Forest operation in high slope: Preliminary considerations on the possibility of substituting cable yarder with helicopter for timber extraction

In Italy a large part of mountainous territory is characterized by high slope. Forest operations in such steep areas requires the usage of aerial extraction systems. Cable yarder is the most applied extraction system, but it is not the unique in this category. Another possible solution is the application of helicopters for logging activities (i.e. heli-logging). This study is a preliminary one, in which literature data are used to compare work productivity of cable yarders and helicopters in extraction operation performed in Italian Alps. Several cable yarders and different helicopter models were compared concerning working performance and extraction costs. Even if without a direct experimental evaluation of the harvesting systems, this study is a very first step of analysis to evaluate the possibility of heli-logging introduction in the Italian context. Productivity of heli-logging resulted to be in the range between 7.5 m3 h-1 and 25 m3 h-1, with harvesting costs ranging from 52.77 to 62.30 € m-3. According to our findings, extraction with helicopter is much more expensive than cable yarding, and it can be effective only in particular situations.