Forest Machine Magazine June 2021

FOREST MACHINE MAGAZINE CUTTINGS FROM THE FOREST FLOOR DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR JUNE 2021 + ISSUE 29

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WELCOME RAB EASTON Editor

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t’s lovely to see warmer temperatures, sunshine and everyone in a more positive frame of mind as the country emerges from the doom and gloom of Covid-19.

I must admit I am looking forward to visiting our local pub; I miss the laughs, banter and silliness that you get while consuming a beverage or three. A few hours in a pub with good company can certainly raise your spirits and put you in a better frame of mind to deal with the trials and tribulations of everyday life and annoying gits! One area which I think will need addressing is the size of the pub’s optics, after so many months of home measures, I imagine it will be a struggle getting used to Pub measures when out and about.

I have been in agony for the last couple of weeks with a very sore back It happened on the Saturday morning that I was planning to go out and see another motorbike. I had pre booked an appointment at West Coast Harley in Glasgow and thought I would be okay to go as my back would probable free up once out and about.

Once at the shop my back was a bit better. The salesman gave me the spiel on how sought after the bike I was looking at was, and that no one would want mine, but he would do me a favour and offer me a pittance that I should be eternally grateful to him for. He suggested I sit on the new bike, it was a bit higher and wider than my own and mid way mounting it I heard an almighty POP from my back and suddenly I was in mega trouble. Wendy realised something was wrong and helped me immediately, but the pain had soared from quite sore to absolute agony +10. It was such a relief to get home and get a hot water bottle on it; it’s amazing just how much heat helps to ease the pain.

After a few days I was able to get around a bit more but unfortunately Wendy stopped speaking to me. I don’t know what I have done wrong.

When friends and neighbours see me stooped over they politely ask what’s wrong and how did it happen. I tell them the truth that “I did my back in trying to get my leg over.”

June 2021

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

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FOREST

MACHINE MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY LOGGERS FOR LOGGERS

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CONTENTS 2

8

News

Keep up to date with the latest industry news.

2

The early years: establishing forests in the 60’s.

0 Justin Nyakudanga Fire plays an important

ecological role in natural ecosystems.

2 6

6 Risutec

Auto Tree Planter.

6 Unimog 430

All in one railway line clearing conversion.

7

0 Air Quality Regulations

8

4

0

Ponsse’s latest heavy duty harvesting head for Eucalyptus.

New ready to burn regulations for firewood.

2 Glennon Brothers Scottish logs prevent closure.

9

2 Young Loggers

Some fun and puzzles to keep the next generation entertained.

9

5 Classified

9

All the latest used equipment for sale.

8 Business Cards

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4

1

FIND US ON

Neuson Forest’s largest purpose built tracked levelling harvester.

#homeoflogging

Our business directory at your fingertips. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2021

6

4

Jenz’s flag ship hybrid mobile chipper and the most powerful.

5

6

Visiting Richard Todd with his Rottne H21 D in Argyll.

4

4

Schlitter Logging is a family business operating throughout the Midwest tri-state area. We catch up with founder Cory Schlitter to find out more.

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4

6

8

June 2021

90 years of Sisu Auto a pioneer in the Finnish automotive industry.

All new Isuzu D-Max delivers smart new styling, improved off-road performance and impressive safety technology. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

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NEWS

HAVE YOUR SAY Each issue going forward we speak anonymously to people within the industry for their gripes on current forestry topics

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t appears forestry contractors have lost a pound and found a penny. This should have been one of the most profitable eras in the history of timber harvesting and instead it has fell flat on its face. Timber prices are so high that people are swapping sheets of plywood for Ferraris and luxury mansions, yet many contractors who actually cut the wood are skint.

We have the minimum wage for workers and minimum pricing for alcohol in Scotland, so who’s at fault for the low contract prices? We cannot blame Boris, Brexit or Covid for this as we have done it to ourselves.

The landowners must be laughing their socks off getting work done for peanuts, their mattresses getting higher and higher with all the cash stuffed under it while contractors are struggling to pay bills.

The most depressing part is that there is plenty of work for everyone; no one is sat at home looking for work, so why do we feel the need to undercut one another? There is absolutely no point in being a busy fool.

Unless we sort these issues, we are producing a sustainable product in an unsustainable industry.

FIREWOOD SALES As if things weren’t bad enough Page 6

new laws on the moisture content of firewood in England have just come into effect.

Selling firewood had been a good side-line for contractors and a way to help with cash flow in difficult times, but the new rules in England have firmly shut that door.

Every Tom, Dick and Henrietta (need to be politically correct here) knows that putting wet wood in your wood burner creates tar in your chimney and just doesn’t burn well. People know they have to buy it in advance and stack it in their log store to season prior to burning.

The new rules mean that contractors now need a huge yard with covered areas (yet more money) or drying Kilns (body parts need to be sold to purchase and run these) to store and season firewood prior to sale.

To me, it feels like they are trying to prevent contractors from selling firewood. The landowners sitting in the House of Lords are most likely extremely peeved that contractors are profiting from a waste product. This will put many small independent firewood merchants out of business while large scale operations will flourish. This could have a knock on effect on www.forestmachinemagazine.com

manufacturers and distributers involved in the sales, servicing and spare parts supply of firewood processors and log splitters.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the UK Government announces a War on Wet Wood task force, with specially trained mobile officers deployed throughout the UK with Infrared X-Ray cameras which can see through metal.

These officers will be able to uncover firewood smugglers who are using vans and covered pick-ups to disguise their loads of unseasoned firewood. All officers would most likely be armed and fully trained to use sophisticated meters and will test the moisture content of every log!

TRAINING The current state of forestry training is a serious problem that’s not going to go away and skirting around the issue just isn’t helping. What can the government do to help forestry, which is worth over £1 billion to the treasury each year and was deemed as an essential industry during Covid-19?

As it turns out, nothing at all; the politicians sit and watch as Askham Bryan College closes down and sells off Newton Rigg, one of the very few training facilities for forestry that we June 2021

have. Genius!

Politicians and so-called forestry experts bleat on about the importance of training and come up with unworkable ideas that do sod all to help. Every so often they use the wonderful phrase “Pilot Scheme”, which is supposedly the answer to all our prayers. Typically, tens of thousands of pounds of hardearned taxpayer’s money is thrown at a scheme which is useless, pointless, and does nothing to help.

The government can find up to £625 a week each for millions of people to sat at home and watch Netflix while on furlough but can’t spare a ha’penny for training essential workers for forestry.

TREE SHEAR LEGISLATION I do agree that training courses are needed to acquaint operators with the risks and limitations of using their equipment. It is equally important to know how to maintain equipment properly and where and what to look for regarding wear.

The days of just buying equipment and heading to the forest to make a living have long gone, but training courses have to be affordable and run by someone who has practical experience with the equipment.

Tree shears on excavators, forwarders, harvester bases, lorry cranes, and telescopic loaders are fantastic for dealing with dead, diseased, and brittle trees. They can save chainsaw operators’ lives and protect them from falling debris. Tree June 2021

shears do not replace chainsaw operators; although they do fell the tree, the wood still has to be de-limbed and cross-cut with chainsaws. The increase in production justifies the extra cost.

CARBON PLANNING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Forests are managed by foresters or estate managers and these guys are responsible for the work being carried out. I’m sure if they saw an operator with a Stetson and two six-shooters around his waist operating an open cab mini digger with a 20-tonne tree shear hooked onto the jib, he would be run out of town pretty damn quick.

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The use of tree shears has to be a workable solution as, besides the risk factor, there just aren’t enough chainsaw operators around to do the work. Just an idea, but manufacturers could train their re-sellers who, in turn, could offer customer training and certification on the new and used equipment they sell. These opportunities could then be incorporated into the selling price. This would allow the equipment and operator to meet the criteria and laws of the country in which it is sold and working.

Anon - The views, thoughts or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Forest Machine Magazine.

If you would like to have your say on topics affecting the forest industry then please write to Forest Machine Magazine, 33 Holm Gardens, Bellshill, ML4 2PB or email forestmachinemagazine@mail. com www.forestmachinemagazine.com

ames Jones & Sons has been working on the aspect of embodied carbon in timber products for over ten years through the first UK assessment of the carbon credentials of its I Joists and sawn timber production. This assessment, which has been carried out by Ecometrica, has allowed James Jones to clearly demonstrate and measure the net carbon storage credentials of its products to key clients in the house building, timber merchant and forestry sectors over this period.

The Company, intends to grow their strategic carbon reserve in parallel with their business, thus providing long term sustainable offsetting of its operations that are not accounted for by Ecometrica in the production of sawn timber.

With a planting programme of some 2000 hectares (400 ha/ annum for the next 5 years) and with the land already in hand to achieve this, the company hope to achieve a total of stored carbon potential in excess of 300,000 tonnes by 2025. This will of course be additional to the net tonnes of carbon offset that can be passed on from its current annual 600,000 m³ and growing sawn production in the future. www.jamesjones.co.uk Page 7

NEWS

Inland-creeping saltwater is changing U.S. coastal wetlands, and now you can see the effects from space.

Credit: NASA / U.S. Geological Survey

MAPPING NORTH CAROLINA’S GHOST FORESTS FROM 430 MILES UP

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ising seas and inlandsurging seawater are leaving behind the debris of dying forests. Now, 35 years of satellite images capture the changes from space.

Emily Ury remembers the first time she saw them. She was heading east from Columbia, North Carolina, on the flat, lowlying stretch of U.S. Highway 64 toward the Outer Banks.

Sticking out of the marsh on one side of the road were not one but hundreds dead trees and stumps, the relic of a oncehealthy forest that had been overrun by the inland creep of seawater.

“I was like, ‘Whoa.’ No leaves; no branches. The trees were literally just trunks. As far as the eye could see,” said Ury, who recently earned a biology Ph.D. at Duke University working with professors Emily Bernhardt and Page 8

Justin Wright.

In bottomlands throughout the U.S. East Coast, trees are dying off as rising seas and higher storm surges push saltwater farther inland, poisoning soils far from shore.

While these “ghost forests” are becoming a more common sight in North Carolina’s coastal plain, scientists had only a rough idea of their extent. Now, satellite images are providing new answers.

In a study published April 4 in the journal Ecological Applications, a Duke-led team mined 35 years of satellite images of a 245,000-acre area in the state’s Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula.

The images show that, between 1985 and 2019, 11% of the area’s tree cover was taken www.forestmachinemagazine.com

over by ghost forests. Instead of mirroring the gradual pace of sea level rise, most of this spread occurred abruptly in the wake of extreme weather events such as hurricanes and droughts, which can concentrate salts or send them surging into the region’s interior.

The study focused on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1984 to protect the area’s unique forested wetlands and the endangered red wolves, red-cockaded woodpeckers and other wildlife that live there.

Here, the Duke team is monitoring what Bernhardt and other researchers call “the leading edge of climate change.”

From 1900 to 2000, the sea rose about a foot in this part of coastal North Carolina, faster than the global average. By the end of this century, it could rise June 2021

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NEWS two to five feet more.

Shrinking shorelines dominate most discussions of sea-level rise, as oceans submerge coastlines and chew away at beachfront property. Yet less talked about is what’s happening farther inland.

Long before beaches shrink and disappear under the rising sea, seawater starts creeping into low-lying regions.

Most of the Alligator River National Wildlife refuge sits less than two feet above sea level, “which makes it all the more vulnerable to sea level rise,” Ury said.

Add to that the hundreds of miles of ditches and canals that crisscross the region. Built during the mid-1900s to drain water out, they now act as a conduit for seawater -- which is about 400 times saltier than freshwater -- to flow in.

With no barriers in the way, seawater gets pushed inland through these channels, leaving its salty fingerprints on the soils.

As the salt moves in, it draws water out of plant cells and strips seeds of their moisture, making it harder for new tree seedlings to sprout. Saltsensitive tree species first fail to reproduce and eventually die off, as freshwater forest turns to salt marsh.

Using pictures taken by 430-mile-high Landsat satellites, the team was able to map the spread of ghost forests in the refuge over time.

Each pixel in the satellite images represents the wavelengths Page 10

of light bouncing off the Earth below, in an area on the ground roughly the size of a baseball diamond.

The team fed the satellite images to a computer algorithm, which in turn analyzed each pixel and determined whether it was dominated by pines, hardwoods, shrubs, grassy marsh, open water or dead trees. Any pixel with as many as 20 to 40 visibly dead trees present at once was labeled as ghost forest.

The view from space changed over the 35 years of the study.

More than three-fourths of the study area was covered in trees in 1985. Since then, even without any logging or development, the refuge has lost more than 46,950 acres of forest, or a quarter of its 1985 tree cover.

More than half of these losses occurred in the interior of the refuge, more than a kilometer from any coast, the study revealed.

“It’s not just the fringe that’s getting wetter,” Ury said.

Of the more than 21,000 acres of ghost forest that formed between 1985 and 2019, the most noticeable die-off was in 2012. The area had just endured a five-year drought and then a potent strike by Hurricane Irene in 2011, when a 6-foot wall of seawater was pushed ashore. The storm surge swept across the refuge, cresting over Highway 264, more than 1.2 miles inland from the coast.

Within months, entire stands of dying and downed trees were www.forestmachinemagazine.com

visible from space.

What is happening in eastern North Carolina is happening elsewhere, too, the researchers say. In coastal regions across the globe, saltwater is starting to reach areas that haven’t seen it before, even reducing crop yields and jeopardizing freshwater aquifers that people rely on for drinking water.

The Duke team is collaborating with other researchers to expand their study to other parts of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, from Cape Cod to Texas.

“Because of its geological location, North Carolina is just ahead of other coastal areas in terms of how far sea level rise has progressed,” Ury said.

“Lessons learned here could help manage similar transitions in other places,” or pinpoint areas that are likely to be vulnerable in the future.

Funding for this research was provided by a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (80NSSC17K0355), the North Carolina Sea Grant/Space Grant (R/MG -1806), the National Science Foundation Coastal SEES program (1426802), and by the Duke University Data+ Program through the Rhodes Information Initiative.

CITATION: “Rapid Deforestation of a Coastal Landscape Driven by Sea Level Rise and Extreme Events,” Emily A. Ury, Xi Yang, Justin P. Wright, Emily S. Bernhardt. Ecological Applications, April 4, 2021. DOI: 10.1002/eap.2339 www.today.duke.edu June 2021

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NEWS

GREATER PROTECTION FOR SWEET CHESTNUT TREES IN ENGLAND

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cientists are stepping up the fight against an invasive tree pest of sweet chestnut trees - Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp - the UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer recently announced.

Approval has been given for the release of a parasitoid wasp called Torymus sinensis, a natural biological control agent, to help reduce the spread of Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp in England to protect the health of sweet chestnut trees.

This method of natural pest control works by using Torymus sinensis to kill the Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp, thereby controlling the pest in England.

Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp was first found in England in 2015. The wasp causes galls on the buds and leaves of sweet chestnut which damage the tree. In high numbers, the

gall wasp can weaken sweet chestnut trees and make them more vulnerable to other pests and diseases, including Sweet Chestnut Blight.

Torymus sinensis is already present naturally in England but in very low numbers. Further releases of the parasitoid will enable the population to build up to a level to effectively control Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp. This method of biological control is used successfully in many countries across Europe.

Chief Plant Health Officer Nicola Spence said: “Threats to sweet chestnut trees have increased as a result of tree pests and diseases such as Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp and Sweet Chestnut Blight. The release of this biological control agent represents a huge step towards protecting the health of sweet chestnut trees and will further enhance the resilience of our

treescape.”

The recent announcement follows extensive research commissioned by the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs in partnership with Fera Science Ltd, a thorough risk assessment and careful testing to ensure the safe, controlled release of the parasitoid in the UK. The release of any biological control agent is carefully regulated, and the release gained governmental approval after robust scientific review, including by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and a public consultation. Fera Science Ltd will sensitively control the release, with a programme of monitoring for the next 10 years.

Senior Scientist at Fera Science

NEW FEATURES IN REMOTELOG AND LOGON

igercat has introduced new features on its powerful RemoteLog® and LogOn™ telematics system.

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when no cellular mobile network is available. There is no need for another messaging service – RemoteLog does it all.

NEW TEXT MESSAGING Using the same satellite connection as RemoteLog, machine operators or technicians may now send and receive simple text messages

Worksite supervisors can send messages to machine operators quickly and easily. Get direct support at the jobsite from your Tigercat dealer when your phone is out of coverage

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www.forestmachinemagazine.com

range. Optimize your forestry operations through better communication. Purchase a PayAs-You-Go text messaging data plan from your local dealer to get started.

REMOTELOG WEB SERVICE You can now access the ‘Data that Matters’ from RemoteLog directly through a new web June 2021

Ltd Neil Audsley said: “Following an extensive programme of research and thorough risk assessment, we are now able to release a biological control agent to reduce the population of Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp.

Biological control is the safest and most effective means to manage pests such as Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp. This strategy has been successfully used in countries across Europe and will directly contribute to improving the health of sweet chestnut trees in England.”

The release of Torymus sinensis is part of the government’s long-term strategic response to managing threats from tree pest and diseases to achieve the goals of the Tree Health Resilience Strategy (2018).

Working in partnership with world leading scientists and colleagues from the Forestry Commission and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Defra will continue to protect England’s sweet chestnut trees from existing and emerging threats. www.gov.uk service using your IT servers.

Now it is possible to share geographic position and production data for your machines with landowners and forestry operations companies. RemoteLog utilizes the well documented ISO 15143-3 (AEMP 2.0) Web API that is widely used in mobile machinery applications. Contact RemoteLog Support to get started.

LOGON REPORTS You can easily view production, June 2021

SURPRISING 2020 AND A RENEWED BOARD

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020 was abnormal and challenging in many ways.

After a strong start the market momentarily collapsed due to the global Corona pandemic. Logset reacted fast and made measures to tackle the dramatic changes in market conditions. With good planning, team work and swift execution Logset turned a difficult start of the year into a year of strong development in many business areas. The company had a turnover of 37.5 million euros (2019: 48.0 million euros) and an operating profit of 0.9 million euros (2019: 2.5 million euros).

conditions in the year 2021 are looking good regardless of the Corona pandemic limiting business travel.

In 2020 Logset started a company wide quality improvement focus. The work is ongoing and Logset will continue this project also in the coming years by training and encouraging workplace culture where high quality is one of the key value drivers besides customer focus, constant innovation and product development.

During the summer of 2020, the demand for forest machines started to grow. The fourth quarter was strong for Logset.

The plan to develop company financials was achieved and Logset is stronger than ever to start the year 2021. The market

During the Logset general assembly meeting on 16th of April 2021 the shareholders elected a new board of directors. Board member Mikko Lehikoinen was selected as the new chairman of the board. The company’s majority shareholder Ilkka Brotherus will continue as a member of the board. Kari Mikkilä and Esa Rantala were welcomed as new members. Mikkilä will also continue working as Logset’s Vice President, Supply management until a successor for him is found. Rantala worked as Logset’s CEO from 2012 till 2014.

Contact: Tommi Ekman, CEO +358 40 6641666 tommi.ekman@logset.fi

activity timelines, and fuel consumption on your mobile device using LogOn at the worksite. Now you can download formatted reports in

PDF or CSV formats and save them to your mobile device.

View the reports anytime, or share them through email. www.tigercat.com

“Now afterwards I can say that using the different scenario models at an early stage was the right choice. The result of 2020 is a great achievement and I’m very proud of our personnel.

Thanks to the size of our company and great team work, we were able to act quickly and respond to the rapidly changed market conditions”, tells CEO Tommi Ekman.

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

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NEWS

UNLOCKING THE BENEFITS OF BARK

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ver 2 million tonnes of bark are produced by New Zealand’s forestry industry every year. It is an underutilised resource, which could be worth $400 – 600 million annually if put to use.

Pine bark is a rich source of polyphenols, terpenes and resin acids that have unique functional and structural properties including antioxidant, antibacterial and waterproofing properties.

New technologies and integrated processing are needed to recover all the potential value from bark. Scion is setting out to create new processes and products through our highly collaborative Bark

A thin section of radiata pine bark displayed using light microscopy.

The red colour comes from tannins in the bark cells. The large hole is a resin canal, which produces chemicals that protect the tree from insects and fungal pathogens. 100x magnification.

Biorefinery programme.

Industry involvement is key to building a successful value chain around a New Zealand bark biorefinery. Over 20 organisations from across New Zealand came to the table at the Bark Biorefinery Industry Workshop in November 2019.

Their participation helped initiate an industry engagement strategy for the programme.

Mark Glenny, Innovation Research Manager from Resene, attended the industry workshop.

He says, “Sustainability is important to Resene, and one

way we can make a big impact is to source more sustainable and renewable raw materials.

The bark biorefinery project gives us the opportunity to do this, and we’re excited about the potential product streams the project could create. The industry workshop gave us the chance to discuss the various approaches to achieving this alongside a wide range of other businesses.”

Great progress has been made in extracting, analysing and quantifying bark components, together with matching new

A NEW WOOD THAT IS TRANSPARENT AND FLEXIBLE Scientists have created a new wood film that is ultrastrong, flexible and 80 per cent transparent. The wood film is the result of a chemical treatment that removes lignin/hemicellulose from thin layers of wood that are then compressed and dried.

The material becomes 20 times thinner and 25 times stronger Page 14

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

than the original wood and mechanically stronger than materials such as steels, alloys and plastics (strength-toweight). It can be produced sustainably and is easily recyclable and biodegradable.

