Modern forestry vehicles and their impact on soil physical properties

Abstract

Mechanized harvesting procedures for typical forest vehicles were analysed to examine soil stresses and displacements occurring in soil profiles and to reveal changes in physical properties of forest soils. All field experiments were carried out under traffic lanes of standard forest vehicles in forest stands of the southern Black Forest. The soil stresses were determined using stress state transducers (SST) and displacement transducer systems (DTS) at depths of 20 and 40 cm. Complete harvesting and trunk-logging processes with a total time span of 9 min were observed. The maximum vertical stresses for all experiments exceeded 200 kPa; some experiments showed maximum vertical stresses up to 500 kPa or more at a depth of 20 cm. To evaluate the impact of soil stresses on soil structure, the internal soil strength was determined by predicting the precompression stress. Comparison of soil stress data with the natural bearing capacity of the natural forest soil proves that sustainable traffic is not possible, irrespective of the vehicle type and the working process. Topsoil and subsoil compaction, an increase in the precompression stresses, deep rutting and vertical as well as horizontal soil displacement associated with shearing effects took place and affected the mechanical strength and the physical properties of forest soils. Considering these results, heavy forest machinery has a severe impact on soil physical properties such as air, heat, water fluxes and rootability. In order to sustain the present undamaged soil condition, a change in harvest logistics and organisation is necessary. This can be achieved with a permanent skid-trail system which has already been designed to implement new guidelines in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany (Ministerium fur Ernahrung und landlichen Raum, Baden-Wurttemberg 2003, p 27).