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<p>Residual trees are fundamental to sustaining ecosystem integrity and long-term economic productivity in selectively harvested forests. While mechanical damage from ground-based skidding is widely documented, its quantified economic ramifications remain critically underexplored. This study integrates 5-year post-harvest field assessments along decommissioned skid trails with an ecological-economic modeling framework to evaluate impacts across harvesting methods (cut-to-length vs. tree-length), trail attributes (slope and traffic intensity), and wound severity (bark vs. sapwood/cambium penetration). Wound metrics within a 4&#xa0;m trail buffer were recorded and translated into volume and value losses using a penalty function, with Monte Carlo simulations applied to assess sensitivity under operational and market uncertainty. Damage incidence ranged from 33 to 36%, with mean annual economic losses escalating from 2.23 USD m⁻³ year⁻¹ for superficial bark wounds to 6.23 USD m⁻³ year⁻¹ for deep injuries on slopes &gt; 15%. Tree-length harvesting methods induced the most severe wounds and value depreciation, whereas cut-to-length practices minimized damage and better-preserved timber value. Sensitivity analysis revealed stable expected losses but high variability driven primarily by product recovery structure rather than stumpage price fluctuations. The proposed framework serves as a robust decision-support tool, advocating adaptive management through precision trail planning, traffic minimization, avoidance of steep terrain where feasible, and targeted thinning of severely damaged trees. These evidence-based strategies reconcile operational efficiency with residual stand resilience, advancing economically viable and ecologically sound selective harvesting practices.</p>

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Short-term ecological and economic implications of post-harvest injury on residual stands in mixed-hardwood forests

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月23日

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  • Sättar Ezzati,
  • Soleiman Mohammadi Limaei,
  • Aidin Parsakhoo

摘要

Residual trees are fundamental to sustaining ecosystem integrity and long-term economic productivity in selectively harvested forests. While mechanical damage from ground-based skidding is widely documented, its quantified economic ramifications remain critically underexplored. This study integrates 5-year post-harvest field assessments along decommissioned skid trails with an ecological-economic modeling framework to evaluate impacts across harvesting methods (cut-to-length vs. tree-length), trail attributes (slope and traffic intensity), and wound severity (bark vs. sapwood/cambium penetration). Wound metrics within a 4 m trail buffer were recorded and translated into volume and value losses using a penalty function, with Monte Carlo simulations applied to assess sensitivity under operational and market uncertainty. Damage incidence ranged from 33 to 36%, with mean annual economic losses escalating from 2.23 USD m⁻³ year⁻¹ for superficial bark wounds to 6.23 USD m⁻³ year⁻¹ for deep injuries on slopes > 15%. Tree-length harvesting methods induced the most severe wounds and value depreciation, whereas cut-to-length practices minimized damage and better-preserved timber value. Sensitivity analysis revealed stable expected losses but high variability driven primarily by product recovery structure rather than stumpage price fluctuations. The proposed framework serves as a robust decision-support tool, advocating adaptive management through precision trail planning, traffic minimization, avoidance of steep terrain where feasible, and targeted thinning of severely damaged trees. These evidence-based strategies reconcile operational efficiency with residual stand resilience, advancing economically viable and ecologically sound selective harvesting practices.