Editing Logging (section)

==Transporting logs==
[[File:1870-1880-Timber-floating-in-Vilnius.jpg|thumb|Timber floating in Vilnius, 1873]]
[[File:Logging with Belarus MTZ-82-L in Estonia 2021.webm|thumb|Logging with Belarus MTZ-82-L in Estonia 2021]]

Logging methods have changed over time, driven by advancements in transporting timber from remote areas to markets. These shifts fall into three main eras: the manual logging era before the 1880s, the railroad logging era from the 1880s to [[World War II]], and the modern mechanized era that began after the war.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lecture - Hank Johnston |url=https://californiarevealed.org/do/92cdbf57-68c4-48e1-91cb-4d37ae027962 |publisher=Sierra Historic Sites Association |date=April 27, 1980 |access-date=September 29, 2024 }}</ref>

=== Pre-1880s: Pre-Industrial Era ===

In the early days, felled logs were transported using simple methods such as rivers to float tree trunks downstream to sawmills or paper mills. This practice, known as [[log driving]] or [[timber rafting]], was the cheapest and most common. Some logs, due to high resin content, would sink and were known as deadheads. Logs were also moved with high-wheel loaders, a set of wheels over ten feet tall, initially pulled by oxen.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=T-QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=-PA66 "Wanted An-Inventor!" ''Popular Mechanics Monthly'', July 1930, pp. 66–70, see p. 67 middle photo]</ref>

=== 1880s to World War II: Railroad Logging Era ===

As the logging industry expanded, the 1880s saw the introduction of mechanized equipment like railroads and steam-powered machinery, marking the beginning of the [[Forest_railway|railroad logging]] era. Logs were moved more efficiently by railroads built into remote forest areas, often supported by additional methods like high-wheel [[Loader_(equipment)|loaders]], tractors and [[log flume|log flumes]].<ref name="Valley Flumes">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date= |title=A look back at the history of the Valley's log flumes |url=https://abc30.com/sierra-nevada-central-valley-fresno-county/56206/ |work=ABC 30 (KFSN) |location=Fresno, California |access-date=November 19, 2022}}</ref> The largest high-wheel loader, the "Bunyan Buggie," was built in 1960 for service in California, featuring wheels {{convert|24|ft|m}} high.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=1CoDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+science+1930&pg=PA96 "Huge Logging Tractor Moves on Wheels 24 Feet High."] ''Popular Science'', June 1960, pp. 96–98.</ref>

=== Post-World War II: Modern Mechanized Logging ===

After World War II, mechanized logging equipment, including chainsaws, diesel trucks, and [[Continuous_track|Caterpillar tractors]], transformed the logging industry, making railroad-based logging obsolete. With the advent of these tools, transporting logs became more efficient as new roads were constructed to access remote forests. However, in protected areas like [[United States National Forest]]s and designated [[wilderness]] zones, road building has been restricted to minimize environmental impacts such as erosion in [[riparian zone]]s.

Today, heavy machinery such as [[yarder]]s and [[skyline logging|skyline]] systems are used to gather logs from steep terrain, while helicopters are used for [[heli-logging]] to minimize environmental impact.<ref>[http://forestry.com/blog/helicopter-logging-heli-logging/ Helicopter logging or Heli-logging] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604093745/http://forestry.com/blog/helicopter-logging-heli-logging/ |date=2009-06-04 }}, Forestry.com</ref> Less common forms of logging, like [[horse logging]] and the use of oxen, still exist but are mostly superseded.<ref>{{citation|title=Animal logging in the US South and its application in the developing countries|publisher=[[FAO]]|url= http://www.fao.org/3/XII/0573-B1.htm}}</ref>