Assessing the damaged regeneration by mechanized and traditional loggings in the forest (Case study: Lala forest of Mazandaran Wood and Paper Company)

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 M.Sc. Forest Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran

2 Associate Prof., Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran

3 Assistant Prof., Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran

4 Research Expert, Wood and Paper Company of Mazandaran, Sari, Iran

Abstract

Ecologically and economically sound forest logging is regarded as a biological and practical necessity. However, the logging activities cause damages to forest, in particular to its regeneration. Both traditional and in mechanical wood harvesting and transportation are practiced in Caspian forests. Here, the damages to the regeneration raised by skidding with mule (traditional) and Skidder (mechanized) were assessed and also compared. This study was conducted in Parcel 4 of Lala series of Mazandaran Wood and Paper Company forests. The applied forestry regime is single tree selection. Random systematic sampling was used with circular sample plots to study the regeneration damages for the two methods, measured before and after skidding. The results showed that 2.38 % of the regeneration was damaged during the tree felling and conversion operations, whereas 8.56% was damaged after the skidding operations. In this study, the industrial skidding damages to groups of seedling, small sapling and sapling were assessed to account for 10.67%, 7.46% and 1.78%, respectively. Furthermore, the traditional skidding damages to groups of seedling, small sapling and sapling were 9.2%, 9.11% and 6.58%, respectively. Also the total damages to regeneration in the industrial skidding were assessed to be 7.93%, whereas the rate was 9% in traditional skidding. Finally, the statistical analysis showed that the damages caused by traditional and industrial skidding are not significantly different between the two studied parts of the forest parcel.
 

Keywords


- Ahmadi, H., 1996. Study of logging damages on forest stand. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, 148p (In Persian).
- Anonymous, 2008. Forest Management Plan of Lala, Series no: 7, Section no: 2, Tajan Watershed. Published by Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization , Sari, 231p (In Persian).
- Asadi, A., 2006. A method for estimating the economic losses caused by harvesting in the forests of northern Iran. Proceedings of the National Conference on the Future of Iran's Forests. Tehran, 21-23 Feb. 2006: 41-42 (In Persian).
- Ataei, S., 2011. The effects of harvesting on mass and regeneration. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, Islamic Azad University, Chaloos Branch, Chaloos, 71p (In Persian).
- Ghaffariyan, M.R., 2003. Evaluation of production and damages to soil and regeneration due to skidding by mule. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran,Karaj, 109p (In Persian).
- Ghaffariyan, M.R, Sobhani, H. and Marvi Mohajer, M., 2005. The injuries the forest caused by transferring wood in the traditional way. Iranian Journal of Natural Resources, 4(58): 805-812 (In Persian).
- Hosseini, S.M., 1994. Effects of harvesting on forest mass in forestry plan of Darabkla. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, 129p (In Persian).
- Jourgholami, M. and Majnounian, B., 2010. Traditional logging method in Hyrcanian forest, impacts to forest stand and soil (Case study: Kheyroud forest). Iranian Journal of Forest, 2(3): 221-229 (In Persian).
- Lotfalian, M.,2005. Harvesting injuries on mass and regeneration in Mazandaran Wood and Paper Industries. Final Report of Project, Mazandaran University, Sari, 95p (In Persian).
- Lotfalian, M.,2012. Logging. Ayizh Press, Tehran, 488p (in Persian).         
- Rasti, R., 2007. Study of difference between production and damages to residual stand and seedlings in predesigned mule trail and conventional method (Case study: Kheyroud forest). M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, 90p (In Persian).
- Soleimannejad, M., 2005. Studying the influence of mechanized and traditional logging on regeneration and compare them. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Mazandaran, Sari, 67p (In Persian).
- Sowa, J.M. and Stanczykiewicz, A., 2007. Determination of the impact of selective logging technologies on the tree damage level in thinned mountain stands. Proceedings of the 40th International Symposium on Forestry Mechanization FORMEC’07, Vienna, Austria, 7-11 Oct. 2007: 1-9.
- Stokes, V., Kerr, G. and Ireland, D., 2009. Seedling height and the impact of harvesting operations on advance regeneration of conifer species in upland Britain. Forestry, 82: 185-198.
- Tashakori, M., 1996.  Investigation of the effects logging on forest stand. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resource and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat  Modares University, Noor, 110p (In Persian).
- Tavankar, F., Bonyad, A.E. and Majnounian, B., 2009. Logging damages on forest regeneration and soil compaction ground skidding system. Journal of Sciences and Technology of Agriculture and Natural
Resources, 13(48): 449-456 (In Persian).
- Wang, L., 1997. Assessment of animal skidding and ground machine skidding under mountain conditions. Journal of Forest Engineering, 8(2): 57-64.
- Zobeiri, M., 2009. Forest Inventory (Measurement of Tree and Forest). Teheran University Press, Tehran, 401p (In Persian).