Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West

[ESS]

36 minutes ago, MattyF said:

You would fell them back in to the rack or hang them up and just winch them butt first to the machine as in the video ?

 

36 minutes ago, MattyF said:

You would fell them back in to the rack or hang them up and just winch them butt first to the machine as in the video ?

Perhaps its me that's not understanding it, however, ….the machine travelling up the rack is driving at the felled trees end on in a line thin,..but processes 90 degrees to that line .the head works across the bed ? In a stand that has already been line thinned before the matrix wouldn't be a problem as you say because the trees can be winched to the side of the machine, but to process trees that are felled in the line the machine it would seem would have to be sideways on to the butts, in which case you would be processing down the line.

[Big J]

1 hour ago, ESS said:

 

Perhaps its me that's not understanding it, however, ….the machine travelling up the rack is driving at the felled trees end on in a line thin,..but processes 90 degrees to that line .the head works across the bed ? In a stand that has already been line thinned before the matrix wouldn't be a problem as you say because the trees can be winched to the side of the machine, but to process trees that are felled in the line the machine it would seem would have to be sideways on to the butts, in which case you would be processing down the line.

The machine is small enough and manoeuvrable enough to be able to turn 90 degrees to the felled line within the rack. It's only 4m long and 1.45m wide. So, you drive into the rack, turn 90 degrees (or as close to that as you need to) and process away. No problemo. 

[ESS]

5 minutes ago, Big J said:

The machine is small enough and manoeuvrable enough to be able to turn 90 degrees to the felled line within the rack. It's only 4m long and 1.45m wide. So, you drive into the rack, turn 90 degrees (or as close to that as you need to) and process away. No problemo. 

That was the only way I could imagine. Painfully slow though.

[Big J]

Just now, ESS said:

That was the only way I could imagine. Painfully slow though.

It's not. It's very quick to get into position. You then winch 5-8 trees to one point (radio winch) creating a stack large enough to fill the forwarder. You're never winching more than 20m, and it's a fast winch. 12-15 trees per hour, minimum. Once you've a large enough stack, move up the rack to the start of the felled trees and repeat. Compared to hand felling, it's more than twice as quick (per tonne, per man), the presentation is far better for forwarding and it's much less physically demanding for the cutters as there is zero stacking. 

 

Again, I appreciate your experience in the matter, but the low impact angle is a niche of forestry that isn't ever going to be most economically viable, but for a great many landowners (especially in these parts) it's of more importance than financial return. It is still viable, and we can break even on first thinnings with a much, much lower impact on the stand (as well as a tidier finish).

[Khriss]

24 pages in and am still waiting fr ESS to put his abacus away an  post some pics..... * opens wine * k

Edited March 30, 2019 by Khriss
Opened a merlot before I had to open a vein.....

[ESS]

10 minutes ago, Khriss said:

24 pages in and am still waiting fr ESS to put his abacus away an  post some pics..... * opens wine * k

I am just a thick woodcutter and wouldn't have the ability to upload pics.

I have been involved in hardwoods most of my career and do have pics of stuff we have cut that a lot  could only dream of. 

Elm to over  1700 hoppus, Spanish to over 600 hoppus, Beech to over 800 hoppus , Oak 400 plus.

Conifer, Spruce over  300 hoppus, Douglas 2-300 hoppus, Larch to 200, and you ?

 

[Big J]

17 minutes ago, ESS said:

I am just a thick woodcutter and wouldn't have the ability to upload pics.

I have been involved in hardwoods most of my career and do have pics of stuff we have cut that a lot  could only dream of. 

Elm to over  1700 hoppus, Spanish to over 600 hoppus, Beech to over 800 hoppus , Oak 400 plus.

Conifer, Spruce over  300 hoppus, Douglas 2-300 hoppus, Larch to 200, and you ?

 

Not quite on that scale, but some large elm and larch we did a few years back. Sorry for the poor quality pics.

 

 

[Khriss]

For all the "Armchair foresters"  out there. The timber was always bigger,  the lorries larger etc etc...

 

 

 

K

[LGP Eddie]

Stick with it J,

I used to really specialise in sites that needed solutions with the absolute minimum of impact, the money generated from the Timber generally of little consequence.

 

I take my hat off to commercial Forestry, stunning kit, highly skilled Operators and I must say from what I’ve seen some really tidy sites about these days on some really challenging terrain.

 

However there’s a place for small kit, absolutely minimal mess and working to an entirely different ethos to simply commercial considerations.

 

Best advice crack on and keep under the radar!

 

Had some great jobs and worked with many fantastic guys who’ve brought all kinds of skills, and laughs!?

 

 

 

 

Eddie.

 

[ESS]

9 minutes ago, Big J said:

Not quite on that scale, but some large elm and larch we did a few years back. Sorry for the poor quality pics.

 

 

The Elm I mentioned was 81qg , 1762 hoppus of measureable timber, things like that you don't forget. I have literally cut timber from the north of Scotland to Cornwall to 5 years on windblow in the south east and Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset .

Barrelled 9m + spruce off the hillsides in Scotland, tbh I just smile at what people call cream nowadays.