Soil moisture content as a predictor of soil disturbance caused by wheeled forest harvesting machines on soils of the Western Carpathians

Allman, Michal; Martin, Jay K.; Messingerová, Valéria; Allmanová, Zuzana

doi:10.1007/s11676-016-0326-y

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…As expected, soil moisture content may be regarded as the most important factor in predicting rutting of forest machines in fine-grained mineral soils. The findings are in line with the previous findings that have focused either on moisture content-soil strength relationship (Ayers and Perumpral 1982;Elbanna and Witney 1987;Smith et al 1997;Uusitalo et al 2019) or moisture content-soil disturbance relationship (Cambi et al 2016;Allman et al 2017;Sirén et al 2019a, b). In distinction to previous findings, we stress the radical changes of bearing capacity with high moisture content values.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…4, and the summary of the parameters used in these models is shown in Table 6. In the study by Allman et al (2017), there was no control of machine passes nor cumulative mass, but only the final rut depths after all machine traffic were reported. The study by Sirén et al (2019b) in fine-grained mineral soil included sample plots with a considerably smaller proportion of clay content.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rut depths of 10 cm are generally considered as the breakeven point for the acceptable level of ruts (Suomen Metsäkeskus 2019). In most soft wet soils, forest machines may cause almost 40 cm deep ruts (Uusitalo and Ala-Ilomäki 2013;Allman et al 2017;Toivio et al 2017). Ruts are chiefly categorized by rut depth, but the magnitude of rut damage may also be expressed by rut width (Edlund et al 2012;Uusitalo et al 2015), or a combination of rut depth and width (Liu et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Uusitalo and Ala-Ilomäki (2013) reported that ruts in pine bogs may best be predicted by a model including the volume of trees, shear modulus, machine type and number of passes as the main predictors. Allman et al (2017) have shown that rut depth on mineral forest soils can be predicted by moisture content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predicting rut depth induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder in fine-grained boreal forest soils

Uusitalo

Ala‐Ilomäki

Lindeman

et al. 2020

Annals of Forest Science

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& Key message Rut depth in fine-grained boreal soils induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder is best predicted with soil moisture content, cumulative mass of machine passes, bulk density and thickness of the humus layer. & Context Forest machines are today very heavy and will cause serious damage to soil and prevent future growth if forest operations are carried out at the wrong time of the year. Forest operations performed during the wettest season should therefore be directed at coarse-grained soils that are not as prone to soil damage. & Aims The study aimed at investigating the significance of the most important soil characteristics on rutting and developing models that can be utilized in predicting rutting prior to forest operations. & Methods A set of wheeling tests on two fine-grained mineral soil stands in Southern Finland were performed. The wheeling experiments were conducted in three different periods of autumn in order to get the largest possible variation in moisture content. The test drives were carried out with an 8-wheeled forwarder. & Results Soil moisture content is the most important factor affecting rut depth. Rut depth of an 8-wheeled forwarder in finegrained boreal soil is best predicted with soil moisture content, cumulative mass of machine passes, bulk density and thickness of the humus layer. & Conclusion The results emphasize the importance of moisture content on the risk of rutting in fine-grained mineral soils, especially with high moisture content values when soil saturation reaches 80%. The results indicate that it is of high importance that soil type and soil wetness can be predicted prior to forest operations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predicting rut depth induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder in fine-grained boreal forest soils

Uusitalo

Ala‐Ilomäki

Lindeman

et al. 2020

Annals of Forest Science

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“…Compaction occurs when the mechanical forces exerted to the soil cause soil particles to be pushed closer together at the detriment of pore space, which leads to increased soil bulk density [6,10]. During this process and when soil water content is high, soil deformation can occur through repeated machine passes [11][12][13]. Ground-based traffic of forest machines can adversely affect the following key functions of forest soils: increase soil strength and soil bulk density [14,15], decrease macroporosity [16], infiltration [14], saturated hydraulic conductivity [17], and impede soil fauna colonization [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Physical Disturbances Caused by Forest Machinery: a Comprehensive Review

et al. 2022

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Purpose of Review Ground-based mechanized forest operations can cause severe soil disturbances that are often long lasting and detrimental to the health of forested ecosystems. To reduce these soil disturbances, focus is being increasingly directed at identifying and using appropriate mitigation techniques. This systematic review considered 104 scientific articles and reported the main findings according to four core themes: terrain-related factors, operational planning, machine modifications, and types of amendments used to mitigate machine-induced soil impacts. Recent Findings For terrain-related factors, most severe disturbances occur on machine operating trails exceeding 20% slope and that soil bulk density and rut depth show greater increases in fine-textured soils. When considering operational planning, trafficability maps proved to be helpful in reducing the frequency and magnitude of soil damages as well as the length of trails needed within harvest sites, especially if they are regularly updated with weather information. Machine modifications, through high flotation tires, use of extra bogie axle, lower inflation pressure, and use of steel flexibles tracks, are highly researched topics because of the considerable upside in terms of machine ground pressure distribution and increased traction. Two main types of amendments emerged to mitigate soil disturbances: brush mats and mulch cover. Brush mats created from harvesting debris can spread the load of a machine to a greater area thereby lowering peak loads transferred to the soil. Brush mats of 15–20 kg m−2 are being recommended for adequate soil protection from harvesting operations. Summary To conclude, we outline recommendations and strategies on the use of soil mitigation techniques within cut-to-length forest operations. New research opportunities are also identified and discussed. Considering single factors causing machine-induced soil disturbances remains important but there is a pressing need for having a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle the complex problems associated with machine/soil/plant interactions.

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Importance of geotechnical soil properties for precision Forest activities in a karst area

Dindaroglu,

Vermez,

Gundogan

et al. 2024

Ecological Frontiers

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Soil moisture content as a predictor of soil disturbance caused by wheeled forest harvesting machines on soils of the Western Carpathians

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

Predicting rut depth induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder in fine-grained boreal forest soils

Predicting rut depth induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder in fine-grained boreal forest soils

Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Physical Disturbances Caused by Forest Machinery: a Comprehensive Review

Importance of geotechnical soil properties for precision Forest activities in a karst area

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