Forest Machine Magazine - November 2023 - Issue 43

FOREST MACHINE MAGAZINE CUTTINGS FROM THE FOREST FLOOR DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR NOVEMBER 2023 + ISSUE 43 + ISSN 2398-8568 + FREE PUBLICATION

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WELCOME RAB EASTON Editor

I

t has been a busy couple of months with plenty going on.

Komatsu’s new facility at Carlisle Airport is now up and running and their official opening on September the 8th was a thoroughly enjoyable event, from the tour of the premises in the morning and early afternoon, to their gala dinner which went on until the wee hours. We have also been out and about to visit contractors in Scotland, Northumberland and the Lake district and visited the Confor Woodland Show.

I managed to make a complete fool of myself at the show, that’s not difficult I hear you cry! Flying to Bristol airport and then hiring a car was the cheapest and quickest solution. I wasn’t happy though when I found out they take a whopping £1500 deposit off your card.

We got to the show, parked in the allotted field and set off to see what was on offer. At around 4.30 we headed out towards the cars and it was only then that we realized we didn’t know what make or what colour the hire car was. We simply hadn’t given it any thought, I knew it was a small hatchback and I knew roughly where it was parked, but could we find it. Even though the parked cars had thinned out quite a bit we still wandered about like headless chickens trying to find it.

Another visitor had seen me and was quite concerned about my erratic behaviour and asked Wendy if we (meaning me) were okay, Wendy explained what had happened, and after he got control of his laughter, he offered to help us look.

We wandered about the rows of parked cars, and I kept pressing the remote while Wendy and the other guy looked for flashing lights or clicking noises of doors unlocking. I thought it was possibly a black Renault hatchback and Wendy thought it was a 22 plate. Turns out it was a light blue Fiat 500 and a 21 plate, luckily Wendy saw the lights flashing when I was running about pressing the remote. I still wasn’t convinced it was ours till I saw my bag in the back, this getting old is not all it’s cracked up to be.

��

November 2023

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November 2023 Issue 43 ISSN 2398-8568

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However, reporting inaccuracies can occur and consequently readers using this information do so at their own risk. The opinions expressed in each article are those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Forest Machine Magazine. Therefore, Forest Machine Magazine carries no responsibility for the opinions expressed thereon. Through the magazines you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Forest Machine Magazine. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites.

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November 2023

CONTENTS NEWS 6

A New Beginning: Komatsu Forest officially opens its new state of the art facility near Carlisle Airport

46

A Right Royal Visit: King Charles sees the latest £15 million re-development program at James Jones & Sons Aboyne Sawmill.

20

FEATURES 36

Branching Out: Mark Beach explains how the aroma of tree sap lured him back into timber harvesting.

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A Mountain To Climb: We look at two completely different methods used for logging steep slopes safely.

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Readers Gallery: A selection of the best of the rest photos that were sent in to our Facebook and Instagram front cover competition.

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Logging Down Under: Rory Sutherland gives us an insight into logging in New Zealand after emigrating there in 2018.

52

Show Stopper: A round up of the Confor Woodland Show at Bath and West Showground in Somerset.

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Whilst every care has been taken in producing this wall planner, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors. We recommend you check events are still going ahead before setting out.

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Offering Offering Offering the the the forestry forestry forestry industry industry industry Offering the forestry industry Offering the forestry industry Offering the forestry industry

PAUL MILLAR

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07970 124 295 Copyright Forest Machine Magazine 2023

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November 2023

#writtenbyloggersforloggers | #loggingallovertheworld

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Page 5

NEWS

Top Left: Stephen Bellas, Managing Director.

Top Right: The team at Cubby Construction.

Middle: The Komatsu Forest Limited team.

Bottom Right: Fujiwara san & the Mayor of Carlisle, Abdul Harid and his wife.

F

riday the 7th of September was a milestone for Komatsu Forest Limited UK, as Stephen Bellas and his team opened their brand-new facility near Carlisle Airport in the glorious September sunshine.

This impressive 3. 4 million pound investment in a purposebuilt state-of-the-art building, built by Cubby Construction is both large and modern and blends well with its surroundings.

Guests were treated to a tour

of the premises, starting at the front of the building, which holds the large entrance, parts reception, training room, large open plan air-conditioned office, staff canteen, toilets, and meeting room, spread over two floors.

Page 6

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

November 2023

KOMATSU FOREST LIMITED OPEN DAY AND GALA EVENING Out in the workshops, the main service bay can easily house three machines at the same time. It is equipped with an automated lubrication delivery system for servicing and a threeexhaust fume extraction system, so machines can be running

inside without putting engineers’ health at risk.

A 10-tonne lifting capacity overhead crane can access the whole workshop for any heavy lifting that’s required.

November 2023

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

The fabrication workshop is

equipped with cutting and welding equipment for additional guarding and repairs and the spare parts warehouse holds the automated parts delivery system, which will hold 80% of Komatsu’s spare parts, with a storage area for the Page 7

NEWS larger components.

industry.

The opening was very well attended, and the Komatsu Forest team were on hand to show people around and answer any questions.

EVENING FESTIVITIES

After a lunch of fish and chips, the ribbon to officially open the facility was jointly cut by the Mayor of Carlisle, Abdul Harid, and honoured guest from the Japanese Consulate, Fujiwara san. This was an important event, not just for Komatsu Forest UK, but for the local Cumbrian community as it shows Komatsu’s commitment to the area and to the UK forest

Guests were piped into a beautifully laid out marquee at the Garden at Eden near Carlisle Airport, which boasted panoramic views of the surrounding fells and floodlit water garden. The 300 guests were treated to drinks and canapés before being served a delicious four-course meal with entertainment from the young local drama students between courses.

The meal was followed by Scottish band Highway, a professional party band that

perform mostly at weddings and corporate events, who played an eclectic mix of new and old songs to get everyone up on the dance floor well into the small hours.

This was a perfectly executed day from start to finish with exceptional hospitality from Stephen and all the team at Komatsu, fine dining with a great mix of people.

This is an event that will be fondly remembered for a long time to come. www.komatsuforest.co.uk www.cubby.co.uk www.architectsplus.co.uk

Check out our website www.forestmachinemagazine for all the latest forestry news, equipment, products and issues that affect our industry.

We are a a bi-monthly publication and use our website as a news channel to keep you at the forefront of forestry.

Page 8

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November 2023

INTRODUCING THE KOMATSU FOREST UK PARTNERSHIP REWARDS PROGRAMME!

PARTNER

Rewards

At Komatsu Forest, we believe that true success is built upon strong partnerships. To recognise the ongoing support of our valued customers, we are pleased to announce our Partnership Rewards Programme.

Members will have access to exclusive benefits and privileges in addition to the exceptional products and services that we always provide. We aim to foster a lasting partnership that extends beyond transactions, ensuring that you feel truly appreciated and valued every step of the way.

Members can look forward to a wide range of benefits, including outstanding cash-back rewards, personalised support from our dedicated team, an extensive range of discounts, the chance to win some amazing prizes, and much more.

To sign up or for more details, contact our team T: 01228 792018 www.komatsuforest.co.uk

NEWS

NEW GENERATION OF SORTING GRABS

AND MULTI-GRABS FROM ROTOTILT

R

made the grabs even more powerful than their predecessors in the same weight class.

They are now expanding their range of work tools with a new generation of grabs, more specifically sorting grabs and multi-grabs for mid-range excavators. A new design and a new cylinder are two of the main features of the new models. According to Sven-Roger Ekström, Product Manager at Rototilt, this has

An ongoing theme for the new grabs is durability. One new feature is the fact that the loadholding valve is integrated in the cylinder, which also makes the design more compact and provides the valve with greater protection against external wear. They also have double parallel braces and a large angled bottom plate that protects the grab, as well as expander pins for rapid adjustments.

ototilt Group has a strong tradition of innovation and product development, and is creating new areas of use for excavators through tiltrotators, machine couplers and original tools.

The new grabs from Rototilt are also compatible with the Open-S standard, which means that users are free to combine products from a wide range of manufacturers.

Sales of the new grabs are already under way, and the first deliveries are expected to arrive in early autumn 2023. www.rototilt.com

APF 2024 WELCOMES ITS 100TH EXHIBITOR

T

he Ragley Estate is fast becoming the regular home of the APF, the UK’s leading exhibition for the forestry, woodland, arboriculture, fencing, trees and timbers sectors.

Preparations are well under way for the 24th exhibition with the 100th exhibitor confirmed.

Exhibition Secretary, Ian Millward commented “We are delighted to welcome back longstanding exhibitor Lamberhurst Engineering to APF 2024. It is fantastic to already have over 100 exhibitors booked in for next year twelve months ahead of the event. It emphasises that the Page 10

APF show is still regarded to be the best place to sell machinery and equipment into the arb, forestry and fencing sectors and we look forward to seeing all our 2022 exhibitors return.”

APF 2024 is expected to attract over 300 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors: 90% of which are reportedly trade professionals working in the industry.

Booking forms are available on the website and the first APF 2024 site meeting, for new exhibitors wishing to see the site and choose a stand, was early October and at the Kings Court Hotel, Alcester.

It is believed that an estimated www.forestmachinemagazine.com

£80 million pounds of machinery will be on show. The 2000m demonstration circuit will apparently show machines working in a realistic setting.

