text: For instance, in Eastern areas of the United States, research which compared the conventional and mechanized logging operations, indicated the number of injuries, when using the conventional approach, is three times greater than that of using the mechanized equipment such as a feller buncher.However, mechanized related injury could be raised accordingly, especially when performing machine maintenance or repair. These kinds of injuries could be serious and also costly. Limitations
  Feller buncher could be highly productive and cost-effective but there are several limitations. Feller buncher is less beneficial when performing operations on a very rough and relatively steep land. For example, in Appalachian hardwood area, trees have heavy crowns and are grown on the steep slopes which requires tracked feller bunchers in the operations. Although tracked feller bunchers allow operations on a steep slope, the cost-effectiveness is not well studied. Also, manual felling can operate on the steeper slopes than the feller bunchers do. On the other hand, feller bunchers are cost-effective only when there is a high volume of trees in the operations. If there is not enough timber to harvest, the unit cost can be expensive, especially when the majority of the operation site is steep slopes. 