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Assessment of Site and Stand Disturbance From Cut-To-Length Harvesting

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Assessment of stand and soil disturbance resulting from cut-to-length (CTL) winter season harvest demonstrations performed on a 12-year-old pine plantation first thinning. 23-year-old second thinning, and a mixed pine/hardwood natural stand clearcut harvest is reported. The harvests were perfomed on Martin Timber Company lands in central Louisiana, during February and March, 1997. Soil disturbance results show that 11.0 percent of the total harvest area was disturbed to some level, soil bulk density in disturbed areas was increased by 21.4 percent in the most severe cases, rut depth averaged 13.0 inches in the most severely disturbed areas along the corridor trail and logging slash occupied up to 70 percent of the corridor trail distance. Mean soil bulk density in traveled areas covered with slash was 0 to 14 percent higher than the undisturbed areas. In first thinning harvest trials, 2.1 percent of the residual trees had bole injuries. In second thinning trials less than 1 percent of the residual trees had bole injuries.

Citation

Vidrine, Clyde G.; deHoop, Conelius; Lanford, Bobby L. 1999. Assessment of Site and Stand Disturbance From Cut-To-Length Harvesting. Paper presented at the Tenth Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, Shreveport. LA, February 16-18. 1999.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/2140