With exhibitors on both sides of the circuit that is over 2½ miles of working machinery.

The seminar programme will feature figures from the industry speaking on topical issues of the day including plant health, pest and diseases, technology, safety and training, marketing, wood fuel and wood processing.

It covers everything that is trees or timber related. www.apfexhibition.co.uk November 2023

CLARK TRACKS INTRODUCES TERRA X

CONCEPT TRACK

M U L T I - T E R R A I N 9TH OCTOBER 2023

TRACK LIFE REINVENTED

CLARK TRACKS REVOLUTIONISES TRACK SERVICEABILITY FOR FOREST MACHINES WITH A NEW MULTI-TERRAIN TRACK. Clark Tracks Ltd introduces TerraX, a groundbreaking concept in track products for forest machines. With completely redesigned joining links, track plates and side paws, the TerraX maintains strength whilst being exceptionally faster to service. The concept is being introduced for market feedback and to open discussions about added lifecycle value and fit for service programs. Clark Tracks is planning to launch the final product in 2024.

Key Benefits: Adjustable Joining Link

This new joining link offers multiple sizes in one link, removing the requirement to have multiple sizes of joining links on hand. The design makes tensioning tracks easier and allows for more control over the fit of the track. This link has been engineered so that the weight of loads are not bearing of the bolt improving the quality of the link.

Assembled Side Paw enables easy maintenance

This innovative side paw eliminates the use of tools that can cause sparks, in turn decreasing the risk of forest fires connected to sparks caused by shortening tracks. Maintaining tracks is not only easier but faster and safer. The adjustable joining link makes it possible to remove plates and replace worn links or broken track plates with only the use of a wrench or spanner.

About Clark Tracks Clark Tracks Ltd, based in Dumfries, Scotland, specialise in developing and manufacturing forest machine tracks for Harvesters, Forwarders and Skidders. For more information, visit www.clarktracks.com

HARVESTING

HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY LAUNCH NEW FORESTRY EXCAVATOR

H

itachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) is launching the new ZX135USL-7 forestry excavator. Designed for a variety of applications such as logging, log felling, loading and digging, it perfectly meets the needs for European customers and is assembled at HCME’s factory in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Equipped with a robust undercarriage, it offers enhanced durability, stability and safety for challenging working conditions. With a higher ground clearance (560 mm) than standard models, it travels smoothly and easily over uneven terrain, and the short rear swing radius of 1490 mm makes it ideal for working in compact environments.

Life-cycle costs are reduced with the new Stage V-compliant engine, which does not require an SCR system. This eliminates the need for AdBlue, filter replacements and associated maintenance.

IMPROVE PROFIT

FEEL THE DIFFERENCE

The impressive fuel economy of the ZX135USL-7 forestry excavator means that it delivers up to 9% less fuel consumption than the previous model. This is achieved with the help of Hitachi’s industry-leading HIOS V hydraulic system. Fuel efficiency can be further controlled by using the new ECO gauge, clearly visible on the cab’s multifunctional 8” monitor.

For added versatility, the ZX135USL-7 forestry excavator has a reinforced arm with piping for breaker or crusher, quickcoupler, as well as assist piping.

A front blade is also available.

Page 12

The state-of-the-art, ultraspacious cab is the perfect working environment. One of the quietest in the industry, it also has 16% less vibration than the previous generation.

New features include the synchronised motion of the seat and console – to reduce operator fatigue – and the adjustable console height.

Easy operation comes from the ergonomic design of the console and switches.

INCREASE SAFETY

Extra safety features on the cab provide further protection for the operator. It is fitted with a www.forestmachinemagazine.com

fixed laminated front window and OPG level 2 front guard, and additional lights on the cab roof provide greater visibility in lowlight conditions.

BOOST UPTIME

Tested rigorously at dedicated facilities in Japan, Hitachi Zaxis-7 machines have been built to last. Uptime is maximised by easy maintenance and cleaning features, which save operators and owners both time and money. Durability is enhanced by the reinforced travel motor cover, idler frame and track undercovers.

FLEET MANAGEMENT

To enable owners to feel in total control of their fleet and workload, Hitachi’s remote monitoring systems, Owner’s Site and ConSite, give them access to vital data and tools.

Both systems send operational data via GPRS or satellite November 2023

from the excavator to Global e-Service on a daily basis.

ConSite summarises the information in a monthly email, while the ConSite Pocket app shows real-time alerts for any potential issues.

The quality of the engine and hydraulic oil is monitored continuously by a unique Hitachi innovation. Two sensors detect if the oil quality has deteriorated and data is transmitted to Global e-Service. This innovative feature provides customers with peace of mind on the condition of their excavators, and reduces maintenance and unscheduled downtime.

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) is a subsidiary of Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (HCM) established in 1972 in Oosterhout, The Netherlands. It is responsible for the manufacture, sales and marketing of Hitachi construction equipment throughout Europe, parts of Africa, and Israel.

November 2023

Asset Finance Solutions

ABOUT HCME

Competitive Finance Solutions

AGCredit

“We’re proud to introduce the ZX135USL-7 forestry excavator,” says Burkhard Janssen, Product Manager Special Applications and New Technologies at Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV. “Its exceptional reliability, efficiency and productivity provide owners with opportunities to increase profits and reduce costs. And its industry-leading cab with first-class comfort and safety features will enable operators to feel at ease and in complete control.”

Finance for Forestry and Arboriculture

COMPLETE CONTROL

•New and Used Equipment •Forestry and Arboriculture Sectors •Cars & Commercial Vehicles •Refinancing Facilities Bridie Ward Luke Ward 07498238672 07896315651 bridie@agcredit.co.uk

luke@agcredit.co.uk

Find us on socials lukeagcredit agcreditltd

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 677980.

Finance for Business Purposes & Subject to status, written details on request.

HARVESTING

K D FERGUSON LTD KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

A

fter 32 years of contracting in timber harvesting, Alistair Ferguson, AG Ferguson, decided enough was enough, and it was finally time to call it a day.

of each other. Kenny Snr. also played a large part in the day-today running of the company.

One of his two teams of Harvesters and Forwarders working in central Scotland consisted of his brother Kenny, who operated the company’s Komatsu 931 harvester and his nephew, also named Kenny, who operated the Komatsu 875 forwarder. The two Kenny’s worked together on harvesting contracts awarded by Scottish Woodlands. They have a great working relationship and understand what is required

Kenny Snr. was unsure what to do for the best when Alistair announced the news he was retiring. Forestry has been in his blood and for the last 33 years it is all that he has known. He started his forestry career as a tree feller, before progressing onto County skidders, forwarders and finally harvesters. He thoroughly enjoys the work, and all that forestry has to offer. Plus, there was Kenny to consider as he has worked with the company since completing his forwarder course at Barony College in 2002.

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Seeking work elsewhere for another contractor would probably split up their successful partnership.

After much deliberation, Kenny Snr. approached Alistair about purchasing the two machines they were operating and continuing with the Scottish Woodland contracts. A price was agreed, and finance was arranged by Stephen Clarke of Eagle Asset Finance. K D Ferguson LTD was officially established and began trading in October 2022.

“I have helped Kenny Ferguson of K D Ferguson Ltd with his business finance requirements November 2023

since he started trading last October,” said Stephen Clark of Eagle Asset Finance Ltd. “The business has had an excellent start with Kenny “at the helm” providing a very professional approach to the job. It has been a pleasure to deal with Alistair, his brother, over the years and, since his recent retirement, this has continued with Kenny heading up the new business”.

The other two machines were sold to a customer overseas and AG Ferguson ceased trading as forestry contractors.

Kenny has collaborated with the same forester at Scottish Woodlands for 32 years and has built up a fantastic relationship in that time. Although forestry is in a slump, their timber continues to move off site regularly, which is reassuring when you have equipment finance and running costs to find each month.

Halfway through this year, Kenny had another big decision to make, do you keep the equipment you have, which had served them well, or upgrade.

Kenny took the decision to replace his existing equipment as interest rates and the cost of new machines is increasing rapidly and may not be a viable option later.

Komatsu Forest were unable to supply new equipment in Kenny’s timeframe, so he approached Ponsse. The Annan based company had a new Buffalo and a used Ergo harvester with low hours and a H8 head sitting in the yard ready for immediate delivery. As Kenny Snr. is a “Go Getter” kind November 2023

of guy, hands were shaken, and the deal was done.

The new machines arrived at the end of July, and I caught up with the duo at a 7,000m³ site they were clearfelling just outside of Comrie in Perthshire.

They had harvested around 1,000m³ of the Sitka Spruce, Silver Fir, Douglas Fir and European Larch mix. This site isn’t for the faint-hearted, as it has many awkward areas with plenty of steep ground thrown in for good measure. It is a job that requires an experienced harvester operator who understands the capabilities of the forwarder following him.

had to cross. He was harvesting an area which was predominately mature Sitka Spruce with an average tree size in excess of 3m³. The Ergo and H8 harvesting head felled and processed them easily. Kenny is a damn good harvester operator and makes the job look far too easy. Watching him felling and processing the large trees you would have thought he had been on this Ponsse for many months and not just a couple of weeks. This model has the C44 parallel crane which Kenny believes has a lot more power, for harvesting mature timber, than the C5 he has previously operated. He likes the short wheelbase of the Ergo, as it is nimble for manoeuvring on awkward sites, and he is impressed with the overall stability of the harvester.

