Description

ANNOTATION: Sycamore has high promise as a short-rotation fiber and energy species on better quality sites in the Southeastern United States. There have been few studies on operational harvesting systems for hardwood plantations. A continuous-speed felling and bunching prototype machine was evaluated in harvesting a three-year-old, short-rotation sycamore plantation. A small tractor, grapple skidder, and large chipper were evaluate along with the prototype machine as complete harvesting systems. Prediction equations, production rates, and costs were developed for each component of the systems. ABSTRACT: A continuous-speed felling and bunching prototype machine was evaluated in harvesting a three-year-old, short-rotation sycamore plantation. A small tractor, grapple skidder, and large chipper were evaluate along with the prototype machine as complete harvesting systems. Prediction equations, production rates, and costs were developed for each component of the systems. Production of the feller buncher was about 850 stems an hour (17.3 green Mg), and felling cost for the test was $3.29 green Mg^-1. Total system cost was about $11.50 green Mg^-1. However, cost could be reduced with a smaller chipper. A survey of stump damage showed little damage from the feller buncher when it was operating properly. The tractor caused minimal skidding damage, less than that of the large skidder.