Forest Harvesting Systems

Forest harvesting systems serve a complex function in the

toolkit of the forest manager. These systems are used not

only to harvest wood used as raw material for the multitude

of consumer products derived from the forest, but also to

implement the silvicultural harvesting prescription in a

cost-effective, environmentally acceptable manner. The

harvester must satisfy the landowner’s needs, meet the

quality requirements of the timber conversion mill, and

provide a margin of profit to the harvesting company

operator to maintain the financial health of the company.

These systems range from simple engineered systems that

are low cost and more labor intensive to those that are

mechanically complex and technologically advanced.