United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Northwest

Research Station

General Technical

Report

PNW-GTR-582

April 2003

Users Guide for STHARVEST: 

Software to Estimate the Cost of 

Harvesting Small Timber

Roger D. Fight, Xiaoshan Zhang, and Bruce R. Hartsough
Authors Roger D. Fight is a principal economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, P.O. Box 3890, Portland, OR 97208-

3890; Xiaoshan Zhang was a graduate student and Bruce R. Hartsough is 

a professor, University of California, Department of Biological and Agricultural 

Engineering, Davis, CA 95616-5294. Xiaoshan Zhang is currently General Manager, 

A & C Wooden Products, Inc., 522 Medanos Ct., Fremont, CA 94539.
Abstract Fight, Roger D.; Zhang, Xiaoshan; Hartsough, Bruce R. 2003. Users guide for 

STHARVEST: software to estimate the cost of harvesting small timber. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. PNW-GTR-582. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 12 p.

The STHARVEST computer application is Windows-based, public-domain software 

used to estimate costs for harvesting small-diameter stands or the small-diameter 

component of a mixed-sized stand. The equipment production rates were developed 

from existing studies. Equipment operating cost rates were based on November 1998 

prices for new equipment and wage rates for the Pacific Northwest. There are four 

ground-based and two cable harvesting systems. Harvesting costs can be estimated 

for both clearcutting and partial cutting for an average tree size ranging from 1 to 80 

or 150 cubic feet depending on the system selected. Cost estimates are in U.S. dollars 

per 100 cubic feet or per green ton. 

Keywords: Cost (logging), logging economics, timber management planning, software, 

simulation.
Summary The STHARVEST software was developed with machine productivities found in the 

literature. Machine operating costs were based on 1998 equipment prices and wage 

rates for the Pacific Northwest. Productivities from a large number of studies were 

used so the simulation could include systems covering as wide a range of conditions 

as possible relevant to the harvesting of small-diameter trees. The STHARVEST 

model is a general model that is intended to be used for broad planning applications. 

It develops estimates of harvesting cost for six harvesting systems for an average tree 

size ranging from 1 to 80 or 150 cubic feet depending on the system selected. Cost 

estimates are in U.S. dollars per 100 cubic feet or per green ton. The STHARVEST 

application does not allow estimating of costs beyond those considered reasonable 

extrapolations of the data and beyond reasonable limits imposed by machine performance characteristics. It would probably be necessary to adjust productivity equations 

or equipment costs to make a reasonable cost estimate for a particular setting with a 

particular machine. The model was not designed for that purpose. 
1

This paper describes how STHARVEST can be used to estimate the cost of harvesting small-diameter timber for six types of harvesting systems over a wide range 

of stand conditions: two ground-based systems and one cable system with manual 

felling and two ground-based systems and one cable system with mechanical felling. Information is included to provide an understanding of system configuration and 

the situation being simulated; however, it was not our intent to provide the information 

needed to determine whether a particular system is appropriate for a particular situation. It is presumed that the user will get the technical and policy information needed 

to make that decision. The STHARVEST software, this document, and related documents can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/data/soft.htm.

On public forest lands in the Western United States, the number of small-diameter 

trees is at an historic high because of fire suppression and other management activities. These small trees occur either in dense single-canopy stands or in a lower 

canopy level in multistoried stands. The prevailing attitude among many public land 

managers is that some proportion of these stands needs to be thinned to create a 

desirable mix of future stand conditions to meet forest health and habitat objectives 

and to reduce fire hazard. This generally involves removing part or all of the small-tree 

component of a stand. 

The costs of harvesting and utilizing small trees can be prohibitive because the unit 

costs of harvesting smaller diameter trees are generally higher than those for larger 

diameter trees, and the unit costs of harvesting low volumes per acre are generally 

higher than those for higher volumes per acre. The cost penalties for harvesting low 

volumes per acre and small trees differ depending on the type of logging system used. 

For example, harvesting with a cable system is typically more expensive than with a 

ground-based system. In addition, the incremental cost increases are greater for cable 

systems when lower volumes per acre or smaller trees are harvested. It is therefore 

appropriate to consider, at the time the silvicultural prescription is developed, the type 

of harvesting system likely to be used in a stand. With that system in mind, harvest 

costs can be estimated that will indicate the effect of different management strategies 

on harvesting costs and net return. If logging costs are not considered, prescriptions 

may be developed that result in costs of harvest that exceed the value of the timber. 

