Since the dawn of modern forestry, optimization of forest operations has been at the forefront of maintaining profitable organizations. One of, if not the most expensive aspect of a boreal softwood operation is road construction which has a direct relationship with the ability to extract timber efficiently. Matthews (1942) expressed that extraction distance and road spacing optimization could be enhanced by mathematical equations; however, experience and a knowledge of the land is not replaceable. The experience Matthews (1942) referred to can undoubtably be associated with the countless variables that any given parcel of land can contribute to reducing the accuracy of “armchair, slide ruler” management. This study was conducted in the Jellicoe area of the Nipigon Forest in Ontario, Canada. Two cut blocks were each divided into four separate distance compartments. The first compartment, 0-300 meters being the assumed optimal extraction area from the landing, with three consecutive compartments of 100-meter increases that follow (301-400 meters, 401-500 meters, and 501- 600 meters). Timber extraction productivity (m3 PMH-1) variables (volume extracted, area, and PMH) were recorded to observe variation between distance compartments and within the associated production metrics. The hypothesis that spruce-pine-fir timber extracted by grapple skidder in a mostly dry site with minimal slope in a northwestern Ontario boreal forest will maintain a comparable level of productivity up to 400 meters could not be rejected as no statistical difference was found between the 0-300 and 301-400 compartments.