New functionality can be added to the material’s surface via printing or coating, with functional nanoparticles or June 2021

applications for products from bark A commercial-scale, supercritical fluid extraction of bark resulted in range of products and materials. One of the extracted materials is a mixture of soft, natural waxes much like petroleum-derived paraffin wax.

These natural waxes could be used as waterproof or water repellent surface coatings, and in cosmetics and skin care as emollients, for example.

Suberin is a water-repelling polymer found in the cell wall of bark. Extracting suberin materials has been the focus of a collaborative effort from the Scion team, ITQB/University of Lisbon and University of Auckland. These bark-derived water-repelling polymers could be a sustainable alternative for petroleum-based materials used in many products such as paper coffee cups, rainwear or touchscreen coating technology.

The extraction of tannins to treat leather is another avenue being explored. Although tannins have been used in the leather tanning process for centuries, most processes today use chromium, which is toxic both to humans and the environment. This part of the project team has been working with New Zealand-based partners to identify and develop the right bark tannin fraction for leather tanning, opening possibilities for producing environmentally friendly, luxury New Zealand leathers.

The project team has also been working on alternate ways to extract and process bark, in conjunction with German research and development organisation Fraunhofer.

This will complement the supercritical processing technology that is also being explored.

hydrophobic molecules, for example. It has already been used in conjunction with a biobased conductive ink to create wood-based flexible circuits that could be used for a wide range of applications, such as sensors, smart packaging and wearable devices.

Awards.

The potential of this product has already been recognised by industry, receiving a highly commended award in the Wood and Fibre Products Technology and Innovation category in the 2020 Resene Timber Design June 2021

Moving up the supply chain, the team has also carried out a comprehensive study of bark components based on tree height. This understanding will be key for directing the processing and flows of differing

The first step is a chemical treatment that removes lignin and hemicellulose, then compression collapses the cell walls. This process preserves the original alignment of the cellulose nanofibers and encourages their binding. The film is flexible, yet strong in fibre direction.

The first samples were made with balsa wood. The team is now working on exploring the use of New Zealand- grown www.forestmachinemagazine.com

barks within an operational bark biorefinery.

Finnish research institute, VTT, has also been involved, assisting with an initial technoeconomic assessment for the first-generation bark biorefinery with extract and solid energy products.

The ‘bark biorefinery’ is just one piece of our transition to a circular bioeconomy. With this advanced technology and science, we can create solutions for problems such as our reliance on fossil fuel-based products. Biorefineries, and specifically bark biorefineries, will form an important part of this strategy and become a critical step in our move towards a circular bioeconomy while meeting many of the government’s goals for an environmentally and economically sustainable future New Zealand.

The bark biorefinery project runs from 2018-2023. www.scionresearch.com wood such as pine and eucalyptus, as well as alternative chemical treatments (e.g. wood bleaching and traditional pulping approaches) to make new transparent wood films.

This technology has potential for a scalable fabrication process as well as end-of-life recyclability, making it an ecofriendly alternative to current electronic circuits which create e-waste and use petroleum-based substrates. www.scionresearch.com Page 15

NEWS

MORE SUSTAINABLE FOREST INDUSTRIES ESSENTIAL TO MEET GLOBAL 2050 CARBON NEUTRALITY GOAL

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he newly installed Chair of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s (UN FAO) Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI), Ross Hampton, has made it clear that increasing sustainable forestry and timber industries is key to achieving the global ‘Carbon Neutral by 2050’ goal.

Mr Hampton, who is also Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) said, “The world is increasingly turning to renewable resources such as timber and fibre-based packaging to meet both sustainability and climate goals. This trend must be turbo charged if we are to meet the ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050.

“The carbon stored in forests is also stored in the products

produced from those forests.

Done to certified world best practice in which re-planting or regeneration follows harvest, forestry and forest industries are a continuous production line for the climate friendly, sustainable products which we all need.“Timber is far less energyintensive to produce than steel and concrete, making it the ‘green’ choice for construction.

But despite some outstanding breakthroughs in innovative engineered timber products, the shift to medium and highrise timber buildings has been too slow. If we are to make a meaningful impact on climate, every major city authority with a climate action plan should be demanding developers use more timber.

“Forest products also play a huge role providing biodegradable alternatives to single use plastics which are choking our waterways and

Newly installed Chair of ACSFI Ross Hampton. oceans. This transition also must accelerate. Bioenergy and biomaterials are also an area which has far greater potential to be a force for good.”

Secretary of the ACSFI, based in Rome, Sven Walter said, “We are proud to be launching the new ACSFI 2020-2030 Strategic Framework. I am confident that with Ross’s leadership the private forest sector will help realise the ACSFI’s aim of catalysing innovative

BRAZILIAN AMAZON RELEASED MORE CARBON THAN IT STORED IN 2010S

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he Brazilian Amazon rainforest released more carbon than it stored over the last decade – with degradation a bigger cause than deforestation – according to new research.

More than 60% of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil, and the new study used satellite Page 16

monitoring to measure carbon storage from 2010-2019.

The study found that degradation (parts of the forest being damaged but not destroyed) accounted for three times more carbon loss than deforestation.

The research team – including www.forestmachinemagazine.com

INRAE, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Exeter – said large areas of rainforest were degraded or destroyed due to human activity and climate change, leading to carbon loss.

The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, also show a significant rise in June 2021

forest-related actions through partnerships between FAO, the private sector and other stakeholders.”

FAO Forestry Officer, Australian Lyndall Bull said, “I am thrilled to welcome Ross as the new Chair for the ACSFI. The ACSFI has an ambitious work program to help ensure that the global forest sector can maximise its contribution to the sustainable circular bioeconomy. I am looking forward to working with Ross to implement that program as a step towards a carbon neutral world.”

Mr Hampton concluded, “I would like to pay tribute to outgoing Chair, Carina Hakansson, Director General of the Swedish Forest Industries Federation, who has provided outstanding leadership of the ACSFI for the last two years.

I also am very pleased to welcome into the Vice-Chair role José Carlos da Fonseca Junior, who is Executive Director of the Brazilian Tree Industry Association (Ibá).” www.ausfpa.com.au deforestation in 2019 – 3.9 million hectares compared to about 1 million per year in 2017 and 2018 – possibly due to weakened environmental protection in Brazil.

Professor Stephen Sitch, of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, said: “The Brazilian Amazon as a whole has lost some of its biomass, and therefore released carbon. We all know the importance of Amazon deforestation for global June 2021

A MOMENT OF REFLECTION

O

ne glorious day I was sat in the garden enjoying a lovely cold beer which facilitated some deep thinking.

Wendy walked by and asked me what I was doing, to which I replied , “Nothing.” The reason I said “nothing” instead of saying “just thinking” is because she then would have asked, “About what?” I would have had to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics, which would lead to other questions. This particular day I pondered an age old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts?

Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the

climate change. Yet our study shows how emissions from associated forest degradation processes can be even larger.

Degradation is a pervasive threat to future forest integrity and requires urgent research attention.”

Degradation is linked to deforestation, especially in weakened portions of a forest near deforested zones, but it is also caused by tree-felling and forest fires. Climate events, such as droughts, further increase tree mortality.

Such degradation can be hard to track, but the research team used the satellite vegetation index L-VOD developed by scientists at INRAE, CEA and the CNRS. Using this index and a new technique for monitoring www.forestmachinemagazine.com

nuts, but how could they know?

Well, after another beer, and some more heavy deductive thinking, I have come up with an answer to that question.

Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby.

Even though I obviously couldn’t really know, the basis for my conclusion is that a year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, “It might be nice to have another child.” But you never hear a guy say, “You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts.”

I rest my case. Time for another beer I think and then maybe a nap. deforestation developed by the University of Oklahoma, the study evaluated changes in forest carbon stocks.

A change of government in Brazil in 2019 brought a sharp decline in the country’s environmental protection.

The 3.9 million hectares of deforestation in that year is 30% more than in 2015, when extreme El Niño droughts led to increased tree mortality and wildfires. However, the study shows that carbon losses in 2015 were larger than in 2019.

This demonstrates the dramatic impact that degradation can have on overall biomass and carbon storage in the rainforest.

The paper is entitled: “Carbon loss from forest degradation exceeds that from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.” www.exeter.ac.uk Page 17

NEWS

Within existing rotator interface Indexator offer smart rotator systems for semi or full automation

INDEXATOR PRESENT SMART ROTATORS

I

ndexator Rotator Systems AB continue to develop new, innovative solutions for customers need of tomorrow.

During year 2021 Indexator will fully launch smart rotator systems, where angle and angle velocity can be sent back to the machine control system. This is an important step to enable semi or full automation systems.

Innovation and product development are natural ingredients within Indexator’s daily operations. With 40 year’s

experience of rotator manufacturing, Indexator have a market leading position. Besides hydraulic rotators the company offer the widest range of links and swing dampers suitable for most crane models and application areas.

TECHNOLOGY LEAP Now the company takes a technology leap by introducing smart rotators to the market.

With the patented and verified Indexator smart system, the rotator position and angle

velocity will be sent back to the base machines control system. This enables the possibility to develop semi and full automation system on the rotator function.

“By using the smart rotator system machine operations will be more productive and thereby more profitable for the machine owner,” says Emma Forsgren, Engineering Manager at Indexator.

DIAGNOSTIC TOOL BUILT-IN

NEW LAWS TO WIPE OUT RURAL MOBILE ‘NOT SPOTS’.

M

obile signal blindspots will be wiped out under government plans to level up rural areas with better connectivity and unlock tech innovation in the countryside. The government is proposing law changes to boost ongoing efforts to improve connectivity for people who live, work and travel in rural areas.

Page 18

The reforms will remove one of the biggest barriers to better coverage in the countryside by reducing build time and costs for new infrastructure while protecting rural areas by minimising any visual impact.

Under the proposals, mobile companies will be allowed to make new and existing masts up to five metres taller and two www.forestmachinemagazine.com

metres wider than current rules permit. This will increase the range of masts and allow operators to fit more equipment on them so they can be more easily shared. It will incentivise mobile firms to focus on improving existing masts over building new ones to ensure rural communities get a better signal. www.gov.uk June 2021

TO THE SYSTEM Besides determining rotator position and angle velocity, the sensor also have a palette of diagnostic codes which is sent back to the system.

“For safety reasons the sensor also sends redundant signals to the CAN-BUS network,” says Emil Hörnberg, leading engineer for the smart rotator project.

Available within Indexators standard rotator interface Indexator have long experience of developing solutions for OEM and therefore understand the importance of compatibility.

One benefit with the smart rotator system is that it is available within Indexators standard rotator interface towards crane tip and tool, which eliminates or minimize need of hardware redesign.

“Besides using standard interface we have also developed Indexator J1939 CAN protocol which furthermore minimize the threshold for implementing the system,” says Emil Hörnberg.

FORESTRY PARTS DIRECT +44 (0) 7810 521 221 admin@forestrypartsdirect.com Solway House, West Store, Crichton Business Park, Bankend Road, Dumfries, DG1 4TG. facebook.com/ForestryPartsDirect instagram.com/forestrypartsdirect/

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Page 19

NEWS

Brushwood/harvesting residue burn in order to reduce compartment fuel load and prepare the land for replanting

FIRE, A GOOD SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER: PERSPECTIVES FROM A SOUTH AFRICAN FORESTER

F

Justin is a regular contributor to FMM and he also publishes his own online magazine at www.zimbabweforestry magazine.com Page 20

BY JUSTIN NYAKUDANGA

ire has an important ecological role in natural ecosystems. For example, many plant species in fireaffected environments require fire to germinate, establish, or reproduce. Wildfire suppression not only eliminates these species, but also the animals that depend upon them.

However in South Africa just like other plantation risks such as pests, diseases, damage-causing animals and timber theft, fire in the forestry industry poses the greatest risk to sustainability and economic feasibility of plantations of any scale. Since 1980, the South African timber industry has lost over 669,000 hectares to fires costing millions of Rands in the process.

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

The occurrence of fires in South Africa is dependent on rain. In the Cape provinces, wilds fires occur in the summer season that is between November and March. Whereas for the rest of the country, veld fires usually pick up during the winter months that is from May to August when the weather is dry and windy. The causes of fire can be broadly categorised into two: natural causes and man-made causes. Natural causes include elements such as lightning and rockfalls. A town called Piet Retief in KwazuluNatal province is well renowned as the capital of lightning in South Africa. Man-made causes include arson, run-away prescribed burns and accidental fires. Arson fires are mainly June 2021

due to conflict between communities leaving on the plantation boundary and the grower company or as a result of forestry labour ventilating their grievances to contractor management. This often occurs when the two parties cannot agree on the issues at hand.

It should be noted that many plantations are located in rural areas where communities are to a certain scale dependant on them for their livelihoods, for example, jobs, firewood, honey, medicines, thatching grass and grazing pastures. It is the unauthorised access by locals into the plantation which is the source of many conflicts.

Occasionally weather conditions do change for the worst while burning brushwood/harvesting residue, buffer zones or fire breaks resulting in run-away fires.

Mitigation measures adopted by the South African industry include the annual maintenance of firebreaks, reducing plantation fuel load, setting up observation points and maintaining agile fire reaction teams. Over the past 10-15 years fire breaks have evolved from just being rigid property boundaries to include Buffer zones. This comes from the backdrop that intense fires do spot and run over the rigid boundary fire breaks into neighbouring properties. Hence Buffer zones traversing different neighbouring properties and consist of strategic protection lines placed in the landscape incorporating conservation units, riparian zones, wetlands and grasslands become a viable option for stopping a raging fire.

Linked to fire breaks and Buffer June 2021

Fire fighting Aeroplanes

Airstrip and hanger

zones is a plantation fuel load reduction programme.

Combustible material other than commercial trees must be removed from high-value tree compartments and buffer zones to reduce the monetary www.forestmachinemagazine.com

loss, spread of fire and damage to trees. Such a programme includes prescribed burning of open grasslands, mulching of harvest residue or under canopy material and weeding of conservation units or open areas.

Page 21

NEWS

Fire crews burning fire breaks and rack-hoeing tracers under tree canopy.

Fire-fighting

or helicopters with a suspended bucket that scoop’s water when filling up and releases it at the fire front.

Many large scale commercial forestry companies have adopted the use of cutting edge technology in respect to plantation observation cameras and communication radio networks. A control room which is maned for 24 hours is responsible for recognisance fire and the dispatch of reaction teams and vehicles. The reaction teams are also known as Prototeams are carefully selected and undergo rigorous fire-fighting, Page 22

driver and first aid training. They are kept fit each year through annual follow-up training.

Weekly compliance inspections are conducted by the forester on duty, with a standard checklist applied to manpower, tools and equipment. Most companies have a small airstrip for “Water Bombers” that is aeroplanes used in fighting fires.

Most water bombers are fixedwing planes with a carrying capacity of 2000 litres of water www.forestmachinemagazine.com

All the above requires good preparation and coordination between the forestry industry stakeholders that is, local government, Fire Protection Associations, Farmers associations, suppliers of essential services, plantation workers, contractors and neighbouring communities. So as the saying goes, “the best preparation is the use of today”.

The best-prepared foresters are those that took notes of the previous year’s fire postmortem.

June 2021

U K AG

LO G F O R E S E N T S F O R EC O

T RY M AC H IN

T S F O R V IK ES | U K AG E N

IN G H EA D S

SALES AND SERVICE CONTACT SCOTT BURTON

Parts: 01483 906 913 | Sales: 07795 438 341 | Lauder, Scotland |

@SBForestry

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UK only - I wish to pay £30 for 6 issues of Forest Machine Magazine Europe - I wish to pay £40 for 6 issues of Forest Machine Magazine Rest Of World - I wish to pay £72 for 6 issues of Forest Machine Magazine Please make cheques payable to: Robert Easton Ltd Please return your completed form to: Forest Machine Magazine, 33 Holm Gardens, Bellshill, ML4 2PB.

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June 2021

www.ncdequipment.com The TMK range now offers shears that fit on 2 to 30 tonne excavators.

The TMK 300 will also fit onto Telehandlers.

The TMK now offers shears that fit on 2 to 30 and tonne excavators.

TMK shears canrange cut between 200mm - 400mm softwood between 180mm to TMKcapabilities 300 will also onto Telehandlers.

350mm hardwood. The Cutting arefitdependant on the model of shear being TMK shears can cut between 200mm used.

- 400mm softwood and between 180mm to 350mm hardwood.

Cutting capabilities dependant on the cut model being Each shear comes with a fixed grapple,are which holds onto treeoforshear vegetation before and after it has been cut, allowing used. the operator to safely place it onto the ground.

Each shear comes with a fixed grapple, which holds onto the cut tree or vegetation before and after it has been cut, allowing the operator to safely place it onto the ground.

“Half the cost, half the time”

AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE “ Half the cost, half the time”

“ Halfsales@ncdequipment.com the cost, half the time” Email TMK Attachments Follow us: Email sales@ncdequipment.com Followextension us: Hydraulic beam suitable for the TMK 300 07956 087549 Call Nick 07535 211338 or Emma Call Nick 07535 211338 or Emma 07956 087549 Tree Shear The TMK Hydraulic extension beam offers a further 3.6m reach when cutting those difficult to reach branches. As pictured on the machine.

Collector suitable for the TMK 200, 300 & 400 Tree Are you involved in hedgerow management or tree cutting Shears Are you to involved inshear hedgerow management orfor tree cutting need see this working!

Contact us more info Opens and closes with a separate control to the shears need to see this shear working! Contact us for more info grapple to allow the user to hold onto what has been cut while the grapple opens again to cut the next branch, tree etc. This is TMK’s most popular attachment.

www.ncdequipment.com

Delimber suitable for the TMK 200, 300 & 400 Tree Shear The delimber is ideal for stripping smaller branches from straight trees and can be used without electricity.

The TMK Tree Shear can cut up to 400mm softwood and fits on 2-30 tonne machines, dependant on model.

Tree Shears are available for hire.

Are you involved in hedgerow management or tree cutting? If so, you Are you involved in hedgerow management orfor tree cutting?

If so, you need to see this shear working!

Contact us more information The TMK range now offers shears that fit on 2 to 30 need to see this shear working!

Contact us for more information The TMK 300 will also fit onto Telehan Cone Splitter

The TMK now offers shears that fit on 2 to 30 TMK shears canrange cut between 200mm - 400mm softwood

TMKcapabilities 300 will also onto Telehan 350mm hardwood. The Cutting arefitdependant on www.ncdequipment.com machines (dependant on TMK shears can cut between 200mm used.

- 400mm softwood

* fits on 1.8 - 10 tonne

model). * Cone screw with interchangeable head * No drain line required less expensive mounting. * CanFollow be supplied with us: timber grab, as pictured Follow us: Call (optional).

Call

350mm hardwood.

Cutting capabilities dependant on Each shear comes with a fixed grapple,are which holds onto before and after it has been cut, allowing used. the operator to saf Each shear comes with a fixed grapple, which holds onto before and after it has been cut, allowing the operator to saf

“ Half the cost, half the time” “ Halfsales@ncdequipment.com the cost, half the time” Email Email sales@ncdequipment.com Nick 07535 211338 or Emma 07956 087 Nick 07535 211338 or Emma 07956 087

NEW

The TMK range now offers shears that fit on 2 to 30 tonne excavators.

The TMK 300 will also fit onto Telehandlers.

Mulcher The TMK now offers shears that fit on 2 to 30 and tonne excavators.

TMK shears canrange cut between 200mm - 400mm softwood between 180mm to * Fits on 1.8 - 13 tonne machines 350mm hardwood. The TMKcapabilities 300 will We also onto Telehandlers.

Cutting arefitare dependant on the model of shear being (dependant on model).

TMK shears can cut between 200mmexcited - 400mm softwood and between 180mm to used. to hardwood.

Cutting capabilities are dependant on the cut model being Each shear comes with a fixed grapple, which holds onto treeoforshear vegetation * Self leveling independant linkage 350mm be supplying Auger used. before and after it has been cut, allowing the operator to safely place it onto the ground. (floating head).

Torque attachments Each shear comes with a fixed grapple, which holds onto the cut tree or vegetation before and after it has been cut, allowing the operator to safely place it onto the ground.

“ Half the cost, half the time” Email - sales@ncdequipment.com “ Halfsales@ncdequipment.com the cost, half the time”quoting FMM Email Email sales@ncdequipment.com Call Sales - 07561 649614 Call Nick 07535 211338 or Emma 07956 087549 Follow us: Follow us:

Call Nick 07535 211338 or Emma 07956 087549

ESTABLISHMENT

RISUTEC PM - TREE PLANTING MACHINE FOR WET CONDITIONS

T

he PM tree planting machine is easy to load and the feeder is located at a suitable working height. The PM is based on a tape cassette that has been in use since 2004 and a carousel cassette that is also quick to load.

The device is easy to maintain, has centralized grease nipples and a hinged feeder. The machine is well protected against twigs and branches. The planting result is superior thanks to double-sided compaction.

The accessories listed at the bottom of the page can be used to increase productivity further.

MOUNDING FOR WET CONDITIONS The PM tree planting machine uses a mounding soil cultivator that either mounds or inverts the soil, or you can use it for creating patches. For peaty (wet) soils the PM comes with a turning plate that tosses the mound in front of the planter for increased productivity.

Length of red bar = 1 meter.

Page 26

STANDARD PARTS AND ACCESSORIES Get these parts, services and accessories with every PM installation by default.

• The Cabin Monitor lets you operate planting settings from the cabin of the carrier.

