Abstract
Armillaria (Armillaria ostoyae) has been identified as a serious pathogen in southern interior forests of British Columbia. With both scientific and operational input, the Nelson Forest Region, Silviculture Section, has prepared a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Armillaria control. Root removal at the time of harvest is one of the treatment options for Armillaria control recommended in the SOP. One aspect of particular interest to operational staff is the relative productivity and costs of a root removal treatment. In the last decade, five trials (three stumping and two pushover falling) have been undertaken in this region, to evaluate productivity and costs. This report summarizes these "Time and Motion" trials, and makes recommendations for further study.
The Regional Valuation Section used information from these studies to calculate cost estimates for stumping and pushover falling treatments. They have also been collecting "tree to truck" figures for all pushover harvesting operations in the Nelson Forest Region since 1992. This information will help refine the cost estimates. Therefore, it is not necessary to complete more "Time and Motion" trials with the objectives of updating cost information for the appraisal system. Instead, future "Time and Motion" trials should be designed to answer specific operational questions. Clear objectives will facilitate selection of study methods. Reports should be more detailed in describing study objectives, methods, and site descriptions. Specific issues of interest include: the effects of different methods of stump management on the productivity of the operation; the effects of stumping and pushover falling on subsequent silvicultural treatments; and specifically, whether or not the disturbance from pushover falling replaces site preparation in some cases, and thus reduces the silvicultural cost.
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Updated April 12, 2007
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