Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran

doi:10.3832/ifor1141-007

Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran

Meghdad Jourgholami⁽¹⁾ , Shoukuh Soltanpour⁽¹⁾, Maryam Etehadi Abari⁽¹⁾, Eric K Zenner⁽²⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 7, Issue 5, Pages 342-348 (2014)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1141-007
Published: Apr 17, 2014 - Copyright © 2014 SISEF

Research Articles

PDF Version

Full Text

Citation

Tractor-based systems are the most common type of small-scale timber harvesting equipment in the Hyrcanian forest, where farm tractors equipped with a 2-wheel trailer typically perform forwarding operations for pulpwood and fuelwood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different frequencies of machine passes on soil bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR) and total porosity (TP) in different slope gradient and forwarding direction (i.e., uphill vs. downhill). The study, performed on a brown soil with a silt loam to loamy texture, was designed as a factorial experiment with three slope gradient/forwarding direction classes (0-10% downhill forwarding slope, 10-20% downhill forwarding slope and 0-10% uphill forwarding slope) and four traffic intensity classes (0 [undisturbed control area], 1-4, 5-10 and >10 machine passes). Responses were assessed at four soil profile depth classes (5, 10, 15 and 20 cm). BD and PR significantly increased and TP significantly decreased with increasing machine traffic, with magnitudes of change that were not consistently greater in the upper 5 cm compared to the 20 cm soil profile depth class. Whereas the majority of changes in BD and TP occurred after fewer than 5 passes, large increases in PR occurred even after 10 passes. Changes of BD, PR and TP in response to machine traffic differed significantly among slope gradient/forwarding direction classes. Increases in BD and PR and decreases in TP were largest on the 0-10% uphill forwarding slope, followed by the 10-20% downhill and 0-10% downhill forwarding slope. We conclude that the application of farm tractors in forwarding operations should be limited to gentle slopes and uphill forwarding with these machines should be avoided.

Keywords

Farm Tractor, Forwarding Operation, Soil Compaction, Penetration Resistance, Total Porosity

Authors’ address

(1)

Department of Forestry and Forest Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Zob-e-Ahan Street, 315854314 Karaj (Iran)

(2)

College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennstate University, 305 Forest Resources Building, University Park, 16802 PA (United States of America)

Corresponding author

Meghdad Jourgholami
mjgholami@ut.ac.ir

Citation

Jourgholami M, Soltanpour S, Etehadi Abari M, Zenner EK (2014). Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran. iForest 7: 342-348. - doi: 10.3832/ifor1141-007

Academic Editor

Enrico Marchi

Paper history

Received: Oct 06, 2013
Accepted: Nov 25, 2013

First online: Apr 17, 2014
Publication Date: Oct 01, 2014
Publication Time: 4.77 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 49792
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 41517
Abstract Page Views: 3389
PDF Downloads: 3724
Citation/Reference Downloads: 12
XML Downloads: 1150

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 3871
Overall contacts: 49792
Avg. contacts per week: 90.04

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2014): 29
Average cites per year: 2.90

(no Plumx Metrics available for this paper)

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ^©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

(1)

Adams PW, Froehlich HA (1984)
Compaction of forest soils. Extension Publication PNW 217, Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Portland, OR, USA, pp. 13.
Gscholar

(2)

Alban DH, Host GE, Elioff JD, Shadis D (1994)
Soil and vegetation response to soil compaction and forest floor removal after aspen harvesting. Research Paper RP-NC-RP-315, North Central Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, St. Paul, MN, USA, pp. 8.
Online | Gscholar

(3)

Ampoorter E, de Schrijver A, Van Nevel L, Hermy M, Verheyen K (2012)
Impact of mechanized harvesting on compaction of sandy and clayey forest soils: results of a meta-analysis. Annals of Forest Science 69: 533-542.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(4)

Ampoorter E, Van Nevel L, De Vos B, Hermy M, Verheyen K (2010)
Assessing the effects of initial soil characteristics, machine mass and traffic intensity on forest soil compaction. Forest Ecology and Management 260: 1664-1676.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(5)

Ares A, Terry TA, Miller RE, Anderson HW, Flaming BL (2005)
Ground-based forest harvesting effects on soil physical properties and douglas-fir growth. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69: 1822-1832.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(6)

