Productivity and cost anaylisis of logging arch used with farm tractor in mediterranean forest skidding operations

The development and use of a simulator of wooding production forstands Pinus radia­ta D. Don in the Basque Country.The Jogging arch is a skidding implement studied to reduce log friction by lifting the forward log end above the ground. The tractor-arch combination reached its golden age between 1945 and 1965, and was then replaced by the skidder. The authors believe that it still has a large potential for small scale forestry, because of its versatility and low cost.This paper reports 10 case studies, concerning the use of 6 tractor-arch combinations in different conditions.The use of Jogging arches proved profitable in all casès, with the exception of stands whose residua} density exceeds 600 trees per hectare. Farm tractors equipped with Jog­ ging arches can skid heavy turn loads at comparatively high speed. Moreover, delays in­ cidence and soil damage are substantially reduced as a result of Jogging arch use.