Cable crane use under sustainable forest management in North-eastern Italian Alps

A study was carried out in the Comunità Montana Comelico e Sappada (Belluno Province - Northern Italy) measuring some operational parameters of 80 cable cranes lines. The study adopts the same methodology of a previous study carried in a similar area (Cavalli et al. 2001) and it represents a widening of the same subjects. The aim of the study was to determine the volume of trees yarded per unit of cable line length in order to define if the cable logging is properly applied in the area of the Comunità Montana and if it meets the sustainable forest management criteria adopted in the north-eastern Italian Alps. The number and the volume of trees that must be felled in order to create the skyline corridor were also investigated. This information was considered useful in planning cable crane utilisation because it could allow to defined the reserve to be devoted to the skyline corridor when the cable crane system is selected after the main marking operation. The data have allowed to developed some indicators that give an analytical description of the conditions of use of cable cranes in the area considered. The results confirm the possibility to utilize the indicators for suitable management of cable crane planning and utilisation, providing a useful tool for verifying the proper use of such yarding equipment in the Comunità Montana Comelico e Sappada.