• The Leveling Compressed Air Rack houses a compressed air compartment.

• Adjustable Compaction Paw Pressure and Depth prevents the seedling from popping up on soft ground. The shape of the compaction paws around the seedling ensures up to 90% compaction.

• Remote Connection Modem, for remote adjusting functionality.

• The ASTA Reporting Solution comes as standard, for GPS powered reporting and control.

• Variable Planting Depth Adjustment, with two optional planting depths.

• The device is always Delivered as Standard with the desired attachment and installed on-site. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

•

•

•

Centralized Greasing Points for daily operations facilitates the maintenance and upkeep of the device.

If you are aiming for the most efficient contracting possible, a Planting Eventready Detector is an absolute necessity.

The Seedling in the Tube Indicator indicates that the seedling cassette has been fed successfully.

This accessory should be considered especially if the seedlings are of poor quality, for example if the seedling has a lot of roots.

The detector saves a lot of time - making sure that the seedling is really in the tube.

PRODUCTIVITY ADD-ONS FOR OPTIMAL CONTRACTING For productive contracting you can opt for these value-added accessories.

• The Bortrac Applicator is a good choice, especially in old birch areas where there is too little boron. With the application device, the boron fertilizer is June 2021

•

•

•

•

•

•

automatically applied as an area application during the planting event. The fertilizer is sprayed as a dilute mixture outwards from the seedling onto the adjacent growth area.

The applicator includes its own tank and pump.

Trico Applicator - During planting, about 50 ml of deer repellent is sprayed on the top of the stem, ensuring the best protection. Trico is applied automatically during the planting cycle.

When planting in sticky soils, such as clay soils, an optional Flushing System will reduce operational delays.

At the same time, the water condenses at the bottom of the seedling planting pit, ensuring a higher quality result.

For smart contracting, where you want to maintain the optimal condition of the planting machine and save your own labor input, Automatic Greasing is a great choice.

Pesticide Applicator During the planting event, the pestizide agent is automatically applied to the top of the seedling, giving 100% coverage.

Fertilize Applicator Fertilizer can improve seedling survival and root establishment. The fertilizer is applied automatically during the planting event.

In the event of a problem or error, the Risutec Remote Diagnostic Device can be used for remote assistance.

The remote diagnosis option can also be used to make a change to the program remotely. www.risutec.fi

June 2021

Due to its compact size, the PM160 is easy to reload and maintain in- field.

Risutec TASK Guiding system speeds up the planting process and saves resources by planting several rows without moving the excavator tracks.

Even planting results every time, and get more value-add for each hectare planted with integrated forestation.

Regular maintenance is easy on the PM model due its compact size and easy access to critical components. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

TREE PLANTING IN THE MOUNTAINS

F

lyingBasket and Bayerische Staatsforsten (BaySF) joined forces in order to test the use of cargo drones for tree planting in the mountains.

After FlyingBasket obtained crossborder operation authorisation by the Federal Aviation Office in Germany, the team was able to start the trial: transporting 2,000 young trees from a location in the valley of Aschau, Southern Bavaria, to 18 planting locations up in the mountains near the famous Kampenwand.

The team of Flying Basket used the FB3 cargo drone for the task. Three young BaySF talents studied different aspects of the test. Experienced forestry professionals provided guidance during the whole process. The trial was successful; all plants got transported safely and efficiently to the relevant locations. Bernd Meier, deputy head of the BaySF training center in Laubau, Ruhpolding, was happy with the results: “Work with the team was great.

Everyone gave 100% and we had a lot of fun and learned a lot. We see big potential in the use of the technology not only for planting in steep terrain, but also to provide our people with forestry equipment, which they otherwise need to carry. Remote sensing is another interesting field with big innovation potential.” www.flyingbasket.com Page 27

ESTABLISHMENT

A BYGONE ERA

I

t was just after Christmas that Ian Lawson, a neighbour of mine from my time living in Aberfoyle, sent me some fascinating old photos of his dad with his Caterpillar ploughing for the Forestry Commission (FC). This ignited a wave of nostalgia as my father worked for the same establishment but in Loch Doon.

Growing up I loved listening to the recollections of my dad – Adam Easton – regarding his work with the FC establishing new forests at Loch Doon in Ayrshire. Every day sounded like an exciting adventure to a five year old and after school I would wait patiently for the forestry van to drop him off so I could Page 28

hear what he had been up to that day.

Loch Doon was a fantastic place to grow up as there was very little traffic, we were surrounded by farms, and our house overlooked the Loch.

We were also within walking distance of Loch Doon Castle, a 13th century castle which stood on an island in the Loch and was originally owned by the Earl of Carrick during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Prior to 1935 the world’s first all river hydro electric scheme was scheduled to be built at Loch Doon. This would have raised the level of the Loch and submerged the castle which would have caused a public www.forestmachinemagazine.com

BY RAB EASTON outcry from the local community. To maintain public order the castle was dismantled stone by stone and re-assembled by the side of the Loch.

My dad was a ganger (foreman) and the main area of his squads work was establishing and managing newly planted forests in the surrounding areas. The two world wars had devastated the UK’s timber reserves and the Forestry Commission was tasked with restocking forests that had been felled and purchasing or leasing land to create more new forests to increase our ravaged timber resource The surrounding areas of Loch June 2021

Ian Lawson’s photos that brought back fond memories.

Loch Doon (as with much of the west coast of the UK) were typically peat bogs which were unsuitable and too acidic for Arable or Pastoral farming but ideal for growing Sitka Spruce.

My dad had some great recollections of ploughing on the upland peat bogs. One story he told was of when they were used County Swamp Model tracked crawlers, without cabs, often in tandem roped together just in case one broke the ground surface. This particular day, the second County with the plough started sinking so the operator grabbed his piece bag and stepped up onto the ground as it was submerging. Another County was brought in and the two County’s started pulling the submerged one. Only the exhaust was showing and my dad went in front of the exhaust and opened a channel with his spade as it was being pulled underground. After about 50 yards the exhaust went over at June 2021

an angle, the submerged County had hit a rock on one side underground and went on to its side still fully submerged. The decision was made to unhook the rope and abandon it. There was another similar incident at a later time. It would be interesting to find out just how many sunken County’s there are in peat bogs around the UK. Another recollection was in a heavy morning Thunderstorm.

My dad’s squad were weeding around young trees and set off for the van at finishing time.

They were all in the van except for the tractor man who was ploughing further on to where they were weeding. My dad set off to find the tractor man, as he approached the County he saw the operator sat unmoving on the seat. Fearing the worse he approached only for the operator to shout for him not to come near.

My dad wasn’t sure what was www.forestmachinemagazine.com

happening and the operator said that lightening had struck right in front of the County and killed the engine. He wasn’t sure whether the ground was still live with electricity and had sat there without moving for over six hours. My dad approached him to show it was safe and they all finally got home.

When the squad had been weeding my mum used to dread opening his piece box, it always contained a few dead adders.

Loch Doon was alive with them and he used to put his foot on their heads, pick them up by their tails and crack them like a whip to kill them. He brought them home and would skin them to make attractive watch straps and belts.

CLARK ENGINEERING Clark Engineering manufactured many of the ploughs that were used in the UK and beyond.

William Clark worked in a shipyard and in 1924 he bought the site where Clark Engineering Page 29

ESTABLISHMENT still stands for £100. William started out as a blacksmith shooing horses and expanded to agricultural engineering, his son Murray joined his father in the busy business.

In the 1950’s ploughing was the order of the day for a huge tree planting programme that was being carried out by the Forestry Commission and private forestry companies. At that time the Economic Forestry Group (EFG), Tillhill forestry and other management companies were creating lots of new forests on behalf of their clients. This was a tax loophole for many film and pop stars to invest in with huge tax free rewards when the timber was harvested. I remember my dad telling me the FC‘s ambition was to plant a forest from the Solway Firth to the Firth of Forth, this was pretty much achieved.

Many people say that ploughing in the last century failed as there were great swathes of trees that had blown over in a domino effect. In truth, poorly managed sites or severe storms have been the real culprit.

Drains have to be kept clear of debris otherwise areas turned into swamps and the trees root system doesn’t develop properly and spreads across the surface making it unstable in windy conditions.

good water drainage, increases soil temperature and mixes soil nutrients which encourage root growth. Improved root development leads to an increase in shoot growth, a better yield class, healthier trees are more resilient to disease and insect attack and resistant to wind loosening and windblow.

Ploughing is a fast and cost effective method of establishing new forests, depending on soil types, 0.2 to 0.6 ha is easily achieved each hour. Ploughing mixes the surface organic matter with the mineral subsoil.

This can suppress weed growth for up to four years and helps young trees get established without weed competition. This is a substantial saving on labour costs that would normally be required for manual weeding.

My knowledge on land preparation is fairly limited but a meeting with Doug Clark was a great help in understanding a lot more about the subject.

When Doug’s father Murray

worked alongside his father William he saw an opportunity to diversify into manufacturing ploughs for tree planting. The FC in Ae Forest approached Murray in the late 1950’s to see if he would be interested in developing ploughs for forestry use. At that time there was only one other plough manufacturer, James Cuthbertson from Biggar.

His ploughs were only suitable for working in peaty ground conditions.

Murray spent a long time on the research and development of ploughs that would be suitable for forestry use. He worked along with Jimmy Paterson, a forestry expert from the FC, but all this research was very costly. William gave Murray an ultimatum to “fix it” before he bankrupted the company.

The ploughs were an instant success and they became the new standard for forestry use in the UK and beyond.

Word soon spread and many private forestry companies and contractors started chapping on

Ploughing is a science and it is crucial to be using the correct size and design of plough for the type of soil being worked, one size doesn’t fit all. The primary advantages of ploughing are to improve rooting conditions for young trees. Ploughing increases soil aeration, allows Page 30

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2021

Clark’s door. Clark Engineering, never a company to sit on its laurels, continued their development of ploughing equipment and it wasn’t long before the Humpy plough was developed. This was a radical design as instead of a straight beam on the top frame this was a curved structure. In some instances soil would build up on the top beam when ploughing but the humpy design eliminated this and improved the quality of the ploughing.

Bottom Left: Tandem ploughing demonstration by the Forestry Commission Top Right: A young Doug Clark with the Rotary Ridging Plough nicknamed the Helicopter Plough Right: The Humpy Plough Bottom Right: Single mouldboard tyne plough with a young Raymond Hall at the helm.

June 2021

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ESTABLISHMENT The FC had set aside a five acre plot enclosed with expensive deer fencing so they could experiment with different types of ploughing including the Rotary Ridging Plough.

Unfortunately the Rotary plough was being tested next to the new deer fence and the driver, who shall remain anonymous, miscalculated his proximity to the fence. Being a forward looking type of chap who wasn’t concerned by what was happening behind him, he only realised there was a problem when he noticed a forward section of the deer fence whizzing past him.

Top Left: Cage extension wheels on double mouldboard tyne plough.

Left: Double Mouldboard Plough.

Bottom Left: Doug’s father Murray beside the Sea Plough they made.

Bottom Right: Recovery required.

Page 32

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June 2021

He had caught a section of the fence with the rotary plough and this was happily working away winding up almost half a mile of brand new deer fencing.

After replacing the fence the trials continued and once the young trees were established and started growing they were tested for root development.

This was done by attaching each tree to a rope and the rope to a set of scales to test the pressure needed to lift the tree out of the ground. The trees planted in the area prepared with the Rotary Ridging Plough offered the most resistance which in turn meant strong, healthy trees which would better withstand strong winds.

Some people are very hard on equipment and two of the recurring sentences often heard are “It just broke” or “It wasn’t anything I did, it must have been faulty.” This is something that had to be taken into consideration during development; it has to be strong enough to withstand heavy handed operators but not too heavy for the machine using it or for working on soft ground conditions.

June 2021

Doug recalled stories of a few heavy handed operators over the years; one had bent the plough on an underground rock and decided that he would straighten it by attaching a chain to the nearby railway track and to the bent section of the plough. Luckily a forester appeared just before he had started pulling and avoided what could easily have been a disaster by removing a section of the busy railway line.

The manufacturing of ploughs continued through the 1960’s, 70’s and early 80’s; Murray took over the running of the business with a young Doug joining him.

Doug had an impact on the business instantly and was just 18 years old when he designed the prototype “Heli Plough” Rotary Ridging Plough - which according to the FC “looked like it came from a science fiction film.” Doug had adopted the idea from a potato ridger - with 70hp of hydraulic drive to rotate the corkscrew drum supplied by the tractor.

This was a completely new concept for ground preparation; it had helicodial vanes mounted

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on a conventional plough carriage which replaced the normal mould-board. As it travels through the ground the leading edge with a short mould-board opens the ground and feeds the rotating vanes. As the soil passes over the vanes it is inverted and separated into mounds to leave a shallow, gently sloping furrow.

The advantages of the Heli Plough are that young trees have more symmetrical roots with significant root growth across the furrow. All the benefits of conventional ploughing including weed suppression, warmer soil temperature and aeration are still retained. Clark’s saw there was potential in other markets outside forestry for their ploughing equipment and developed ploughs for salt ridging in Iraq, oil exploration in Australia, Irrigation in Africa and sub-sea cable trenching around the UK coastline.

There was an incident with a sub-sea plough at Weymouth, the plough was parked underwater over a weekend and attached to surface bhoys with a steel cable. It worked by being dragged underwater with a steel cable attached to a tug boat and to recover the plough from the sea bed large balloons attached to it were filled with air until it floated to the surface. This weekend a Dutch Submarine snagged the cable as he was leaving Weymouth and dragged the plough for about a mile out to sea before the cable was cut by the propeller. It took quite a bit of finding for the cable laying company on the Monday morning!

Page 33

ESTABLISHMENT Clark’s made some wide and deep trenching ploughs for farmers in southern England; their crops were being badly damaged by poachers driving through their barley fields in 4 X 4 vehicles in search of game.

Ploughing around the outline of their fields soon put a stop to that.

Another plough made by Clark’s featured on the “Tomorrow’s World” TV Programme, it was made for ICI so they could build a 3D map of the underground surfaces and structures to help search for new mineral resources. An explosive tape is laid by ploughing it a few feet below the surface and geophones are then placed on the ground in a precise pattern.

When the tape is detonated they measure and record the returning echo signals which are fed into a computer to build a geological map. Soundings of up to 20,000 feet can be obtained as the explosion is controlled and stable with the blast directed downwards. The ploughs were the only

Flotation tracks on a county crawler. specialised equipment needed for this as it could lay enough cable in a few hours to keep the observation team busy for a day. This system of mapping was used in all types of terrain including swamps, deserts, jungle and on the sea bed using hovercrafts and submarines to lay it.

It was fascinating to find out just how far and wide across the globe these ploughs were sold from their base in Parkgate without the internet or mobile

communications.

The 1980’s saw the Thatcher government stop the tax benefits of establishing new forests and any tree planting going ahead was mainly restocking felled harvesting sites.

With their main forestry source of income for developing new ploughs shut off, Clark Engineering diversified into the harvesting side of forestry and focused on timber harvesting and developed the world famous “Clark Tracks”. www.clark-engineering.com

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ESTABLISHMENT

L-R: The researchers used 30 truckloads of coffee pulp to kickstart forest regeneration.

The recovering forest 3 years after coffee pulp was applied to the area. Credit: Rebecca Cole.

FORESTS ON CAFFEINE: COFFEE WASTE CAN BOOST FOREST RECOVERY

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new study finds that coffee pulp, a waste product of coffee production, can be used to speed up tropical forest recovery on post agricultural land. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence.

In the study, researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawai`i spread 30 dump truck loads of coffee pulp on a 35 × 40m area of degraded land in Costa Rica and marked out a similar sized area without coffee pulp as a control.

“The results were dramatic.” said Dr Rebecca Cole, lead author of the study. “The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years while the control plot remained dominated by non-native Page 36

pasture grasses.”

After only two years the coffee pulp treated area had 80% canopy cover compared to 20% in the control area. The canopy in the coffee pulp area was also four times taller than that of the control area.

The addition of the half metre thick layer of coffee pulp eliminated the invasive pasture grasses which dominated the land. These grasses are often a barrier to forest succession and their removal allowed native, pioneer tree species, that arrived as seeds through wind and animal dispersal, to recolonise the area quickly.

The researchers also found that after two years, nutrients including carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous were significantly elevated in the coffee pulp treated area compared to the www.forestmachinemagazine.com

control. This is a promising finding given former tropical agricultural land is often highly degraded and poor soil quality can delay forest succession for decades.

Dr Cole said: “This case study suggests that agricultural by-products can be used to speed up forest recovery on degraded tropical lands. In situations where processing these by-products incurs a cost to agricultural industries, using them for restoration to meet global reforestation objectives can represent a ‘win-win’ scenario.”

As a widely available waste product that’s high in nutrients, coffee pulp can be a costeffective forest restoration strategy. Such strategies will be important if we are to achieve ambitious global objectives to restore large areas of forest, June 2021

such as those agreed in the 2015 Paris Accords.

The study was conducted in Coto Brus county in southern Costa Rica on a former coffee farm that is being restored to forest for conservation. In the 1950’s the region underwent rapid deforestation and land conversion to coffee agriculture and pasture with forest cover reduced to 25% by 2014.

In 2018, the researchers set out two areas of roughly 35 × 40m, spreading coffee pulp into a half meter-thick layer on one area and leaving the other as a control.

The researchers analysed soil samples for nutrients immediately prior to the application of the coffee pulp and again two years later. They also recorded the species

present, the size of woody stems, percentage of forest ground cover and used drones to record canopy cover.

Dr Cole warns that as a case study with two years of data, further research is needed to test the use of coffee pulp to aid forest restoration. “This study was done at only one large site so more testing is needed to see if this strategy works across a broader range of conditions.

The measurements we share are only from the first two years. Longer-term monitoring would show how the coffee pulp affected soil and vegetation over time. Additional testing can also assess whether there are any undesirable effects from the coffee pulp application.”

A limitation of using coffee pulp or other agricultural by-products

is that its use is mostly limited to relatively flat and accessible areas where the material can be delivered and the risk of the added nutrients being washed into nearby watersheds can be managed.

On further research into the use of coffee pulp, Dr Cole said: “We would like to scale up the study by testing this method across a variety of degraded sites in the landscape. Also, this concept could be tested with other types of agricultural non-market products like orange husks.

“We hope our study is a jumping off point for other researchers and industries to take a look at how they might make their production more efficient by creating links to the global restoration movement.” britishecologicalsociety.org

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ESTABLISHMENT

LINEO™ BY STORA ENSO TESTED IN ASPHALT ON SWEDISH ROADS

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wedish road and infrastructure operator Svevia has decided to collaborate with Stora Enso in testing lignin in asphalt. Through this collaboration, Svevia aims to replace part of the oil-based binder with nature’s own binder – lignin, Lineo ™ by Stora Enso.

The lignin containing asphalt is currently being tested out on Swedish roads.

Svevia is carrying out road paving work on road 224 between the towns of Sandbrink and Gnesta on behalf of the Swedish Transport Administration. Of the total 15-kilometre stretch, Svevia has chosen to test Lineo™ on a couple of hundred meters, where lignin will replace bitumen. Lignin was chosen as it is a bio-based natural binder found in trees with the potential of reducing the negative climate impact of asphalt.

“Asphalt consists of stone and bitumen, which is a product made from crude oil. If we can find something that can replace bitumen as a binder in the asphalt mass, our negative Page 38

Photo credit: Svevia climate impact could be reduced dramatically,” explains Mattias Andersson, asphalt product specialist at Svevia. He continues explaining that Svevia has reviewed the lifecycle of the process from raw material to the paved road. In their production, the asphalt plants have switched to bio-based oil and use renewable electricity instead of fossil-based resources. Simultaneously, switching to renewable electricity is also underway in the quarries.

The industry still has developments to make in fully replacing bitumen. “In the Netherlands, lignin has been mixed into asphalt since 2015, and is used in production. But even there, they have only succeeded in replacing bitumen in a limited amount.”

Lignin is a complex plantderived polymer found in the cell walls of almost all dry-land plants. It binds cellulose and hemicellulose together, giving wood its stiffness, strength and resistance to rotting. Mattias Andersson believes that www.forestmachinemagazine.com

these are the properties that make it interesting for asphalt production. “All players in the road industry need to take responsibility in the transition to sustainable development.

We are constantly trying to find solutions that allow us to reduce our negative climate impact.

At Svevia’s laboratory, we have tested different variants of, among other things, lignin, and when we presented an alternative that we believed in, the Swedish Transport Administration did not hesitate to let us test it on a stretch.”

Svevia’s first lignin-based asphalt experiment was carried out in September 2020, already providing promising results.

“The surface looks good and homogeneous, it will be exciting to see what happens to the asphalt during winter, after snow removal and thawing brought on by spring. I think it will withstand these stresses and that we have something really good on the track,” concludes Mattias Andersson.

Stora Enso’s lignin has also been tested in other asphalt June 2021

projects with good results. As a company, we actively work with our Lineo™ offering to discover further advantages in asphalt-making and replacing fossil-based materials with a bio-based solution.

ABOUT SVEVIA Svevia are focused on building and managing roads and infrastructure. Our 1,900 employees are located in more than 100 locations throughout Sweden and we have a turnover of SEK 8.2 billion. For more information, please visit svevia. se PEAB CONTINUES ITS JOURNEY TOWARDS CLIMATE-IMPROVED ASPHALT WITH STORA ENSO’S LIGNIN In collaboration with Järfälla municipality close to Stockholm in Sweden, Peab Asfalt is paving another test section with lignin on Viksjöleden road. Lignin is wood’s natural binder. It can be used to partially replace oilbased bitumen, with significant environmental and technical benefits.

