heli logging Scotland

[Highland Forestry]

There was a skyline on that job, owned by the company, Cat d4s brought the bigger stuff out. Got pics, will put some up one day.

 

Any idea roughly how many ton per day the chopper took out compared to the skyline??

[woodfaller]

No, its 35 years ago, can remember the stats. for the heli. but the skyline no, a lot of water passed under the bridge since then .

[Highland Forestry]

No, its 35 years ago, can remember the stats. for the heli. but the skyline no, a lot of water passed under the bridge since then .

 

True enough.... 35 years is a long time!

 

Where abouts you based??

[woodfaller]

North West (England), but we move around.

[Highland Forestry]

North West (England), but we move around.

 

Let us know if you're ever up in these parts

[Charlieh]

main problem with helicopters i have seen, they dont lift a great weight most 400-500kg. trees needed to be sneeded out and cross cut in wood

 

mostly are still 500kg but a few can lift 950kg, someone was looking at getting a huey which would lift a lot but that idea seems to have quiet at the moment

[woodfaller]

Is there much hand fell work up there now? A lot of the best timber will have gone , the rest will be left for amenity i guess ?

There was always a shortage of Scotch large timber fallers, they all seemed to be geared up for smaller stuff.

[Highland Forestry]

Is there much hand fell work up there now? A lot of the best timber will have gone , the rest will be left for amenity i guess ?

There was always a shortage of Scotch large timber fallers, they all seemed to be geared up for smaller stuff.

 

We do a fair bit of big diameter stuff, but normally only anything that a harvester can't handle... very big sticks, or big nasty sitka, outsiders etc.

 

Hand processing up here is dead on it's arse really... very occasionally get first thinnings, and then it's only if the wood is very posty or if harvesting contractors are moaning about it.

 

Sometimes get called in to hand process pockets of timber on banks or rocky outcrops whilst the harvester is in or sometimes even fell for the harvester.

 

The harvesters have killed an industry really, as a man with a saw just can't compete, can't even hope to compete.

If you can cut all day long at £6.00 per ton and make a living you're a better man than me.

 

There's alot of nice timber about all over the place... depends what you call big I guess. Some of the large diameter pine we fell is used for telegraph poles, they can be pretty meaty sticks.

[Stephen Blair]

do you work for Scotts or Chandlers?

[woodfaller]

Yeah, know what youre saying, most of my works been hardwood down the years, bit more leeway there,not often you come across a veneer sitka or a figured larch hey?What im saying is you only need to look at the price of sawlogs and work the costings back and it doesnt leave much for anybody , including the grower.