To accomplish a thinning as a timber sale, there needs to be enough value in the 

trees to be removed to attract bidders. Harvesting costs are often the primary issues 

in whether or not a stand treatment will pay for itself. It is therefore important to have 

reasonable harvesting cost estimates for planning purposes in advance of preparing a 

timber sale. The STHARVEST software was developed for that specific purpose. It is 

intended to give reasonable cost estimates for a general type of harvesting equipment 

and conditions. Because it estimates an average cost for several alternative machines 

in a configuration, it is not designed to provide estimates for a specific harvest unit with 

a specific set of machines. 

When calculating costs for a harvest system, STHARVEST does not explicitly consider the differences in calculated production rates between individual activities such as 

felling and yarding. Harvesting contractors use a variety of methods to maintain a reasonable balance between the activities. The STHARVEST software does take average 

system imbalances into account because the assumed utilization rates include interactive delays caused by the imbalances. Therefore, the costs reported by STHARVEST 

should be reasonable on average.

Introduction
2 

The STHARVEST software uses productivity equations drawn from the literature for 

56 specific machines. Machines can be excluded from the model by setting their relevance to zero, a process described later. Capital and operating costs were developed 

by use of a standard machine cost approach with replacement purchase prices for 

new equivalent equipment. Equipment prices were for November 1998. The productivities and costs are used to develop stump-to-truck harvesting costs for the six system 

choices in STHARVEST. The resulting costs are an average of costs for each type of 

machine that might be included in a configuration weighted by the appropriateness of 

each machine for the conditions. These relevance weights vary from 1.0 (where the 

study is considered to be highly relevant) to zero in portions of the range where the relationships are not likely to be valid. Those interested in the detailed assumptions have 

access to them through the software and can override the hourly machine cost rates if 

they wish. See Hartsough and others (2001) for a description of the studies used, the 

equipment studied, and the relevance weighting procedure. In addition, user-defined 

machines can be added to the mix of machines that are included in a system. To use 

this feature, the user must add the cost per productive machine hour, an equation for 

volume per productive machine hour, and an equation or value for relevance. 

The STHARVEST software is very similar in design and appearance to the 

PPHARVST software used to estimate harvesting costs in ponderosa pine (Pinus 

ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) plantations (Fight and others 1999). It will run on 

Windows 98 and newer operating systems.1

An STHARVEST exercise typically involves specifying a logging system, partial cut 

or clearcut, average yarding distance, slope, move-in distance, and number of acres 

being harvested at that location. Results can be made more relevant to local conditions by changing default values for machine costs, wood density, and the volume of 

tops and limbs (bonus wood) removed with the bole wood. Logging cost in either U.S. 

dollars per hundred cubic feet (US$/ccf) or dollars per green ton ($/gt) are shown for 

user-specified ranges of average tree size in cubic feet and number of harvested trees 

per acre. The resulting cost table provides an estimate of cost that can be applied to 

a single harvest, a series of harvests that might occur in a stand, or harvests applied 

to many stands with similar conditions. Figure 1 is an example of such a table and the 

key assumptions on which the table is based. This table has estimates of harvesting 

cost in dollars per ccf for average tree volumes of 3 to 50 cubic feet (shown in column 

A) and 25 to 200 cut trees per acre (shown in row 5). 

Both whole-tree (WT) and log-length systems are included in STHARVEST. In a 

whole-tree system, trees are felled either mechanically or by hand and delivered to the 

landing where the trees are processed into logs. Tops and limbs remain at the landing or are scattered and not utilized. In a cut-to-length (CTL) system, trees are felled, 

limbed, and bucked either mechanically or by hand into logs at the stump. Logs are 

delivered to the landing by skidders, forwarders, or a cable yarder. Tops and limbs remain at the stump and are not utilized. 

1 The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for 

reader information and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. 

Overview of 

STHARVEST

Harvesting Systems 

and Conditions
3

Figure 1—Screen showing STHARVEST input values (above the spreadsheet portion and in the column 

below A5 and in the row to the right of A5) and results (in cells B6 to E9). These costs are in dollars per 

hundred cubic feet but also can be displayed in dollars per green ton.

Table 1 shows the range of tree size and slope that STHARVEST accommodates. The 

following paragraphs provide a general description of the systems and the conditions 

for which they are well suited.

