Harvesting operation in Sundarban

Harvesting or logging is a scientific way to conserve our forest as declining resources in the world ecosystem. If we keep our forest to the well being of creature we should logging in well identifying system thus we can reduces the losses while harvesting. Finally our goal is to harvest forest resources to fulfill our necessities without hampering our ecosystem.

Objectives of forest harvesting
·         To prepare the tree for extraction.
·         To extract the prepare tree from forest land to mill site.
·         To minimize the wood damage.
·         To ensure the maximum grade recovery.
·         To ensure maximum efficiency of cutting crew.
·         Maintain a safe environment.

Objective of logging operation
·         To prepare the trees and leaves ready to transportation to a processing and converting facility.
·         To prepare and move logs out of the forest at least coast.
·         To supply proper logging methods so as to cause the least damage to the environment.

Logging operation
Logging plan
We decided to cut one middle aged tree because this was an experimental operation. Here we prefer manual skidding. For making plan we considered vegetation composition, elevation of forest, stand density, under brush, soil condition, risk from wild life etc.
Steps of felling operation
1.      Cleaning around the tree: It is recommended that before start cutting the operation should eliminate all underbrush on a radius of at least 1m from the bole. The larger the bole the radius should be the larger if the tree has large sprouts or sapling. We did it and also cut the tree as close to the ground as possible to avoid stumbling or a quick escape.
2.      Making the undercut: After cleaning around the tree we observed the tree lean and determined the felling direction. There are two common types of undercut. The conventional and Humbolt undercut consist of the oblique cut which is made by both a horizontal and a slope cut in the same side of the tree. We used Humbolt cut.
3.      Back cut: After completing the Humbolt undercut we cut the opposite side of the tree above the 3 cm from the undercut line projection. We cut it except 3.5 cm hinge.
4.      Pulling: After finishing under cut and back cut we pull the tree bole towards our desirable direction and finally we did it.
Log Preparation
We cut the tree bole into two pieces for attaining the desirable size to transportation and further furniture or any other materials manufacturing.
Log Transportation
We used manual log skidding to bring the log into our boat. There is no proper transportation road in there but if we want to do logging operation in a large scale we should make the road by clearing bushy vegetation.

Log transportation facilities in sudarban
Sudarban consists of huge number of big and small rivers. So here water transportation and boat transportation are easy and most used transportation practice.
In Sundarban huge amount of Golpatta produces on the river bank. So people can easily harvest and transport those by boat.
It will be a loss project if we harvest tree species like sundry, geowa, goran, poshur, keora etc by using clear felling system rather selection felling system holds the conservation idea for our future betterment. For these reasons skidding is so tough because animal skidding is not possible for no skidding animal in sundarban and manual skidding is also difficult for unfavorable forest floor.
Mechanical transportation will be preferable but it needs huge logging operation and there is no road transportation facilities rather huge numbers of river channels are in there.
Above all at present logging operation is band in Sundarban. So costly mechanical transportation system will not be applicable rather manual, boat and water transportation is perfect at present.


A boy is harvesting Golpatta.
Golpatta harvesting

Our forest resources decline rapidly day by day. We cannot stop harvesting or logging operation but we should consider our environment our next generation. For these we should do logging operation in scientific way.