Heavy gravity cable Yarding in Italian alps, operation planning and logistic

European Union is strongly encouraging renewable energy production from biomass, and forests show a major role in this context. Italian Alps zone is one of the few that, in Italy, presents wide application of aerial extraction systems, like cable yarder. Proper analysis of work productivity and costs of such kind of harvesting system could be the starting point for their introduction even in central and south Italy. According to what previously stated, the main aim of the present study was the analysis of an harvesting system, consisting of motor manual felling with chainsaw, bunching and extraction by heavy gravity cable yarder and final processing by an excavator-based with processing head. This harvesting system allowed for the production of both timber and wood chips, these last from little branches and tops. Gross productivity of the overall harvesting systems resulted to be 6.217 m3 h-1 with net productivity of 6.486 m3 h-1. Harvesting cost was 35.18 € m-3. This system showed therefore high productivity and limited costs, even if there is a certain degree of possible improvement.