Lignin is the substance that holds the fibers together in a tree. In addition to the environmental benefits of lignin, Peab Asfalt also expects a positive climate effect from biomass being bound into the asphalt.

“We have been working with different types of lignin for a few years now and it is important that we trial it in real production. Last year we performed our first test surfaces with lignin and now we are moving forward with developing June 2021

Photo credit: Peab the concept. It feels very exciting and important to have this cross-industry collaboration and to work closely with our customers to develop a climateimproved and more durable asphalt pavement. We are pleased that we can put this test stretch in place and contribute to Järfälla municipality meeting its environmental goals,” says Lars Jansson, laboratory manager, Peab Asfalt.

The test section is paved with ECO-Asphalt where the binder is now partially replaced by lignin. The lignin used in this test section is supplied by Stora Enso. ECO-Asphalt has been used in Järfälla for five years. The asphalt plant uses renewable fuel (bio-oil) for drying and heating the stone material (ballast).

“Now Järfälla municipality is helping to take another step towards climate-improved asphalt as we use asphalt with lignin as a binder for the first time and thereby reduce the amount of bitumen which is a fossil-based product,” says Lars Liljeholm, street engineer, Järfälla municipality.

Lignin is a complex plant-derived polymer found in the cell walls of almost all dry-land www.forestmachinemagazine.com

plants. It binds cellulose and hemicellulose together, giving wood its stiffness, strength and resistance to rotting.

Stora Enso’s lignin has also been tested in other asphalt projects with good results. As a company, we actively work with our Lineo® by Stora Enso lignin offering to discover further advantages in asphalt-making and replacing fossil-based materials with a bio-based solution.

ABOUT PEAB Peab is the Nordic Community Builder with 15,000 employees and net sales of SEK 57 billion.

With a local presence and focus on our own resources we develop, do the groundwork and build everyday life where it’s lived. The Peab share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

ABOUT STORO ENSO Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow.

Stora Enso has some 25 000 employees in over 30 countries. www.storaenso.com Page 39

HARVESTING

PONSSE H7 HD EUCA

P

onsse has launched the new H7 HD Euca harvester head - a smaller version of their very successful H8 HD debarking head - designed specifically for harvesting Eucalyptus trees.

Ponsse are a family owned company with strong customer focus. Their first harvesting head was manufactured in 1986. Today the company offer 10 different models and manufacture 1,000 harvesting heads each year. The heads range in size for harvesting in first thinnings through to mature clear fells.

Not only can the full range of harvesting heads be used on Ponsse base machines, but they can be fitted to other manufacturers harvester and excavator bases.

Ponsse can be found in 40 countries around the world with a network of over 130 trained partners. These partners offer their customers the best possible experience. Ponsse believes having well trained partners and customers delivers a winning solution and makes everything possible.

The H7 HD Euca is a robust harvesting head which has been developed in co-operation with customers. The tilt frame is much stronger and the saw box double the thickness for extra strength. Longer cast metal delimbing knives have been used to facilitate picking out trees and logs from stacks.

Page 40

Conical bearings on the moving the axles reduce wear for a maintenance free lifespan of 25-30,000 hours. H7 HD Euca Heads have been working in China, South Africa and Brazil prior to the launch.

SOUTH AFRICA Quinton Preen is the MD of DS Preen Group having joined in 1990. His late father founded the company, which carried out motor manual timber harvesting, in the early 1950’s. The early 2000’s saw the company progress into mechanised timber harvesting.

Quinton currently runs eight Euca harvesting heads including the first H7 HD. The company works in the Nadal midlands and Kwa-Zulu costal areass of South Africa and have used other manufactures heads in the past.

Quinton made the decision to use solely Ponsse heads because they offered the best performance, quality and after sales service. With Ponsse it is a one pass de-barking process which increases the production and lowers running costs.

He admits to being apprehensive when he first www.forestmachinemagazine.com

started using the first H7 Euca heads. His concerns were for the durability and longevity as they were slightly smaller and lighter than the others he was using.

But, after two years, they have performed well. The new HD version gives Quinton the additional piece of mind.

BRAZIL BBM Logistica run Ponsse H8 Euca heads and have recently purchased their first H7 HD Euca. “This is a light, agile and fast harvesting head that is great at what it does” said harvester operator Wenderson Arruda Araujo, “It’s smooth and very easy to operate with straightforward user friendly settings.”

BBM Buisness Development Director Joao Crista said “this is a light, strong, well protected head with a good balance between strength and speed.

The de-barking quality is good and measuring is very accurate, we are very satisfied with the results. This Ponsse H7 HD Euca is the perfect ingredient for good production.” janne.loponen@ponsse.com, tel. +358 40 502 8018.

June 2021

NEUSON 264 HVT: SETTING NEW STANDARDS FOR TRACKED HARVESTERS

BY RAB EASTON

N

euson Forest have just released their largest purpose built tracked levelling harvester to date, the Neuson 264HVT. This model is capable of harvesting mature trees up to 95cm in diameter (depending on the type of harvesting head), with track options for working in all manner of conditions ranging from steep hillsides to wet boggy flatlands.

Rather than excavator conversions, Neuson harvesters are strong, purpose-built forestry harvesters with a long service life specifically designed to withstand the rigorous conditions of harvesting timber.

Established 26 years ago, the company was initially called MHT-MechHyd GmbH; since then their global market share has steadily increased and they currently offer a range of tracked harvesters ranging from narrow low impact machines for

June 2021

harvesting tightly spaced first thinnings to larger machines capable of mature final felling.

including a large cool box, drinks holder, mobile phone dock, and USB port.

As the demand for Neuson harvesters has increased they have made sure that customers are properly supported through a comprehensive network of sales and skilled service partners throughout Europe, North and South America Australia and Japan.

Replacing hydraulic hoses, servicing, and carrying out repairs has been made as easy as possible with good access to all areas on the harvester.

All panels open out and the hydraulically operated rear panel doubles up as a secure walkway. The cabin can also be tilted out of the way to allow safe access from the front of the harvester.

The new 264HVT is an attractive, modern, stable harvester which has evolved by speaking to operators and taking their feedback on board.

As operators spend long hours at work each week the cabin has to be comfortable and ergonomic; ample legroom, clear vision, low vibrations, climate control, and excellent noise suppression have all been incorporated into this new design. Some nice little touches have been added with lots of useful cabin storage space, www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Neuson have developed an innovative parallel crane featuring Technion’s XCrane control, meaning it is easily adapted to the needs of the operator. Up to five driver profiles can be saved and there is also optional Smart Tip Handling (STH). STH helps operators to work more efficiently while reducing fatigue; the operator controls the crane tip directly as the left Page 41

HARVESTING mini lever controls the horizontal movements and the right lever controls the vertical movements of the head. This intuitive handling enables fatigue-free working and high productivity as well as reducing costs.

Three parallel crane types are available on the 264HVT with a range of sizes: 9m, 10m, and the longest at 13.5m. A variety of harvesting heads are available including models from AFM, LogMax and Warratah.

Neuson have covered all the bases with plenty of track selections for all types of ground condition: aggressive grouser tracks for steep ground available in 500 to 600mm widths, double grouser universal tracks for flat, wet, and hilly conditions in 500 to 700mm widths, and triple grouser tracks for very wet, boggy ground conditions available in 500 to 800mm widths. Further options include street rubbers for working on roads and other hard surfaces to avoid any surface damage.

These are available in widths ranging from 500mm to 600mm.

A practical, quick change track bolt mechanism allows a speedy changeover if different track profiles are necessary.

This harvester weighs 26.5 tonnes and the 600mm tracks provide impressively low ground pressure of just 0.50kg/cm³.

The overall width is 2950mm and it has a very narrow tail swing of just 200mm, with generous ground clearance of 790mm. The 309hp six-cylinder engine is supplied by John Deere and is rated for EU stage V /EPA Tier 4f; the hydraulic system Page 42

All service points are easily accessible. Both the cabin and the platform can be opened hydraulically. also performs well, delivering 320 bar with a 250ltr tank and a reversible cooling fan. The 264HVT will work easily on steep slopes up to 30°/60% and the cabin has automated slope compensation for keeping the cabin level – it has a forward tilt of up to 25° and side-to-side levelling of +/- 15°.

A further system known as “Easy Drive” allows the operator to switch between the foot pedal www.forestmachinemagazine.com

and the joystick to activate the drive on the harvester at a simple push of a button. There are two drive speeds, up to 1.6km/hr for off-road conditions and a higher tracking speed of up to 4.9km/hr when required.

Neuson Forest is an innovative, forward-thinking company from Linz in Austria whose first task before embarking on any new project is to sit down and listen to their customers. www.neuson-forest.com June 2021

HARVESTING

LOGGING IN IOWA

BY RAB EASTON

C

ory Schlitter, the founder and owner of Schlitter Logging, was born and raised in Dubuque Iowa and logs throughout the Midwest tri-state area. Dubuque is on the junction of the states of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, and is a popular tourist destination due to the city’s unique style of architecture and its proximity to the Mississippi River.

Dubuque is named after Julien Dubuque, a Spaniard who arrived in 1785 to mine the area’s rich lead deposits.

The area was then known as the Louisiana Territory and remained under Spanish rule until 1803, when the US took Page 44

back control following the Louisiana Purchase. The region became the Iowa Territory in 1838 and the State of Iowa was created in 1846.

After the lead resources were exhausted, Dubuque became home to numerous industries including boat building, brewing and the railroad. It was also a hub for the timber industry due to its proximity to the forests of Illinois and Wisconsin. Iowa has 2.1 million acres of woodland – approximately 5.7% of the total land area – and this is the state’s most valuable resource. Its value includes the beauty of the woodlands, the wildlife habitat, site protection for hilly www.forestmachinemagazine.com

landscapes, and a significant contribution to the Iowa economy via the production of high quality veneer and sawlogs.

Almost all the woodlands are privately owned – the majority by farmers – and they are generally 30 to 150 acres in size.

There is no National Forest or Federal ownership and the only state-controlled forests are state parks and country parks, which account for just 8% of the forest industry.

There are more than 60 sawmills in Iowa and over 350 woodworking industries ranging from small individual cabinet and furniture producers to large June 2021

manufacturers. While the state’s wood industry is not a large one, it is a major contributor to both the economy of the state and the beauty of the finished product from their renewable and diverse woodland species.

The forests mainly consist of high value hardwoods, particularly White and Red Oak, Black Walnut, White Ash, and Black Cherry. Some of the other hardwood species include Birch, Maple, Cottonwood, Sycamore, Hickory, Aspen, and Willow.

There are also some Conifers spread throughout the state and these consist of less valuable Red Cedar, White Pine, and Balsam Fir. Generally loggers working throughout Iowa, buy the trees standing from the landowner to harvest and then market themself.

Iowa’s Bonded Timber Law states that: “A person who engages in business as a timber buyer without filing a bond or surety with the commission (DNR Forestry) is guilty of a serious misdemeanour.”

Here, a “Timber Buyer” is defined as a person engaged in the business of buying timber from the timber growers for sawing into lumber for processing or resale. This does not include those individuals who occasionally purchase timber for sawing or processing for their own use and not for resale. The term also includes those who contract with a timber grower on a share-profit basis to harvest timber from the grower’s land.

Trees are usually 80 to 120 years June 2021

old before reaching maturity for harvesting; at this age they typically reach around 16” in diameter and are sold by the landowner, usually on a stumpage basis or per stump.

Stumpage is the price paid to the landowner to harvest timber on a given land base.

To determine stumpage prices, the trees are assessed for value and volume by the contractor and a price for the total volume of timber to be harvested and submitted to the landowner is determined. Many landowners who are unsure about this process will seek the services of a forester, who will have the requisite knowledge regarding the market value of timber to be harvested and will manage the bids and oversee the work carried out. A successful bidder will enter into a contract agreement with the landowner and this will clarify what is expected from each party.

EARLY LIFE & TRAINING

Although Cory grew up in the city, he was a country boy at heart. From the age of 13 he spent weekends and school holidays helping his stepfather Lawrence Carroll – aka Bohrman – in the forest. At the time, Bohrman had his own logging company and ran a 1971 Timber jack 225 cable skidder; Cory enjoyed nothing better than running chokers before eventually manning the seat of the skidder himself.

Cory left school at 17 years old without graduating as he was desperate to get started with a logging company. Cory laughed while explaining that: “I didn’t do my homework properly – in my rush to leave school and www.forestmachinemagazine.com

start logging I hadn’t realised that you had to be over 18 before you could start working professionally in the forest.”

Skills are passed down from one generation to the next and employers keep a close eye on new employees – better known as ‘Greenhorns’– making sure that they are confident and have the right skills for the tasks they are carrying out.

Cory considers this a good way for young loggers to learn their trade as they are learning from people who have a wealth of experience in the industry.

“It is important that they know how to work safely and fell the trees properly so that we all get to go home at night and valuable timber isn’t ruined by inexperience. We have to pay the landowner for the trees whether they can be used or not, so companies using unskilled or cheap labour soon go out of business.”

“In Iowa we don’t need certificates or licenses to run chainsaws and skidders; there is a school up in Wisconsin that offers courses, but personally I think our way of training works just fine. We are working with mixed hardwood species and this can be quite challenging as each species reacts differently during felling, so being able to identify and risk assess each tree prior to felling is vital.”

MACHINERY

Cory owns two skidders: the aforementioned 1971 Timberjack 225 (Cory purchased from his mother after his step father Bohrman’s passing) and Page 45

HARVESTING a Cat 525B Grapple Skidder. The latter is the main skidder used for extraction and is a good, robust all rounder. It has plenty of power with a 179hp motor and four-speed push button transmission which is extremely easy to use. Given its hydraulic frame steering and generous 527mm clearance, it is highly capable and manoeuvrable in thinnings.

The cab is comfortable, well laid out, and has excellent all round vision. Spare parts are also readily available off the shelf. The grapple has an Auto Grab feature which constantly monitors and adjusts tong pressure as needed to securely hold grapple loads while skidding, and there is an 18-tonne cable winch with up to 86m of cable for gathering trees from inaccessible areas.

As the company has two dealers in Iowa, most parts are kept in stock.

“There isn’t a lot of CTL equipment working in Iowa – the trees are felled with chainsaws and de-limbed down to a 10” diameter before being cross cut. I then skid the trunks to an area where the logging trucks can load them.

Unless otherwise specified in the contract, the tops that are cut off are the landowner’s responsibility.”

CLIMATE

Cory will only carry out thinnings as he doesn’t like to see large clearfelled sites; his only exception is when areas of diseased trees have to be removed to protect the surrounding woodland or when storms have ravaged a forest.

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Grading out the most valuable timber for the mill.

One such event took place last August; a severe storm known as a derecho hit the Midwest with winds of up to 110mph. A derecho is not quite a hurricane; it has no eye and the wind direction is consistent. The damage it causes over such a large area is similar to an inland hurricane as opposed to a quicker, more powerful tornado.

This one lasted several hours and brought devastation by flattening trees, bringing down power lines, and tearing off the roofs of buildings. The wind and hail destroyed a third of Iowa’s agricultural crops, with 10 million acres of corn and soya beans ruined.

Logging has to be planned around the weather to allow year round work. Winter months offer the best logging conditions with temperatures dropping as low as -28°C, and the driest months are January and February. Snowfall is common and northern Iowa averages around 28” each year.

The weather in the spring can be quite severe with frequent tornadoes and, although the summers are extremely hot and humid, the region experiences www.forestmachinemagazine.com

frequent thunderstorms. Most of the rain falls between May and September and the wettest month is June.

BLACK WALNUT

Cory logs a substantial amount of Black Walnut. This is ideal for harvesting in the fall and winter months as it tends to grow more in hilly areas and the sap slows down and the bark stays on.

Walnut has a beautiful grain and is famed as much for its medical values as its timber uses.

These medicinal uses include its capabilities as a mosquito repellent, a dermatological aid, an anti-diarrhoeal medication, a laxative, and a treatment for parasitic worms. It has also been used to relieve the symptoms of fever, kidney ailments, gastrointestinal disturbances, ulcers, toothache, syphilis, and snake bites. Black Walnut trees contain juglone – a compound that inhibits bacterial and fungal growth and may be valuable in controlling infections in humans.

It is also being tested for its cancer-fighting properties. The juglone, however, means that Black Walnut is not a sociable tree as it is poisonous to Pine and Birch trees as well as June 2021

tomato vines. Tolerant species which can be found growing alongside Black Walnut are Poplar, Ash, Cherry, Basswood Maple, and Hickory.

Black Walnut’s timber has many uses. Particularly high value logs will be used for veneer and may be shipped outside Iowa, in some cases exported to European veneer mills. Iowa has one single veneer processing plant in Grundy Centre which produces sliced high-grade veneer.

Other uses of the best quality timber include high quality furniture and trim lumber, flooring, and decorative gun stocks. Once dried, it holds its shape well and has very little seasonal movement .Another advantage is its natural

resistance to decay and insects.

The grain is generally straight and can be easily worked by hand or by using power tools, meaning it is especially popular with wood turners.

The other species that Cory generally harvests are White and Red Oak, Hickory, and Silver Maple. He sells most of his timber to Wieland & Sons Lumber Co, a large family owned sawmill and hardwood lumber company which manufactures 18 million board feet of lumber each year.

Located approximately an hour West of Dubuque, the company was established in 1948.In addition to the milled timber, Wieland offer their customers hardwood flooring, hardwood plywood, and log siding.

The drier winter months are ideal for logging wetter flatlands and river bottoms. Cory is proud of the standard of work he and his fellow loggers carry out.

“Us loggers, land owners, and foresters all work together to avoid disrupting the land and nature; we stop working if birds are nesting and do our utmost to look after and care for the forests for future generations.

We plan our work with the seasons to minimise our impact on the environment.”

THE NATIVES

I wanted to know if there were any nasty animals or snakes lurking about the forests that you had to watch out for.

“We are seeing fewer timber rattlers these days; I figure they

Nice load of Black Walnut lengths.

June 2021

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

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HARVESTING

A convoy of timber off to the sawmill. must be in decline in Iowa.

They are extremely venomous but not usually aggressive to humans – they would rather get out of your way than bite you.

They grow up to six feet long and are nature’s system of pest control as they feed on mice, rats and squirrels, which are common vectors of disease.”

lunch.”

“You also have to watch out for cougars; again, they are not usually aggressive unless they are hungry and see humans as prey. I had one encounter a while back when all I had on me to protect myself was a tin of spray paint. I just came up on him on a mountain trail and he didn’t look too happy about it.

I reckoned my best move was to just continue walking at the same speed and make myself as big as possible. I made sure I could see him at all times in case he thought I would make a tasty

“I was over the moon when I set up my own logging company but it didn’t take long for me to realise what a difficult industry it is to succeed in. My Cat skidder cost a fortune in repairs not long after purchasing it – almost every week something would happen and some of the repairs took weeks.”

Page 48

“Luckily he wasn’t too hungry or bothered by me and we both carried on walking in opposite directions. The woods round here are a pretty safe place to work and visit with most animals and critters keeping out of your way.”

“I am pretty handy with tools and have been able to carry out most repairs myself so it was just the cost of parts and loss of earnings that I had to bear; www.forestmachinemagazine.com

luckily, I didn’t have to spend a fortune on mechanics.”

“Although much of my work is buying, logging, and selling the timber, I also have been working with the railways Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Railway and would like to work with BNSF Railway in the future.

The projects that we have been doing are timber maintenance of parcels owned by the railways along waterways. We then go in and selectively cut over matured timber and down timber of these parcels. By doing this it helps prevent fully uprooted trees jamming up bridges when the waters are high. Iowa and Illinois deal with flooding every year. These railways appreciate the maintenance program we have presented to them making use of the natural resources instead of just going to waste.”

June 2021

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HARVESTING WORKFORCE

Cory works with one other employee called Vixen (Amanda Lynn Reeves), who started out as Cory’s housekeeper. It didn’t take long before she was helping with the marketing side of the business and building a portfolio of job sites before and after they had been thinned.

Vixen really enjoyed being out in the forest taking photos and watching how the job was done and decided that it was something she would like to do herself. She has worked along with Cory in the forest for quite a few months now and, despite the cold winter weather and getting her hands bloody and oily fixing stuff, she hasn’t been deterred in the slightest!

“It’s a great career move and I am so glad I decided to give it a go – I love being out working alongside nature in the fresh air every day.”

You can follow Vixen’s adventures in the forest on her Instagram page @timbervixen Cory has been training Vixen to operate the Cat skidder and has been impressed with how quickly she has got to grips with it.

“Vixen is doing great and is a natural on the skidder. Without sounding sexist, she is far gentler on my skidder than a lot of the guys I have had. She is getting plenty of wood out as careful operators do not experience anywhere near as many breakdowns. I have been training Vixen to cut timber as well and bought her the smaller and lighter Stihl MS 362 as a starter saw.”

Page 50

Vixen, aka Amanda Lynn Reeves, Cory’s regular work colleague.

FAMILY LIFE

Schlitter Logging is a family business and on weekends and school holidays all the family head out to the forest. It’s not all about work as they have a great time riding their quads while getting covered in mud.

