Modern systems of machinery and technologies for timber harvesting and reforestation in mountain forests

In many countries of the world quite large reserves of forest resources are located on mountain slopes. Such natural and production conditions are typical for the Far East of the Russian Federation, many countries of the Asia-Pacific region (APR), including the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the USA, a number of European countries (Czech Republic, Austria, etc.). Harvesting and reforestation activities in mountainous areas significantly reduce productivity and increase risks for people and machinery, unless specially adapted machinery systems and technological processes are used. Machine logging and reforestation operations, including forest exploitation on mountain slopes, are the predominant methods in many industrialized countries of the world. In a number of Asia-Pacific countries, manual labor still prevails in harvesting and reforestation activities. Using special technical means, such as winches integrated into the transmission of forest machines, self-propelled winches, and modern rope units, it is possible to exploit forests efficiently on rather steep slopes. However, the vulnerability of mountain forests ecosystem should be kept in mind because water and wind erosion processes may arise and develop quickly in case of exploitation operations failure. The article deals with modern technical means for logging and reforestation in mountain forests, which may significantly increase the efficiency of these works and minimize the negative environmental consequences. The research was conducted within the framework of the scientific school «Innovative developments in the field of logging industry and forestry» of the Arctic State Agrotechnological University.