Environmentally conscious and productive use of ATV's in wood extraction activities

In recent years, there has been a need in the management of forests through precision forestry approach for a more productive, efficient and sustainable management of forest resources. In this regard, modern technology offers human beings different materials and methods day by day and it allows the production activities to be carried out. Such changes are for more economical, easier and faster ways of costly, difficult and time-taking production activities. Inadequate use of mechanization in the production process increases the cost and cause important damages on both the products and the stand. Moreover, planning failure has negative impacts on the remaining trees of the stand, the products, the youth and the forest soil in the production area. Therefore, it has become compulsory to make use of not only a production concept that minimizes the costs but also modern methods to minimize the stand damages in the wood extraction and enable working in smaller areas. It was aimed, with this study, to evaluate the wood extraction activities conducted with land vehicles (ATV) to be used for the first time in Turkey these activities on the terrains with gentle slopes (% 11-20). In this study, which was carried out to research the convenience of ATVs in forestry activities, it is planned to use different methods and equipment and to develop practices suitable for this. It is also planned to make some recommendationsregarding solution proposals in order to increase productivity by determining the factors affecting the operational efficiency, to determine tree and sapling damages in the stand during trawling activities, and to determine and minimize the damages to the forest soil. It is considered that the results obtained from the study are considered to contribute to the national forestry practices. In the study, an average work efficiency of 4,06 m3/hour was obtained for leaved species (beech), while an average work efficiency of 4,08 m3/hour for coniferous species (maritime pine). When the 1st equipment was compared 2nd one, both used for skidding the timber with an end on the ground (a yield of 3,73 m3/hour) and another aloft (a yield of 4,41 m3/hour), efficiency is expectedly higher with the 2nd equipment, when the timber is in no contact with the ground. The average cost for 1 m3 was 136,92 TL/m3 in the wood extraction activities with animal and human power, while it was calculated as 38,79 TL/m3 in the extraction with a 4x4 ATV. The fixed and variable cost was respectively 25,55 TL/hour and 39,79 TL/hour. It was also found that the pore volume, grain density and bulk density are lower after the skidding activities. It was found that 17 trees with a total volume of 4,017 m3 should be cut down and removed from the area in order to establish skidding lines that allow the production with ATV. This rate was found to be 26.732 m3 as long as it is made for the establishment of skidding lines of 2,5 m with tractors.