Forestry operations focusing on different types of felling related to carbon and economic efficiencies

Assessments of carbon and economic efficiencies, completed by an environmental load computation using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, could be a useful tool for assessing sustainable forest management (e.g. Berg & Lindholm 2005, Michelsen et al. 2008). The purpose of this study was to compare forestry operations focused on manually operated (chainsaw) and fully mechanized (harvester) felling in Norway spruce monocultures and mixed forests within the Novohradské Mts. (Czech Republic) using the methods of carbon efficiency (including LCA) and economic efficiency. In general terms, these methods consist of comparing quantified human inputs (e.g. fossil fuels, electricity, used machinery, and fertilizers, converted into emission units of carbon in t C in CO2 equivalent or EUR) with quantified ecosystem outputs (biomass production in t C or EUR). Forest operations were modelled for one rotation period. The results showed the main differences in carbon emissions and carbon efficiency related to forest operations with different types of felling. In contrast, the economic efficiency results did not differ much with different types of felling. Differences between Norway spruce monocultures and mixed forests using the same type of felling were relatively small for carbon efficiency but large for economic efficiency (Norway spruce monocultures recorded higher economic efficiency)