Production rates and costs for harvesting hardwood pulpwood in western Virginia

Abstract

Production costs and production rates for harvesting hardwood pulpwood in western Virginia were empirically studied. The harvesting operations of felling, bucking, skidding, loading and delay were individually and collectively analyzed. Forty operators were studied during the period July-September 1965. Average production time for all operators to process 1000 pounds of wood from the stump to a loaded transport device was 39.8 man-minutes, 8.0 power saw minutes, and 3.8 tractor minutes. Average cost for the total operation was $1.29 per 1000 pounds. Operators studied were stratified by amount of equipment used and productivity in truckloads per day. Variation within strata obscured most differences between strata. However, the data indicated that two load per day operators had a lower cost per 1000 pounds than the one load per day operators. Recommendations for improved harvesting efficiency center on improved organization of the harvesting processes, such as temporary storage, rather than on larger or different equipment.