A Method for Evaluating the Cumulative Impact of Ground-Based Logging Systems on Soils
Authors
E. B. Wronski
Canberra, Australia
N. Humphreys
Canberra, Australia
Abstract
A method for determining the Effective Ground Pressure (EGP) of tracked or wheeled logging machines that can be directly and unambiguously related to their impact on soils is described. When several machines operate together in a logging system, the methodology allows their individual EGP's to be combined to derive a System Effective Ground Pressure (SEGP), which measures the impact of the system as a whole. The methodology has been applied to determine the relative impact of logging systems and influence the choice of machine running gear. Given also the temporal variability in the bearing capacity of soils, it has also been applied to forecasting the minimum level of disruption to operations on flat ground arising from limitations placed on soil disturbance. These applications have led to increased efficiency of operations through a reduction in wood stockpiling during wet weather. The method is sufficiently simplistic at the core, that contractors with the aid of appropriate charts have evaluated the relative impact of machines and systems on soils themselves.
