Abstract
This paper is dedicated to an analysis of soil disturbance in a premature beech stand located in northern Poland, in the area of the Forest District Wejherowo, Forestry Rybno, sector 85f three years after a mechanized process of timber harvesting was conducted. Soil researches were performed in September 2010.
The technological process based on the short-wood system was fulfilled by the use of a UTC Harvester with a CTL 40 HW head designed for young-aged broadleaved stands. The skidding was conducted by a Timberjack 810 C forwarder. The machines travelled along 4 meter wide strip roads.
The analysis concerned soil disturbance, with a particular focus on soil density and humidity differences within the ruts of the strip road, in the middle of it and 1 m beyond it, in the stand, for this purpose soil samples were taken every 5 m of the strip road. Differences of soil conciseness were tested using a hand penetrometer at depths 0 - 40 cm (at depth intervals of 5 cm) every 5 m along the strip road within both of the ruts, in the middle of the strip road and on both sides beyond it, 5 m in the stand.
Average soil densities observed three years after the process were 1,51 g/cm3 in the rut, 1,38 g/cm3 in the middle of the strip road and 1,34 g/cm3 beyond it. Statistically significant differences were observed between rut ant the middle of the strip road and between rut and beyond the strip road. Differences between averages of soil humidity were statistically insignificant and are: 15,51 % in the rut, 13,86 % in the middle of the strip road and 15,18 % beyond it. Statistically significant differences of soil conciseness were observed between the ruts, the middle of the strip road and beyond it at depths 0 - 40 cm comparing data from the right rut to data from the middle of the strip road and to data from beyond o it. Statistically significant differences of soil conciseness revealed after data comparison The comparison of data from the left rut to the data from the left side of the strip road revealed that three years after the thinning process the differences in soil conciseness remain statistically significant at depths 0 - 15 cm and at 30,1 - 35 cm.
Anna Sarzyńska Abstract