Bock MD, Van Rees KCJ (2002)
Mechanical site preparation impacts on soil properties and vegetation communities in the Northwest Territories. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 32: 1381-1392.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(7)

Bolding MC, Kellogg LD, Davis CT (2009)
Soil compaction and visual disturbance following an integrated mechanical forest fuel reduction operation in Southwest Oregon. International Journal of Forest Engineering 20 (2): 47-56.
Gscholar

(8)

Brais S (2001)
Persistence of soil compaction and effects on seedling growth in northwestern Quebec. Soil Science Society of America Journal 65: 1263-1271.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(9)

Bustos O, Egan A (2011)
A comparison of soil compaction associated with four ground-based harvesting systems. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 28 (4): 194-198.
Online | Gscholar

(10)

Conway S (1984)
Logging practice, principles of timber harvesting systems. Miller Freeman Publications, San Francisco, USA, pp. 465.
Gscholar

(11)

Dykstra DP, Heinrich R (1996)
FAO model code of forest harvesting practice. FAO, Rome, Italy, pp. 85.
Gscholar

(12)

Eliasson L (2005)
Effects of forwarder tire pressure on rut formation and soil compaction. Silva Fennica 39: 549-557.
Online | Gscholar

(13)

Eliasson L, Wasterlund I (2007)
Effects of slash reinforcement of strip roads on rutting and soil compaction on a moist fine-grained soil. Forest Ecology and Management 252: 118-123.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(14)

Ezzati S, Najafi A, Rab MA, Zenner EK (2012)
Recovery of soil bulk density, porosity and rutting from ground skidding over a 20-year period after timber harvesting in Iran. Silva Fennica 46 (4): 521-538.
Online | Gscholar

(15)

Froehlich HA, McNabb DH (1984)
Minimizing soil compaction in Pacific Northwest forests. In: “Forest soils and treatment impacts” (Stone EL ed). Proceedings of the “6th North American forest soils conference”. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, USA, pp. 159-192.
Gscholar

(16)

Gayoso J, Iroume A (1991)
Compaction and soil disturbances from logging in Southern Chile. Annals of Forest Science 48: 63-71.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(17)

Gent JA, Morris LA (1986)
Soil compaction from harvesting and site preparation in the upper Gulf Coastal Plain. Soil Science Society of America Journal 50: 443-446.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(18)

Greacen EL, Sands R (1980)
Compaction of forest soil, a review. Australian Journal of Soil Research 18: 163-189.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(19)

Greulich FR, Hanley DP, McNeel JF, Baumgartner D (1999)
A primer for timber harvesting. EB1316, WSU Cooperative Extension, Pullman, Washington, USA, pp. 33.
Gscholar

(20)

Horn R, Vossbrink J, Peth S, Becker S (2007)
Impact of modern forest vehicles on soil physical properties. Forest Ecology and Management 248: 56-63.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(21)

Ilstedta U, Malmerb A, Nordgrenb A, Liauc P (2004)
Soil rehabilitation following tractor logging: early results on amendments and tilling in a second rotation Acacia mangium plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Forest Ecology and Management 194: 215-222.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(22)

Jamshidi R, Jaeger D, Raafatnia N, Tabari M (2008)
Influence of two ground-based skidding systems on soil compaction under different slope and gradient conditions. International Journal of Forest Engineering 19: 9-16.
Online | Gscholar

(23)

Jourgholami M (2012)
Small-scale timber harvesting; mule logging in Hyrcanian Forest. Small-scale Forestry 11 (2): 255-262.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(24)

Krag R, Higgingbotham K, Rothwell R (1986)
Logging and soil disturbance in southeast British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 16: 1345-1354.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(25)

Landsberg JD, Miller RE, Anderson HW, Tepp JS (2003)
Bulk density and soil resistance to penetration as affected by commercial thinning in northeastern Washington. Research Paper PNW-RP-551, Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Portland, OR, USA, pp. 35.
Online | Gscholar

(26)

McNabb DH, Startsev AD, Nguyen H (2001)
Soil wetness and traffic level effects on bulk density and air-filled porosity of compacted boreal forest soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 65: 1238-1247.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(27)

Miller D, Anderson H (2002)
Soil compaction: concerns, claims, and evidence. In: Proceedings of the Meeting “Small Diameter Timber: Resource Management, Manufacturing, and Markets”. Spokane (Washington, USA) 25-27 Feb 2002. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Friday Harbor, WA, USA, pp. 97-106.
Gscholar

