• Bradley, Dennis P.
  North Central Forest Experiment Station
  

This handbook summarizes the use of simulation to estimate the productivity of two different full-free field chipping systems. It serves as an example of the kind of complex analyses that simulation makes possibly for both selecting a system and operation it efficiently. The study leading to this manuscript was hypothetical yet realistic analysis of tree and stand factors, machine capabilities, and operating rules. It was hypothetical in that only a small set of many possibly variable was examined and this study's conclusions were not tested in the real world. It was realistic in that the tree and stand data reflect real Minnesota stands, and the machine data reflect real machine characteristics. Several key assumptions as to machine speed, capacity, and availability had to be chosen from a wide range of possibilities to make comparisons feasible. This bulletin emphasizes the importance of descisions made by fellerbuncher, skidder and chopper operators in their tree-to-tree and bunch-tobunch movement. Productivity can be increased and cost reduced if simple rules guiding machine movements are applied as tree and stand factors change.