The purpose of the study was to determine stand damage after combined machine logging using three methods on an area of one hectare, i.e., complete tree inventory, circular plot method, and sample strip method. The study was carried out in Section 30060A of the Lešje Forestry Management Unit. The worksite covered an area of 15.63 hectares. Work on the site was performed using a Ponsse Scorpion King logging machine and a Ponsse Elk forwarder which, during work on inclines, were protected by an Ecoforst t-winch via a steel rope. A total 952.72 m3 of timber was harvested on the site. The total damage in the complete inventory amounted to 31 %, while the damage determined using the sample strip method and the circular plot method was 30.2 % and 31.6 %, respectively. In all three methods used, the largest damage was observed, as in the complete inventory, on the trunk (47 % to 61 %), mostly in sizes exceeding 200 cm2 (27 % to 50 %); the highest share of new damages (82 % to 100 %) was also observed. The main findings of our study showed that stand damage after combined machine logging was 0.56 % lower than the damage after complete machine logging, and that the results of both sampling methods were comparable with the complete inventory. In addition, the circular plot method was found to be 30 % faster than the other two methods of stand damage inventorying.
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