Off road transportation cost calculations for ground based forest harvesting systems

Abstract

Ground based systems are the main approach used for off-road timber transportation throughout the world. Estimates of terrain transportation costs are required for several forest planning problems and for assessment of harvesting contracts and forest land values. Methods for these calculations can be categorized into two groups. Methods based on average transportation distance predate computers, are analytical, and based on manual calculations. Network methods are based on a digital raster representation and are solved with numerical computations. Here, the two categories are compared and linked. Analytical methods in the literature have been limited to flat terrain and including detail is difficult. The network method can be extended to include uneven terrain or detailed input data.