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A research publication from the late 1990’s supplies valuable information on Cut-To-Length logging systems.The article was published in the International Journal of Forest Engineering, titled “Cut-To-Length: The Next Decade”. The authors were Sten Gellerstedt and Bo Dahlin of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Even though the article is slightly dated, it still contains very interesting and valuable information.
The single-grip harvester was developed to try and make thinning more profitable in Scandinavian conditions. The different parts of the Nordic harvesters were designed in response to specific needs in the forest. The different parts of the harvester and the reasons for their construction are included in the table below. The table is reproduced from the research article.
| Machine part or quality | Reason behind the construction or quality |
| Ten metre boom | The distance between strip-roads was 20 metres in thinning. |
| Weight of harvester head under 1,200 kg (2,650 lb) | With a ten metre boom, heavier heads could compromise machine stability or require heavier base machines. |
| Small size of harvester head | Most trees had a felling diameter of less than 65 cm (25.6 in) |
| Confined delimbing capacity | Trees had small and uniform limbs |
| Good terrain accessibility was required | Terrain was rocky with slopes mostly less than 40%. There was high variation in ground bearing capacity. |
| Multi-functional machine | It had to be able to operate in thinning and smaller clear cut areas. Planning,supervision, control and transport needed to be easy. It needed to address the problem of labour shortages. Ground damage needed to be minimised. |
| The flexibility of the harvester concept | It needed to operate in variable tree sizes and a variety of terrain conditions. |
| High safety and ergonomics standards | There few operators are key people. They therefore require a machine that is easy to use and is a comfortable work place. |
The article can be sourced in Volume 10, Number 2 (1999). Please access the journal for a more complete account of the research. Source: http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JFE/vol10_2/gellerstedt.html and image source: www.deere.com