Ground-based systems are used where management conditions allow because they 

are typically less expensive and cause less damage to reserve trees than do cableyarding systems. The potential to damage soils on steep or wet ground, however, limits 

tractive equipment to sites where the soil is relatively dry and where slopes are less 

than 30 to 40 percent. For slopes greater than about 10 percent, landings and road 

access for ground-based systems should normally be located on the downhill edge 

of the harvest unit. Skidding uphill on steeper slopes can cause excessive soil disturbance, and skidding or forwarding uphill is more costly. 

With a ground-based manual-felling log-length system, trees are chainsaw-felled, 

limbed, and bucked into logs at the stump. Rubber-tired skidders (choker and grapple) 

collect the logs and transport them to the landing. Logs to be hauled in log form are 

loaded onto log trucks, and logs to be chipped for board products or fuel are processed through a disk chipper and blown into chip vans. A ground-based manual-felling log-length system is normally used where trees are large enough that they must be 

bucked into two or more pieces to remove them from the woods. It also may be used 

when managers wish to retain tops, limbs, and their associated nutrients on site.

With a ground-based manual-felling WT system, trees are felled with chainsaws but 

not limbed or bucked. Rubber-tired skidders (choker and grapple) collect and transport 

whole trees. Trees are chipped or processed mechanically with stroke or single-grip 

Ground-Based 

(Tractive) Systems
4 

processors and loaded onto trucks. A ground-based manual-felling WT system would 

typically be used for smaller trees than would the manual-felling log-length method 

and where feller bunchers are unavailable or where managers wish to confine machine traffic to a sparse network of skid trails. It often will be the most economical 

system where few trees per acre are to be removed. It is appropriate where managers 

wish to remove residues from the site to reduce fuel loading. 

With a ground-based mechanized-felling WT system, trees are felled and bunched; 

drive-to-tree machines are assumed for flat ground, whereas swing-boom and self-leveling versions are included for steeper terrain. Rubber-tired grapple skidders transport 

bunches to the landing. Trees are chipped or processed mechanically with stroke or 

single-grip processors and loaded onto trucks. A ground-based mechanized-felling 

WT system is normally used when most or all of the trees to be removed are small 

enough to be handled by a feller buncher. It is useful where fuel loading is high because it removes tops and limbs from the stand. Because all operators are in machines, this system is safer than either of the manual-felling systems, where fallers and 

choker setters are exposed to the dangers of falling trees and rolling logs.

With a ground-based CTL system, mechanized single-grip harvesters fell, limb, and 

buck the trees at the stump and pile the logs at trailside. Logs are transported to the 

landing by forwarders. Logs to be hauled in log form are loaded onto log trucks, and 

logs to be chipped for board products or fuel are processed through a disk chipper and 

blown into chip vans. Because of the forwarder’s high center of gravity, the groundbased CTL system is limited to gentler slopes than are the other tractive systems, and 

at the upper limits of slope, to terrain that is fairly uniform rather than dissected. In addition, forwarder trails must run close to the fall line and must be laid out on a parallel, 

uniformly spaced network so the harvester can access the whole area. The physical 

constraints of the harvester and forwarder limit this system to trees under about 20 

inches diameter at breast height. Mills that prefer logs longer than the forwarder can 

carry may pay less for short CTL logs. Forwarders carry rather than drag logs and can 

travel on mats of the tops and limbs left by harvesters. Managers may therefore prefer 

CTL systems when it is critical to leave residues onsite, minimize soil disturbance, begin operations earlier in the year and continue longer, and minimize aesthetic impact. 

Cut-to-length systems have safety advantages and can operate with small landings, 

but they are typically more expensive than mechanized-felling WT systems.

Manual felling Mechanical felling

Tree size

Ground based Cable Ground based Cable

and slope Whole tree length Log length Log length Whole tree length Log length Log length

Maximum tree

 size (cubic feet) 150 150 150 80 80 80

Minimum tree

 size (cubic feet) 1 1 1 1 1 1

Maximum slope 

 (percent) 40 40 None 40 30 40

Table 1—Ground-based or cable systems and conditions under which they customarily operate
5

Cable-yarding systems are used where terrain is too steep or wet for ground-based 

systems or to reach across streams to areas not accessible by road. Yarding, however, 

requires deflection, that is, concave terrain profiles, in order to lift logs and avoid soil 

disturbance. Experience and careful planning are needed to ensure adequate deflection. In partial cutting, road access and landings usually should be located along the 

uphill edge of a harvest unit because yarding downhill can cause excessive damage to 

residual trees. Stand damage is less of a problem when the trees being removed are 

smaller than the residual trees. All the cable-yarding studies included in STHARVEST 

were for uphill yarding, so the results should be applied to downhill yarding with caution.

