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ABSTRACT
Some sawmills in the U.S. South have begun purchasing prime length sawtimber processed by processors instead of, or in addition to, tree-length sawtimber produced by pull-through delimbers and slasher saws. The goal of this study was to compare volume and stumpage value recovery of two variants of the whole-tree harvesting system: processor and conventional. The processor system used a processor on the landing to produce prime lengths while the conventional system used a loader, pull-through delimber, and slasher saw to produce tree-lengths. Four harvest sites were split, with half of each site harvested with a processor system and the other half by a conventional system. An optimal bucking program was written to estimate theoretical stumpage value for sampled trees under tree-length and prime length specifications. Tree-length specifications resulted in slightly higher theoretical value per tree, assuming mill specifications were followed exactly (p < 0.05). In practice, however, processor crews producing prime lengths recovered greater stumpage value than conventional crews producing tree-lengths. Actual stumpage value of trees produced by processor crews exceeded maximum simulated values by an average of 7%, whereas conventional crews exceeded simulated values by 1%. Variation in timber utilization per hectare was high, but processor crews recovered an additional 16 t ha−1 and 295 USD ha−1 relative to preharvest inventory estimates compared to conventional crews (p > 0.10). Adding processors to logging crews in the U.S. South is a viable option that may increase volume and value recovery, especially when mills demand close adherence to specifications.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.