There are a variety of types of skidding and forwarding machines used to move whole trees, slash, or chips from the woods to a landing or roadside location in forestry. In the subsequent sections, traditional ground-based skidding and forwarding equipment types are described briefly, as are some specialized forwarders for woody biomass.

Ground-based log skidders may be tracked or wheeled machines. Log skidders are capable of working on moderate slopes (<40%) and may be configured as either cable or grapple skidders. Cable skidders have a large hydraulic winch on the back, which log ‘chokers’ are attached to, allowing multiple stems to be winched to the machine and elevated off the ground prior to skidding to the landing. Grapple skidders have a large hydraulic grapple on the rear of the machine that lifts logs off the ground for skidding (Figure 14.5). Cable skidders thus have the advantage of being able to pull felled trees out of areas that may be difficult for the machine to navigate, or preferable to avoid, such as streamside management zones (SMZs), while grapple skidders must be able to back up directly to bunched logs where they lay. Working under similar conditions, grapple skidders have higher production rates than cable skidders, and are more common. On the west coast of the United States (Oregon and Washington), shovel logging has largely replaced the use of skidders for ground-based yarding in industrial forest operations. However, skidders are still used commonly in the inland northwest and in the eastern United States.