In the last two decades the amount of timber harvested in Poland has almost doubled. On the other hand, in some regions of the country a decrease in the number of people willing to work in the forest can be observed. In such a situation, multioperational machines like harvesters and forwarders are being more frequently used in skidding and logging process. These machines operate mainly in the short-wood system, in which large- and medium-sized timber is bucked out of the butt part of the stem in form of logs, while in four of sections in the top part. Buyers are reluctant to buy cut-to-length (CTL) timber because of the widespread belief that timber produced as logs has a greater volume in comparison with longwood one. This paper presents preliminary results of research on CTL logging of large-sized pine longwood timber. Volume and value of timber provided in form of longwoods and logs were compared. The study was conducted in The “Lasy Mazurskie” Forest Promotional Complex (N Poland). The analysis showed that volume of CTL timber is usually smaller compared with the longwood one by a few percent, while the value is larger by several percent.

37-43