You sure about that? Soil compaction is the most serious long-term damage caused by timber harvesting. It's why only tracked harvesters driven by highly-paid fellers are allowed off the gravel. The masses of everyday log-truck drivers (and their wheeled vehicles) are not allowed on the dirt.
You want the ground pressure spread out as much as possible, not concentrated on tiny "feet".
"It's why only tracked harvesters driven by highly-paid fellers are allowed off the gravel."
And this is sadly not true for germany or other parts of europe I know about. I think I never saw a tracked forester in europe. Are they mandatory in the US? That would surprise me, given they have much more lax regulations in general (fracking for example)
https://www.mainecustomwoodlands.com/maine-custom-woodlands-...
Only thing non-tracked that goes off the gravel logging roads would be the Skidder (it literally drags bunches, or 'hitches' of trees to the transport vehicles). And even that might be partially or fully-tracked.
The feller, slasher, excavator, bulldozer, etc. are all tracked from what I've seen.
Mandatory? Doubtful. But they are most practical in the rough terrain.
I didn't mean to imply there was a government mandate. It's the large forestland owners who demand it of their contractors.
Compaction is much, much worse. It takes a century or more to undo in temperate rainforests like the Olympic Peninsula.