THE INFLUENCE OF THE ACCESSIBILITY GRADE UPON THE TECHNICAL-ECONOMICAL ESTIMATES FOR THE WOOD EXPLOITATION

Abstract

The paper presents the importance of decreasing the collection distances with the occasion of the maintaining or extraction works of wood and the way the accessibility grade directly affects the expenses related to labour, fuel and working time. As a case study, eight auctioned felling areas have been chosen during the period 01.2016 - 02.2016 by Bihor Forest Administration, in which some tending operations will be performed. For them, there were prepared the exploitation estimates, thus, resulting the direct, indirect and total costs. Based on the time norms and hourly rates valid for the year 2016 taken from Bihor Forest Administration, the rates per cubic meter were determined for labour, hauling operations with tractors and specific consumption for hauling operation with forest tractor, in lei/cubic meter, on grades of accessibility and according to the average tree volume. A simulation was also performed for situations where stands would range from five to one in grades of accessibility, in other words, if secondary forest roads would be realized, the felling areas could become more accessible. Thus, the labour costs, fuel necessary for the hauling operation have been determined for the five situations given by the different grades of accessibility; in this situation the parameters change altogether with the felling areas becoming accessible. To compare the obtained values, the results were reported to the labour costs of wood collection, total labour costs for the whole process of exploitation and to the total operating costs. Tables and graphs capture the benefits of reducing the collection distance so that the felling area to become easily accessible. The average tree volume is less than the greater cost of extracting timber. Thus, in the absence of forest roads that minimize the internal distances within stands, including hygiene and tending works become very expensive and 'unprofitable' for economic operators.

Keywords

• exploitation estimates, grade of accesibility, expenses, norms, wood collection, tariffs, thinning operations