Abstract
This case study examines the performance of the Igland Hauler employed in small diameter Eucalyptus clear-cut operations in Guangxi, China. A yarding crew of eight persons was monitored by a snap back elemental time study for 19.23 SMH (scheduled machine hours), with 159 yarding cycles and a yarded log volume at landing of 49.4 m³ solid over bark. A gross-productivity of 2.50 m³/SMH and net-productivity of 5.06 m³/PMH0 (productive machine hours excluding delay times) was achieved, leading to a machine utilization rate of 49.5%. The costs of the yarder and associated overhead as well as the personnel costs of a large crew with eight people sum up to extraction costs of 50.24 USD/m³. The high costs make it difficult to compete economically with the locally common manual extraction system as long as abundant labor at a low hourly rate is available in the region. Further performance improvement through skill development, but also technical and organizational system modification in conjunction with rising wages and decreasing labor force in rural primary production will determine the justification of employing such yarding systems. However, new silvicultural regimes with extended rotations and supply requirements of the forest products industry in China demand new operational systems.
Highlights
China experienced decades of unregulated timber exploitation and deforestation during its industrial development over the second half of the 20th century, resulting in serious environmental problems [1].over the last 20 years, the country’s forestry sector significantly evolved due to policy reforms and management improvements in order to ensure a sustainable development
This study aims to examine the potential of a simple low capacity cable yarder in forest operations of southern China through a case study conducted in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
PMH15 times accounted for two thirds of all delay times, the majority of the delays were covered by the conventional approach
Summary
Over the last 20 years, the country’s forestry sector significantly evolved due to policy reforms and management improvements in order to ensure a sustainable development. 1970s, as proven by the latest national forest inventory [2]. The intensification of these activities are mainly defined by the conservation orientated Six Key Forestry Programs (SKFPs), as launched in 2000 [3,4,5,6]. Until now, it has not been possible to significantly improve the timber supply situation to the emerging domestic forest product industries. The country is facing an increasing timber demand-and-supply gap, estimated to reach
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