Kenny Snr. was doing a solid job of laying out the different sizes for the forwarder and building up any side slopes, with a good brash mat, that the forwarder

The H8 head, although it is only 100kg heavier than the H7, with little difference in size, is capable of felling and processing larger trees. It can fell and

This was not a foray into the unknown as father and son have both operated Ponsse machines in the past.

↑ The PONSSE Ergo is an excellent all-round harvester handling everything from first thinning’s to large clear fells www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Page 15

HARVESTING even when on steep areas and the active crane is a great system and user friendly.”

↑ The PONSSE Buffalo is the best-selling PONSSE forwarder in the world. crosscut trees up to 800mm in diameter and has a lot more power in the feed rollers. The Ergo has a 286hp Mercedes Benz engine at its heart with a twin hydraulic pump system, one for the harvesting head and the other for the crane. It weighs 21,500kg which when spread over the eight wheels leaves little impression to the soil infrastructure.

his new Buffalo, so I took the opportunity to get his thoughts as well.

His initial response was regarding the Crane “It’s amazing” he explained while grinning from ear to ear “This is the first crane I have used with a double extension dipper boom and the reach is phenomenal.

The slewing power is superb

PONSSE Active Crane is a new way of controlling the loader and boosting efficiency. It is a loader control system which the operator uses to control the grapple movement instead of individual functions, allowing the operator to concentrate efficiently on loader work. It is easily controlled using two levers, one of which controls the grapple height from the ground and the other controls the direction of movement. In effect what it means, is that the operator does not need to control all the functions simultaneously.

Once the appropriate grapple location has been given to the machine, it will perform the lift and use the boom and extension automatically. The operator can easily switch between the Active Crane and conventional loader control, with a push of a button. Active Crane is based on PONSSE’s

I visited Kenny twice in Perthshire. On my second visit there wasn’t a lot of trees left to fell and he had completed just over 330 hours so was better placed to offer his thoughts.

“I am pleased with my decision as it ticks all the boxes, its productive, reliable, is easy to maintain/refuel, has good vision and offers a comfortable and quiet workplace with plenty of storage areas for all my bits and pieces.”

Young Kenny approached with Page 16

↑ Young Kenny next to the PONSSE Buffalo. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

November 2023

USED MACHINES JOHN DEERE 1070D

YEAR HOURS

2007 16700

PONSSE ERGO

YEAR HOURS

2014 15000

PONSSE BEAR

YEAR HOURS

2008 17663

PONSSE SCORPION KING

YEAR HOURS

2014 16000

PONSSE ERGO

YEAR HOURS

2008 18000

PONSSE ERGO

YEAR HOURS

2017 10385

PONSSE ERGO

YEAR HOURS

2009 13900

PONSSE BUFFALO

YEAR HOURS

2016 11295

BUY A USED MACHINE FROM PONSSE AND GET A

£4500

PARTS/SERVICE VOUCHER SALES CONTACT INFORMATION Dean Robson Scotland 07801 868 520

Dickie Todd Wales/England 07730 952 080

HARVESTING proficient!

The active crane is a great system for getting inexperienced operators up to speed in a much quicker time frame, which can only be good for the industry.

I gave Kenny his forwarder back and watched him finish off the load, again he is another top-class operator taking a lot of pride in both his work and forwarder.

From student to teacher. Kenny was at the Barony when I was an instructor - now it is role reversal and he is teaching me how to use the active crane! unique Sensor Module technology, which is used in the PONSSE Scorpion leveling system.

reduces any shock in the forwarder. It has balanced bogies which give great grip for climbing up steep areas.”

Kenny likes the layout of the display modules “They are big, clear and easy to use with all the important information right in front of you no matter which way you are facing. The vision from the roomy cab is excellent and it feels a good stable machine that inspires confidence.

Kenny offered me a stint on the controls, and it was my first time ever using the active crane.

I thought it was great once I managed to stop my hands from using the controls like a normal crane, the best way to describe it is to say that it made a rusty old operator look quite

Father and Son work well together, with only ever two to three days’ work difference between the harvesting and forwarding. This way they can change their cutting specifications and get the new sizes to roadside in a quick turnaround.

It’s always a pleasure to see Kenny Snr. and young Kenny as they have a good positive outlook on the industry and are two of the nicest and most genuine people you will find working in forestry.

K D Ferguson Ltd: 07774108744 Eagle Asset Finance: 07967 588 739

“Re- fueling and greasing are easy with the crane’s kingpost, dipper and extensions able to be greased from a central bank of grease nipples under the slew pod which means that that you are standing on terra firma rather than clambering about on the bunks.

“I like the dampers on the extension and the stop on the kingpost which makes the crane a lot smoother to use and Page 18

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November 2023

There is a new KID IN TOWN WANNA PLAY? bluetrack duro NEW version

For more information visit: www.pewag.com or email us: UK@pewagforestry.com pewag Forestry UK Ltd. Registered Office: 1 Tatton Court, Kingsland Grange, Warrington, Cheshire, England, WA1 4RR Registered in England Company No: 14625326

HARVESTING

WHERE EAGLES DARE STEEP SLOPE LOGGING

D

riving around the UK you can’t help wonder who on earth thought that it would be a good idea to plant forests on steep hillsides.

When some of these steep sites were planted it was horses, County’s and Fordson Major’s that roamed the forests, and neither were capable of working on this type of ground. It does make you wonder if the people responsible had a crystal ball that foresaw the evolution of equipment for steep slope logging or if it was more likely to be that it wouldn’t be their problem when the forest reached maturity.

��

Britain’s forests were depleted after the first world war, tree cover was as low as 5% so action had to be taken to restore the forest area. In 1919 the forestry act was passed by government and the Forestry Commission (FC) was created. A large recruitment drive started for tree planters, and the first FC forest was established in Eggesford in Devon.

It wasn’t long before 900,000 acres of forests was established throughout the UK, and by 1939, the FC had a workforce of over 4,300. The second world war saw another huge demand for timber and eleven percent of our forests were used in the war effort. Again, a huge planting program was initiated, and this resulted in the type of forests Page 20

we currently work in today.

Planting was carried out in mono blocks of conifers and some of our largest forests were created. The Galloway Forest Park in Scotland, Kielder Forest in Northumberland, England and Clocaenog Forest in Clwyd, Wales are perfect examples of this.

Privately owned forests were instrumental in increasing tree cover and grants were available for landowners and farmers to plant trees. In return private owners were obliged to apply to the FC for felling licenses as they also regulated felling on private land. Most of the land the FC acquired was on a 999-year lease and tended to be marginal upland grazing land which was of relatively little importance for agriculture. In the lowlands it was low value areas with peaty soils, heathlands or felled woodlands that were used for planting.

In the mid 1950’s the FC had a peak workforce of 13,600, the staff were either involved in planting or felling trees using axes and hand saws. As time progressed, the workforce dwindled with the introduction of labour-saving chainsaws and eventually mechanized harvesting.

In some areas today, there aren’t many easy sites left to harvest. Many of the www.forestmachinemagazine.com

straightforward jobs have been logged and replanted so it will be another 30 to 40 years before they reach maturity.

We appear to be left with the more challenging sites, where a lot more care and attention is needed during harvesting and extraction.

Steep logging isn’t for everyone, some operators quite enjoy the challenge it brings while others have to keep an endless supply of clean underwear in the cab.

��

SKYLINES

Skylines were the pioneering equipment for steep slope logging, the first documented appearance dates back to 1886.

Radio control in the 1960’s, grapple carriages in the 1970’s and automated carriages in the 1980’s/90’s, have all helped to improve efficiency and increase production, but they are still labour intensive and an expensive system for extracting timber.

The first Traction Assist Winch I saw working was at the Austrofoma show in 2015. The Austrian event focuses on steep logging conditions with regards to soil conserving timber harvesting.

It was a wet miserable September and I remember being amazed at the John Deere 1110 forwarder, which was on tyres, reversing and loading up a wet greasy sloped field while attached to a T Winch.

There was barely a mark on the ground where it was traversing.

I know from experience a November 2023

forwarder would have needed two sets of band tracks, and the whole area would have looked like a ploughed field.

This event was an eye opener as there was a host of Traction Assist Winches to view, including an integrated chassis winch on a HSM 208F Forwarder, and a selection of machine mounted and remote-controlled tractor mounted winches, from the steep logging specialist, HAAS Maschinenbau.

I have always been uneasy about the thought of dangling off the edge of a very steep slope, with only a winch cable, saving me from setting a new forwarder land speed record.

But since 2019 I have visited a few harvesting sites in the UK where traction assist winches were being utilized and can confirm my fears have been put to rest.

Winch-assist systems have seen rapid development, adoption, and implementation in many parts of the world in the past decade and can be considered one of the major recent innovations in steep terrain harvesting. Though a comparatively young topic, the literature surrounding them has grown considerably.

Worker’s safety has increased through winch-assist systems by removing workers from the many hazards of manual and motor-manual work. The extent of rutting, subsequent erosion, and soil densification after working with winch-assist systems is found to be similar to operations on gentle terrain or cable logging and is November 2023

considered more productive than conventional steep terrain harvesting.

