Residual stand damage after shovel logging and conventional ground skidding in an Appalachian hardwood stand

The steep, uneven terrain of central Appalachia offers significant challenges to conventional ground-based logging systems. Rubber-tired skidding, by far the most common means of yarding wood in the region, generally involves the construction of expensive forest access systems that expose surface soils, increasing the potential for erosion and sedimentation. In addition, clearcutting is only rarely practiced in the region and most of the forestland is owned by nonindustrial private forest owners who value the amenities associated with partial harvests. It is, therefore, important that alternatives to conventional ground-based yarding systems that can be applied in partial harvests be investigated. Three ± 5-acre replicates each of shovel logging and conventional rubber-tired skidding were randomly assigned in a partial harvest of an Appalachian hardwood stand in northern West Virginia. After logging, residual stand-damage data were collected on all trees in the six replicates. Contingency table analyses suggested: 1) a moderate level of dependence between the shovel and skidder treatments and the frequency of residual trees exhibiting bole damage, with the shovel logging treatment areas containing a greater number of residual trees with bole damage than the skidder logged areas; and 2) that the amount of severe bole damage was independent of yarding treatment. Analysis of variance revealed no significant difference between the two treatments in the size of bole damage wounds (p = 0.730). Based on the results of this study, shovel logging may be a viable alternative to conventional rubber-tired skidding in some situations, but the system should be used cautiously in order to reduce the frequency of residual tree damage.