Harvesting Forest Products

Harvesting wood entails cutting down trees to supply material for solid or composite wood products, paper and many others including firewood. Cutting trees does not necessarily mean destroying a forest, as some believe, provided that the forest is properly managed on a “sustained yield” basis, which dictates that only a volume equivalent to the yearly growth is removed, and regeneration is secured by natural or artificial seeding or planting. The first part of the book presents a universal approach, generalized technical, labour and economic considerations of harvesting, within the context of practising proper forestry and protecting the natural environment of the forests. The second part of the book deals with harvesting resin with regard to techniques, consequences to trees, and factors affecting production. Examples of procedures of harvesting wood and pine resin in a number of countries, cost calculations, time studies and a harvesting contract are included.