Predicting rut depth induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder in fine-grained boreal forest soils
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RESEARCH PAPER
Predicting rut depth induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder in fine-grained boreal forest soils Jori Uusitalo 1 & Jari Ala-Ilomäki 2 & Harri Lindeman 1 & Jenny Toivio 3 & Matti Siren 2 Received: 4 June 2019 / Accepted: 26 March 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract & Key message Rut depth in fine-grained boreal soils induced by an 8-wheeled forwarder is best predicted with soil moisture content, cumulative mass of machine passes, bulk density and thickness of the humus layer. & Context Forest machines are today very heavy and will cause serious damage to soil and prevent future growth if forest operations are carried out at the wrong time of the year. Forest operations performed during the wettest season should therefore be directed at coarse-grained soils that are not as prone to soil damage. & Aims The study aimed at investigating the significance of the most important soil characteristics on rutting and developing models that can be utilized in predicting rutting prior to forest operations. & Methods A set of wheeling tests on two fine-grained mineral soil stands in Southern Finland were performed. The wheeling experiments were conducted in three different periods of autumn in order to get the largest possible variation in moisture content. The test drives were carried out with an 8-wheeled forwarder. & Results Soil moisture content is the most important factor affecting rut depth. Rut depth of an 8-wheeled forwarder in finegrained boreal soil is best predicted with soil moisture content, cumulative mass of machine passes, bulk density and thickness of the humus layer. & Conclusion The results emphasize the importance of moisture content on the risk of rutting in fine-grained mineral soils, especially with high moisture content values when soil saturation reaches 80%. The results indicate that it is of high importance that soil type and soil wetness can be predicted prior to forest operations. Keywords Bearing capacity . Trafficability . Compaction
1 Introduction Forest machines are today rather heavy, typically from 20 to 40 t, and may cause significant soil deformation if forest
operations are not well planned. When the loading induced by the vehicle exceeds the bearing capacity of the soil, the soil begins to compact and deform. Exceeding the bearing capacity of soil leads to rutting and deformation, where soil particles
Handling Editor: Céline Meredieu Contribution of the co-authors All authors participated in planning and collection of the material. Data analyses and writing of the paper was chiefly conducted by the first author (Jori UUSITALO). All authors participated in finalizing the paper. * Jori Uusitalo [email protected]
Matti Siren [email protected]
Jari Ala-Ilomäki [email protected]
1
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Production Systems, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720 Tampere, Finland
Harri Lindeman [email protected]
2
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Production Systems, Maarintie 6, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Jenny Toivio [email protected]
3
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