In Sweden and Finland, cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting system accounts for almost 90% of harvested wood volume compared to less than 1% in Georgia, although it is perceived by many to have environmental and value recovery advantages. We examined the value recovery obtained by Ponsse Ergo® harvesters with H73 harvester heads and the Ponsse Opti® optimization system on three logging crews in Georgia and Alabama. As the number of products produced increased, the percentage recovery of optimal value declined. At site C, where only two products (sawlogs and pulpwood) were produced from a thinning, 43% of the stems were cut to their exact optimal value and 93.8% of the optimal value was recovered. At site B where four products were produced from a thinning, only 5% of the stems were cut to their exact optimal value with 89.7% of value produced. Additional work to examine how value losses with CTL systems compare to those experienced with tree-length systems should be conducted next.

Study funded by USDA Southern Research Station, Forest Engineering Work Unit and conducted by Ian P. Conradie, Former Graduate Research Assistant and W. Dale Greene, Professor, Center for Forest Business, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2152. 706/542-6652 greene@forestry.uga.edu