Timber harvesting in the ukrainian carpathians: Ecological problems and methods to solve them

The paper contains results of comparative investigations of crawler and wheeled skidders regarding their effect on soil surface, undergrowth and rut formation during mountain timber harvesting. It was shown that the extent of erosion resulting from damage to the soil surface depends on the steepness and length of slopes during both construction of skidding tracks and skidding by tractors. Considering the current condition of development of timber harvesting machinery, the use of crawler machines is the main method for transportation of cargos in regions with difficult access.