(28)

Mousavi R (2009)
Comparison of productivity, cost and environmental impacts of two harvesting methods in northern Iran: short-log vs. long-log. PhD thesis, Faculty of Forest Sciences, University of Joensuu, Finland, pp. 93.
Gscholar

(29)

Murphy G, Firth JG, Skinner MF (2004)
Long-term impacts of forest harvesting related soil disturbance on log product yields and economic potential in a New Zealand forest. Silva Fennica 38 (3): 279-289.
Online | Gscholar

(30)

Nugent C, Kanali C, Owende PMO, Nieuwenhuis M, Ward S (2003)
Characteristic site disturbance due to harvesting and extraction machinery traffic on sensitive forest sites with peat soils. Forest Ecology and Management 180: 85-98.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(31)

Picchio R, Neri F, Petrini E, Verani S, Marchi E, Certini G (2012)
Machinery-induced soil compaction in thinning two pine stands in central Italy. Forest Ecology and Management 285: 38-43.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(32)

Rab MA (1996)
Soil physical and hydrological properties following logging and slash burning in the Eucalyptus regnans forest of southeastern Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 84: 159-176.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(33)

Rodriguez EO (1986)
Wood extraction with oxen and agricultural tractors. FAO Forestry Paper No. 49, Rome, Italy, pp. 120.
Online | Gscholar

(34)

Rohand K, Kalb AA, Herbauts J, Verbrugge JC (2004)
Changes in some mechanical properties of a loamy soil under the influence of mechanized forest exploitation in a beech forest of central Belgium. Journal of Terramechanics 40: 235-253.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(35)

Russell F, Mortimer D (2005)
A review of small-scale harvesting systems in use worldwide and their potential application in Irish forestry. COFORD, Dublin, Ireland, pp. 48.
Online | Gscholar

(36)

Savelli S, Cavalli R, Baldini S, Picchio R (2010)
Small scale mechanization of thinning in artificial coniferous plantation. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 31 (1): 11-21.
Online | Gscholar

(37)

Shaffer RM (1992)
Farm tractor logging for woodlot owners. College of Natural Resources, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA, pp. 5.
Gscholar

(38)

Sidle RC, Drlica DM (1981)
Soil compaction from logging with a low-ground pressure skidder in the Oregon Coast Ranges. Soil Science Society of America Journal 45: 1219-1224.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(39)

Spinelli R, Magagnotti N (2012)
Wood extraction with farm tractor and sulky: estimating productivity, cost and energy consumption. Small-scale Forestry 11 (1): 73-85.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(40)

Susnjar M, Horvat D, Seselj J (2006)
Soil compaction in timber skidding in winter conditions. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 27: 3-15.
Online | Gscholar

(41)

Updegraff K, Blinn CR (2000)
Applications of small-scale forest harvesting equipment in the United States and Canada. Staff Paper Series no. 143, College of Natural Resources and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA, pp. 51.
Online | Gscholar

(42)

Wang J, LeDoux CB, Edwards P (2007)
Changes in soil bulk density resulting from construction and conventional cable skidding using preplanned skid trails. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 24: 5-8.
Gscholar

(43)

Williamson JR, Neilsen WA (2000)
The influence of forest site on rate and extent of soil compaction and profile disturbance of skid trails during ground-based harvesting. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 30: 1196-1205.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(44)

Wronski EB, Murphy G (1994)
Responses of forest crops to soil compaction. In: “Soil Compaction in Crop Production” (Soane BD, van Ouwerkerk C eds). Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 317-342.
Gscholar

(45)

Zenner EK, Berger AL (2008)
Influence of skidder traffic and canopy removal intensities on the ground flora in a clearcut-reserves northern hardwood stand in Minnesota, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 256: 1785-1794.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(46)

Zenner EK, Fauskee JT, Berger AL, Puettmann KJ (2007)
Impacts of skidding traffic intensity on soil disturbance, soil recovery, and aspen regeneration in north central Minnesota. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 24: 177-183.
Online | Gscholar

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

Contents

Search

Journal Info

Journal Subjects and Fields

For Authors

For Reviewers

For Readers

SISEF Publishing

Search iForest Contents