When he is out at work Cory’s www.forestmachinemagazine.com

mother takes care of his children: Sierra, 18, Ronnie, aka Big Ron, 14, and Daniel, six. Big Ron is keen on following his dad – he has been operating the skidder since he was eight and is skidding logs at every opportunity he gets. Daniel is in his element greasing and maintaining the equipment.

June 2021

Foreman Daniel making sure everyone is doing their job properly!

I wanted to find out how easy it has been to find employees as this appears to be a global problem at the moment.

“Logging is still behind the times and not many young people are prepared to put in the effort needed to succeed.

We are competing with places like burger joints where youngsters make $15.00 an hour flipping burgers in a warm, dry environment.”

A family affair “Big Ron”, Daniel and Cory

WORKING SAFELY

Cory likes his Stihl chainsaws. He is particularly pleased with his recent purchase of a 500i and uses other models produced by them, including a MS 362.His local chainsaw shop is run by an ex-logger who had a horrific accident when a tree he was felling “Barber Chaired” on June 2021

Big Ron and Daniel servicing the Cat Skidder www.forestmachinemagazine.com

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HARVESTING him. He is now confined to a wheelchair but remains a great source of knowledge, drumming into customers the importance of working safely. This has worked with Cory: “I never log on my own now, if Vixen or my kids aren’t there I have another guy who is 71 years old and I pay him to be my spotter. He is there just in case something happens and can summon for help immediately.”

It’s always interesting to find out why people decide to work in the forest. For Cory, it is “the satisfaction of being your own boss in charge of your own destiny, working outdoors and being able to see what you have achieved each day coupled with the thrill and adrenaline rush of cutting timber.”

Cory’s daughter Sierra operating the Cat 525 Grapple Skidder.

Below: Just another day in the life of a logger

Cory cuts around 50 trees (70 on a good day) each day himself, which equates to a million board feet of lumber on an annual basis. His ambition is to increase this total to over 2 million board feet each year in the future.

So when Cory’s not working, what does he get up to?

“I love spending time with my kids and do this at every opportunity, and I also enjoy photography and working on marketing strategies for Schlitter Logging. Ranching is another passion of mine (when I have the time) and I have a vested interest in the Iowa Bison Company.”

You can follow Cory on Instagram @schlitterlogging

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June 2021

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HARVESTING

FORESTRY ENGLAND TACKLE TREE DISEASE WITH SPECIALIST HELICOPTER FELLING TECHNIQUE

F

orestry England have completed an unusual felling operation involving a specialist helicopter team to fell trees at Whinlatter Forest, within the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, which were affected by the tree disease Phytophthora ramorum. The

two-day operation involved an 18-strong Forestry England team and a contract harvesting team working alongside Swiss and Scottish operators, brought in for their expertise in helicopter felling – a forestry technique common in Switzerland but used only once before by the

same team in the UK. A stand of 150 diseased larch trees around Whinlatter Forest’s Wild Play and Go Ape highwires course needed to be lifted vertically to avoid damaging the play equipment and climbing infrastructure. Helicopter felling

LARGE ORDER INFLOW FOR ROTTNE INDUSTRI – MORE RECRUITMENT AND MAINTAINED SALES TARGET

R

ottne Industri AB can see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the number of forestry machines ordered. The upswing accelerated at the start of the year and the company now needs to recruit new employees in several departments.

“We can see a clear upward Page 54

trend in incoming orders”, states Arne Isaksson, Sales and Marketing Manager at Rottne Industri.

The pandemic year 2020 was difficult for many, with great uncertainty in many different markets. This was also true for Rottne Industri, which last year saw its chance to focus on www.forestmachinemagazine.com

investments, improvements and profitability.

Looking back, it is clear that the forestry machine company from Småland was right. Now, the belief in the future is growing alongside the solid growth in incoming orders.

“It was a gigantic challenge for June 2021

was the most cost-effective approach to remove each tree, as conventional felling techniques would have led to extensive damage, costly rebuilding and loss of access for visitors and families wanting to enjoy the area.

The felling operation involved several steps and careful coordination between ground and climbing teams, and the helicopter pilot. First, the climbing team assessed the weight of the tree, dividing it into sections weighing no more than two tonnes - the maximum weight that the helicopter could lift - before securing a rope to each section.

The specialist KMax heavy lift helicopter hovered overhead, lowering a steel cable to the ground which was attached by rope to a section at a time of each tree and pulled taught as the helicopter rose vertically. A cutter, communicating by radio with the pilot, then cut the tree by chainsaw and the helicopter flew the tree stems us when everything was swinging between hope and despair”, Arne Isaksson says.

“Since August last year, however, we have had an upward trend that has increased month by month thereafter.”

There are many reasons behind the increase of orders. A cold winter in Sweden resulted in the district heating plants working at full capacity and great quantities of insect damaged forest have been felled to provide biofuel. Another aspect of Rottne’s tailwind is that previously “dormant” markets June 2021

away over the forest to an area a kilometre away where another team processed the wood with a harvester. Because the helicopter was faster between lifts than a climber, three climbing teams served the helicopter in turn in a non-stop operation which successfully removed the larch trees and left the play and high-wires infrastructure undamaged and ready for reopening.

to bring in the specialist team to work alongside us. Fair weather and good visibility in Whinlatter Forest Park– England’s only ‘mountain’ forest – meant the whole job was done seamlessly, felling and extracting approximately 300 tonnes in two days with public safety maintained at all times.

Kevin May, Forestry England Forest Management Director for North District, says; “This was a complex forestry operation which needed meticulous planning and coordination between ground, climbing and flying teams. It was vital we removed these diseased larch trees to stop the spread of P. ramorum in the forest but we were determined to also protect the facilities which so many visitors enjoy each year. The whole operation had to be COVID secure with special permission needed from the UK and Swiss governments

We now have the opportunity to look ahead and ensure Whinlatter Forest is as resilient as possible in future decades supporting our people, nature and economy outcomes. The cleared site will provide a valuable open habitat for many wildlife species in the short term, and we have a detailed replanting plan to replace the felled larches with a mix of species resilient to changing climate conditions and future pests and diseases. The felling operation is the beginning of a new and exciting phase for this wonderful landscape, and we look forward to welcoming visitors back.” www.forestryengland.uk

have awakened and are gathering speed.

recruiting new staff, both in the office and on the factory floor.

“This includes Russia, which has seen a really excellent felling season and now needs machinery. In addition, we are making great efforts in the transatlantic market where, above all in Canada, we have had a real upturn again”, Arne Isaksson continues.

“We reckon that we will recruit between 10 to 15 people during the year, and we must replace those who retire, so there will be a large increase in staff” says Tobias Johansson, CEO Rottne Industri, and he believes in a bright future:

Rottne Industri is counting on a 30 percent increase in production compared to last year. This means that the company is fully occupied with www.forestmachinemagazine.com

“It is quite clear that we are facing an adjustment process, but the target of delivering 200 forestry machines during 2022 remains firm.” www.rottne.com Page 55

HARVESTING

ROTTNE H21D: 65 YEARS OF INNOVATION

BY RAB EASTON

R Rab is a second generation forester with over 42 years hands on experience. He has worked on harvesting contracts throughout the UK, Ireland, Germany and the USA. He is a qualified chainsaw, skidder, harvester and forwarder operator and has spent time as a forestry machine instructor at the Barony College, near Dumfries.

Page 56

ottne AB is a Swedish forestry machine manufacturer with 270 employees working between their plants at Rottne, in Sweden’s beautiful Småland district, Lenhovda, and Stenseleand. The company manufactures and sells over 200 machines each year, making them the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of wheeled forestry cut-to-length timber harvesting equipment.

Approximately 50% of the machines manufactured are exported to Europe, Russia, and North America and the company has sales of approximately SEK 550 million (almost £47 million).

Börje Karlsson, founder of Börjes Mekaniska, which

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

eventually became Rottne Industri AB, established the company 65 years ago.

He began helping his father extracting timber in the forest.

The logs were too heavy for their horse to pull, so they were using their tractor instead.

Once the timber was extracted and crosscut it still had to be loaded by rolling the logs up a ramp onto the trailers for delivery to the saw mills. Börje thought there had to be an easier way as it was such a waste to leave the tractor idling while the logs were loaded manually. He therefore decided to manufacture his own crane using some plough parts, timber, a PTO winch, a length of cable, and timber tongs.

June 2021

The crane worked perfectly, so much so that a contractor made him an offer to purchase his crane that he could not refuse.

He promised his father that he would build an even better one for their own use. Word soon spread and Börje’s sales skyrocketed.

Larger manufacturing premises were found and purchased to keep up with the increasing demand and sales soon spread beyond Sweden to neighbouring Denmark and Norway. Börje was shellshocked when he received orders to purchase his cranes from Tanzania and Chile. To this day it’s still unclear how word of a crane manufactured in the small village of Rottne in Småland reached South America, but the Chileans were clear: “We want a crane from Rottne.” The rest, as they say, is Småland industrial history .

JIM WILMER & SONS Our recent visit to Jim’s workshop gave me the opportunity to get up close and personal with a Rottne H21D harvester as there was one having its pre-delivery inspection (PDI) before going out to one of Jim’s harvesting sites. Jim Wilmer and Sons Timber Harvesting are the UK sales and service distributers for Rottne.

First impressions were that this was a well-made, sturdy harvester capable of harvesting large, mature trees. It is only when you start looking more closely that you appreciate how much thought has gone into these harvesters; operator maintenance, access for servicing, and storage have all June 2021

Guard for protecting the exhaust designed and made by Jim’s team. been considered during the early design stages. A good example of this at the rear of the harvester is a lockable pull-out tool compartment on a high-quality slider with removable tool trays. Tools are kept separate and secure within the compartment and are kept warm by the exhaust just above them – there is nothing worse than cold tools on a frosty winter’s morning.

There is another huge storage area running almost the full length and width of the mid section. It is easy to access and has an abundance of space for keeping hydraulic hoses, spare parts, and plenty of other bits and pieces.

The mid-section bonnet has a clever design with side panels which can either be opened for routine maintenance or completely tilted out of the way for access to the hydraulics, pumps, and motors. At the rear is another hinged bonnet for access to the engine compartment. There are www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Lockable tool storage compartment with removable trays. The compartment is kept warm by the exhaust just above.

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HARVESTING and bend as soon as a branch touches them; these are strong, sturdy panels built to protect. I was impressed with what I had seen and was looking forward to going out and seeing one working.

All protective covers tilt out of the way to give good access for servicing and repairs. walkways around the harvester and anchor points to affix the steps so that the operator can maintain a secure footing whilst carrying out maintenance.

As I walked around even more lockable storage cubby holes appear; nothing on this harvester is an afterthought and everything has been meticulously thought out and planned.

Another large storage area under the mid section bonnet.

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Rottne use one cabin for all their harvesters and one for all their forwarders. The rotating and levelling cab on this harvester is a spacious and comfortable workplace. Again there is ample storage for the operator’s bits and pieces, including your piece bag, and there are built-in drawers behind the seat where the manuals and spare parts catalogues are stored.

The kingpost and hose layout is uncluttered, which ensures clear vision down onto the head and the trees. None of the body panels are thin, flimsy bits of decoration which offer no protection and will buckle www.forestmachinemagazine.com

I arranged to meet Jim’s sales manager, Ronnie Curran, in Argyll the following week.

Argyll is beautiful and it’s unbelievable to think just that a short thirty-minute drive from the centre of Glasgow sees you driving along the shores of Loch Lomond, eclipsed by snow covered peaks on either side.

After passing Tarbet at the head of the Loch the twisty and steep A83 takes you up through the Arrochar Alps of Glen Croe to the summit – the aptly named “The Rest and be Thankful” – at 803’ above sea level. We headed west towards Glen Finglas and turned towards Dunoon to meet Ronnie who was waiting to take us to the harvesting site.

It was a fairly steep site typical of Argyll with moderately branched Sitka Spruce trees averaging 0.34m³. Richard Todd was operating the Rottne H21D, which was fitted with the company’s own EGS 706 harvesting head. Luckily, Richard had recently started a new drift and was not far from the forest road; the job itself was quite far away and this ensured we would not need climbing equipment, oxygen and Sherpas to carry the camera gear!

Richard is over the moon with the Rottne harvester: “The Comfort Line suspension system is a fantastic addition – the harvester is really smooth June 2021

The H21D effortlessly harvesting a sitka spruce in Argyll at the hands of Richard Todd when travelling over rough and rocky ground and you feel far fresher at the end of your shift with no aches and pains. This is the quietist machine I have ever operated. Rottne claim the noise levels are lower than in an Audi car and I can attest to that. A couple of times when I have looked up something in the manual or answered a text I have gone to restart the harvester only to notice that the rev counter shows the engine is ticking over – it is so quiet I actually thought I had switched it off.”

For Richard the model has been nothing but positive; it has been 100% reliable over the last year and he has achieved excellent production. Vision, cab layout, ease of maintenance, and comfort are all first class and the 11m reach crane is smooth to use whilst providing plenty of power.

“The crane base is directly over the bogie which gives you great June 2021

stability for harvesting trees on either side at full reach; this is great for harvesting soft areas where you need extra brash in the mat.”

The harvester weighs 26,700kg and has 690mm of ground clearance. The H21s include both a 500ltr diesel tank and an

extra 225ltr diesel tank, which allows them to work well over 30 hours without having to refuel. The engine is a 305hp John Deere Final Tier 4 with a hydrostatic/mechanical threegear step transmission. It is available in 6 or 8WD and has a +/-43° steering angle. The hydraulic system – entirely

Strong robust boom with dipper lights out of harms way www.forestmachinemagazine.com

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HARVESTING separated from the transmission – is load sensing with double pumps.

The cabin is vibration proof and spacious with a 63dBA noise level. It rotates to +/- 90° levels forward/ backwards 15°/14° and 11° side to side. The attached Rottne RK250 parallel crane has an 11.0m reach and a tilting kingpost, while the latest Rottne D5 control system (powered by the Rottne Forester computer system) is fitted for the harvesting head.

The EGS706 harvesting head has a cutting diameter of 75cm along with twin-speed tree feeding of 3.5 and 5.2m/sec.

There are five feed rollers, two on the arms and three in the frame; this allows the head to work efficiently with lower knife pressures, which in turn reduces friction. The system both improves feeding force and allows the head to work more effectively on twisty and bent stems Another extremely helpful innovation is an internet based telematic system called Rottne Connect; this can be accessed via a mobile phone, tablet, or computer and allows forestry managers to track production, fuel consumption, and technical degree of utilisation. Operators can check fuel, oil, and battery levels remotely, operate the night heater, and easily locate the machine after moving or shift changes. Moreover, technicians can troubleshoot and update settings remotely, receive error messages and alarm history, and find support for preventative maintenance.

Observing Richard, it was Page 60

Good clear vision from the operators seat with large touchscreen forestor computer and screen for rear camera obvious that both the harvester and operator were in their element; he was averaging about one and a half trees a minute and his presentation for the forwarder was near perfect.

Ronnie showed me Richard’s figures for the previous week using Rottne Connect on his phone. He had harvested 1,428m³ over 51 hours with an average tree size of 0.34m³.

This equates to an impressive production rate of 28m³ per hour, with a fuel consumption rate of 19.5ltr/hour or 0.7ltr per m³.

The Rottne H21 harvester is a well-made, reliable, stable harvester and with the Rottne XPARTS exchange system running costs are massively reduced. Rather than having to get your part repaired or purchase an expensive new one, through this system the part is replaced by another from your dealer.

This option reduces downtime, is 60% cheaper than a new part on average, and includes www.forestmachinemagazine.com

a 12-month or 2,000-hour warranty (new parts generally have warranties of six months or 1,000 hours). A replacement part is provided by your local dealer or if not in stock Rottne provide next-day delivery; once fitted, you will be back up and running. The faulty part must be taken to your dealer within 30 days; it is then sent to Rottne for repair and you pay the cost of the repair. The repair will never be more than 90% of the cost of a new part and averages 60% of the cost of a new part, potentially saving a substantial amount of money and reducing downtime over the life of a machine.

We should have a report on a Rottne forwarder soon if Jim can find an operator brave enough to let me loose on their machine over a weekend!

Contact Ronnie on 07825551226; he would be delighted to take you out to see any of the company’s Rottne harvesters and forwarders working.

June 2021

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HARVESTING

635H SKIDDER FIRST IMPRESSIONS TIGERCAT BETWEEN THE BRANCHES 54

F

orestiers R.B.E. Lasalle is a logging company owned by Richard Lasalle and his sons Eric and Benoit.

Based out of Saint-Michel-desSaints, Quebec, the company purchased the very first 635H skidder in March 2020, however due to COVID-19, the machine did not go to work until the first week of June. Now that the machine has clocked over 2,500 hours (as of mid-February), it was a great time for Bre Elbourn to catch up with Eric to get his impressions.

BTB: How long have you been a Tigercat customer and what machines do you own?

Eric: We have been a Tigercat customer since 1995. Our first Tigercat machine was an 853 [feller buncher]. Our newest Tigercat machine is the 635H. We also own a 635G, 632E, 630E, X870D, 870C, 860, and Page 62

five-stroke delimbers on various carriers.

BTB: Can you describe your operations and the type of application that you are using the machine for?

Eric: The machine is working between hauling wood from the buncher to the roadside. It is skidding distances anywhere from 300 ft [90 m] to 2,000 ft [600 m]. On average it is skidding about 1,000 feet [300 m]. It’s a large operation. We’re producing about 200 000 cubic metres [approximately 170 000 tn] per year. It’s a mixed forest, and the wood is being delimbed at the roadside with a stroke delimber.

We’re cutting from 6 to 30 inch [150-760 mm] trees. Spruce, fir, birch, yellow birch, poplar, cedar, maple – all kinds. It’s a very mixed forest. The ground www.forestmachinemagazine.com

conditions are varied, going from hills and rock to swampy areas. The bottom of the hill could be a big swamp and muddy. In winter, you can end up with two to three metres [6-9 ft] of snow, and always a hill around us – never on flat ground.

BTB: How does the sixwheel skidder compare to a conventional four-wheel machine in this type of application?

Eric: It’s day and night. It will double or triple the production of a four-wheel skidder, because it can handle a bigger load. It will go uphill a lot better. It will carry wood through snow a lot faster. It will not sink in mud or break through a frozen patch as easily as a four-wheel skidder.

Our operators can go back in the same patch many times on the six-wheel, where they’re not June 2021

able to with the four-wheel.

BTB: How do you like the extra space inside the cab?

Eric: My operators like the extra space, especially for storage.

There is lots of room for a lunchbox, or winter and safety gear. It’s really appreciated – that extra space.

BTB: Do the operators notice improved visibility?

Eric: You’re able to see a lot more. The increased window area helps a lot during machine operation. You can see the front tires, the terrain you’re on, and more of the trees that are surrounding the machine.

Because you can see so much more than in previous machines, my operators are able to judge their surroundings a lot better and as a result aren’t as rough on the equipment. So it’s a great extra value.

BTB: Do your operators like the new Turnaround® seat?

Eric: They like the new seat.

They like the 220-degree rotation feature, and the ability to lock it anywhere they want with the push of a button. They had a hard time at the beginning getting used to it, but after they got used to it, they really love the feature.

BTB: What benefits do you see with this machine over other brands?

Eric: We like the uptime and reliability of a Tigercat skidder in regards to the drivetrain versus other brands.

BTB: Service access is important. How does it compare to the previous models?

June 2021

Eric: Access is a lot easier.

With all of the doors and extra access points provided, ease of service from the G to H models is a great improvement. Daily servicing is pretty similar to the previous models.

BTB: How do you like the ¼ turn cab tilt locking pins?

Eric: This makes the process a lot faster. Before you could spend a lot of time trying to get those pins out of there because of rust or any other reason. Now it’s fast and efficient.

BTB: How do you like the smaller access cover in the belly door for draining oil?

Eric: It is very appreciated. It is lighter and faster to remove, and easier on the mechanic, because it’s not as heavy. They save a few minutes every time they get there.

BTB: Does the tire pressure monitor work effectively?

Eric: It does. It prevents the tire pressure from getting too low without the operator noticing.

It’s a really good preventative measure. If the low tire pressure was to go unnoticed, eventually we’d get either a flat tire or failing tire, which ends up with costly repair and downtime.

We save money and have more uptime with this feature. We really like it.

BTB: What would you say you do differently than other loggers in the area?

Eric: Well, we are one of the few conventional mass-production mixed wood contractors left standing.

Everybody else is going to cutto-length, either harvesting and processing at the stump www.forestmachinemagazine.com

or processing behind the buncher. We’re still doing it the conventional way.

BTB: What are some of the issues and challenges you’re seeing with the logging industry?

Eric: First of all is that the cost of everything went up: machine parts, mechanics, trucks, fuel, oil, parts, labour. Everything is going up, but the revenue is staying the same. More production is required, and less downtime is always a challenge to try to stay profitable in the industry. Another issue is labour.

Having good, well-trained, and honest operators is a challenge.

It’s getting harder and harder to find good operators these days.

BTB: What is it like working with Wajax as a dealer?

Eric: Well, we love working with Wajax, and it’s part of our decision in choosing Tigercat. Wajax can very often troubleshoot a machine over the phone with the customer.

And if they’re not able to fix it, they can turn around very fast and send a mechanic in a timely manner to fix the equipment.

635H SKIDDER H-series represents the most advanced, productive and operator friendly line-up of skidders. The 635H is Tigercat’s highest capacity skidder.

