Abstract
In forestry interventions such as thinning or selection cutting, appropriate road and skid trail networks are essential for efficient forest operations, but also for limiting damage to the residual stand and soil. Recently, multiple studies have shown the advantage of precision forestry and the use of a geographic information system (GIS) in forest road network planning, replacing time-consuming manual measurements and skid trail design directly in the forest. The objective of this research was to test the accuracy of three GIS-based methods, the correct distance method (CDM), real distance buffer method 12 (RDBM12) and real distance buffer method 10 (RDBM10), in estimating the area accessible for winching along skid trails. The study was carried out in two mountain areas, Fibbino and San Martino al Cimino (Italy). All the methods for determining the winching area were based on GIS and digital terrain model (DTM) maps. Additionally, control distances were measured manually in both areas and the results were compared with the distances measured using the GIS methods. The initial results showed that all the methods were useful for determining the winching area in mountain conditions. However, in conclusion, the CDM and RDBM10 methods were more accurate and can be recommended for further use and development.
Highlights
One of the prerequisites of sustainable forest management (SFM) is to minimise the negative impact of harvesting on the environment without limiting work productivity [1,2,3]
Multiple studies have shown the advantage of precision forestry and the use of a geographic information system (GIS) in forest road network analysis and planning
GIS for for planning planning forest forest utilisation utilisation is is As less time-consuming time-consuming and and much much cheaper cheaper in in comparison comparison with with field field measurements measurements and and working working with with aa less topographic map. They are useful when it is necessary to decide which extraction method topographic map. They are useful when it is necessary to decide which extraction can be applied in mountain areas, especially when when different extraction methods can be i.e., method can be applied in mountain areas, especially different extraction methods canused
Summary
One of the prerequisites of sustainable forest management (SFM) is to minimise the negative impact of harvesting on the environment without limiting work productivity [1,2,3]. A well-designed and properly established forest road network guarantees a low impact on the environment when extracting or transporting timber [2,18,19,20,21,22]. In forestry interventions such as thinning or selection cutting, an appropriate road network is important in order to limit damage to the residual stand, to restrict the area of disturbed soil and to optimize productivity [2,17,20,23]. In other kinds of interventions, such as coppicing or clear cutting, a limited road network does not guarantee a low impact on the environment after harvesting [24]
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