With a manual-felling log-length cable-yarding system, trees are chainsaw-felled, 

limbed, and bucked at the stump. Cable yarders transport the logs to the landing. The 

types of yarders include Idaho jammers, live skylines, and running skylines. Logs to be 

hauled in log form are loaded onto log trucks, and logs to be chipped for board products or fuel are processed through a disk chipper and blown into chip vans. Manual 

felling is the most common means of preparing trees for yarding because it can be 

used on essentially any type of terrain. 

With a CTL cable-yarding system, mechanized single-grip harvesters fell, limb, and 

buck the trees and bunch the logs along predesignated yarding corridors and along 

harvester trails between the corridors. A cable yarder (a standing skyline with motorized slackpulling carriage was the only machine for which data were available) transports the bunched logs to the landing. Logs to be hauled in log form are loaded onto 

log trucks, and logs to be chipped for board products or fuel are processed through a 

disk chipper and blown into chip vans. The CTL system is applicable where the terrain 

is gentle enough and trees are small enough to allow the use of a harvester. It is not 

very common but shows promise for reducing the costs and residual stand damage 

associated with manual-felling log-length yarding. Cable yarders do not have the loglength constraints that forwarders have.

The STHARVEST software runs under Windows 98 and newer operating systems. It 

produces a table of harvesting costs in US$/ccf or $/gt over a range of average tree 

size (cubic feet per tree) and number of trees cut per acre. The harvesting conditions 

are chosen by the user selecting options on the program results screen.

The application was first created as an Excel spreadsheet then converted to a standalone program. All the calculation routines are available to the user through the 

Formula One Workbook Designer (double right-click within the spreadsheet portion 

of the program window to open Formula One) or as an Excel spreadsheet (open any 

saved spreadsheet in Excel). No software beyond STHARVEST itself is necessary to 

use the program. 

Although STHARVEST does not require a spreadsheet program, it does require 

some dynamic link library files and other files that may not be available on some 

personal computer systems. Some of these are supplied with the program. To install 

STHARVEST and the required files, execute the setupex.exe file that you downloaded 

from the STHARVEST Web page and follow the instructions in the setup program. 

The files will be transferred to the appropriate subdirectories on the hard disk, and 

an STHARVEST program icon will be created.

Cable-Yarding Systems

How to Get Started 

With STHARVEST

Installing STHARVEST
6 

Double-click on the STHARVEST icon or STHARVEST.exe. The program results 

screen will appear (fig. 2). The following four steps are required. 

1. Click on the top left combo box to select the type of harvesting system: groundbased manual log, ground-based manual WT, ground-based mech WT, groundbased CTL, cable manual log, or cable CTL.

2. In the next box below, select the type of harvest: clearcut or partial cut.

3. In column A of the spreadsheet area, enter a column of average tree sizes, in 

cubic feet, beginning in cell A6. For example, in figure 1, tree volumes of 3, 10, 20, 

and 50 have been entered. Any number of average tree sizes may be entered, but 

no cell within the range should be left blank because results for entries beyond a 

blank cell will not be calculated. The software follows the rules shown in table 1 for 

maximum and minimum average tree size and will not calculate results for average tree sizes that are outside that range. The average tree sizes can be of any 

value within the valid range; they do not have to be at equal increments. 

4. In row 5, enter a row of removals, in number of trees per acre, beginning with cell 

B5. For example, in figure 1, cut trees per acre of 25, 50, 100, and 200 have been 

entered. Results will only be calculated for removals of 1,000 or fewer trees per 

acre. 

These are the minimum data entry requirements for the program to run with the numbers that come preloaded in other cells. Modification of these default values is discussed below. Clicking one of the Calculate buttons will run the program and display 

the cost results in the body of the spreadsheet table in the requested units. You can 

save the results, modify the input data, and resubmit to generate new results, or you 

can click on the Clear button to clear results and start over. The Excel spreadsheet 

used by STHARVEST must be saved in Excel 5.0 format to be used again in the 

STHARVEST program. These operations are described in detail in a subsequent section.

