At this point the trees have a diameter at breast height of 5 to 13 cm. Coppice crops reach harvestable size in 2 to 4 years. Harvesting and transport are difficult and expensive. At harvest, most energy crop plantations are clear cut 15 to 25 cm above the ground. Small branches and tops are trimmed and left in the field.
Harvesting is done with chain saws, machetes or both.
In some cases, harvesting with chain saws has been abandoned in favor of machetes. Unfamiliarity, fuel costs, and maintenance problems are identified as reasons. A 1981 study by the International Labor Organization found that handtools were cost competitive with small chain saws. Harvesting production rates vary with equipment, topography, and the skill, strength, and stamina of operators and laborers. At Casureco IV, workers with chain saws fell about 30 m3 each day.