I have recently seen two very different techniques which are both safe and very effective methods of working on steep ground. One is the Timber Max Traction Assist Winch and the other is a Menzi Muck.

TIMBER MAX TRACTION ASSIST WINCH.

RJ Fukes Forestry Services are the UK and Ireland distributers for Timber Max products. The family run company offer a hire service on the T10 winch at realistic prices so steep areas can be factored into contracts without breaking the bank.

The T10 winch is excavator mounted and can work on distances up top 480m, it has an 11-tonne constant pull, with a speed of up to 5.5 feet per second. The hirer pays transport costs, and the minimum hire period is two weeks. The hire

includes operator training on the safe use of the equipment, and it takes just 40 minutes to add displays and set up the slope machines ready for work.

Swapping the winch from one machine to another takes just 30 minutes.

The Timber Max winches are compact and feature a built-in spooling device. The ability to mount the winch directly on to a skidder, harvester, forwarder or an excavator makes the system an attractive and cost-effective option.

I have recently visited three separate sites where a Timber Max winch has been used.

DICK BROTHERS FORESTRY LTD

My first visit was to the A7 near the Moss Paul Hotel in the Scottish Borders. The harvesting had been completed but a brash recovery operation was underway.

Operating a Komatsu 875

↑ Timber Max T10 mounted on the rear of a Volvo excavator.

Dick Brothers Forestry Ltd Site. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Page 21

HARVESTING Forwarder for the Dick Brothers Forestry Ltd was Gary Humphries. The Komatsu was attached to a Timber Max T10 mounted on the rear frame and fed over the boom of a Volvo excavator via a series of pulleys.

This setup lends itself well as a multiuse system as the slope machine can be easily detached and used as a normal excavator.

Gary was travelling down the steep hill, headfirst, on the bare ground between the brash mats. The photo shows that the soil structure is completely undisturbed by the harvesting, extraction and brash recovery operations. The Timber Max certainly inspired confidence on the steep hillside as Gary felt completely secure when loading and travelling. The T10 has a constant pull of 10 tonnes and the 16mm cable has a breaking strain of 24 tonnes.

relays essential information to the operator via a highcontrast, 12“monitor.

Additional information includes diagnostics, troubleshooting, and statistics.

The display is mounted to the tethered machine, and

This was the perfect site to show the advantages of the

↑ The Komatsu 875 recovering brash on the steep slope in the Scottish Borders.

Timber Max traction assist winch as the whole hillside is clearly visible from the busy main road. Now the work is completed, there is barely a mark on the hillside where the machines have been working ELLIOT HENDERSON GROUP

In the Ettrick Valley was another steep site that was being clearfelled by the Elliot Henderson Group.

Again, the Traction Aid Winch was a Timber Max T10, but this time it was mounted on a Case 220 Excavator and extracted with a John Deere 1910G forwarder. The 1910G, with the rotating levelling cabin, lends itself well to steep slope logging as there is less stress on the cabin with the 9° forward/rear tilt angle. ↑ Perfect site to show advantages of the traction aid winch.

View of the felled hillside from the A7.

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The Komatsu 931XC harvester had used another T10 winch which was mounted on a November 2023

↑ John Deere 1910G loading two bays of 3m.

Elliot Henderson Group.

John Deere 1910G loading two bays of 3m.

Elliot Henderson Group. ↓

Doosan T100. Both winches were mounted onto the dipper boom where the digging bucket would normally be.

Each drift was in excess of 300m, and the winch was situated at the top of the hill with the forwarder reversing up empty and loading on the way down. The iWinch® system recognizes which direction the slope machine is moving. It can be set to 3 different tension settings: Uphill, Not Moving and Downhill and the operator can reduce the pre-set tension with the potentiometer.

little evidence of any soil disturbance on the hill.

It was a very steep click off the road initially and then a constant pull of 30-35% to the top of the hill. The forwarder was extracting to the road at the bottom of each drift and a Ponsse Buffalo carried out a secondary extraction to a stacking point a few hundred meters down the road. Again, this system worked well with

The forwarder had an extra headboard slotted between the bunks, so that when loading two separate bunks, the load is kept tidy and secure. The mid mounted headboard is easily moved with the crane and can be mounted behind the rear bunk for uphill extraction. I spent around five hours

November 2023

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

watching the forwarder on the hill and was mightily impressed with the speed of production and effectiveness of the winch.

The slow constant winch pull, which matched the forwarders transmission speed, prevented any wheelspin or slipping on the brash mat. This is much easier on the equipment as diff locks are rarely required and it isn’t necessary to slew from side to Page 23

HARVESTING side on the steering to get grip.

JOHN SMITH

My final visit was to another steep site in Dumfries and Galloway to see a pair of T10 winches which were on hire to forestry contractor John Smith.

John decided to hire the Timber Max winches from R J Fukes Forestry Services for a few months as it was a more affordable and quicker option than a traditional skyline.

This was another steep uphill extraction which had been harvested with a Komatsu 951 harvester and extracted to the top of each drift with a Komatsu 855 forwarder. A 1510G John Deere forwarder carried out a secondary extraction from the top of the drift to the stacking area.

The 855 had an extra rear mounted headboard to prevent the timber sliding off the back, personally I think uphill extraction is much easier on the kingpost as the crane is slewing uphill empty and downhill full.

The drifts were around 100m in length, but the slope was 35°, which would have been almost impossible to forward without a winch. The only other option would have been to hand fell the timber and extract it with a skyline, which would have been very costly.

↑ Komatsu 855 and Timbermax T10. ↓

↓Although very wet there is virtually no evidence of any soil damage.

John was delighted with how the Timber Max winches had performed. My visited came after a prolonged spell of heavy rain and the ground was sodden. From what I could see there was no water issues as the Page 24

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November 2023

TRACTION-WINCH T8 - T10 - T14 - T20 - T20HD

Forestry Range FORESTRY AND LAND CLEARING

R.J. Fukes Forestry Services, T: 01550 721641 Spare Parts: 07825 579441 E: info@rjfukes.co.uk

TimberMAX Manufacture info@timbermax.ca +1-873-771-0949 www.TimberMAX.ca

HARVESTING brash mats remained relatively undisturbed.

The Timber max is an excellent solution which not only protects the soil structure but keeps operators secure on steep ground and prolongs the life of equipment by reducing wear and tear. For more information on the Timber Max or hiring costs please contact John at admin@rjfukes.co.uk www.timbermax.ca A visit to Northumberland generated a totally different approach for steep ground harvesting.

METSA LTD

Metsa were established just over three years ago. From their head office in Edinburgh they provide specialist plant services to the forestry and civil engineering sectors.

The company’s primary focus is operations in challenging locations and sensitive environments. They have worked with a wide range of clients from private landowners, community forests charities, and large national and multinational contractors. Metsa’s senior leadership team comprises a mix of ex-military and civilian operatives all of whom bring extensive experience in their field. The teams need to be able to problem solve and adapt quickly to meet operational, environmental and clients’ changing needs when operating in challenging locations or conducting complex tasking.

Brown, Operations Director at Metsa Ltd, that got the ball rolling. From this, I met Dave Godfrey, one of the company directors, at a site they were working near Otterburn in Northumberland, and he explained about the companies aims.

“We are committed to providing first class equipment, training and renumeration to our employees engendering retention through a sense of ownership and personal control.

Being a veteran led organisation we are committed to providing opportunities for ex service personnel and actively recruit and train people from this background. All of our machines are forestry specification and come operated by a fully certified and qualified operator; with our operators having extensive experience working and operating machinery in remote locations across Scotland. All hold the relevant CITB CSCS qualifications and cards and are fully first aid trained.”

This clear fell was being harvested by operator Jamie Wright with a Menzi Muck M545X. The Menzi was fitted with a Hultdins saw on a Powerhand grapple and working for Colin Robertson, Walton Logging Ltd, the main contractor.

It was a chance meeting at a forestry function with Alan

The Valley was incredibly steep with a fast-flowing stream running along the bottom of the felling area and was being harvested from top to bottom.

Dave explained that the Menzi was capable of safely working

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on slopes in excess of 45° and that it is perfect for this type of work. The four independently adjustable legs mean that the operator and engine are always sat level no matter what the slope.

The walking excavator is a clever piece of equipment and is not overly heavy at 13.5 tonnes. It has a mighty 4.5 tonne lift on the crane at 8m reach. Every possible extra has been fitted so that it is of the highest specification possible. A traction assist winch is also installed, which gives the operator added security when felling on the steepest areas. The panoramic cab gives an unobstructed view of the entire site and machine chassis for safety, ergonomics and fatigue-free working.

Jamie made short work of felling and stacking the trees into drifts. He has over 5,000 hours experience on the Menzi and can work it to its full potential.

The 360° high volume Steelwrist that is fitted between the grapple and dipper made it look easy manoeuvring the felled trees into position. All the butts were exposed and lined out one way so that the skyline could extract them to the top of the hill. Jamie has been achieving around 200m³ per day, but this is dependant on the ground conditions and tree size.

Once at the top, the trees were then processed by a Tigercat harvester before being forwarded down a diagonal track, which was excavated across the hill, to the stacking area at the bottom. The track on the hillside is to be reinstated November 2023

once harvesting is completed.