Slope, one-way slope skidding, forwarding, or yarding distance, and the hourly costs 

per productive machine hour for each of the different machines can be changed by 

making entries in the appropriate boxes above the spreadsheet. See the glossary for 

specific definitions of input variables. When any of these inputs are changed, be sure 

to click Calculate again so that the results will reflect the new inputs. 

The machine operating costs should include the full cost of ownership and labor. The 

number that first appears when a change is to be made in the hourly costs of one of 

the machines is the default value. Once it is changed, the new value will be used in 

calculations, and the new value will be displayed when another change is requested. If 

the session is saved, the changed value will remain the operative value when that session is reopened. The program default values for machine costs are preserved, however, and can be returned for use in calculations by opening the dialog box to change 

the value again and entering zero. The Machine Costs sheet is where machine costs 

are calculated; that and other calculation sheets are found at the bottom of the window 

and are discussed in a subsequent section. 

The one-way distance is interpreted as either a skidding, forwarding, or yarding distance, depending on the harvesting system selected. Cable yarders have physical upper bounds on maximum yarding distance, based on the line capacities of their drums. 

Yarders with lower capacities will have relevance values of zero as their capacities are 

Entering Data in 

STHARVEST

Changing Other 

Input Data
7

exceeded. The maximum reach for cable yarders in STHARVEST is 2,000 feet. The 

value that is entered, however, is the average distance. For example, a rectangular 

unit with a maximum yarding distance of 2,000 feet would have an average yarding 

distance of about 1,000 feet, whereas a triangular unit with a maximum yarding distance of 2,000 feet would have an average yarding distance of about 1,300 feet. The 

maximum average value that STHARVEST will accept is 1,300 feet. 

Move-in costs can be a significant portion of the total cost when total removed volume is low. Move-in costs will be included in the results only if the Include box, under 

move-in costs, is checked. Values for the area harvested and the one-way move-in 

travel distance for the equipment can be modified as needed. 

The software uses a default value for the proportion of log volume that is chipped in 

the woods. The proportion decreases as tree size increases. Figure 3 shows this relationship. This value can be fixed by the user if desired; for example, at zero, if there 

is no in-woods chipping. This is done by unchecking the Use Default box above the 

spreadsheet and entering a number for the percentage of volume to be chipped. This 

number will be applied to all sizes of trees included in the results table.

A wood density is used in STHARVEST to convert machine productivities from studies 

done with cubic measurements to costs per ton and to convert machine productivities 

from studies done with weight measurements to costs per ccf. The value used is not 

just the weight of a cubic foot of green wood. Volume measurements are made inside 

bark, but weights include the bark. The weight that goes into the Green density cell 

Figure 2—Window as it appears when STHARVEST is opened.
8 

above the spreadsheet is therefore the green weight of bole wood and bark per cubic 

foot of bole wood. The program default value is 50 pounds per cubic foot. This value 

can be changed to reflect local conditions. 

When whole-tree systems are used, there is more than just bark that comes along 

per cubic foot of bole wood. Tops and branches also are brought to the landing. The 

weight of this material affects turn weights and times. It also contributes to the weight 

of material that will be recovered if whole trees are chipped and therefore affects the 

costs per ton. The Bonus Wood cell above the spreadsheet takes a percentage that 

is applied to the weight per cubic foot to account for the weight and volume of this 

material. This percentage is applied to all tree size classes. Different bonus wood percentages can be applied to different size trees by putting the desired percentages in 

column L under Bonus Wood in the spreadsheet. The value in the Bonus Wood cell 

above the spreadsheet will be ignored if bonus wood percentages are entered in the 

spreadsheet. 

Save and Print commands are found under the File menu. It is particularly important to save a spreadsheet if there are changes to machine costs or table entries that 

will be used in other cost simulations. The spreadsheet used by STHARVEST can 

only be saved in Excel 5.0 format. This is the only format that can be reopened by 

STHARVEST. To save the results and assumptions entered, select Save under the 

File menu, specify a location and a file name, and click Save. If the file is saved to the 

default file name, the default file will be overwritten and can only be reset to defaults 

by reinstalling the program.

To print results, highlight the area to be saved, select Define Print Area under the 

File menu, then select Print under the File menu and direct the output to the desired 

printer. 

Figure 3—The default value for the percentage of log volume that is chipped for 

different average tree sizes.

