Battery- and Petrol-Powered Chainsaws: An Investigation of Productivity in Conifer Thinning

In recent years, battery technology has been greatly improved and some types of battery chainsaws are currently comparable with light-type petrol machines, suggesting their possible introduction into forest operations. In this context, the aim of this study was to test and compare the performance, in a Douglas-fir thinning, of two chainsaws similar in terms of weight and power, the Stihl MS 220 CB battery-powered saw and the Stihl MS 201 CM petrol-powered saw, measuring the working times and calculating the productivities. The results showed that, within a working day (about 6 h gross time), an average of 15 trees of 0.56 m³ was felled in each area. No statistically significant differences between the two chainsaws were found in terms of gross and net productivity; and the same result was obtained when focusing the analysis only on operations conducted using the chainsaws. Moreover, the average battery charge duration was 1.04 h, while the full tank duration for the petrol model was 1.12 h. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that, on the basis of their performance, battery chainsaws can be introduced into thinning operations, but a solution is needed to manage batteries in the forest, since the actual need is for 7–8 charges per workday.