Cutting operations in thinning for Pinus patula Schltdl. & Cham. in Cajamarca, Peru

Abstract

The objective of this research was to provide information on the productivity and costs of Pinus patula forest logging operations. To achieve this, 35 trees were selected at random from which 297 logs were obtained. These logs were measured in terms of diameter and length using a winch. This information was used to calculate the volume of wood using the Smalian formula, while The work times were recorded with a digital stopwatch and were used to carry out the time study. In addition, information was collected through interviews, which were used to calculate costs. This study was carried out in a 24-year-old unmanaged forest in the Porcón area, Cajamarca, Peru. The daily productivity of logging was 69.2 m³. For branch removal, a daily productivity of 15.72 m³ was found. The productive time was 3:09 hours (34.05%) of the workday. Branch removal had an average productive time of 3:19 hours (35.86%) of the total. The cost of the chainsaw was found to be 151.96 Soles/day, which was composed of ownership 5.1 S/./day (3.36%), operation 75.76 S/./day (49.85%), and labor 71.1 S/./day (46.79% Therefore, the production of felled, cut and limbed wood has presented a unit cost of 4.5 S/./m³, with the operation and labor costs being the most representative in the case of the chainsaw with 49.84% and 46.8% respectively. while for the ax the cost of labor was the one with the highest incidence with 92.3%.