Performance of a logging residue bundler in the temperate forests of France

A new Scandinavian technology for bundling forest residue was imported to Central Europe with the purpose of checking how it would handle the different working conditions encountered there. After a calibration study conducted on boreal spruce, the European research team tested the machine on 11 sites in France. Species tested included chestnut (Castanea sativa L.), hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia L.), poplar (Populus x Euroamericana) and maritime pine (Pinus pinaster L.). While the machine was able to successfully handle all the above-mentioned species and produced good-quality bundles, best results were obtained with poplar and maritime pine. Productivity varied between 11 and 24 bundles per hour (machine time clock), corresponding to 5–9 t/h. Three main parameters most affect bundling productivity: the amount of residue available on the unit surface (t/ha), its average size and its distribution on the field. These parameters depend on stand type, but they can be manipulated to a certain extent, which may allow for large productivity gains.