Saving and Printing
9

The Formula One Workbook Designer also can be used to save or print. One feature 

that it has that is not available from within STHARVEST is the ability to copy and paste 

the results into another application like a word processor or spreadsheet. Double-click 

the right mouse button while in the spreadsheet portion of STHARVEST to activate the 

Formula One Workbook Designer. This spreadsheet program offers great flexibility; it 

is compatible with Excel, and its use is similar to that of Excel’s. If the spreadsheet is 

saved from Formula One, the Excel 5.0 format must be selected for the saved file to 

be reopened in STHARVEST. It can be saved in other formats for other uses. If tabbed 

text (txt) format is selected, only the active sheet from which the command is executed 

can be saved. Additional sheets can be saved by clicking the tab to make them active 

and saving them one at a time.

Exit either application by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the screen. The 

STHARVEST program cannot be closed while the Formula One Workbook Designer 

is active.

If values of internal variables need to be modified, certain harvesting conditions 

changed, or calculations of cost or productivity verified, these can be done with 

STHARVEST by working in the Excel workbook through Formula One. Double-click 

on the right mouse button to open Formula One. Most cells are protected to avoid 

inadvertent changes. To modify cells that are protected, uncheck Enable Protection

under the Sheet menu. After making changes, save them with the Write command on 

the File menu. Be sure to save in Excel format if you intend to open the modified sheet 

with the STHARVEST program.

Each of the cost-component sheets (Felling, Fell & Bunch, Harvesting, Skidding, 

Forwarding, Cable Yarding, Processing, Loading, and Chipping) has provision 

for one or more user-defined machines. User-defined machines can be added from 

within STHARVEST. Areas where changes are required to add a new machine have 

a light blue background. With the exception of cable yarders, adding a new machine 

requires putting in the productivity in ccf per productive machine hour and a number or 

equation for the relevance of that machine. Care should be taken not to calculate costs 

for ranges of conditions where the assigned relevance is inappropriate. The cost per 

productive machine hour should be reviewed and modified as needed. Adding a cable 

yarder requires putting in the average turn time in minutes and a number or equation 

for the relevance of that machine. In addition, the cost per ccf for moving between 

landings and shifting cables is required. 

The STHARVEST workbook includes 13 sheets. Twelve are calculation sheets; the 

13th (Results) is used only to display tabular results calculated in other sheets. Tables 

of simulated harvesting costs can be run from the Results sheet without ever accessing other sheets. The additional sheets are accessible for those who want to understand the derivation of results or change some of the model assumptions. Equations 

can be viewed on the formula bar by checking Show Formula Bar under the Options

menu. 

Results—The Results sheet contains the results of one or more cost simulations. It 

also contains a listing of values that have been used in making the simulations so that 

simulation assumptions can be verified and retained with the results. If a harvesting 

cost file is requested (a command found under File menu) for use with the financial 

evaluation of ecosystem management activities (FEEMA) software (Fight and Chmelik 

1998), a file will be created that can be directly used in FEEMA analyses. It is created 

Changing the 

Spreadsheet 

Calculations 

(For Advanced 

Users)

Description of 

Calculation Sheets
10 

from the table found at the bottom of the Results sheet. The FEEMA harvesting cost 

file is always given in $/ccf because that is the only format accepted by the FEEMA 

software.

Inputs and Summary—The Inputs and Summary sheet shows intermediate results calculated for the last harvest cost calculation executed. It provides a way to see 

the cost of each component of a harvesting system that are included in the total cost 

shown in the Results sheet. If a single harvest cost calculation is requested (by entering only one tree volume and only one value for cut trees per acre in the results sheet), 

the intermediate calculations will be for that harvest cost calculation. This provides a 

way to view the calculations that produce a particular result.

Relevance Weight Inputs—The Relevance Weight Inputs sheet has the calculation 

of relevance weights for each machine or study included in a system. The cost for a 

system is an average of the costs of all machines weighted by their relevance weights. 

A relevance weight of zero would eliminate that machine or study from the average. 

This sheet also has a column of user overrides for the calculated weights. Machines 

can be excluded from the calculation of average cost by putting in a weight of zero in 

column B by those systems. User-supplied weights that are within the valid range of 

zero to one will be used except when the calculated weight is zero. If the calculated 

weight is zero, the user-supplied weight will be ignored to prevent extrapolation beyond what is deemed a reasonable use of the machine. Note that the current model 

weight shown in column C is for the last calculation made by the model and depends 

on the circumstances input to STHARVEST. Column K shows the weights used in calculations. They will be identical to the model-calculated weights unless user-supplied 

weights are used.