With six-wheel drive and a massive grapple, the machine is built for extreme duty and super high production logging operations. The new H-series operator’s station is spacious and comfortable with advanced ergonomics and a completely redesigned Turnaround system. www.tigercat.com Page 63

BIO-ENERGY

TECHNOLOGY FOR PROCESSING BIOMASS

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he Chippertruck hybrid is the flagship among JENZ mobile chippers. Equipped with the most powerful double motor technology and more than 1,100 PS system output, the most powerful JENZ chipper truck leaves nothing to be desired. The successor to the previous HEM 821 series is now being presented with the new HEM 922. The new hacker scores with many optimizations from the catchment area to user-friendliness and can therefore be used even more

flexibly. “When you think of large chippers, you often think of huge piles of wood in heating plants,” explains Hans Heinrich Hermeier, product manager and junior boss at JENZ. “We know that our customers are often caught in a conflict between maximum throughput in the heating plant and the greatest possible flexibility in the forest or on the road. We have taken up exactly this point with the new HEM 922 chopping unit, which was specially built for self-propelled vehicles.“

OPTIMIZED FEED The new Chippertruck hybrid scores among other things with a higher inlet height of now 900 mm and a noticeably more aggressive pull-in behavior.

When moving in, screwing was done in many places: table geometry and inclination of the infeed table, infeed speed, top and bottom roller geometry and their position. “Overall, the machine can now be loaded more easily and eats better. We call this effect ‘drop and forget’.

This means that the driver puts

NEW BL4/ EX/VT FAE is expanding its line of forestry mulchers for excavators with Bite Limiter technology with the new BL4/EX/VT. The new model is perfect for tackling and removing vegetation in wooded areas, especially for jobs that require a large shredding capacity and speed.

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June 2021

down the material (“drop”) and can pick up new one more quickly,” explains Hermeier, who is visibly proud of the new top model. In addition to the easier loading, the quality of the wood chips increases because the material is fed into the drum in a more controlled manner. “The changes that have been made have a very positive effect, especially when it comes to chopping cut debris and shrub cuttings”, MAINTENANCE MADE EASY Maintenance accessibility has also been optimized: “We have not only focused on the fully integrated tool concept, but also on daily maintenance and cleaning of the machine, similar to the single-motor chipper truck.” In detail this includes the professional tool concept with swivelling toolbox and many tool holders, but also various steps and storage space options for safe work on the machine.

ENDLESS PERFORMANCE Thanks to double motor technology, the most powerful JENZ mobile chipper has a system output of up to 1,100 The BL4/EX/VT can mulch logs up to 30 cm in diameter, is compatible with 18-25 ton excavators, and comes in two working widths, 135 e 160 cm.

For the BL4/EX/VT, the biggest innovation is the rotor with Bite Limiter technology.

Steel limiter rings limit the reach (bite) of the teeth, reducing the amount of power needed, guaranteeing constant working speed and excellent performance. The heat-treated June 2021

hp. The drive concept has been adopted from the predecessor, which, in addition to its irrepressible performance, is particularly impressive due to its simplicity. “The Caterpillar auxiliary engine only has one task: chopping! It transmits almost its entire torque of approx. 3500 Nm to the drum via a 10-groove drive belt. The complete machine hydraulics as well as the drive are supplied by the truck engine. That means the CAT only runs when it is hacked, otherwise not.“ AGRICULTURAL TIRES FOR EVEN MORE OFF-ROAD MOBILITY The off-road mobility required in practice can be ensured by means of single agricultural tires on the drive axles. This means that the self-propelled driver forged-steel BL blades are made to last and can be sharpened to keep operating costs lower. The BL4/EX/VT has a Variable Torque (VT) motor for noticeably better performance, increased torque when needed, and minimal risk of rotor stalling.

The sturdy steel frame is built to last, and the Poly Chain belt drive transmission guarantees optimal power transfer and reliability.The BL4/EX/VT can include the optional Sonic www.forestmachinemagazine.com

is now completely on single tires. “By eliminating the twin tires, there is no need to clean the spaces when switching to road travel and the self-cleaning agricultural tires give the machine unimagined off-road capabilities,” says Hans Heinrich Hermeier happily. “You don’t believe that if you haven’t seen it yourself!”

LICENSING WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMIT There have also been some changes in the area of licensing.

“Even with a full tank of 900 litres of diesel we are below 32 tonnes and therefore do not need a special permit.

With truck driving comfort and corresponding consumption and up to 80 km/h, the HEM 922 is therefore extremely flexible on the road.” www.jenz.de system, which keeps the operating machine and the FAE mulcher perfectly aligned by automatically calibrating and constantly regulating the mulcher’s hydraulic parameters for a significant increase in productivity. www.faegroup.com

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BIO-ENERGY

FELLING TREES THEN CLEARING UP

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he Unimog U 430 is an indispensable member of the team at Bremer Baumdienst in northern Germany.

“The Beast” is the nickname which Maximilian Salzer has attributed to the Unimog U 430 he recently acquired. The Managing Director of the tree management specialist Bremer Baumdienst (BBD) and his team carry out all work steps which year-round management and care of green areas all over northern Germany require.

In particular, this includes protecting older trees which require particular attention during the hot summer months as a result of climate change.

Operations concerning fallen trees near roads and railways, as well as dealing with storm damage are regular occurrences in northern Germany as a result of the often strong breezes which the region experiences.

The off-roading capabilities of the Unimog are a great advantage in such cases as the areas concerned are regularly Page 66

off the beaten track. “We drive a lot off-road,” explains Maximilian Salzer. “Our Unimog is perfectly suited to that type of application thanks to its offroading capabilities, plus even with the large attachments and bodies we use, it remains stable when driving in such conditions.”

And these aspects are among the most important advantages of the Unimog when it comes to the high requirements on operational and work safety when felling trees or cutting overhead clearances along the Deutsche Bahn rail network in northern Germany.

Felling, moving and cutting trees, as well as transporting waste wood are all possible in a single work process with “The Beast”. Once reduced to a size suitable for transport, the wood can be moved on the tipper body behind the cab.

Branches are picked up with the grabber arm and pushed into the shredder. If necessary, this can also be operated from a distance using the remote control.

LOW GROUND PRESSURE www.forestmachinemagazine.com

PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT Excellent off-roading characteristics, versatility and compact dimensions ensure efficient work processes whilst also enabling safe felling operations and minimally invasive tree care. This has a positive effect on trees both in cities and off the beaten track – not only does the highly manoeuvrable Unimog implement carrier with allwheel drive exert a low pressure on the ground, it also allows the team to get very close to the respective site of operation. As a result, the ground only suffers minimal damage during felling and daily tree maintenance work.

Maximilian Salzer studied forestry in Göttingen and is a state-approved agricultural specialist for tree surgery and maintenance. He and his team have set themselves the aim of caring for and maintaining “green lungs” using ecologically and economically optimised work methods. www.mbs.mercedes-benz.com June 2021

Made in Austria

Maschinenbau GmbH

Quality Machinery speaks for itself

NEW

NEW

NEW

www.marshalllogging.co.uk Tel: 01892 770 788 | 07836 274 164 | sales@marshalllogging.co.uk MADE IN

SWEDEN

BIO-ENERGY

NEW VERMEER TR6450 TROMMEL SCREEN DELIVERS THREE-PRODUCT SEPARATION

V

ermeer is updating its trommel screen line with the new Vermeer TR6450 trommel screen, which is capable of sorting up to three product sizes at once.

The TR6450 features adjustable front-fines, rear-fines and overs conveyor for efficient multiproduct production. With a 20foot (6.1-m) long, 6.5-foot (2-m) diameter quick-change tension screen drum, the TR6450 can sort up to 180 cubic yards

(137.6 m3) per hour with .5inch (1.3-cm) screens installed and material with moisture less than 40%. It is powered by a 120-horsepower (90-kW) Cat 3.6L Tier 4F (Stage V) diesel engine, and its drum speed can be adjusted from 0 to 25 revolutions per minute based on material type and moisture content.

According to Jay Van Roekel, product manager for Vermeer Environmental Solutions

products, the TR6450 has a similar design as the recently introduced Vermeer TR6400 trommel screen and the popular TR5300 trommel screen. “While designing every trommel screen in the Vermeer product lineup, we’ve focused our attention on developing units that provide optimal productivity in their size class while being efficient to operate, set up, transport and service. The new TR6450 excels in all of those areas and gives crews the ability to sort a

2020 - ANOTHER RECORD YEAR FOR FAE Page 68

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June 2021

third product. Also, the front fines conveyor can be removed completely and its auxiliary hydraulics can be used to power other equipment like an air separator. We’ve built a lot of flexibility into this machine.”

With a hopper infeed height of just 9 feet 6 inches (2.9 m) from ground level at operating incline and capacity of 6.5 cubic yards (5 m³), the TR6450 is built for quick loading cycle times. The unit’s Vermeer ACS controls system gives operators the ability to adjust conveyor heights and drum speeds from a machine mounted DP10 display or handle transceiver remote.

For quick and efficient screen or drum changes and maintenance access, the side door on the TR6450 offers complete access to the drum body from the ground. A foldout motor compartment that provides access to the engine’s backside and various access points to critical areas delivers optimal access for servicing the TR6450. www.vermeer.com

D

espite global difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was a record year for FAE and the company achieved and exceeded the objectives set at the end of 2019. Such results were achieved thanks to growth in all the key markets where the company operates, from France and the US, but also Australia, Canada, Russia, Italy and Germany, and for all FAE product lines, from heads for tractors, excavators and skid

June 2021

CUSTOM BUILT SHREDDER

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uchtenberg Boomzorg received his new Greentec Cheetah 30 fast traffic disc shredder. This 6.5 tons shredder has a FTG timber crane with an outreach off 6.3 meters and is built on a sprung heavy tandem chassis. All functions of the shredder can be operated both manually and by remote control.

This shredder is also equipped steer loaders to tracked vehicles, evidence of the trust in FAE products across the various markets.

In 2020 there were introductions or significant updates to ten models in the Land Clearing and Construction lines.

FAE’s technology innovation in 2020 included the Bite Limiter for excavator mulchers and the introduction of the revolutionary Sonic system also on UML/EX/VT and UML/S/ EX/VT forestry mulchers for excavators. The Bite Limiter technology reduces power demand and promotes a consistent working speed, guaranteeing excellent performance when mulching any type of wood. The Sonic system ensures perfect alignment of the operating machine and the FAE mulcher through automatic calibration and constantly manages the mulcher’s hydraulic parameters, for a significant overall increase

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

with a combi feed hopper for hand and crane infeed.

The machine is designed according to the customer’s wishes in an orange color scheme with black rims. www.ufkes.net in productivity.

FAE’s record figures in 2020 also involved human resources.

The number of employees rose above 250, with 40 new hires over the last 12 months.

Finally, 2020 will also be a year to remember for FAE due to the inauguration of the new Headquarters in Fondo, Italy, introduction to the FAE brand portfolio of tracked vehicles - previously sold under the PrimeTech brand - and launch of the new logo and global brand image.

“The results achieved this year bring great satisfaction and motivation to successfully face the challenges ahead,” stated FAE’s President, Diego Scanzoni.

“We continue our commitment to expanding the product range and optimizing our internal structure in order to constantly improve the customer service,” he added. www.fae-group.com Page 69

BIO-ENERGY

NEW REGULATIONS CONFIRMED

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he Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 will come into force in May 2021. This brings into Regulation ‘Ready to Burn’ and its logo as a way of recognising which fuels are suitable for future use, both for wood and solid mineral fuels.

These Regulations are made under section 87 of the Environment Act 1995 (c.

25) and they make provision restricting the sale of certain solid fuels, and provide for the enforcement of breaches of these Regulations by a local authority.

Legislation will become effective from 1st May 2021 for the majority of firewood suppliers, with small foresters given a longer period to transition of 12 months from 1st May 2021.

Commenting on this important development Woodsure Chairman Bruce Allen: “This new legislation is incredibly positive for all concerned. The banning of polluting wet wood and house coal in England will promote real change with dry wood and smokeless mineral fuels being the only ones left on the market, available for purchase and use. Crucially there will be a requirement for a Ready to Burn Certification scheme with its clear logo giving customers and sellers a clear indication of what fuel is actually ready to burn and therefore can be purchased Page 70

legally. This, along with modern clean low emissions appliances will make a huge difference to the environmentally responsible use of solid fuels and wood for stoves and boilers. This is a significant step to reducing particulate emissions and better air quality. Businesses that are already Woodsure Ready to Burn are already supplying firewood that meets such requirements and are well placed to be ready for May next year.”

THE REGULATIONS EXPLAINED The Regulations are broken down into several parts, covering wood, manufactured solid fuels, coal and enforcement. Part 2 and 3 of the Regulations specifically cover wood sales. For clarity of the legislation, we have also included details below on the parts relating to manufactured solid fuels and coal.

PART 2 – PROHIBITION ON THE SUPPLY OF A RELEVANT UNIT OF WOOD The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, UK Statutory Instruments 2020 No. 1095, will only apply to England and focuses on the prohibition of the sale of wood in units less than two cubic metres unless it is authorised and a person must not supply a relevant unit of wood if the wood is not authorised wood. The sale of wood for combustion in domestic properties must include the relevant information www.forestmachinemagazine.com

and the ‘Ready to Burn’ mark as identified in the regulations.

This part of the Regulations identifies the prohibited level means a moisture content of more than 20%. Failure to do so will be liable on summary conviction to a fine.

Relevant information required with the sale of wood include: the name of the person who obtained the certificate from the approved wood certification body in respect of the relevant unit of wood in question; and the number of the certificate issued by the approved wood certification body under regulation 5(5).

A small forester for the purposes of this regulation is considered to be a person who supplies less than 600 cubic metres of wood (during the year ending 30th April 2021).

Such suppliers will be given an additional 12 months to meet these Regulations.

Part 2, Regulation 5 identifies the process for the appointment and functions of an approved wood certification body.

PART 3 – SALES OVER TWO CUBIC METERS Part 3 of the Regulations relates to the supply of wood in amounts of two cubic metres or more. It is an offence punishable by a fine to supply such an amount of wood without the accompanying words specified in Schedule 2.

Schedule 2 states: June 2021

enquiries@kingwell-holdings.co.uk

Tel: 01376 550989

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enquiries@kingwell-holdings.co.uk

Tel: 01376 550989

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BIO-ENERGY •

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This wood is not suitable for burning until it has been dried. You should not burn wood until it has a moisture content of 20% or less.

Wet wood contains moisture which creates smoke and harmful particulates when burnt. As well as being harmful to your health and the environment, this can damage your stove and chimney and is an inefficient way to heat your home.

Dry it in a sunny, well-aired space for at least two years, keeping rain off in the winter.

Radial cracks and bark that comes off easily suggests wood that is ready for burning. Test the wood when you think it is ready for burning, ideally with a moisture meter. First calibrate the meter and then measure a freshly split surface to get the best reading.

PART 4 – SUPPLY OF MANUFACTURED SOLID FUELS This part of the Regulations looks at the prohibition on the supply of certain manufactured solid fuels. Again, fuels will need to be authorised and display the ‘Ready to Burn’ mark as identified in Schedule 1 of the Regulations and contain the relevant information.

Regulation 10 states:

3. A person must not supply a manufactured solid fuel that is not accompanied, whether on its packaging or otherwise, with—the relevant information; and the logo shown in Schedule 1.

As with Part 2 of the Regulations, Part 4 (Regulation 11) looks at the criteria for the appointment and functions of an approved manufactured solid fuel certification body.

PART 5 – COAL Part 5 makes provision relating to the supply of bituminous coal. It is an offence to supply pre-bagged and loose bituminous coal. However, an Approved Coal Merchant will not commit the offence of selling loose bituminous coal to a consumer where the coal is sold directly to a consumer during the two-year period ending with 30th April 2023.

Enforcement.

Part 6 of the Regulations covers enforcement of the Regulations and identifies the relevant Local Authority as being responsible,

generally a County Council, or district Council for areas with no county council).

UK Statutory Instruments 2020 No. 1095 PART 6 Regulation 20 identifies that the penalty is £300 in respect of the offence in respect of which the penalty notice was issued with the period of payment being 28 days from the issue of the penalty.

Regulation 24 also states that a local authority may recover the expenses reasonably incurred by it in enforcing these Regulations from a person in respect of whom it has taken any action under these Regulations.

Part 2, Regulation 5 of the legislation looks specifically at the appointment and functions of an approved wood certification body. It is Woodsure’s intention to apply to become the certification body.

Stay tuned to the news section of the Woodsure website for updates on the tender process and the legislation. www.woodsure.co.uk

1. A person must not supply a manufactured solid fuel that is not an authorised fuel.

2. A person must not supply a manufactured solid fuel that is not listed on the list maintained by the Secretary of State under regulation 12.

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June 2021

FAE TRACKED CARRIERS & FAE ATTACHMENTS IN USE FOR FORESTRY FUELS REDUCTION

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uels reduction in California is an evolving and developing process. Just as this process is becoming more important than ever, the machines contractors use to get the job done is just as important. Machine characteristics contractors consider when purchasing a machine for fuel reduction include: Reliability – can the machine hold up with minimal down time; Maneuverability – grade & slope capability while maintaining operator confidence; Production – How many acres per hour can be cleared and where can production be accomplished; Finished product – The ability to determine the final size of the finished product; and Comfort/ confidence – The ability to confidently operate the machines all day in a safe and quiet cab that is OSHA approved for low noise and high quality air standards; Support including parts availability, dealer and manufacturer technical support and information, and rapid service support.

June 2021

Jim Cunningham of Global Machinery, a FAE dealer and an industry expert at matching a situation with the right machine and attachments, located in Sacramento, Calif., said the challenge for contractors who do the grinding for forestry fuels reduction on the West Coast are limited with the hours they can work based the Daily Project Activity Level (PAL), which is based on the weather conditions and the moisture levels that impact the level of fire risk.

Cunningham went on to say that in the fire areas, when the temperatures can reach up to 90 degrees and it’s a rather windy day, the gusts are very heated and do not provide a reprieve from the high temperatures, which add to the fire danger. These high winds can also easily take the tops off trees, especially in areas like the Sierra’s. These treetops dry out on the ground and add to the forestry fuel. Add high winds to a fire, and a rapid spread is encountered. www.forestmachinemagazine.com

As far as forest health, according to Cunningham, it all comes down to water. The small trees, under-brush and fallen treetops rob the larger trees of rainwater. When tall trees don’t have enough rain, they cannot produce enough sap to battle the tree beetles. The tree beetles then decimate the trees and the forest, resulting in dry dead trees and heavy underbrush.

“GO-TO MACHINE” Brad Kingsley, owner of Kingsley Grinding, has seemingly found one of his main “go-to machines” for forestry fuels reduction with the purchase of a FAE PT 175. This is one of the more compact and versatile prime movers on the market that he purchased from Cunningham of Global Machinery.

Kingsley was working on a job for private land owners while he was actively engaged in cleaning up an area that had previously been affected by the King Fire of 2014 which, many years later, Page 73

BIO-ENERGY

is still considered a burn scar.

Kingsley was tasked to clear any of the ground vegetation and any dead and/or dying trees that may be of a future fire hazard. The burn scar is extra dusty and becomes a challenging site with regards to visibility while working in the area. The FAE PT 175 has been a tremendous asset on this project and many others that Kingsley is engaged in.

Joe Garrett of Garret Forest Management, located in El Dorado County, Calif., has been in business for more than a decade working with private landowners and a few federal and state agencies in fuels reduction projects. His crews go through and “drop, then thin” small trees and vegetation with a FAE UML HY Bite Limiter excavator mulcher and pole saws, and then finish grinding everything with their skid steer with a FAE UML SSL 150 VT drum mulcher, both units purchased from Global Machinery.

“Fire prevention and forest health go hand in hand,” said Garrett. “Unfortunately, it usually takes the fires to get going before people think about the health of their property.”

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When asked about his fire mitigation projects and if they’ve proven to save properties when fires came in close proximity, Garrett said, “Most Definitely, we’ve done thousands of acres across El Dorado County. Being a small county, you either know or get to know the firemen who respond to these fires. Word gets around when you created the anchor point for them to set up and back burn to save some houses.

“Our work sells itself,” Garrett added. “We’re never going to be able to prevent the fires with what we do, but by totally but removing the understory and improving the forest health, we can help keep the fires on the ground. A fire is like any catastrophic disaster. Everyone forgets that it can happen until it happens. Unfortunately, when there’s a big fire, the calls start pouring in and by that time it could be too late.

The optimal time to perform fire mitigation is spring, winter, fall, and early summer. We can work throughout the summer, but with dust, fire dangers and Project Activity Levels (PAL) precautions, we cannot get in as much production”

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Garrett said that work during fire season can actually be slow. “Every morning we have to call the Project Activity Level line and they give us different levels of how we can work. For example, at a C level we can work all day, a D level we can work all day but we have to have a fire watch while we’re working and two hours after, and EV level we can only work until 1 p.m., and then have to have patrol the job site for two hours looking for accidental fire starts. These are days where fuel moisture is low and there are worries about winds. This is why production can be low during the summer and it’s just one of the things we deal with.

We don’t want to be the reason the fire starts, but the reason they can stop it” Owen Wadsworth, operations manager/ Owning member - Red Mountain Resource, a Georgetown based reforestation contractor that does work throughout the entire U.S., said, “Our bread and butter has always been using our hand crews. We’ve done a lot of hand tree planting, but only recently in California due to the popularity of fuels reduction and a result of the wildfires they’ve been suffering from. We’ve been getting more involved with fuels reduction and found it convenient to incorporate the FAE PT-300 because a lot of jobs require both hand crews and machines”.

