effect of stony ground on forwarder performance and costs: implications for optimal economic forest road density recommendation

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月26日

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  • Marcelo Bonazza,
  • Vinicius Costa Cysneiros,
  • Jean Alberto Sampietro

摘要

In southern Brazil, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations represent a major share of planted forests and frequently occupy marginal agricultural lands, where operational constraints such as ground stoniness may affect wood extraction efficiency. This study evaluated the influence of ground stoniness on forwarder productivity, extraction costs, and optimal economic forest road density in a 33-year-old loblolly pine stand. An elemental time study was conducted, comprising 95 sampled work cycles in non-stony ground and 47 in stony ground. Productivity models were used to estimate extraction costs across extraction distance, slope, and log volume. Optimal economic road density scenarios were generated for both ground conditions to minimize the combined costs of extraction and forest roads, including construction, maintenance, and loss of productive area. Mean forwarder productivity was 23.5% higher in non-stony ground, reflecting a 24.9% greater average time consumption per work cycle in stony ground. Wood extraction costs were higher under stony conditions across all operational scenarios. Under the assumption of equal road construction and maintenance costs, optimal economic road density was higher in stony ground, enabling reductions of 21.5% and 16.2% in total extraction and road costs for non-stony and stony ground, respectively. A sensitivity analysis considering increases of 10–70% in road construction and maintenance costs in stony ground showed that optimal economic road density decreases as road costs increase, becoming equivalent between ground conditions at a 70% cost increase. These results demonstrate that recommendations for higher road density in stony terrain are conditional upon road cost assumptions.