Productivity and cost evaluations of energy-wood and pulpwood harvesting systems in first thinnings

In an environment where increases in both energy-wood and pulpwood production are desired, examining and differentiating forest energy-wood and pulpwood production systems based on their productivity and associated costs may allow potential users to better identify where cost savings may be realized, depending on their desired management preference. The cost-effectiveness of pulpwood and energy-wood harvesting systems may ultimately be determined by the productivity of the system in use and an variety of other factors, which include site conditions (i.e. stem size and removal per hectare) and market prices for raw material. An analysis of six different harvesting methods for energy-wood and pulpwood production was carried out to determine how productive and cost-effective selected systems may be and how they compare. Cost calculations, limited to production costs, indicated that the most cost-efficient harvesting methods among the tested methods in early thinnings at a diameter at breast height of removal less than 15 cm were integrated harvesting with multi-tree handling and delimbed stemwood harvesting with multi-tree handling aggregating all cutting fractions within the same pile. The results also suggest pulpwood harvesting with single-tree processing in stands with larger trees (diameter at breast height of removals > 15–17 cm), where this cutting method is cost-effective.