Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West

[josharb87]

Good luck Jonathan! I’m sure there’s a varied selection of work for a low ground pressure machine, not just trees

 

It’d be really interesting if you could start a thread about the Logbullet :biggrin:

[shavey]

good on you big j for taking that lead into another branch of the forestry sector it could well be a winner 

with all the rainfall and limited extracting months and many people will tell you down here when alot of these woodlands where planted , the tracks in werent very wide and your machine would benefit alot of small woodland 

owners , and it will be good too meet you next summer

 

[Big J]

We're planning to live in the Culm Valley, which I believe is amongst driest parts of Devon. Whilst Edinburgh is one of the driest bits of Scotland, we have a high number of rain days and a lot of cloud. The one thing it will be is a lot warmer, even if it is raining!

 

Josh. As soon as I've got the machine into the UK, I'll start a thread on it. End of June. I was lucky to get it as soon as that, as they are getting busier and busier with production. My machine will be the 15th he has produced. Quite exciting to be part of the development of it too.

 

Andrew. Thanks mate! I'll be needing a new Dolly from you to get started with as well. I'll have a 5ft wide track with this machine and to illustrate how soft the ground can be for it to work on, I'll borrow an Alstor video (skip to 1 minute 25 seconds):

 

 

 

 

 

[john p]

The beauty of a machine that small is that it is able make productive incredibly small blocks of woodland. It could be as little as one or two loads from as little as an acre stand. 
 
Equally, the volume of woodland owned or controlled by charitable trusts is proportionally higher than in our neck of the woods, and a sensitive approach is highly valued in that sector. 
 
I wandered around an amenity woodland near Street in Somerset that had been recently thinned and the extraction had been with a delicate machine as the tracks were minimal. If you give the land owner the option of such a low impact approach, they'll always go for it, especially as the machine is fairly productive and would have no issues chucking 500-700kg sticks around all day every day. 
 
But I do appreciate the candour. I am realistic that I'm not going to have 5 days a week for the machine initially, but I'm confident that demand for it will eventually outstrip supply [emoji3]

If your happy to work round that way I do a fair bit round Shepton mallet with landowners who are very sensitive to ground damage, probably 1.5 hrs from cullompton

[Big J]

1 minute ago, john p said:

If your happy to work round that way I do a fair bit round Shepton mallet with landowners who are very sensitive to ground damage, probably 1.5 hrs from cullompton

I don't have any issues with travelling a little way. I'd just have to add a bit on for mileage as I can't see me getting more than 20mpg towing the forwarder and trailer. I'm really excited about the variety of work available. 

[wicklamulla]

7 minutes ago, Big J said:

I don't have any issues with travelling a little way. I'd just have to add a bit on for mileage as I can't see me getting more than 20mpg towing the forwarder and trailer. I'm really excited about the variety of work available. 

Will  ya be keeping that Fiat/Citroen Van ya bought to do the towing J?

[Big J]

7 minutes ago, wicklamulla said:

Will  ya be keeping that Fiat/Citroen Van ya bought to do the towing J?

 

No, sadly not. As much as I like it, it lacks (the legal) towing capacity and 4 wheel drive. 4x4 to be purchased, and as daft as it sounds, the Jeep Commander is the present forerunner. I need a big vehicle in order to fit in it, and it's also got the 3.5t tow capacity as well as a 3ltr Mercedes diesel powerplant.

[delabodge]

Good luck mate??is this the end to your sawmilling business then,I’m guessing as much,or have you still got a finger in that pie.?i feel an elm order coming up lol

[Big J]

No Clive - the mill will continue as it has with the two chaps who I work with taking over. Plenty of elm on the horizon if you need some.

[rowan lee]

Hey you only live once. Follow the heart as they say. Exciting and daunting at the same time, funny how we allow ourselves to get so comfortable in routines we don't necessarily enjoy, with the thought of ever changing them out of sight. It will be stressful with family, business, etc all in tow, but I have always found a move can reinvigorate all aspects of living.

 

On the low impact side of forestry - Its an idea I have always come back to in my dreams. I'm from an entirely different work avenue (economic geology and exploration) but have constantly come back to the woodlands idea time and time again. There are so many small private woodlands on farms here in Ireland now just begging for some low impact thinning work. Some of the devastation you see after the 20 ton machines have been in, you wonder if the final crop will actually come to anything? Its an interesting niche for sure, I have started seeing the first bit of light with the introduction of those Vimik 6 wheelers here in the republic, perhaps the tide is starting to change.

 

All the best anyways. Looking forward to reading your new work thread later in the year.