This was one of the steepest harvesting sites I had ever seen. It would have been incredibly difficult for chainsaw operators to work without losing their footing, and with a high percentage of windblown timber it would have been extremely hazardous and impossible to lay out all the trees in one direction.

committed to offering their clients a professional and prompt service using the best equipment available.

•

Although Metsa is a relatively young company their equipment inventory is impressive.

• Menzi Muck M545X – a 14.5T walking and climbing all-wheel drive excavator, capable of accessing difficult

•

terrain and slope up to 45+ degrees un-winched with minimal impact, runs a wide range of high-capacity attachments.

Menzi Master M515 – 14.5t a low ground pressure tracked excavator capable of safely operating on slopes up to 40 degrees and able to a run wide range of highcapacity attachments.

Dave uses his extensive military training so that every job carried out has been planned down to the finest detail. They are a tech orientated company and use drones equipped with Lidar to create a 3D representation of the ground they will be working and work along with Glasgow University.

Three years is the maximum time that Metsa will keep the Menzi Muck working in these conditions as they are

November 2023

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Page 27

HARVESTING •

Menzi Muck M340 – A 11t walking and climbing all-wheel drive excavator, capable of accessing difficult terrain with minimal impact.

• Komatsu 855 Forwarder.

Medium weight forwarder capable of forwarding 15t complete with band tracks.

• Takeuchi TB290-2 – 9T low ground pressure excavator available with widespread tracks for soft and peat related work.

• Takeuchi TB260 – 6T 360 excavator, fitted with forestry grab, winch and tree shear. Perfect for first thinnings, general forestry ground works • Tracked Forwarder – 6T Tracked forwarder capable of being winched, and extraction of timber from difficult of sensitive locations.

Attachments: • 400mm tree sheer • 600mm Grapple Saw and Powerhand Grab • 600mm Harvesting head • Monteberg Rock Breaker Dave was also keen to point out the type of work they

undertake. “We have invested heavily in specialist equipment, to enable us to undertake works in environments where standard equipment would not necessarily cope reliably.

More importantly the operators of our equipment are subject matter experts on that kit and understand the importance of imbedding and becoming part of a project team. In essence, Metsa exists to deliver solutions where the route to ultimate success is not necessarily clear.

Operating safely in a highly regulated environment, whilst still maintaining the ability to think laterally and adapt in highly challenging situations is where we aim to provide value to our clients. We offer the following services”.

• Forestry ground preparation, access construction and environmental engineering.

For example, we have supported the woodland creation schemes for three large estates on the Isle of Mull where we have mounded c230ha, built 15km of access paths, ATV tracks and roads.

• Civil groundworks, with

•

•

•

•

•

a focus on steep, remote and difficult terrain. For example, we have supported McGowan Environmental Engineering and SSE to install an 11KV cable to the Ptarmingan Station on Cairngorm Mountain.

Woodland thinning and maintenance services as part of a wider management plan. Working with NatureScot we have recently won a tender to manage invasive scrub on a number of SSSI sites across the central belt.

Tree felling and removal services, for example Ash die back management projects.

We have conducted an extensive programme of thinning and Ash removal works for Hopetoun House Estate and Belsyde Farm and are working with a number of landowners to manage the impact of windblown trees following severe weather in 21/22.

UAS Ground Penetrating Radar, Photogrammetry and LIDAR Surveys, and associated GIS workflows.

Each or project is directly supported by our own inhouse survey team enabling operator to remotely plan and rehearse complex project evolutions.

Steep Ground Harvesting and Forwarding. Our machines are capable or steep ground felling and preparation for extraction eliminating the traditional need for hand fellers on terrain a standard harvester cannot operate.

www.metsaltd.co.uk Page 28

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November 2023

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PHOTO GALLERY

FRONT COVER PHOTO COMPETITION Winning photo features on our front cover and wins a £100 Amazon voucher.

Send your photo in by the 31st September 2023

E: forestmachinemagazine@mail.com | Whatsapp: 07582 055 748 Please mark photos with the heading comp.

Brian Dacey

Josh Lewinsky

Richard Phillips

Bruce Wilson

RUNNER UP

Davy Wilson Page 30

Paul Lang www.forestmachinemagazine.com

November 2023

Jack Tweddle

Pierre Ragnarsson

Ted Simms

Richard Doherty

Jed Stoddart

Jonny Herdman

November 2023

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Page 31

COMP WINNER

COVER PHOTO WINNER RORY SUTHERLAND: TIGERCAT 635H GRAPPLE SKIDDER

T

his month’s front cover features a Tigercat 635H Grapple Skidder.

Competition winner, Rory Sutherland, operates the machine for Douglas Logging in Northland New Zealand. As usual, the winner receives a £100 Amazon voucher, but this month, Clark Tracks have also sponsored the competition and have awarded prizes to the winner and runner up.

enjoyed outdoor pursuits like mountain walking, mountain biking and snowboarding.

His father, John Sutherland, lives in Lochaline and works for Tree Top Forestry. He asked around other contractors to see if anyone was looking for forestry workers and found work for Rory as an apprentice timber faller. Initially he began felling in front of harvesters and skylines before progressing onto learning how to operate a forwarder.

“My wife and I decided though that we had just about enough of the constant rain, wind and midges so we decided to get the ball rolling on a move to live in Australia. In 2015 we eventually got everything sorted out, took a huge step, and emigrated.

After getting married Rory and his wife decided to move further north to Fort William as they

“My first few jobs in forestry were not the best but it got my foot in the door, and I gained valuable learning experience. I eventually got a work placement from Highland Timber Harvesting which included felling trees and operating forwarders. I also worked for Duffy Skylining for 9 months operating Callum’s forwarder.

“Once we got settled in Western Australia I worked in the forest felling for skylines, brashing trees prior to harvesting, cut to waste clear up type work and some forwarder work. I mainly worked in clearfells but did do some thinning as well. The only downside to Australia is all the nasty critters you find in the forest, you can never let your guard down, even for a minute.

Whether you are working, walking blocks or nipping to the toilet you are always on edge, I have seen plenty of snakes and some of them are pretty huge.

Even after we moved to New

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November 2023

Rory is originally from Dunoon and like many youngsters growing up in a logging family, he enjoyed being out in the forest on weekends helping his dad. As he grew older, he tried a few different jobs and spent time working in outdoor centres and labouring on building sites.

Zealand, which we did in 2018, it took a long time to be able to walk through long grass without being paranoid lol.”

Rory now lives and works in Northland New Zealand, this area is close to the very top of the North Island.

Thirty-eight percent of New Zealand’s land mass is covered in trees, which equates to 10.1million ha in total. Of these, 8million ha, are native species which include five types of Beech trees, Podocarp, Rim, Totara, Miro, Kahikatea and Matai trees.

The other 2.1 million ha is plantation forests of which 1.7 million ha is used for timber production. Ninety percent of plantation forests consist of Radiata Pine which grows faster in New Zealand than anywhere else in the world. The remainder is made up of Douglas fir, Eucalyptus and a scattering of other hard and softwoods.

November 2023

The crown owns 5.2 million ha of the native forests which are made up of national parks, scenic reserves and other conservation areas. Most of the plantation forests are privately owned but are managed by the crown.

“I work for Douglas Logging Limited,” states Rory, “which is based in Dargaville, Northland and we mostly harvest Radiata Pine. The majority of our wood is exported to China and prices for our timber can fluctuate drastically so this defines our daily production targets. When prices are low, we typically harvest 250-300 tonne per day and when they are high 700+ tonne per day.

“I operate a Tigercat 635H Grapple Skidder which I have had since new two years ago.

This machine really is the King of Skidders, and the new cabin layout is so much more comfortable than the previous model. I have also got a www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Komatsu PC300 with a traction line conversion to assist me when I am skidding on really steep ground”.

The Tigercat 635H is a 285 hp six-wheel drive skidder weighing in at just over twenty-five tonnes. It has a 2.32m³ capacity grapple and a top speed of 23km/hr. The 635H comes with Electronic Control Technology and a Hydrostatic Drive System that allows the Skidder to operate at automatic variable engine rpm which offers improved fuel economy.

The 635H is Tigercat’s highest capacity skidder and excels in both extreme ground conditions and winch assisted steep slope logging. It has undergone two decades of development in some of the harshest forestry environments, it has an extreme heavy duty rear axle for improved traction and lower ground pressure which results in a much smoother ride for the operator.

Page 33

COMP WINNER The 220° rotating seat will lock in any position, and it comes with log on telematics for machine data and diagnostic tools which can be accessed remotely via Wi-Fi. “We work a five-day week, and our working day usually starts around 7am and we are finished for 3.30pm. If we are on high production, I will start at 5am and work until 3.30pm. I am home every evening as we are rarely more than an hour from home. A work Ute, diesel and work clothing are all provided by Douglas Logging.

“The company has six different crews, three are hauler crews and the other three, ground based. All the wood is extracted by hauler or skidder and processed at the landing where it is taken away by trucks.

“That is eight years I have been away from Scotland now and I haven’t been back home yet. I do really miss family and friends and good old Scottish banter but the cost of flying and a 28-hour flight with our two kids, who are both under four, doesn’t sound very appealing lol”.

