Evaluation of the Flowcut prototype head designed for early, biomass dense, thinnings

The Flowcut felling head is designed for continuous cutting and accumulation of small diameter trees. Felling and accumulation in a corridor is only interrupted by piling the trees when the accumulation capacity of the head is fully utilized. Theoretical studies has shown that this working method has the potential to at least double the performance in early, biomass dense, thinning. This study is a first in-field test of the Flowcut felling head and the main objective was to evaluate the heads functionality and performance and discuss further developments. Results show that the Flowcut felling head indicates a potential to increase harvester performance in early dense thinnings. The principle for cutting and accumulation was operational but there are areas that call for improvement.