According to Wadsworth, his company is using a FAE PT 300 prime mover, a purchase from Global Machinery, to target brush and to open up areas for June 2021

the hand crews to come in. This piece of equipment makes it a much smoother process than in the past where the company was reliant on other contractors to come in do the clearing. Now, his company can do it on its own.

Another big advantage for the use of prime movers in fuel reductions is that much of the public lands can’t use herbicide.

Wadsworth said, “What we’re seeing is a lot of these mega fires coming through on public lands where they cannot use herbicide, and the fires are brushing in really heavy. In order to take over the site they have to do a mechanical mitigation or burn it again. Fire is a pretty touchy subject here so it’s strictly mechanical.

“We’ve been able to take on

June 2021

anything that was thrown at us with the PT 300,” he added.

“Where the PT really shines is a brush field that they are trying to reinvent into a timber stand, or they are trying to make a safety zone for structures.”

Joel Fonoimoana, PT-300 operator with Red Mountain Resource, who was operating in the French Meadows, Tahoe National Forest, added his thoughts to the topic of fuels reduction. “The main thing is, by eliminating the fuel ladders, it helps prevent the fires ability to spread as quickly by keeping the barrier low to the ground. If a fire happens to start, then it will only burn the vegetation that was left. Anything that is left is intentional.”

Red Mountain Resource has purchased two FAE PT 300’s

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

from Global Machinery and both machines are working well for its fuels reductions contracts.

Fonoimoana added that the forestry services “like to leave clumps of low brush, what they might call a mosaic. The spacing may vary but the premise is that they don’t want to totally annihilate all the underbrush on public lands. The big goal is removal of fuel ladders – meaning any living or dead vegetation that allows a fire to climb from the forest floor to the tree canopy”.

“Fae PT’s reduce wildfire potential” - article in Construction Equipment Guide www.constructionequipment guide.com For more information visit www.fae-group.com

Page 75

WOOD PROCESSING

JAMES JONES & SONS COMPLETES NEW VISITOR BUILDING AT LOCKERBIE SITE

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he Lockerbie site is the showcase sawmill within the James Jones Group. It is the largest single site sawmill complex in the UK and the most technically advanced. As such, pre-pandemic, Lockerbie received a high number of visitors – including small groups of customer visits, customer training courses, academic institutions and industry events.

The idea for the building recognised the need to provide increased office accommodation, better visitor facilities, and the opportunity to host on-site training courses and industry meetings, which previously had to be conducted offsite.

The brief for the building was part functional and part aspirational. At a functional level, there was a requirement to provide office accommodation for up to 10 staff, a meeting room capable of Page 76

holding up to 30 people theatre style, with the flexibility to hold classroom sessions and industry meetings and, in addition, a smaller meeting room, kitchen facilities and a reception area for visitors.

The building should obviously have a high timber content, using as much James Jones’s product as possible. It had to provide a view across the Lockerbie site allowing visitors the opportunity to see the sawmill in operation; it should have a low carbon footprint from a combination of a high embodied carbon figure, a low energy heating and ventilation system and high levels of insulation.

The design ethos was to be stylish and striking, but at the same time thoughtful and not grandiose.

James Jones & Sons held a design competition between www.forestmachinemagazine.com

two architectural firms and the winning team was Konishi Gaffney from Edinburgh, led by Kieran Gaffney.

The completed building’s structure acts as a demonstration project, almost entirely erected from James Jones & Sons own products with an approach to minimising the use of steel and maximising timber. Loadbearing glulam beams were used throughout the building, while an unprocessed tree trunk provides loadbearing support to the backbone of the building; a nod to the timber processing cycle.

The building takes the form of two offset pitched volumes: a single storey office wing to the north and a two-storey volume to the south which houses the reception, meeting rooms and the conference space above.

A simple, unheated, glass link building connects the new building to the old office. The June 2021

1st floor is raised to give panoramic views across the timber yard and over the constant stream of unprocessed logs to the mill, which is directly below this space.

The walls are formed with an innovative double-leafed, offset structure, using James Jones & Sons proprietary timber JJI joists, to minimise cold bridges.

These extra thick walls, at 430mm deep, allowed sufficient depth to use environmentally friendly insulation, with excellent thermal performance.

It also facilitated a deeper articulation of window reveals in an area of Scotland known for its high rainfall.

Internally the material palette is restrained; white plaster, black framed Crittall-style doors and whitewashed oak flooring (the only hardwood in an otherwise softwood building). Douglas Fir has been extensively used in the interior for its stability and characteristic pink hue.

The pitched roofs feature closely centred and very narrow Douglas Fir rafters, 160mm deep by 25mm wide that bring rhythm and warmth to the spaces. This pattern is echoed in the overclad reception wall and the balustrade to the staircase, top lit by the full length rooflight above.

Externally Scottish larch was specified with black stained, narrow, vertical cladding on the lower storey of the building.

Above this, the horizontal larch cladding is finished with a water-based silicate treatment that preserves the timber while accelerating and evening out June 2021

the weathering.

The ‘Anthrazinc’ roof with concealed rainwater goods and full height black aluminium windows bring a quiet order to the simple form of the building, placing the spotlight on the natural materials.

Taking all the timber elements into account, the building fabric has almost 40 CO2TE within it.

The building’s environmental agenda goes beyond the extensive use of timber: an air source heat pump provides a renewable source of heating and summer cooling to the building. The various vents and ducts for this system, the bathrooms and kitchen are carefully expressed in the timber cladding on the South Elevation. Electric car charging further demonstrates the company’s commitment to its inherently green credentials.

Speaking about the building, Rob MacKenna, General Manager at James Jones Lockerbie site said “We are really pleased with the new building. The striking design and innovative use of solid and engineered timber products are a great example of how timber can be used to deliver high quality office and meeting areas. The main meeting room has been positioned to achieve a stunning view across the Stevens Croft site, enabling visitors to view part of our operations from the comfort of this space. We look forward to a time when we can welcome back groups of visitors and host them in this fantastic new facility”. www.jamesjones.co.uk www.forestmachinemagazine.com

BREXIT PACKAGING REGULATIONS ‘HERE TO STAY’

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ew regulations governing the movements of wooden pallets and packaging (WPM) since Brexit will remain indefinitely, according to government.

Speaking at TIMCON’s general meeting at the end of March, Defra’s head of programme, Will Surman, told delegates he believed ISPM15 measures stipulating that all WPM travelling between the UK and the EU must be heat-treated are ‘here to stay’. It was also noted that, with average temperatures forecast to rise globally, ISPM15 compliance may also soon become the norm for WPM moving between countries within the EU to eradicate any risk to plant health.

Surman thanked TIMCON and the WPM industry for its work preparing for Brexit, which he said had been critical to a smooth transition and achieving a low level of compliance issues after the December 31, 2020 deadline.

TIMCON president John Dye echoed the comments and said establishing an open dialogue with Defra early in the process had been central to planning successfully for the change.

“The message is clear that the Page 77

WOOD PROCESSING work we have coordinated with Defra to prepare our businesses for Brexit has stood us in good stead for a future where ISPM15 could become the norm,” he said. “The industry’s investment in extending heat treatment capacity means we were ready at the start of this year and well prepared should compliance requirements be extended to apply at the borders of further destinations.”

Surman said enforcement of ISPM15 regulations in the UK is continuing with a riskbased approach, where limited resources are targeted on WPM arriving in the country from high-risk origins.

The general meeting also heard from Brent J. McClendon, President and CEO of NWPCA, who gave an update on the US pallet and packaging business as the international market has recovered. He also spoke about his organisation’s work to promote the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

awarded to pallets, as an important endorsement of the industry’s sustainability credentials.

Gareth Stace, director general of MakeUK/UK Steel, spoke to delegates about the availability and price issues affecting his sector, which he said mirrored those currently affecting the wood business. He added that even after supply and demand returned to a better balance, he expected the ongoing global situation to keep prices high.

Meanwhile, Alun Watkins, executive director of PEFC UK Ltd, gave a presentation on sustainability and certification, which includes the launch of a chain of custody logo that businesses can use to demonstrate the percentage of certified timber they use.

During the meeting, TIMCON updated its membership on its ongoing work to represent the pallet and packaging industry, which included coordinating

with other industry associations, such as the Wood Panel Industries Association (WPIF) and the Wood Recyclers Association (WRC). It also advised that the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging consultation document had been released and the date for final comments is June 4.

TIMCON, having welcomed the reduction of targets for wood from 48 per cent to 35 per cent for 2021/22, said it will continue to work hard in this area to promote reuse before recycling.

There were also updates on the European market and activities of the European Federation of Wooden Pallet & Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) from TIMCON past president and FEFPEB honorary treasurer, Gil Covey; and TIMCON’s work on ISPM15, communications, and the TIMCON/NAPD pallet stacking height guide. www.jamesjones.co.uk

NEWLY NAMED BSW TIMBER SOLUTIONS ANNOUNCES BRUCE MCKAY AS MANAGING DIRECTOR

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ruce McKay has been appointed as Managing Director of BSW Timber Solutions Limited, formerly SCA Wood UK, following five successful years in his post as Supply Chain and Procurement Director.

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This announcement comes after Bruce was appointed as the designate managing director of the business when it was acquired by BSW in December.

Having spent 25 years in the timber industry, Bruce has senior level experience working www.forestmachinemagazine.com

across a variety of functions – including procurement, supply chain, sales and commercial – and he will lead the business through this exciting new phase.

Bruce said: “Having worked at SCA for nearly five years, it goes June 2021

PAPER BOTTLES

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tora Enso and packaging technology company Pulpex join forces to industrialize the production of eco-friendly paper bottles and containers made from wood fiber pulp. These renewable products will offer an alternative to PET plastics and glass.

Using Stora Enso’s formed fiber material, Pulpex will produce paper bottles for an array of global brands across a variety of market applications, from homecare and personal care products to alcohol- and nonalcohol beverages and liquid foods. All of Stora Enso’s wood fiber pulp comes from sustainable, verified sources.

The customizable Pulpex bottle allows for embossing, labelling and coloured pigments to fit brand needs and easily integrates into any packaging manufacturer’s existing filling infrastructure. without saying that I’m thrilled to be a part of the exciting new future with our newly named business, BSW Timber Solutions.

“Over the last 12 months, I have been inspired by the dedication of those within our business and I am motivated by seeing everyone strive to ensure that BSW Timber Solutions becomes the best that it can be”. He added: “With the acquisition we have already set our strategy to align with BSW, aiming to deliver innovative and proactive solutions right across our business.”

June 2021

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BSW Timber Solutions Ltd is one the largest processors and distributors of timber products in the UK with annual sales in excess of £145 million. The business operates from its headquarters and distribution centre in Stoke-on-Trent, and has further processing and distribution capability at its three other sites in Melton, Welshpool and Cumbernauld.

In addition to Bruce’s appointment, Lynsey Pace has been promoted from HR Manager to HR Director and joins Alan Mills, Finance Director www.forestmachinemagazine.com

for the BSW Timber Solutions division, Mike Lomas, BSW Group Operations Director, and Mike Faulkner, BSW Group Sales Director, as the newly formed Board of Directors.

“I’m excited for the future of BSW Timber Solutions” said Tony Hackney, CEO of BSW. “It’s been fantastic to internally promote both Bruce and Lynsey. We have ambitious plans for the business that will add value to our established products and widen the range of products we offer”. www.bsw.co.uk Page 79

WOOD PROCESSING

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A CARBON NEUTRAL FUTURE

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fter years in the works, Stora Enso and energy company Gasum officially opened a biogas plant at Stora Enso‘s Nymölla Mill in Sweden on 27 April 2021. Hop along on a virtual tour to visit the biogas plant and see for yourself what circular economy looks like in practice.

The brand new plant, a cooperation between the two companies, will turn process water into liquefied biogas (LBG), a renewable fuel. By working together, Stora Enso and Gasum have shown their commitment to sustainable operations and provided an example for others in the industry who want to invest in a fossil fuel-free future.

“Sustainability is extremely important to us at Stora Enso,” says Kati ter Horst, EVP at Stora Enso Paper Division. Speaking at the inauguration of the plant, ter Horst noted that the Multicopy paper products produced at the Nymölla Mill are already comprised of sustainable raw materials.

With the addition of the biogas plant, which reuses effluents and other residue products derived during production, the mill is moving toward a circular economy. “At Stora Enso, the key is resource efficiency, with a minimum amount of materials used and a minimum amount of waste produced.”

A CROSS-INDUSTRY COOPERATION Page 80

The idea for the cooperation was first sparked nearly a decade ago, according to Michael Lindemann, Mill Director, Stora Enso Nymölla Mill. “We were initially looking into producing biogas for our own use. But we soon realised that we had to look for a partner. We began talks with Gasum around 2015.”

The cooperation, Lindemann notes, is an ideal example of companies working across industries for the benefit of all.

“We’re always looking for ways to contribute to sustainability.

Industries have an impact on the environment and we saw the benefit of our residue and realised we can help to clean our process water, replace fossil fuels, and reduce waste.”

With the biogas produced at the facility, nearly 200 long-haul lorries (equivalent to between 7 and 10,000 normal family-sized cars) will be fueled for an entire year. That marks a big reduction in carbon emissions in Sweden and the start of a shift toward greener road transportation.

TOWARDS A FOSSIL FUELFREE SWEDEN “Climate change has become a major, if not the most important, challenge in our cities and here in the Nordics, we have understood that this is a real threat,” says Johanna Lamminen, CEO of the Nordic energy company Gasum. “Our customers want to be part of the solution and meet the www.forestmachinemagazine.com

challenges we face. With projects to replace fossil fuels such as this one at Nymölla Mill, we can help our customers meet their climate targets and help our roads and our ships become greener. It’s an example that the rest of Europe should follow.”

Although Sweden is a world leader in producing waste-tofuel LBG, there is more to be done, says Per Bolund, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Environment and Climate, who was the guest speaker at the inauguration event.

“In our common ambition to reduce emissions, we also need to reduce emissions of pollutants to air and water. In Nymölla, we now see an excellent example of a pioneering business model where Stora Enso and Gasum cooperate to generate value from something that was previously seen as waste.

Recycling process water to produce renewable fuel is an innovative way to create circularity in our economic system, without the need of additional biomass extraction.

This serves both to reduce residue flows and emissions of greenhouse gases. We need to shift from fossil to renewable energy, and we need to do it fast. I am a strong believer in the future of circular economy.

We need to use our resources better and this investment is an excellent example of that.” www.storaenso.com June 2021

NEW to the market. The Guerra range of tough and reliable Logging Grabs. Proven over many years

A range of timber grabs available to suit your forwarder, tractor & trailer cranes and truck cranes.

We also supply the full range of Guerra Hydrostatic Bogie Driven Trailers. Designed and built for the most arduous and difficult of terrains. Features include diff-locks, hill decent to maintain control on steep inclines using minimum braking effort. Oil immersed disc brakes and a range of cranes to suit your chosen trailer configuration.

These trailers are built to last and serve the most demanding customers.

3 Point linkage cranes also available for mounting to your forestry tractor.

Visit our website to see what other great products we have to serve the forestry and associated industries. Or simply call today for more information.

Tel. 01434 230852 www.forestmachineservices.com

WOOD PROCESSING

SCOTTISH TIMBER HAS KEPT GLENNON BROTHERS PLANTS OPEN SINCE NOVEMBER

S

ince 1913, Glennon Brothers has been manufacturing high-quality timber products at its plants in Longford and Fermoy, and at Windymains Timber in Scotland, supplying both the Irish and UK markets with products for the construction, pallet wood, and fencing industries.

But the company found itself very close to shutting its doors last November, as a result of the forestry licensing crisis in Ireland. The Covid-19 pandemic didn’t help matters either.

Managing Director Mike Glennon who spoke to the Irish Examiner this week says that were it not for the company’s ability to source logs from Scotland, they would simply not have been able to keep going.

He said the Irish licensing crisis is forcing importation of timber which “is not sustainable from a business perspective”.

“From the sawmill perspective, we had to triple our importing of logs from Scotland in the second half of last year, compared to the previous year, because we didn’t have enough logs here,” explained Mr Glennon.

“We survived by depleting our stocks and continuing to ship over logs from Scotland. All of this is fine in an emergency, but it is not sustainable from a business perspective, because of the cost of bringing it into Page 82

Ireland. It’s okay if it’s 5% or 10% of your basket, but when it starts moving into 25% or 35%, the whole economics go out the window, it’s cost prohibitive and doesn’t make sense.”

He says there are two fundamental issues around continuous importation of timber. One is that there is only a certain part of the UK and Scotland with ‘Pest Free Zone’ status, from which logs can be imported. The Argyle area in western Scotland is now the source for Glennons.

“Because of Ireland’s pest free status, that is the only area of Scotland that we can import logs from,” Mr Glennon said.

“They also must have a phytosanitary certificate for that process and it is because of this that there is a limit as to how much you can take from Scotland. We have had to seriously rely on imports from Scotland for us to get to yearend and to get through this quarter.

“In 2020, if Glennon Brothers didn’t have Scotland, we would have been closed by November.

And, if we didn’t have the Covid-19 set of circumstances, which took out some production, we would have been closed in October. So, without the Scottish logs supply, we were closed. We are no different to other players, and in doing what we had to do, we ran down our stock as well.” www.forestmachinemagazine.com

DEMAND FOR TIMBER When it comes to demand for timber, Mr Glennon pointed to the “interesting year” that 2020 was. “People think of timber in terms of house construction, but they forget the other important part of wood is the supply chain,” he continued. “90% of all products that move in Ireland move on wooden pallets, and that wood is predominantly supplied by the output of the Irish sawmilling sector. So, when there is a problem with forest supply or felling licences, it doesn’t just impact on the construction industry, it also has the potential to impact the supply of goods and services.

And, for that reason, sawmillers were declared an essential service.”

Some of the products that Glennons manufacture are sold to CJ Sheeran (CJS), Ireland’s largest manufacturer of timber packaging and pallets, which supplies Ireland and the UK’s diverse network of pallet consumers with a premium quality accredited packaging solution.

“The reach of wood and its important role in the supply chain is far greater than the average person realises,” Mr Glennon said. “The other thing that happened in 2020 was that the demand for wood was greater than we thought. People found themselves at home, realised they weren’t going on June 2021

holidays, because there was nowhere to go, their disposable income increased, and they started spending money on their homes and gardens.

Hardware stores became very busy, and the demand for wood strengthened. Interestingly enough, in the construction side of things, 20,000 houses were built in 2020, which is the same as 2019.”

FUTURE Despite the launch of Project Woodland by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine last week, and renewed efforts to implement the MacKinnon Report recommendations on licencing, Mike Glennon says there is a long way to go before the forestry industry returns to an even keel in Ireland.

“Right now, I think there are a number of people who invested in forestry that will be very sorry about that investment,” he said.

“Seeing people waiting for two years for a felling licence is absolutely unacceptable.

People planted forestry in good faith, with the support of the Government, and when the time came to cash in their investment, they weren’t able to do that. The licensing issue at the moment does not make sense, and the industry is going to need a huge amount of encouragement and support to regain confidence, because it has been severely damaged.

“The concern we have is that the Government’s own projections on fixing the problem haven’t been met, we are in a very dire state.”

June 2021

Meanwhile, the Department confirmed to the Irish Examiner that 4,500 licences are currently awaiting approval. Of these, 1,009 are afforestation applications, while 684 are roads applications, and 2,760 are applications for felling licences.

“The issuing of these licences remains a priority for 2021, and this was confirmed by Minister Hackett as part of the launch of Project Woodlands,” a spokesperson added.

“The backlog will be dealt with by a particular workstream under Project Woodland. The three other workstreams are concentrating on a vision for forestry, devising a fitfor-purpose organisational structure, and the fourth on streamlining the licensing process.

“The entire project will be overseen by a project manager and project board and will include an outside perspective, as independent chairs will lead the workstreams, and three external experts will sit on the Board.”

Forestry Industry Ireland (FII), whose members support 12,000 jobs in the €2.3bn timber sector, said the current timber shortage in Ireland “is a result of the licensing backlog” and is forcing sawmillers to import timber, a scenario that needs to be revised.

FII Director Mark McAuley said, “We suggest that Ireland should move away from a licensing model to a regulatory model that does not require a fresh www.forestmachinemagazine.com

licence for every activity.

Stakeholders need to come together and agree the way forward, rather than have different groups pulling in different directions. Forestry and timber can make a great positive impact on climate change. If we get it right, it will work for everyone.

“It is a challenging time in the forestry industry, indeed it is in crisis. Ireland has a native forestry industry, and this backlog has effectively curtailed domestic activity, leading to a reliance on imports. This situation needs to be rectified, as importing resources which are native to Ireland has both an economic and environmental impact.”

Mike Glennon said, “There is no sector within the industry that isn’t impacted, and the industry is being seriously undermined by the performance of the Department at every level. If you take Coillte, for example, the biggest supplier of logs to the sawmill sector in the Republic of Ireland, which represents close to 80% of the logs that are bought, Coillte sells through two methods, contract and auction.

In 2019, they had 10 auctions, and in 2020, they had just two, because they didn’t have enough logs to process.

