Comparison of ground disturbance of frozen peatland during stump harvesting using a stump drill and rake

Abstract

Tree stumps could be a source of renewable energy, contributing to a reduced dependence on fossil fuels. In Finland, stumps are currently harvested when the ground is not frozen to avoid co-removal of large amounts of soil and stones. Hence, the machinery used for stump extraction is not operated year-round. On peatlands, stumps could potentially be harvested when the ground is frozen. However, peatlands are highly sensitive to ground disturbance. There is, therefore, a need to identify equipment that causes low ground disturbance. In this study, peatland ground disturbance at stump level caused by stump harvesting using either a stump drill or a conventional stump rake was evaluated and compared in winter conditions. Results show that the stump drill caused up to 90% less ground disturbance per harvested stump than the conventional stump rake, but harvested 32-53% of the stump wood. Additionally, the size and shape of the disturbed areas changed between the harvesting year and following year, indicating that frost heaving plays a role in filling holes caused by stump extraction. The stump drill also consumed similar time to the conventional stump rake when harvesting Scots pine stumps on mineral soils, but far more when harvesting Norway spruce stumps.

Keywords

Site impact; uprooting; bioenergy; soil disturbance; excavator

Published in

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
2019, Volume: 34, number: 6, pages: 436-444
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS AS

SLU Authors

• Berg, Simon

  • Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG7 Affordable and clean energy
SDG12 Responsible consumption and production


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science
Renewable Bioenergy Research


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2019.1595128

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/100118