Abstract
Public opinion has become increasingly critical of current logging methods and technologies, and there is a demand for standards to guide the operations of environmentally impactful industries. For many years, numerous researchers have studied the impact of logging on forest soils, revealing that there is a high risk of damaging forest soil during forest operations and terrain transport. Here we analyse and review a total of 105 publications in this area. This large body of work demonstrates the scientific interest that this field has attracted. Despite this, important areas of uncertainty concerning the impact of forest harvesting still remain. In particular, changes in soil conditions can affect soil properties in ways that are not well understood, with possible impacts on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils as well as the structure of the soil cover. While it is difficult to fully eliminate the negative impact of forest operations on forest soils, their adverse environmental consequences should be minimised because soil plays a vital role in tree regeneration and helps determine the productivity of future forest stands. Some of the most frequently cited measures and effective technological solutions to minimize damage to forest soils involve taking terrain and different technical solutions into account when organising logging operations. Potentially helpful technical solutions include selecting machines and mechanisms suitable for the site conditions, using larger and/or low-pressure tyres, using tyre pressure control, using anti-skid tracks, using track belts, meliorating wet areas, and using logging machinery incorporating global positioning systems and geographic information systems. Planning measures that can help minimize soil damage include choosing a suitable wood harvesting system and technology, accounting for seasonal factors when planning logging operations, planning networks of roads and trails in advance, leaving wood residues or mats on soil surface, training forest specialists, and reducing the number of machine passes over skid trails and strip roads. Despite active interest in applying sparing methods of wood harvesting, uptake of measures designed to reduce negative impacts on forest soils after logging has been limited. This may be due to a lack of scientific and technical information and the high cost of implementing best management practices. Moreover, economic factors and production plans may require wood harvesting throughout the year, irrespective of conditions. For citation: Ilintsev A.S., Nakvasina E.N., Högbom L. Methods of Protection Forest Soils during Logging Operations (Review). Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2021, no. 5, pp. 92–116. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2021-5-92-116
Highlights
Forestry management and forest operations have become controversial due to fundamental differences in the ways different segments of society view forest resources
Public attitudes towards forest management and logging technologies have become more critical, and there is a growing demand for environmentally impactful industries to act in accordance with the standards of organisations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
It is important to account for environmental concerns during logging activities, not least those relating to effects on soil and water [15]
Summary
Forestry management and forest operations have become controversial due to fundamental differences in the ways different segments of society view forest resources. The main methods of regulating and reducing damage to the soil cover during logging operations should include all forest management stages, from planning and the choice of technologies for use in the cutting area to the environmental training of personnel. Factors controlling the degree and scale of impact on the soil during logging operations Publicly available topographic and space maps, digital models of the terrain (surface) of high spatial resolution (https://www.pgc.umn.edu/data/arcticdem/), and forest management and field materials for determining terrain conditions should be used when drawing the harvest site planning map and planning the road and skid trail network. Numerous studies have show that reinforcing skid trails with logging residues (brash mats and corduroy bridges) significantly reduces changes in soil properties such as bulk density, porosity, and rutting when compared to unreinforced skid trails and significantly increases the soil’s load-bearing capacity [25]. Recommended specific pressure ranges and logging machines for different soil types
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