A Literature Review on Cable Extraction Practices of South Korea: 1990–2020

Cable yarding technology remains the most effective operation in steep terrain harvesting systems; however, it has limitations and challenges. Using cable yarders (tractor-, truck-, and excavator-based) to extract tree lengths and whole trees has been common since the late 20th century in South Korea, and cable yarding operations were developed in the late 1800s in the United States and Europe. Machine potential and limitations must be understood to ensure the widespread use of technology, strong cooperation, and optimal selection of machinery size. We reviewed the literature on tower yarder performances from 1990–2021 to determine the alteration of yarders and its productivity pattern and obtained 23 papers; <2 publications per year discussed the determination of cable yarding productivity. We selected independent variables (e.g., silvicultural treatment, harvesting method, and cycle log volume) for cable yarding that would likely affect productivity. Data were analyzed to compare productivities under silvicultural treatment, the harvesting method, and yarding direction and identify the interaction mechanical power (i.e., lifting capacity and machine power), yarding distance, and slope. Cable yarder productivity rates generally depended on the silvicultural treatment, harvesting method, and yarding direction, particularly in clear-cut, tree-length, and uphill yarding operation activities. The lifting capacity, machine power, and slope had no significant correlation with yarders’ productivity, particularly in thinning operations, whereas, in clear-cut productivity, it was influenced by these variables. The results contribute to improving operation activities for cable yarding systems and towards future research directions.