This article presents the results of laboratory examinations concerning the effects of soil bulk density on the growth of sessile oak Quercus petraea Liebl. seedlings. The soil for the study was collected from a nursery plot and then compacted into PCV pots in eight different bulk density levels ranging from 0.81 to 1.32 g cm -3 . Oak seedlings were cultivated in controlled conditions for 76 days after sowing. The growth and mass parameters of particular seedlings together with the parameters of the assimilation apparatus and roots were measured, taking into account the share of various diameter roots in the root system. For the purpose of the experiment, 120 acorns were sowed, of which 73 seedlings were cultured. An analysis of the growth of the sessile oak seedlings revealed that a change in soil density significantly affected root system development, total height of seedlings and dry mass. It was observed that the dry mass of the root system as well as the area and length of the roots decreased with an increase in soil density. Root system reduction was noted, the size of which determines the proper development of the tree and ensures its stability. Besides a decrease in the root system, an increase in soil compaction also resulted in a reduction in the number of roots of a specified diameter. The first to be affected were the smallest roots, i.e., those with diameters up to 0.2 mm, which are responsible for the uptake of mineral components. It was confirmed that even a slight increase in soil compaction might negatively result in the growth of young seedlings, impeding root system development.

The use of modern multi-functional forestry machines has already been associated with central nervous system fatigue induced by high mental workload. As these machines are being used under increasingly difficult terrain conditions, further knowledge is required on the expected aggravation of operators’ mental workload, so that suitable work/rest schedules can be developed. Within such a context, the aim of this study was to gauge aggravations of mental workload derived from increasing slope gradient. Measurements of eye activity were obtained from a representative harvester operator working in corridors with the following mean inclinations: 9%, 23% and 47%. The duration, frequency and trajectory of eye movements were used to determine the harvester operator’s mental workload, on the assumption that worsening work conditions would be reflected by increased eyeball activity. The number of fixations during the performance of all tasks increased with the increasing slope gradient. Similarly, fixation duration increased with slope gradient. The mean duration of saccades when working on a 23% slope was 5% shorter compared to work under a 9% gradient. A further significant shortening of saccade duration (~22%) occurred when working on a 47% slope. The good match between eye activity cycles and work cycles, visible especially on steep slopes, indicates that mental workload is related to work conditions. Overall, operating a forest harvester on steep slopes results in a greatly increased mental workload and calls for suitable rest schedules.

(2014). Sequencing of harvester work during standard cuttings and in areas with windbreaks. Silva Fennica vol. 48 no. 4 article id 1159. 16 p. Highlights• In standard cutting stands and thinning areas with windbreaks there occurred three-activity operational cycles. In mature stands with windbreaks the occurrence of stable sequences supplemented with five-activity cycles was noted. Consequently, the operational time in post-disaster thinning stands should be increased by 55% whereas in mature stands it should be 30% longer in comparison with standard stands. AbstractThe aim of the study was to characterize repetitive cycles of harvester operation. The study was conducted in thinning, mature and post-disaster pine stands. The sequences of the activities characteristic of harvester operation were described as time series. In order to detect the cyclic variable structure of the analysed time series, the methodology of the single spectrum Fourier analysis was applied. In standard stands, post-disaster late-thinning stands and mature stands, the existence of stable operational cycles with the length of three activities was discovered while in post-disaster mature stands additional five-activity operational phases were noted. Described in this way, the lengths of the operational cycles of harvesters working in post-disaster areas were higher by about 55% and 30% respectively, as compared to standard thinning and mature stands.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a conifer tree native to Eurasia. Due to optimal climatic and site conditions, this pine occurs in 58% of forested areas in Poland and is thus the most economically important timber species throughout the country (GUS, 2018). However, there are many challenges associated with the harvesting and use of Scots pine timber, such as rotting and staining by microorganisms.The large proportion of sapwood in Scots pine stems is reported to be very susceptible to blue-stain (Seifert, 1993).Blue-stain is discoloration of sapwood caused by the growth of fungi, typically from ophiostomatoid genera that in relevant literature have most commonly been reported under genera Ceratocystis, Endoconidiophora, Grosmannia, Ophiostoma, Leptographium and Sporothrix (although there have been ongoing taxonomic adjustments to genera and species since one-fun-

Blue stain is a type of discoloration that considerably lowers the aesthetic qualities of wood. During harvesting, fungal inoculum finds its way into the wood through places of cutting, delimbing, and damage to the tree stem. The development of peripheral blue stain in the logs of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) due to damage by a harvester head was investigated, using logs felled and delimbed with a chainsaw as reference. The development of blue stain was related to the age class of the stand, the date of felling, and the microclimatic conditions of the wood storage place. The mean surface area of blue stain in logs produced with the harvester was almost 35 cm2, approximately 30% larger than that of the reference logs. In stands of the fourth age class (diameter at breast height 32 cm), the surface of blue stain was more than two times larger than that of stands of the third age class (diameter at breast height 24 cm). The mean area of blue stain in wood stored after spring felling (19.3 cm2) was about 50% of that after summer felling (38.2 cm2). In particular, the development of blue stain in logs obtained with a harvester was visible between weeks 6 and 9 after spring felling and between weeks 3 and 6 after summer felling. For both felling dates, the range of blue stain depended less on air temperature around the wood stack and depended more on the duration of storage.