Increasing timber utilization efficiency and productivity through proper tree felling technique in Jambi, Indonesia

Tree felling is the first step in timber harvesting. Increased productivity with low production cost would enable optimum timber utilization efficiency (TUE). A study on felling techniques was carried out at a forest company in Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia in May 2010. The vegetation in the area was Acacia mangium as targeted by the company. The aim of the study was to make a comparison between proper felling technique (PFT) and conventional felling technique (CFT) on productivity, cost and TUE. CFT is a felling technique usually used by local operators, whereas PFT is a technique that leaves the stump height as low as possible ( < 10 cm) and with log utilization limit of up to a minimum of 5 cm diameter. Results show that (1) the average felling productivity was 11.23 m3/hour for PFT and 10.12 m3/hour for CFT, while the average felling cost was Rp 5,918/m3 for PFT and Rp 6,606/m3 for CFT; (2) the aver-age TUE was 99.6% for PFT and 92.8% for CFT. Implementation of PFT could increase TUE by 6.8%, and the company would gain more profit of about Rp 17,136,000,000/year, equivalent to US$ 1,883,076.90 (US$ 1 = Rp 9,100).