Elephant skidding has been established as a traditional method of short distance transportation of timber in Thailand about a century ago. Because of the logging ban in natural forests imposed by the Thai government in early 1989, elephants are increasingly employed in logging operations in forest plantations, which cover about 700,000 ha. nation-wide.
Selective thinning has been adopted as a standard thinning method in teak plantations in Thailand. A spacing of 4m x 4m is common except in the areas where there is a need for agroforestry practice, in which the spacing would be increased to accommodate crop planting between the rows. Teak trees are usually felled with a power saw and then bucked to a specific length, depending on the order of the buyers. If they are to be used in a furniture factory they will usually be crosscut to 4 m length; if they are destined for a sawmill they will be cut into longer logs. After being crosscut, the logs will be skidded to a concentration point along the skid trail. The logs will then be bundled with a chain attached to the harness system of the elephant and further skidded to the roadside landing.
The crew for a single elephant usually consists of the mahout (driver) and a worker. If there are a number of logs, one more worker may be hired to help bundle the logs. The average production rate for an elephant skidding 4m logs is around 2 m3/hr with an average skidding distance of 30 m. Working hours are from 6:0012:00. Traditionally, an elephant works 3 consecutive days and takes 2 days off. A fully grown (around 20 years) and well trained elephant costs about US$6,000. The elephants' working ability drops dramatically after it has reached the age of 60 years, and it will be relieved of hard logging work.
Since no skidding road is needed, soil erosion and soil compaction can be avoided. Damage to the remaining trees and the soil is minimal. There is no doubt that elephant logging provides one of the most environmentally sound practices in teak plantations. It is estimated that the present population of elephants in Thailand is about 5,000 and 3,000 out of this number are domesticated. When employment opportunities for the rural people are taken into account, elephant logging could be considered the most appropriate logging method for Thailand.
Key words: elephant logging, thinning, teak plantations, Thailand.
Correspondence: Tawee Kaewla-iad, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
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