Abstract
Efficient forest operations are required for the provision of biodiversity and numerous ecosystem services, such as wood production, carbon sequestration, protection against natural hazards and recreation. In numerous countries, under difficult terrain conditions, the costs of forest management and harvesting are not covered by timber revenue. One possible option to increase the cost-effectiveness of the forestry sector is the application of state-of-the-art harvesting and extraction techniques, so-called best suitable harvesting methods. We present a case study from Switzerland, where a lack of competitiveness in the forestry sector is of particular interest, with the aim of quantifying the efficiency gains if estimated best suitable harvesting methods were to be rigorously applied instead of the currently applied harvesting methods. For this purpose, we developed a spatial decision support system to allocate estimated best suitable harvesting methods to plots, while concurrently considering hauling route limitations, extraction route properties and stand characteristics. Our approach was based on productivity models and supported with expert-defined decision trees. The evaluation of the estimated best suitable harvesting methods and the comparison with the currently applied harvesting methods were completed for all 6500 National Forest Inventory (NFI) plots in Switzerland. We draw the following three major conclusions from our study: First, our modeling approach is an effective method to allocate estimated best suitable harvesting methods to NFI plots. Second, applying estimated best suitable harvesting methods would lead to cost reductions, in particular in the regions that include steep terrain and where harvesting mainly relies on cable- and air based extraction methods. Third, assuming an average timber price of 75 CHF m −3, 64 % instead of 52 % of the forest area could be harvested economically over the whole country if estimated best suitable methods were applied. This advantage would mainly be caused by a shift towards more mechanized harvesting methods. Improving the cost-effectiveness of the forestry sector is of high global relevance, as the increased use of domestic timber resources is a cost-efficient way to reduce atmospheric carbon emissions. The methodological framework described here was developed for Switzerland in particular, but it could be applied to Central Europe and other parts of Europe with a large amount of mountain forests.
Highlights
Efficient forest operations are a requirement for the provision of biodiversity and numerous ecosystem services, such as wood produc tion, carbon sequestration, protection against natural hazards and rec reation (Blattert et al, 2018)
The Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI) has assessed and implemented a wider variety of timber harvesting methods than we considered for the estimated best suitable methods, because the Swiss NFI has to cover the full range of techniques used in Switzerland
Applying estimated best suitable harvesting methods would lead to a larger percentage of forest area that can be harvested below a certain cost threshold, in particular in the Swiss regions Pre-Alps, Alps and Southern Alps, which include steep terrain and where harvesting is mainly based on cable- and air-based methods
Summary
Efficient forest operations are a requirement for the provision of biodiversity and numerous ecosystem services, such as wood produc tion, carbon sequestration, protection against natural hazards and rec reation (Blattert et al, 2018). Managed forests lower the risk of disturbances such as wind storms (Temperli et al, 2020; Maurer and Heinimann, 2020). Even if the logging operation itself is not economical, forest management remains the most efficient way to administer these services. This applies in particular to protection forests in the mountains, which must fulfill a certain silvicultural requirement in order to have their optimal protective effect (Heinimann and Stampfer, 2003; Frehner et al, 2005).
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.