A feasibility study on the performance of a harwarder in the thinning of small scale forests in Ireland

摘要

Private forest plantations in Ireland, if properly managed, have the potential to generate significant amounts of harvestable timber over the coming decades. However, the average size of private plantations is just 9 ha, therefore the identification of compatible, economic harvesting systems requires careful consideration. A feasibility study was carried out to compare the machine operation and movement costs for a harvester-forwarder system and a harwarder system (an integrated harvester and forwarder on a single machine base) for projected harvesting over the period 2020-2025 in a selection of privately-managed forests in Co Wexford. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine the combination of factors that could make the harwarder system more cost-effective than the harvester-forwarder system.