Machine Costs—The Machine Costs sheet shows the detailed calculation of the 

machine cost per hour for each of the six generic harvesting systems. This is where 

the default machine costs are calculated. These costs can be overridden by use of the 

Change Machine Cost pull-down menu.

Move-In-Costs—The Move-In-Costs sheet shows how the equipment moving costs 

are calculated for each of the six generic harvesting systems. 

Felling—The Felling sheet shows the costs per ccf for three felling productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Fell & Bunch—The Fell & Bunch sheet shows the costs per ccf for seven feller 

buncher productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned 

for the harvest cost calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Harvesting—The harvesting sheet shows costs per ccf for seven harvester productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost 

calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Skidding—The skidding sheet shows costs per ccf for eight rubber-tired skidder productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Forwarding—The forwarding sheet shows costs per ccf for four forwarder productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost 

calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.
11

Cable yarding—The cable yarding sheet shows costs per ccf for 12 cable yarder 

productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the 

harvest cost calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Processing—The processing sheet shows costs per ccf for five processor productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost 

calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Loading—The loading sheet shows costs per ccf for six loading productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Chipping—The loading sheet shows costs per ccf for four chipping productivity equations drawn from the literature and the relevance assigned for the harvest cost calculation shown on the Inputs and Summary sheet.

Cut Tree List—The Cut Tree List sheet is provided for those analysts that want to 

use the STHARVEST spreadsheet without the interface. Procedures have been developed to allow the spreadsheet to be called by another program to simulate harvesting 

costs for specific conditions as part of a broad analysis of fuels treatment. That use 

is not documented here, but the sheet is included in the program so that one spreadsheet will serve both purposes. Values entered on this sheet will not affect the results 

shown in the table on the Results sheet.

To reload a modified version of STHARVEST saved in Excel 5.0 format, open 

STHARVEST and then open the modified version with the Open command on 

the File menu. Note that the name of the active file is shown at the top of the 

STHARVEST window to distinguish between the default file and any saved file. 

Area harvested—The total area in acres to be harvested by one harvesting system 

during one entry.

Bonus wood—The limb and upper stem volume that is brought to the landing along 

with the merchantable bole wood when whole-tree skidding or yarding systems are 

used.

Chip fraction—The proportion of volume that is assumed to be turned into chips 

rather than logs for other products, expressed as a percentage.

Green density—The weight of green wood and bark per cubic foot of bole wood 

measured in pounds per cubic foot.

One-way move-in distance—Distance in miles that equipment is transported to 

reach the harvest unit.

Operator wage and benefit rate—Total cost per scheduled hour for the operator or 

crew associated with one machine.

Skidding/forwarding/yarding distance—This is the skidding distance for the 

ground-based skidder systems or the forwarding distance for the CTL system or the 

yarding distance for the cable yarding systems. In all cases, it refers to the average 

(not external) one-way distance measured along the slope.

Slope—The average fall-line slope for the harvest unit, measured as a percentage.

Trees per acre—Number of harvested trees per acre.

Running a Modified 

Version of STHARVEST

Glossary
12

Tree volume—Average merchantable volume in cubic feet to the merchantable top 

diameter of trees being harvested.

Utilization rate—Productive hours divided by scheduled hours.

When you know: Multiply by: To find:

Acres (ac) 0.40 Hectares

Cubic feet (cf) .028 Cubic meters

Feet (ft) .305 Meters

Inches (in) 2.54 Centimeters

Tons .91 Tonnes

Fight, R.D.; Chmelik, J.T. 1998. Analysts guide to FEEMA for financial analysis of 

ecosystem management activities. Gen. Tech. Rep. FPL-GTR-111. Madison, WI: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 5 p.

Fight, R.D.; Gicqueau, A.; Hartsough, B.R. 1999. Harvesting costs for management 

planning for ponderosa pine plantations. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-467. Portland, 

OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research 

Station. 8 p.

Hartsough, B.R.; Zhang, X.; Fight, R.D. 2001. Harvesting cost model for small trees 

in natural stands in the Interior Northwest. Forest Products Journal. 51(4): 54-61. 

Metric Equivalents

Literature Cited
The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle 

of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of 

wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation 

with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests 

and National Grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly 

greater service to a growing Nation.

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To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 

326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 

20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider and employer.

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