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According to Careers New Zealand, the demand for forestry and logging workers is strong in New Zealand, and the chances of getting a job in this field are good.

The length of training required is usually more than a year and the pay for trainee forestry and logging workers usually ranges between $47,000-$65,000 per year, while qualified forestry and logging workers earn between $65,000-$75,000 per year. Crew managers and specialized operators may earn between $100,000$120,000 per year.

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November 2023

SUPER DUTY TRACTION

SUPER DUTY

TRACTION

100mm double paddle spikes to provide the most agressive grip.

FXS is the most aggressive model in the FX series. Designed to support Skidders and heavy Forwarders tackling arduous terrain.

HARVESTING

I

t has been a few years since I last saw Mark Beach and there have been many changes to his business since.

He still has the large workshop in Tebay where he repairs, maintains and services forestry machines, timber wagon cranes, forklifts, and chippers but two years ago the lure of being out in the forest returned and Mark re-kindled his love for timber harvesting.

↑ Mark with his Ponsse Fox

MARK BEACH:

BACK IN THE DRIVING SEAT Page 36

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Working throughout Northwest England and the Lake District, Mark currently has a Ponsse Fox Harvester, with a H6 harvesting head, a Ponsse Wisent Forwarder, and a Valmet Tractor with a Junkkari 10 tonne forwarding trailer for secondary extraction. As I got near to the pin he had sent to my phone, I began to wonder whether we November 2023

Wayne next to the Ponsse Wisent.

were on the right road as it was a narrow twisty track with some tight corners for the Jeep to manoeuvre round let alone a timber lorry. When my phone said we had arrived I was pleased to see a forestry entrance leading down a singletrack road and Mark’s sign written service van.

The privately owned forest was in three sections separated by fields and was a mixture of Sitka Spruce and Larch. A considerable amount of the Sitka had fallen victim to Storm Arwen, so it was a case of clearing up the damaged areas and thinning out the remaining standing trees. The larch was infected with Phytophthora ramorum so all of those had to be removed. The majority of storm damaged timber was mature and averaging over 2m³, many were too big for the PONSSE Fox/H6, so Mark had a chainsaw operator on site to butt off the larger trees and remove the first couple of sawlogs until they were a manageable size.

of harvesting work from first thinning to clearfelling. These narrow, low impact PONSSE machines suit Mark’s work ethos as a lot of his work is on privately owned estates where versatility is important.

Mark was operating the harvester, and his twin brother Wayne was operating the forwarder. Mark came over as soon as he saw us, and it gave me the opportunity to find out why he had returned to timber harvesting.

The Fox and the Wisent are a good combination, as they are extremely capable in all types

“This would be frowned upon today, but Wayne and I started using Sachs Dolmar chainsaws in the forest when we were just nine years old”, said Mark. “Our dad, John Beach, worked in the forest near Bala in North Wales, and we couldn’t wait for the weekends and school holidays so we could go out with him.

Everything was hand cut back then and we had a Massey Ferguson 135 for extracting the trees. We carried out first thinnings and the wood was crosscut into 1m lengths and handballed onto one of my dad’s three timber lorries before heading off to Bowaters pulp mill in Ellesmere Port.

November 2023

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“As time went on, we invested in a Highland Bear forwarding trailer from James Jones and Sons Engineering Division at Larbert, we progressed to a Nokka trailer and then we bought the first Patu drive trailer in the UK from GR Smith.

The trailer had hydraulic drive and was constantly blowing the seals in the motors. Next up was our first forwarder, a six-wheel drive Volvo BM 868, this had the chain driven rear bogies and was a grand old tool.

I knew every single nut, bolt and washer on the Volvo lol. We worked all over the country with the Volvo, Sherwood Forest, the Lake District, Delamere Forest in Cheshire and throughout Derbyshire.

“I left my dad in the early nineties and went to work for Gavin Arris operating a Bruunett Harvester that had been converted by Gavin himself from an 868 forwarder by Emmex forestry. The crane was removed from the cab’s roof and installed on the rear frame and an FMG 740 harvesting head replaced the timber grapple, it was a great little thinnings harvester.

I then moved on to operate a Silvatec harvester with a Page 37

HARVESTING Cranab crane before Jeff Proud approached me. I worked for Jeff up until 2003. At that time, I had a young family, and I wanted a bit less travelling, so I joined Komatsu Forest as an engineer and was involved with setting up new machines and training operators. A few years later, an opportunity arose to work for Peter Irvine at his sawmill in Kirby Longsdale, this involved maintaining and repairing all the equipment in the mill. I enjoyed this as it was something completely different and increased my engineering knowledge.

“11 years ago, I decided to take the bull by the horns and set up on my own as a forestry and timber haulage engineer.”

I can imagine running both the workshop and the harvesting side will be difficult and finding a balance between the two hard, so I asked Mark how he manages.

“Tina runs the office and I’ve got two good engineers, Robbie and Tom, who take care of all the jobs that come into the workshop, plus Woody, a retired gentleman, loves helping out.

I go to the workshop every morning to see what’s what and prioritise work before coming onto the harvester. I have the fully equipped service van so if there is any emergency callouts/ breakdowns I am able to jump in the van and deal with them.

It’s hard work, but it has been working well, there is always enough wood on the ground for Wayne on the forwarder, the workshop is running smoothly, and I have managed to keep on Page 38

top of any emergencies.”

This wasn’t the easiest of jobs as most of the timber was down a steep, narrow and twisty single-track road, the main road to the forest entrance wasn’t much better either so I asked Mark how they were moving the timber.

“I’ve got a young lad, Ewan who’s better known as Mowdy, on secondary extraction with the Valmet and trailer. He takes the wood from the landing up the narrow track and down the road to a yard a few miles away where it is picked up by wagon and drag. I think I have kind of adopted Mowdy as although he is now full time, he has been coming to work with us on weekends and school holidays since he was a young lad lol.”

Mark enjoys operating the harvester and although it is an awkward site with steep areas he is managing to harvest and extract without traction aids.

“The TRS tread pattern tyres are

brilliant for getting grip, we are finding we can do a lot of jobs purely on rubber which is a lot kinder to extraction routes and forest roads.”

Both machines were bought second hand from Ponsse, the Fox had 4,000 hours and the Wisent 2,000 hours “They have both performed really well,” said Mark “although this timber is a bit on the big side for harvesting, the Fox is a really economical harvester that performs brilliantly.”

I asked Mark how the work situation was.

“A couple of weeks back we exhibited at the Westmorland County Show. Their dedicated forestry section had some brilliant demonstrations on throughout the day. There were chainsaw carvers and lots of stalls specialising in forestry equipment, axemen, two man crosscut saws and chainsaw skills competitions. We were

↑ Mowdy heading off to the lorry pick up point. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

November 2023

delighted with the enquiries we received, and some have progressed to submitting prices.

This was a much better show than the APF as it is both local and attended by a whopping 37,000 visitors.”

This was a very tidy worksite done by a professional team who take great pride in their work. I asked Mark if all his work involves secondary extraction with the Valmet and trailer.

“We have just landed a contract to keep some of the roads clear of snow over the winter months so we will use the Valmet for this as well, it will be based out of our workshop in Tebay.”

Mark then suggested we visit the workshop to see the changes that have been made there since our last visit.

The large workshop is just off the M6 at Tebay, and it is here that Mark and his team can offer a comprehensive service,

↑ Mark’s restored County 1004 Highlander Skidder. including repairing, maintaining and servicing forestry machines, timber wagon cranes, forklifts and chippers. Mark has a wealth of knowledge and experience in sawmilling and fabrication and is also a certified LOLER inspector. He is also the UK sales and service distributor for the quality equipment from Finnish

↑ The workshop in Tebay and Marks service van.

November 2023

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manufacturer Kesla.

As soon as I entered the workshop, I saw a County 1004 James Jones and Sons Highlander Skidder. It was immaculate and had been fully restored, this was a real bonus as it’s not often you see one in this condition. Another County was being restored for a customer and was stripped down completely, as a lot of the cosmetic bodywork had rusted away and would need cutting out and replacing.

An interesting project that was underway was with a small Vahva Jussi forwarding trailer with roller drive. It was in the process of being converted to a small mobile chipper.

A tipping chip collector had been fitted at the front of the trailer and a chipper was to be installed behind this. It would be independently powered with a small engine to drive the hydraulic pump mounted at the rear. This was a completely selfPage 39

HARVESTING contained unit, the draw bar had been lengthened so that the operator could stand between the quad and trailer and operate the crane to feed the chipper. This to me summed up what the workshop was all about, it’s not only installations, repairs and servicing but being able to work along with customers to bring to life unique projects.

The workshop is a hub for the local farming forestry and haulage community with all the nuts and bolts, bits and pieces and oils and grease on the shelf. There is a comprehensive hydraulic workshop where all sizes and single to multi spiral can be made to order. Mark is currently working on a one stop shop at his premises where customers can purchase a huge range of items off the shelf from work clothing and safety wear to all sorts of spares and accessories for forestry, farming, haulage and commercial vehicles. This will be open for business later this year.

