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Forests
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The Influence of Mechanized Timber Harvesting on Soils and Stands
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The Influence of Mechanized Timber Harvesting on Soils and Stands

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Operations and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 1581

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eunjai Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Resources, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: forest operation; steep-slope harvesting; cost analysis; environmental impacts; soil disturbance; runoff and soil loss; health and safety; simulator training
Dr. Petros A. Tsioras

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Forest Utilization, School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: forest operations; biomass supply chains; forest utilization; ergonomics; occupational safety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mechanized timber harvesting is widely used to improve efficiency, productivity, and operator safety; however, it can also often be a source of undesirable environmental impacts. Soil compaction, rutting, and structural disturbance from machine traffic degrade the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils; reduce infiltration; limit root development; and hinder forest regeneration. Residual stand damage—such as bark wounds, stem breakage, and root exposure—can reduce stand value and increase susceptibility to pests and diseases.

With the expansion of harvesting on steep terrain, tethered logging systems or winch-assisted systems are increasingly being adopted. These technologies enhance machine stability and access on slopes, but their effects on soil and residual trees are not yet fully understood. Some evidence suggests potential benefits, but concerns remain regarding soil disturbance from cable tension and reduced maneuverability.

Although many studies have addressed the individual impacts of mechanized operations, integrated assessments under varied site and operational conditions remain limited. Yet, understanding these interactions is essential for sustainable forest management and in order to implement sustainable forest operations.

Consequently, this Special Issue invites original research on the effects of mechanized timber harvesting—especially on steep terrain—on soil properties and residual stand conditions. Submissions focusing on monitoring methods, mitigation practices, and innovative technologies to reduce environmental impacts are encouraged.

Dr. Eunjai Lee
Dr. Petros A. Tsioras
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable forest management
  • steep slope harvesting
  • soil compaction
  • soil erosion
  • residual stand damage

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2261 KB  
Article
Study of Residual Stand Damages During Sledge Yarding Extraction
by Andrea Rosario Proto, Stanimir Stoilov and Stelian Alexandru Borz
Forests 2026, 17(5), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17050603 - 16 May 2026
Viewed by 185
Abstract
Logging causes damage on residual trees, with differing characteristics and severities. The causal agent, as well as the size and type of injury, is influenced by the type of machines, the harvesting technology adopted, and the machine operator. This study descriptively documents residual [...] Read more.
Logging causes damage on residual trees, with differing characteristics and severities. The causal agent, as well as the size and type of injury, is influenced by the type of machines, the harvesting technology adopted, and the machine operator. This study descriptively documents residual tree damage observed in two sledge-yarding operations conducted under contrasting stand and operational conditions: a beech stand managed with a full-tree system and a Scots pine stand managed with a cut-to-length system. Two stands were selected: the harvesting intensity was 50% in the coniferous stand (salvage logging) and 20% in the deciduous stand (thinning). In each stand, six 20 × 20 m plots (0.04 ha) were delineated to assess residual tree damage. In the two observed cases, the beech operation showed a higher proportion of damaged residual trees, 32.2%, than the Scots pine operation, 5.3%. In the deciduous stand, bark injuries were mainly slight wood exposure (75%), whereas in the coniferous stand, crushed bark (42.9%) was most frequent, followed by slight wood exposure (35.7%). No concerning damage to seedlings was detected. In general, the number of damaged trees and the severity of injuries were considerably lower than those typically observed when extracting with a cable skidder, and especially with an adapted farm tractor. To reduce mechanical damage to residual trees, protective devices can be deployed around trees at risk of root and stem injury. Another effective measure is to financially motivate workers to implement environmentally sound forest operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Influence of Mechanized Timber Harvesting on Soils and Stands)
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19 pages, 6364 KB  
Article
Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Imagery and Convolutional Neural Networks for Mapping and Classifying Soil Disturbance in Steep Forest Terrain
by Jaewon Seo, Ikhyun Kim and Byoungkoo Choi
Forests 2026, 17(4), 447; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17040447 - 2 Apr 2026
Viewed by 421
Abstract
Mechanized timber harvesting on steep slopes causes soil disturbance; however, comprehensive post-harvest assessment remains challenging because terrain complexity and safety constraints render traditional field-based methods labor-intensive, spatially limited, and difficult to implement systematically. In this study, we developed and evaluated a convolutional neural [...] Read more.
Mechanized timber harvesting on steep slopes causes soil disturbance; however, comprehensive post-harvest assessment remains challenging because terrain complexity and safety constraints render traditional field-based methods labor-intensive, spatially limited, and difficult to implement systematically. In this study, we developed and evaluated a convolutional neural network-based semantic segmentation model for detecting soil disturbances using high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery in a steep-slope harvested area (2.50 ha, mean slope of 53.4%) in Republic of Korea. A U-Net semantic segmentation model was trained on manually annotated orthomosaic tiles incorporating RGB and digital elevation model (DEM) inputs. Ensemble predictions at an optimized threshold of 0.65 achieved Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.55 and F1-score of 0.71. Although moderate, these values reflect the inherently challenging conditions of steep-slope forest terrain compared to similar studies conducted under gentler terrain. DEM-derived depth estimation enabled severity classification of the detected disturbances, with light disturbances predominating. Field validation using 38 pinboard measurements demonstrated reliable spatial detection (ρ = 0.567, RMSE = 6.45 cm). This approach provides an effective alternative to traditional monitoring practices in mountainous forests, where systematic trail planning is impractical, and may support evidence-based assessment of harvesting impacts for sustainable forest management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Influence of Mechanized Timber Harvesting on Soils and Stands)
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12 pages, 4449 KB  
Article
Soil Responses to Winch-Assisted Thinning Harvester Traffic on Steep Slopes in South Korea
by Eunjai Lee, Hyun-Min Cho, Ho-Seong Mun, Hyeon-Seung Lee, Jae-Heun Oh and Sang-Kyun Han
Forests 2025, 16(12), 1829; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16121829 - 6 Dec 2025
Viewed by 513
Abstract
Background: Winch-assisted harvesting is an alternative to traditional cable yarding on steep slopes, offering improved operational efficiency and fewer limitations. Knowledge on the effects of winch-assisted harvesting on soil disturbance are limited. This study aimed to assess the effects of winch-assisted and conventional [...] Read more.
Background: Winch-assisted harvesting is an alternative to traditional cable yarding on steep slopes, offering improved operational efficiency and fewer limitations. Knowledge on the effects of winch-assisted harvesting on soil disturbance are limited. This study aimed to assess the effects of winch-assisted and conventional tracked harvester operations on soil compaction and machine slippage in a clear-cut stand with sandy loam soil. Methods: We evaluated changes in soil physical properties, in depth and extent, along machine operating corridors with and without winch-assist across slope gradients ranging from 30% to 52% and up to three machine passes. Results: The relative increase in bulk density differed between treatments. In the non-assisted corridors, the bulk density increased by 18%, 12%, and 11% at depths of 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm, respectively; the winch-assisted corridors showed smaller increases of 12%, 5%, and 3% at the corresponding depths. The winch-assisted plots did not show a significant reduction in rut depth compared with the non-assisted plots, a result likely influenced by site-specific dry soil conditions. Conclusions: These results highlight the potential of winch-assisted systems to reduce horizontal soil disturbance, though their effectiveness in limiting rutting remains variable under dry conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Influence of Mechanized Timber Harvesting on Soils and Stands)
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