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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Development of an Individual-Tree Basal Area Increment Model using a Linear Mixed-Effects Approach

Development of an Individual-Tree Basal Area Increment Model using a Linear Mixed-Effects Approach

Published on: July 3, 2020

Improving forest management by implementing best suitable timber harvesting methods.

Leo Gallus Bont¹, Marielle Fraefel², Fritz Frutig¹

¹Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Sustainable Forestry Group, Zuercherstrasse 111, CH 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.

Journal of Environmental Management

|November 21, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Applying best suitable harvesting methods in Switzerland could significantly boost forest operational efficiency and economic viability. This approach can reduce costs, especially in steep terrains, making more forest areas economically harvestable.

Keywords:

Ecosystem services Forest operations Management National forest inventory Natural resource Spatial decision support system

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A Method for Quantifying Foliage-Dwelling Arthropods

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Published on: October 20, 2019

Area of Science:

Forestry Science
Ecosystem Services Management
Sustainable Forest Operations

Background:

Forest operations are crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem services but often face economic challenges.
Timber revenue frequently fails to cover forest management and harvesting costs, particularly in difficult terrain.
Improving cost-effectiveness is vital for the forestry sector's sustainability and its role in carbon sequestration.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify efficiency gains from applying best suitable harvesting methods in Switzerland.
To compare the economic impact of estimated best suitable harvesting methods versus current practices.
To assess the potential for increased economically harvestable forest area.

Main Methods:

Development of a spatial decision support system to allocate harvesting methods.
Integration of productivity models and expert-defined decision trees.
Evaluation across all 6500 National Forest Inventory (NFI) plots in Switzerland, considering terrain and hauling limitations.

Main Results:

The modeling approach effectively allocates best suitable harvesting methods to NFI plots.
Significant cost reductions are achievable with best suitable methods, especially in steep terrain using cable and air-based extraction.
Economically harvestable forest area could increase from 52% to 64% nationwide with optimal method application.

Conclusions:

The developed modeling approach is effective for optimizing harvesting method allocation.
Implementing best suitable harvesting methods enhances cost-effectiveness, particularly in challenging terrains.
Increased adoption of mechanized harvesting and optimized methods can improve the economic feasibility of forest operations and support climate goals.