It is always a pleasure catching up with Mark as his enthusiasm and can-do attitude is contagious. www.markbeachforestry.co.uk

MATCHING

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Howie Forestry Solutions +447792 804273 www.howieforestry.co.uk adam@howieforestry.co.uk

Mark Beach Forestry Engineer +44 7502 484198 http://www.markbeachforestry.co.uk mbforestry@yahoo.co.uk

Oakleaf Forestry Ltd +44 28 38 330011 http://www.oakleafforestry.com info@oakleafforestry.com

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BIO-ENERGY

HEMETSBERGER FORESTRY:

WESTTECH WOODCRACKER® CS510

M

ario Hemetsberger knew from a young age where his future lay and founded his company “Forstunternehmen Hemetsberger” aged just eighteen. Today, the 25-year-old runs a very successful company and offers a wide range of services including felling problem trees, reforestation, repairing storm damage, felling wood, transporting wood, mulching work, and repairing forest roads and skid paths.

As a teenager, Mario would help his grandfather in the forest every day after school. It was a natural choice to turn this passion into a profession, so he decided to pursue training as a forestry specialist. After successfully graduating, he saw the high demand for forestry companies and founded his own in 2016. He is currently completing his training as a forestry master so that he can truly do his work with the best possible knowledge.

In May 2023, after a lot of research and comparisons, he expanded his fleet of machines and made the decision to purchase a Woodcracker® CS510 from Westtech to attach to the forwarding trailer. Right from the start, the versatility of the gimbal gripper saw impressed him. In just one operation a section of the tree can be removed, shredded, laid down,

Page 42

and if necessary, loaded immediately. This achieves the highest efficiency during work and eliminates the need to switch between different attachments.

The technical refinements also fascinated him, including the automatic chain tensioner that ensures the correct positioning of the saw chain, regardless of whether the machine has just been started or has been in operation for several hours.

The decisive factor though which convinced the young entrepreneur, was the quality of the Woodcracker® products and the possibility of standing removal of sections of a tree which is made possible by a sophisticated hydraulic control.

He uses the CS510 several times www.forestmachinemagazine.com

a week, from biomass production and short rotation harvesting to processing storm damage, with a clear focus on traffic safety, and says that it is impossible to imagine life without it.

The saw can also be attached to any standard crane and only requires a double-acting hydraulic connection. www.westtech.at November 2023

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BIO-ENERGY

MERLO UK:

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS IN STYLE!

M

erlo UK took on central London recently to celebrate their 30th Anniversary in style and turned the capital green.

Greeting those arriving at the imposing venue, the Renaissance St Pancras Hotel, was a Merlo telehandler trio consisting of current and historic models. A fully electric 2023 eWorker 25.5-90, was flanked by the recently restored classic 30-year-old P60.10XS and a current model MultiFarmer 44.9 telehandler.

Almost 130 attendees from the UK dealer network, industry associations and invited guests were joined by members of both Merlo UK & Merlo Group staff. The evening kicked off with a reception in the gothic themed upper rooms of the hotel seeing speeches from Paolo Merlo, President and Massimo Biei, Business Manager of Merlo Group alongside Shaun

Groom, General Manager of Merlo UK reflecting on the past 30 successful years of operations in the UK. The guests were able to visit the Gallery Room which saw 30 years’ worth of Merlo memories come to life. A company timeline display, photo montages and archival video footage dating back as far as 1993 offered a fascinating review of the Merlo brands development in the UK.

The final award of the evening was unique in that it went to an individual who had been selling Merlo since 1988 (prior to the founding of Merlo UK). Jeff Jones now of North Yorkshire based Brian Robinson Machinery received an award for 35 continuous years of Merlo sales. Jeff sold new in 1993 the now fully restored P60.10XS model, on display that evening in front of the hotel, it was great to be able to reunite the two of them after 30 years.

Following dinner, a number of awards were presented to dealers that had notched up significant periods of service with the Merlo franchise.

Among the awards, presented by company President Paolo Merlo, were two for 30 years as a Merlo dealer, West Wales dealer Brodyr Evans Bros and Devon based CR Willcocks, picking up the honours, both having been with Merlo UK since its inception.

Reflecting on the evening Shaun Groom, General Manager of Merlo UK commented. “It has been great to be able to acknowledge in style all those present and that have gone before us in the last 30 years in bringing Merlo UK to where it is today. Whether be that as a customer, dealer, colleague or industry partner we are truly grateful for the support. Here is to the next 30 years!” www.merlo.co.uk

FAE FORESTRY MULCHER

FOR 45HP SKID STEERS

T

he BL1/SSL/VT forestry mulcher for 45 to 65 hp skid steers can shred material up to 10 cm in diameter. The Bite Limiter technology on this head is ideal for high productivity in

managing vegetation, with reliably efficient shredding.

The head is designed to guarantee high reliability and make maintenance easier. The high-visibility profile helps the operator optimize their work.

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The BL1/SSL/VT can be equipped with blades and C/3/MINI teeth. www.fae-group.com November 2023

TreEmme MM250X Don’t settle for second best

ENGINE

245

SPEED KM/H

40

WHEEL DRIVE

4

For operators who need multi-purpose and high-performance machines that are easy to use but are not afraid of demanding work, the TreEmme MM250X is the machine for you.

This versatile machine is intended for use with a wide range of attachments. A key application is that of high output mulching in conjunction with a heavy duty mulcher, shredding post-harvest debris, tree stumps, soil reconditioning and more. Find your local Merlo Dealer at merlo.co.uk to find out more.

merlo.co.uk

WOOD PROCESSING

BRUKS SIWERTELL INTRODUCES NEW

1006.3 INDUSTRIAL WOOD CHIPPER

T

he truck-mounted wood chipping machine has an innovative flexible design, and offers high-capacity chipping capabilities for a range of applications, such as fuel chip production.

The Bruks 1006.3 RT’s chipping unit is built on a compact frame with a slewing base, delivering an optional side-positioned infeed. It ensures consistent chip quality, processing fulllength trees and logs up to a diameter of 60cm for softwood and up to a maximum diameter of 50cm for hardwood, as well as brushwood.

of 585kW (796hp) and a torque rated at a maximum of 3,650Nm, delivers more power and torque in the speed range used during chipping.

The latest 1006 units are fitted with state-of-the-art diesel engines that meet European Union (EU) Stage V regulations.

The engine’s power output

Other environmental and operational benefits offered by the Bruks 1006.3 RT industrial mobile wood chipper is an advanced hydraulic system

insert, the CycloneConcept, which minimizes the use of hydraulic oil, and an intelligent mobile chipping (IMC) control system, which optimizes power management, fuel efficiency and wood chip throughput. The Bruks 1006.3 RT also has remote connectivity for easy online troubleshooting. www.bruks-siwertell.com

HIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III VISITS

JAMES JONES & SONS LTD ABOYNE SITE

H

is Majesty King Charles III visited James Jones & Sons Ltd Aboyne sawmill recently. His Majesty first visited the sawmill in 1999 when he was Prince of Wales and many employees are still with the company today to witness his second visit to the site.

The visit commemorated the completion of the sawmill’s

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November 2023

WOODWORKING COMPANY FINED

£25,000 FOR DUST EXPOSURE

A

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection of The Joinery Yard Limited at Sweet Briar Road industrial estate, Norwich in November 2019 identified failings in the company’s control measures to prevent exposure of their employees to wood dust. As a result, enforcement action was taken. A subsequent inspection in July 2022 showed that the company had failed to maintain standards and enforcement action was taken again. This inspection identified ongoing failings in the company’s control measures and found that they had failed to take appropriate extensive £15 million redevelopment programme that has taken place over the last five years. His Majesty was given a tour of the site, including the mill’s flood defence system, timber processing plant and the kilns before being introduced to a number of long standing employees, apprentices and student placements. His Majesty then signed the company’s visitor book and unveiled a plaque that marked the occasion before being presented with an engraved wooden bowl.

precautions to ensure the safety of workers exposed to wood dust.

HSE has guidance on working in the woodworking industry and is running the Dust Kills: Wood Dust campaign page. Wood dust is a respiratory sensitiser that can cause long term health effects including occupational asthma.

At a hearing at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on 4 October, The Joinery Yard Ltd of Aylsham Road, Norwich, Norfolk pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Section 2 (1). They were fined

Tom Bruce-Jones, Chairman of James Jones & Sons Ltd, said “We were honoured to welcome His Majesty to our Aboyne site to demonstrate the extent of

our recent sawmill investments and technology upgrades.

We discussed the significant benefits of productive forestry acting as carbon sinks and the merits of continuing to meet and exceed annual planting targets across the UK. We were able to showcase the environmental advantages of UK grown structural timber products to support our collective views on building future houses

November 2023

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£25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2681.77.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Natalie Prince said “The fine imposed on The Joinery Yard Limited should underline to everyone in the woodworking industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.

Wood dust can cause serious health problems and all businesses need to protect their workers’ respiratory health.

We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.” www.hse.co.uk

sustainably.”

The King thanked “marvellous” workers for processing timber from Balmoral and said “Well done everybody thank you very much for all the efforts you made. I hadn’t realised what an area you cover around the world, it depends on all the marvellous people who put so much into it.” www.jamesjones.co.uk Page 47

HAULAGE

FUELING THE FUTURE: SCANIA’S SOLARPOWERED TRUCK PROJECT UNVEILED

A

unique hybrid truck with a solar panel covered trailer is being tested on public roads, as a result of a two-year research collaboration involving Scania, Uppsala University, Eksjö Maskin & Truck, Midsummer, Ernsts Express, and Dalakraft. The solar energy decreases operational costs and local emissions significantly because of the truck’s self-produced energy.

