Residual tree damage estimates from partial cutting simulation

In the northeastern United States, partial cutting practices are the primary silvicultural tools. Unfortunately, some damage to residual trees in treated stands is inevitable, and timber management goals may be severely affected. A method of estimating damage was developed in conjunction with an interactive machine simulation program that can model harvesting performance in a variety of silvicultural operations. The damage estimation worked well in an empirical comparison, but further testing with data from other harvesting systems and stands could improve the model's usefulness