Comparison of Erosion Potential Between Manual and Cable-Assisted Mechanized Felling on Steep Slopes – a Case Study in Southern Oregon, USA

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bladon K ; Chung W ; Hatten J ; Leshchinsky B ; Morrissette B ; Sessions J
• Description:
  Cable-assisted logging systems are a relatively new technology being used on steep slopes in the Pacific Northwest, USA. We will present preliminary results from a study comparing traditional manual timber harvesting practices with a cable-assisted, mechanized timber cutting system. Approximately 2 hectares of the 18 hectare harvest unit were manually using a chain saw, and the remaining area was harvested mechanically by a cable-assisted feller-buncher. Timber in both areas was then extracted using the same cable logging system. After cable logging, in late fall 2018, we installed erosion fences in (a) skyline corridors in cable-assisted machine felling areas, (b) skyline corridors in manual felling areas, and (c) cable-assisted machine tracks. Our objectives are to quantify differences in soil erosion and sediment transport between harvest types. We installed 4 pairs of soil moisture probe clusters (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm depth) along machine tracks and minimally disturbed ground in the cable-assisted timber harvesting area to quantify soil water content. We will present preliminary results of overwintering and partial summer erosion, sediment delivery, and soil moisture impacts from the two forest harvesting treatments. To facilitate interpretation of the erosion data, we are also collecting data on post-yarding ground based LIDAR, precipitation intensity and total, and pre- and post-treatment bulk density, soil strength (penetrometer), soil water content, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. This study is expected to provide insights into the relative impacts of steep slope cable-assisted harvesting operations on runoff and erosion compared to the traditional manual timber felling and cable-logging. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Forestry Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Environmental Impacts Equipment Operation Logging Industry Machinery Soil Mechanics
• Publisher:
  International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060728
• Citation:
  XXV IUFRO World Congress 2019: Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable Development, September 29-October 5, 2019, Curitiba, Brazil. Vienna, Austria: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), 2019 Sep; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Oregon State University - Corvallis
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20150901
• Source Full Name:
  XXV IUFRO World Congress 2019: Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable Development, September 29-October 5, 2019, Curitiba, Brazil
• End Date:
  20180831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:92a412141a52879a2086cac30655d87ea42fa2b17cb8542150b7ebcb01c8f7c96f0a94d2bb739293ec1bcf79f221f5f111116970edaa76dcbbe6e5f1faa448b6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224556/cdc_224556_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 388.18 KB ]