“Scania’s purpose is to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system. Never before have solar panels been used to generate energy to a truck’s powertrain like we do in this collaboration. This natural energy source can significantly decrease emissions in the transport sector. It is great to be at the forefront in the development of the next generation’s trucks,” says Stas Krupenia, Head of the Research Office at Scania.

The truck is used in a research project to examine the generated solar energy, and how much carbon emissions decrease via the solar panels.

The researchers developed new, efficient, and lightweight solar panels for trucks. They also study how trucks can interact with the power grid, and bring forward new models for what will happen if several trucks like this one are connected to the power grid.

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5,000 KILOMETERS PROLONGED DRIVING RANGE ANNUALLY.

The truck’s 18-metre trailer is almost completely covered in solar panels, equivalent to a house equipped with similarly powerful panels. The solar energy gives the hybrid truck a prolonged driving range of up to 5.000 kilometres annually in Sweden. In countries like Spain, with more sun hours, the vehicle can double the amount of solar energy and thus driving range compared to Swedish circumstances.

The project also includes researched on new, lightweight tandem solar cells, that are based on a combination of Midsummer’s solar cells and new perovskite solar cells.

These enable a higher efficiency in the transformation of sunlight to electricity. Such a solution could double the solar energy generation, compared to the current energy generated by the panels. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

THIN FILM PANELS EXCELLENT FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

“Our solar panels are excellent for applications that make commercial vehicles sustainable. We see great potential to decrease the emissions from heavy vehicles with electrification. Electricity generated by solar panels will save fuel and carbon emissions.

We want to be a partner to count on, and that is enabled by this ground-breaking project,” says Erik Olsson, Head of Corporate Development, Midsummer.

One part of the project was to evaluate the charging’s impact on the electricity grid and whether it would be possible to sell the surplus. The possibility of two-way charging is not entirely straightforward and the legislation is unclear.

“We thought we would be able to buy the trucks surplus, unfortunately that is not November 2023

enquiries@kingwell-holdings.co.uk

Tel: 01376 550989

www.kingwell-holdings.co.uk

enquiries@kingwell-holdings.co.uk

Tel: 01376 550989

the Tel:KI01376 N G theBook 550989 Tel: 01376 550989 HOLDINGS LIMITED �-;�'�best "���!!"� www.kingwell-holdings.co.uk �,H��www.kingwell-holdings.co.uk today SPECIALISING IN ALL oday KI N KI N G ASPECTS OF FORESTRY HOLDI �-;GROUND �'�"���!!" �,H�� LIMITE HOLDINGS �-;�'�"���!!"� �,H� �� PREPARATION enquiries@kingwell-holdings.co.uk www.kingwell-holdings.co.uk enquiries@kingwell-holdings.co.uk

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ROCK SOLID CHOICE

TMK MULTIGRAB LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT MAKES THE MULTIGRAB A MULTITOOL:

TMKMACHINERY.COM

possible at the moment. But the solar cells becoming part of the truck’s energy supply is fantastic. As an electricity trading company, we see that all renewable energy sources are needed to cope with the energy transition,” says Sverker Ericsson, Electrical Trade Engineer at Dalakraft.

560 HORSEPOWER PLUGIN HYBRID WITH 100 SQM OF SOLAR PANELS.

The truck will now be tested by operating on public roads by the haulage company Ernsts Express

AB. “The whole industry is facing big challenges in general, and with fuel in particular.

Electrification from renewable electricity is the future. It makes this project even greater for the green haulage company to be a part of,” says Lars Evertsson, CEO Ernsts Express.

The solar powered truck has been developed in a research project party funded by government agency of innovation Vinnova, to develop trucks with low climate impact

thanks to solar energy. The truck is a 560 horsepower plug-in hybrid. On the 18-metre trailer, an area of 100 square meters is covered by thin, lightweight and flexible solar panels with a maximum efficiency of 13,2 kWp (kilowatt peak). They are estimated to deliver 8,000 kilowatt hour (kWh) annually when operated in Sweden. The batteries have a total capacity of 300 kWh, with 100 kWh on the truck and 200 kWh on the trailer. www.scania.com

SCANIA SUPER: THE MOST FUEL-

EFFICIENT TRUCK IN COMPARISON TEST

A

Scania 420 R tractor with the Super-based powertrain introduced in 2021 scored a decisive victory in the fuel part of a renowned German comparison test for long-haul trucks, the European Truck Challenge. The delta down to the first runner-up on the average diesel consumption in the test was 4.9%, a very substantial margin when it comes to comparison tests at this level.

This year, the ETC comparison test focused on long-haul tractors with up to 450 hp and torque in the range of 2,200 to 2,400 Nm. All the major manufacturers in Europe were invited to participate in the German test, which took place on roads south of Hanover at the end of May. But in the end it was three brands who put their trucks on the starting line: November 2023

Scania, DAF and Mercedes.

Scania chose to enter a 420 R long-haul tractor with a sleeper cab. Despite having the least horsepower in the field, the Scania was sport¬ing the highest torque with its 2,300 Nm. The average gross train weight of the truck and trailer combinations in the test was 33.6 tonnes.

“Truck and Trailer Welt runs the European Truck Challenge on public roads and use a mix of different road characteristics,” explains Julian Modro, Head www.forestmachinemagazine.com

of Industry Solutions, Scania Trucks. “Their test mimics what truck customers are facing on a daily basis; the only difference is that disturbances like traffic jams are cut out from the final results for the sake of comparability. What this level of fuel savings means for hauliers fighting increased fuel costs and rising interest rates is obvious: for a long-haul truck that is driven for 150,000 km a year, the fuel cost saving compared with the second-best truck is in the 3,000 Euro bracket.”

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EXHIBITIONS

CONFOR

WOODLAND

SHOW 2023

T

his year’s Confor show was held at the popular Bath and West Showground on September 21/22, which is just over 30 minutes from Bristol Airport. We arrived just after lunchtime on the opening day after an early morning flight from Glasgow and hired a car from the airport.

The show looked to be reasonably busy, but there had been very heavy rain leading up to the event and as most of the area was on grass it was a bit of a quagmire for visitors to trudge through.

↑ Our eye in the sky, Wendy, took an aerial photo from the cherry picker with the help of the Versalift UK team John Salt, Chris Wrenn and Joe Collier.

Although the large harvesting machine manufacturers didn’t

attend it was still a good event for me, with a decent selection of forestry, biomass and arboriculture equipment on display. It was much smaller than the previous show I had attended at Longleat, before Covid landed, much more compact with just over 80

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exhibitors. Nonetheless there were a few interesting stalls to look around and the afternoon was gone before I knew it.

There were various Seminars on a diverse range of forestry topics taking place over the two days in the Confor tent and whenever November 2023

The British designed and manufactured Treemaster TM, is a range of ‘Grab and hold’ tree shears to suit excavators from 4 to 20 tonnes. With cut capabilities of 200mm to 450mm diameter and rotation options from no rotation to 360-degree rotation. The high-grade steel combines low weight with maximum strength. → Chip shape and Bristol fashion Fuelwood had put on a good display of their impressive range of forestry, firewood and biomass equipment.

↑ ↑ Chipping away at Cancer. B Price Mus Max had chipping demonstrations going on throughout the two days.

← The hydraulically driven Merlo TreEmme MM250X is a bespoke forestry tractor, perfect for mulching and post-harvest clearances. The cabin provides 360-degree visibility and works efficiently on slopes up to 30 degrees. The wide range of attachments and the incredible manoeuvrability make them the ideal tools for professionals looking for specialised machines.

I passed, they looked to be well attended. I thought it would have been a busier day on Friday, but to me Thursday looked the busiest.

My only gripe was that the chainsaw competitions taking place in the main arena, to be

honest, were boring. There was far too much talking, setting up and measuring and not enough action. I sat and watched it for quite a while and the only people interested were the competitors themselves, there needs to be more going on to grab people’s attention.

November 2023

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

We stayed until around 2 pm as we had to return the hire car and catch our flight back to Glasgow. It was a good job we left early as the airport was chock-a-block and it took almost an hour to clear security and even longer to get a beer in the departure lounge!

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EXHIBITIONS Working horses are ideally suited to environmentally sensitive areas and smaller areas and can work efficiently alongside a tractor operation. The use of horses minimises damage to existing crops, coppiced stools, areas of regeneration and reduces compaction and damage to the forest floor. →

↑ Although we weren’t in Sherwood Forest, there were plenty of budding Robin Hoods honing their archery skills.

↑ Marshall Logging with an excellent selection of Westtech tree shears, winches, forestry and biomass equipment.

↑ Kesla crane mounted on a Valtra with a Kesla 144HD driven forwarder trailer.

↑ Penny Hydraulics displaying some useful lifting equipment for pick ups.

Don’t forget to keep checking our website, www.forestmachinemagazine.com for all the latest news, equipment, products and issues affecting the forest industry.

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November 2023

YOUNG LOGGERS

Word Search

Who’s Paw Print SOLVE THE ANAGRAMS TO FIND OUT WHO’S FOOT PRINT IT IS.

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