“So, if Coillte, an arm of the State that is very well resourced, is struggling under the weight of the felling licence issue, what hope has a farmer in north Longford or Leitrim? They simply haven’t got the resources to come at this massive hurdle.” www.glennonbrothers.ie Page 83

HAULAGE

SISU AUTO - 90 YEARS OF THE FINNISH AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

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fascinating success story of the Finnish automotive industry and Sisu Auto started when Oy Suomen Autoteollisuus Ab began manufacturing SISU truck products on April 1st, 1931. During these 90 years, various SISU-branded vehicles manufactured in Finland have made the SISU brand recognized around the world and built SISU as one of the most well-known Finnish brands.

Since the beginning, Sisu Auto has had a role as pioneer in the Finnish automotive industry. The total volume of SISU production, more than 50 thousand vehicles made so far, comprise a wide range of different vehicles: trucks, buses, trams, rail vehicles, military vehicles, rescue and special Page 84

vehicles, as well as a myriad of their various components from engines to axles.

The direct employment effect created by the company so far is more than 64 thousand domestic person-years. In addition, Sisu Auto is employing also large number of staff of partner companies in the manufacture and after-sales of SISU products. Today, the company’s number of employees is about one hundred, and in addition Sisu Auto indirectly employs a domestic staff of about 380 in the manufacture of SISU components and spare parts and maintenance services.

In addition to today’s top SISU truck products and special vehicles, many of the world’s www.forestmachinemagazine.com

most successful Finnish vehicle products, related technologies and transportation solutions are spin-offs originating from Sisu Auto. Many of the automotive professionals have qualified for international operations and projects by working at some point in their careers at Sisu Auto. Today, the company exports Finnish automotive know-how to the global market, mainly in the form of design services.

“Sisu Auto’s competitiveness in a rapidly changing operating environment is secured by its ability to transform and specialize. Effective utilization of our expertise and focus on the most demanding driving tasks and special vehicles are prerequisites for the existence of the today’s Sisu Auto. The June 2021

historically broad European truck industry is concentrated in a few large manufacturers and a number of special vehicle manufacturers, including Sisu Auto, each of which has found its place in meeting the needs of the most demanding customers,” says entrepreneur, Chairman of the Board Timo Korhonen.

The idea of combining special vehicle manufacturing and mass-produced components has been Sisu Auto’s most essential strategic choice. For a decade already, Sisu Auto has been cooperating with the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck AG. This has given access to use of the industry’s latest technologies in new SISU products, and the ability to flexibly produce unique small series products at competitive prices.

“SISU Polar truck products are high-quality, high-performance vehicles designed for demanding applications. This combined with economical life-cycle costs result in profitable business for the operators. As a result of the facelift of SISU Polar series implemented a year ago, the task-specific information provided for the driver, as well as the vehicle controls have been taken to a whole new level.

The most significant of the new innovations resulting from Sisu Auto’s continuous technological development work, is the sole diesel-electric hybrid solution designed for heavy trucks on the market, which further improves the productivity of SISU Polar vehicles in comparison with competing products,” says Petri June 2021

Kananen, the company’s CEO. The increased global instability in recent years has created a rapidly growing demand for armoured military and rescue vehicles. To meet this need, Sisu Auto has developed a completely new, highly protected, truly modular SISU GTP product family, which combines Sisu Auto’s special expertise, proven in-house protection solutions and competitive mass-produced vehicle technology.

“SISU GTP is designed for armoured personnel carrier and patrol use. The very same vehicle solution can also be utilised as a system vehicle and in different rescue missions in challenging conditions. With the ongoing delivery project for the Finnish Defence Forces, a serial production capability has now been created for the SISU GTP product family. This means the capability to efficiently produce large amount of these vehicles,” says the company’s military vehicle business director Jyri Ahonen.

Today, the company’s know-how capital is also utilized to a www.forestmachinemagazine.com

significant extent in the supply of design and product development services to the automotive industry of emerging markets. Sisu Auto has already successfully delivered several large product development projects to its customers and established strong customer relationships with them. The company’s Page 85

HAULAGE services business closely links the synergies of the various business functions and provides the company with opportunities to further invest in its own know-how and products.

“Sisu Auto continues towards its 100-year anniversary by these three business functions. Over the next decade, military vehicle production will grow to become a more significant part of our company’s core businesses.

Design service exports will be further developed, and the goal is to raise SISU brand as a key technology developer for

growing large scale manufacturers. For our truck customers, we want to become the most sought-after premium supplier, able to serve our

customers on an entrepreneurto-entrepreneur basis,” the entrepreneur Timo Korhonen concludes. www.sisuauto.com

SPACE, COMFORTABILITY AND RELIABILITY

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röhn Transport Oy from Juuka has relied on Kesla for decades as Kesla cranes are reliable and durable, and their working comfort comes second to none.

“The cabins are spacious compared to the others and have good visibility,” says Joni Gröhn, a timber lorry driver, listing the features of the Kesla 2112T crane he operates.

Joni works for Gröhn Transport Oy based in Juuka, North Karelia. The company, operating in timber transport within the North Karelia region, has two lorries, and both of them are equipped with Kesla cranes.

GOOD HEATING The working comfort of the cranes plays an important part when working all year round – in the freezing winter weather

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www.forestmachinemagazine.com

and the searing summer heat. If the operator is not comfortable inside the crane cabin, work accuracy and efficiency will suffer.

“We’ve managed well in all Finnish conditions. The cabin is nice and warm in the winter, and thanks to a cooling device, it doesn’t get hot in the summer either,” says Samu Gröhn, a timber lorry driver.

“The Kesla cabins are equipped with water circulation heating that works perfectly even in freezing temperatures. It also keeps the windows free of any frost or mist, and there is no need to wear bulky winter clothes,” says Joni Gröhn.

CUSTOMISABLE CONTROL The cranes operated by Gröhn Transport Oy are equipped with KESLA proC control systems. The June 2021

FOREST MACHINE MAGAZINE

FIND US ON

#homeoflogging KESLA proC control system can be customised to suit the operator’s preferences. This guarantees a pleasant working environment for every operator.

Samu Gröhn operates the crane in his use with a four-lever electrical control. Joni Gröhn’s crane, on the other hand, has a two-lever electrical control.

“I learnt the four-lever operation back in the day and have preferred to use it since,” Samu says.

“The two-lever system is simpler to learn, and it is also light to operate. I used to operate a four-lever mechanical control, and compared to that, the operability of the crane has improved enormously. It puts no strain on my hands,” Joni says, as he lists the advantages of the control system.

Durability is essential Kari Gröhn, the entrepreneur at Gröhn Transport Oy, has 45 years of experience in the industry, and he has worked June 2021

heavy duty KESLA C645T

KESLA C645S Agile tractor chipper with single axle

Sprung tandem axle chipper for heavy duty use

At Kesla we listen and respond to the needs of a chipping contractor. We know contractors want high quality wood chip efficiently and effectively, without long downtimes on the machine. That is why at we at Kesla have invested heavily in technology to ensure the wood chip is consistently of high quality. The usability of the machine is excellent with low maintenance.

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NOW

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Chandlers (Farm Equipment) Ltd Oxfordshire Tel. 07585 118136

with Kesla’s products for several decades.

“We’ve been using Kesla products since 1987. We’ve tried other brands as well, but none of them really measured up,” Kari Gröhn says.

In addition to enjoying Kesla’s operating comfort, the Gröhns have over the years grown accustomed to relying on Kesla’s quality. “From an entrepreneur’s point of view, durability is one of www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Oakleaf Forestry Ltd Portadown Tel. 028 38 330011

the key factors when selecting a crane to make sure that the lorries do not stand idle due to maintenance or failure,” Kari Gröhn says.

“Kesla cranes have been reliable and easy to service. I know from experience that I can take care of the maintenance and hose replacements myself in the forest if needed,” Joni Gröhn says. www.kesla.com Page 87

VEHICLES

ALL-NEW ISUZU D-MAX IS SMARTER, STRONGER AND SAFER

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he All-New Isuzu D-Max combines smart new styling and improved off-road performance with impressive safety technology.

Not only does it deliver the capability and durability you’d expect from an Isuzu pick-up truck, this tough workhorse now adds superior levels of comfort and refinement.

The D-Max appeals to a wide variety of drivers, from fleet operators to families, and the model range is structured into three segments: Business, AllPurpose and Adventure. A new line-up of trucks sit within each range to suit every customer’s requirements.

The Business range features the Utility trim and this base specification workhorse is offered in a choice of 4x2 or 4x4 and in three different cab types: single, extended and double cab. Developed with work in mind, the Utility features a Page 88

wide range of practical and safety features to ensure drivers are as productive, safe and comfortable as possible.

The All-New Isuzu D-Max has an incredible amount of additional equipment on all variants so the Utility model is anything but basic. Comfort and convenience are assured in this versatile pick-up thanks to automatic headlights with high beam assist, automatic windscreen wipers, speed-sensitive power steering, DAB radio and a stop & start system.

Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) are now standard on all models. Autonomous Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition, Intelligent Speed Limiter and Lane Departure Warning & Prevention are fitted on every model and, for the first time in the pick-up segment, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitor and Emergency Lane Keeping are fitted on all www.forestmachinemagazine.com

double cabs.

Utility models are ideally suited to working environments with features like an easily-cleanable vinyl flooring and durable steel wheels, while the bumpers, door mirrors and door handles are made from a hard-wearing black plastic.

The All-Purpose range consists of the DL20 and DL40, with ‘DL’ signifying that the rear diff-lock becomes a standard feature and the ‘20’ and ‘40’ demonstrating the model hierarchy. All-Purpose models are also available with an automatic transmission, which come with the additional ADAS functionality of Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist.

The DL20 features heated front seats, rear parking sensors, front fog lights and a front centre armrest for increased comfort and practicality, while body-coloured front and rear bumpers, silver door handles, a June 2021

medium grey radiator grille and 18” alloy wheels provide a more premium appearance.

DL40 adds a variety of sophisticated enhancements like distinctive Bi-LED headlights, LED front fog lights, daytime running lights and rear lights, a chrome radiator grille, silver side steps and two-tone 18” alloy wheels. DL40 models also include front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Keyless entry, introduced from DL40, works on both the driver and passenger side and is accompanied by a push-button start system and welcome light. The interior benefits from leather upholstery, a leather steering wheel and an 8-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat. The 7” multifunction colour touchscreen is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and there’s also a dual-zone climate control system, which allows the driver and passenger to set different temperatures.

Topping off the new model line-up is V-Cross which sits within the Adventure range. It features distinguishing ‘Gun Metal’ exterior styling on the radiator grille, side steps, door mirrors, door handles and 18” alloy wheels. The premium interior is practical and fussfree: entertainment is provided by a 9” multifunction colour touchscreen with a CD player and eight speakers, there is an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and automatic headlight levelling, and the smart leather interior is complemented with V-Cross branded carpet mats.

There are up to eight colours to choose from on the All-New Isuzu D-Max. Utility models are available in four colours (Splash White, Mercury Silver, Obsidian Grey and Onyx Black), DL20 models also come with the option of Spinel Red, the vibrant new Valencia Orange is offered from DL40 and the stylish Pearl White is exclusive to V-Cross models.

Priced from £20,999 CVOTR, the Stronger, Smarter and Safer All-New Isuzu D-Max combines attractive new styling, impressive safety technology and superior levels of comfort.

The new model has already won the coveted 2021 Pick-Up of the Year award from 4x4 Magazine and, thanks to its even stronger chassis and intelligent new ADAS safety systems, it has become the first pick-up to achieve the maximum 5-star rating in the latest Euro NCAP tests.

The All-New Isuzu D-Max offers the same workhorse practicalities that Isuzu customers have become accustomed to, with a onetonne payload and up to 3.5 tonnes towing capacity. Backed

by Isuzu’s 125,000 mile / 5 Year warranty, the new model arrives into UK showrooms in March 2021 and customers are encouraged to register their interest now. www.isuzu.com

75 YEARS OF THE UNIMOG

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he Unimog was a sensational novelty back in 1948 at the DLG trade fair for agriculture in Frankfurt am Main In 1948 the Unimog was yet to bear the Mercedes-Benz name and was instead produced by the Boehringer machinebuilding company in Göppingen.

The vehicle created quite a stir at the 1948 trade fair organised by the German Agricultural Society (DLG) in Frankfurt am

June 2021

Main: it was the first time ever that an agricultural tractor had been equipped with two seats, a load area, all-wheel drive, sprung axles and the ability to reach a top speed of 50 km/h. Despite all of these novel characteristics, the vehicle instilled confidence in potential customers as it was powered by the well-known and trustworthy four-cylinder, 25-hp DaimlerBenz diesel engine.

After its first-ever presentation www.forestmachinemagazine.com

to a broad audience, the vehicle became an instant hit and the Boehringer team returned home with a full order book for 150 units. From February 1949, more than 600 Unimog vehicles were built at the Boehringer factory in Göppingen, before production of the universally applicable motorised device was shifted to Gaggenau in 1951 and subsequently to Wörth, where it was re-branded as the Mercedes-Benz Unimog. www.mbs.mercedes-benz.com Page 89

email updates.

EDUCATIONFOREST INDUSTRY SAFETY ACCORD www.ukfisa.com

Photo credits to FISA WGs

Our ‘gatekeeper’, FISA Safety Documents W guidance hierarchy, checking guidance suits the FISA website, with the addition of T manufacturer’s guidance, for example pulling safety guidance is provided in easy to print fo date versions are referenced. Members a

PROMOTING SAFETY IN OUR INDUSTRY AND WORKPLACE.

I

n 2012, representatives shortly be added to the FISA FISA updates are emailed out to over 1650 members; this is to help them to promote safety in our from many of the leading website, with the addition industry and their own workplace. forestry organisations joined of Technical Notes (TN) for In 2012, representatives from many the leading together to form a steering those tasks not of covered in forestry organisations joined together to form a steering group. Together they developed the Forest Industry Safety Accord (FISA), which set out the group. Together they developed manufacturer’s guidance, for commitment that each organisation, and the sector at large, could make to raise the standard of the Forest Industry Safety pulling tracks onto to grow in both member number and health and safetyexample in their place of work.

FISAback has continued recognition in thean industry.

Accord (FISA), which set out excavator (on site). All newer the commitment that each FISA safety guidance is provided A major part within FISA is the role of the FISA Working Groups. We would like to thank all those organisation, and the sector in easy to print format and FISA Working Group volunteers who have, since 2012, shared their experience and volunteered their at large, could make totime raise using the web copies ensures to help guide the industry on a range of safety topics. Today we have over 100 volunteers FISA Working Groups the standard of health involved and within the the most up to date(WGs). versions safety in their place of As work. areexisting referenced.

Members are guidance for new methods of work and new well as updating guidance, FISA WGs add FISA has continued to grow notified of to new releases via our equipment. Guidance is there support the industry, outlining safe practice. WG members help to respond to queries received by FISA, sharing answers, and supporting bulletins on the FISA web and in both member number and email updates. email updates. recognition in the industry.

FISA Chainsaw WG previously Photo credits to FISA WGs A major part within FISA is the shared details on the outline Our ‘gatekeeper’, FISA Safety Documents WG ensures all safety guidance is in keeping with our the Technical Notes helpful. role of the FISA Working Groups. competency system via FISA guidance hierarchy, checking guidance suits the user. New style guidance will shortly be added to A newly formed Chainsaw We would like to thankthe all FISA those email a copy of this Notes (TN) website, with updates; the addition of Technical for those tasks FISA not covered in manufacturer’s guidance, example pullingon tracks excavator (on site).

All newerZones FISA WG ‘High-Risk Exclusion FISA Working Group volunteers systemfor is also hosted theback onto an provided in easyThe to print web copies ensures the most up to will focus on raising who have, since 2012, safety guidance isFISA website.

WGformat will and using theSub-Group’ date versions are referenced. Members are notified of new releases via our email updates. awareness across the chainsaw shared their experience and continue to revise and update sector on the importance of risk volunteered their time to help the system over the coming zones in preventing accidents. It guide the industry on a range months. During the ongoing will focus initially on chainsaw of safety topics. Today we have development, the WG will over 100 volunteers involved engage with industry sharing key operations, where a significant proportion of serious and within the FISA Working Groups elements, giving opportunity for fatal accidents would have (WGs). industry to reflect and comment been prevented had either on the competency system. The appropriate risk zones (two tree As well as updating existing WG will, in the coming weeks, lengths) or adequate escape guidance, FISA WGs add publish a bulletin explaining routes been implemented. Its guidance for new methods who the system applies to, approach will be informed by of work and new equipment. and also the requirements if the research carried out by Dr Guidance is there to support the not applicable. The WG will Amy Irwin of the University of industry, outlining safe practice. share answers to questions and Aberdeen on chainsaw workers WG members help to respond queries received via the FISA safety and will be published in to queries received by FISA, email updates. the near future. sharing answers, and supporting bulletins on the FISA web and Additionally, the WG will soon FISA Skills & Development WG email updates. release the first of the new FISA focus is on the development Technical Notes: TN001 Tree of an outline to support the Our ‘gatekeeper’, FISA Safety Jacks. This is guidance aimed competency development for Documents WG ensures all specifically for the operators to safety guidance is in keeping provide clarification on practices the Forest Works Manager (FWM). In this industry, with our guidance hierarchy, not covered by main industry the FWM is the person or checking guidance suits the guidance. Feedback will be organisation who commissions user. New style guidance will sought as to whether users find Page 90

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2021

the work on a forestry site and is the most important ‘Duty Holder’ for safety as outlined in FISA Guidance on Managing Health and Safety in Forestry (GMHSF). The FWM is required to carry a wide depth of competency and responsibility; being the go-to person with respect to any decision making that may affect the health and safety of contractors, their employees and members of the public who may be affected by work taking place on a forestry site. The FWM provides a link between the Landowner and those commissioned to carry out the work. FISA will produce an outline for competency development to supporting what a ‘good FWM’ should be. The role of the FWM is critical in developing a ‘safetyfirst’ culture in the delivery of forestry operations.

FISA are currently monitoring the ExTe auto tensioning systems on field trials in Scotland

FISA Forest Haulage WG send regular safety messages via o safety check sheets Traffic Commissioner web upda Transport Forum crucial part of work is nowfrom theTimber produce clear strapping betterand understood. abecoming hot topic the WG aretocurrently monitoring ExTe aut guidance ‘truck’ stickers and will FISA is proud to have stepped trials in Scotland, and results will be shared when complete.

Certainly, the last year’s pandemic has added an additional challenging layer for all. The subject of wellbeing as a

continue to work closely on a up when needed to source range of issues. support for those in need. As a The WG have collaborated with the Timber Transport Foru small industry, we do not have Training another important mainstream wellbeing ‘truck’ stickers andsupport; will continue toiswork closely on a range o subject (whilst Covid19 affected) but we can access support that has been developed with a bodies available to help. We Training is another important subject (whilst Covid19 affect CPC +F Forest Haulage specific need to ensure that those who +F Haulage specific 7-hour module, complete 7-hour module, complete with with a faceForest difficult circumstances a suite videos now ready to As part o have to somewhere to turn;and please out both drivers FWMs as of restrictions ease. be rolled out to both drivers and get in touch if you need to be shared to new entrants across all Forest Haulage sectors FWMs as restrictions ease. As seek help. FISA will continue has been created. part of this work, an induction to help callers, putting them video that can be shared to in touch with the relevant new entrants across all Forest support network and any call Haulage sectors – roundwood, will be treated in the utmost fuel and plant deliveries - has confidence. We also share been created. wellbeing points and contacts on our website and via our FISA Electricity & Utilities regular FISA updates.

WG provide regular complex answers in response to industry FISA Forest Haulage WG send submitted queries as a regular regular safety messages via FISA update feature. The our FISA updates, including WG provide updates to FISA reminders on safety check 804 ensuring the guidance is sheets from the Traffic kept fully up to date. Most of Commissioner web updates. the queries are around the Strapping and load security understanding of working near remains a hot topic and the the “red zone” in different WG are currently monitoring situations.

ExTe auto tensioning systems, currently on field trials in In response to repeated Scotland, and results& willUtilities be FISA Electricity WG provide regular complex ans incidents and queries, the WG is shared when complete. The WG queries as a regular FISA update feature. The WG prov working towards a further have collaborated with the

June 2021

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

FISA Learning & Behaviour WG run and release the FISA industry incident statistics project. The group make regular requests for safety messages and learning points - if you have safety points to share with your industry, please get in touch.

This WG can help in the write up of a Safety Alert. The group support the FISA Strategy WG in the development of the next five-year strategy for FISA. This strategy will be shared with FISA members via our website, laying out our key priorities for the coming five-year period, supporting our decisions on allocation of resource and WG topics.

guidance is kept fully up to date. Most of the queries are ar Page 91 the “red zone” in different situations.

has been created.

EDUCATION guidance document regarding the use and management of goalposts and the part they play in the protection of the forest workforce from injury by contact with overhead lines.

With the increasing presence of underground cables associated with in-forest renewables developments, there is need to raise awareness of this hazard. Every cable strike near miss could so easily have been fatal. The group are also drafting working near rail safety guidance and will continue to offer answers on queries received.

FISA Landowner WG - In forestry, the Landowner is the party in control of the land on which the forestry work takes place. This role includes agents who may be acting on behalf of a Landowner. This WG will continue to focus on raising awareness of safety in forestry; helping the Landowners to better understand their responsibility for health and safety as laid out in FISA Guidance on Managing Health and Safety in Forestry (GMHSF).

Although the FWM has the key role in managing health and safety during forestry work, the Landowner also has an important part to play with responsibilities to meet. The group will work in collaboration with other organisations to help Landowners discharge their duties under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

FISA Worksite Management WG - FISA 803 Firefighting is now undergoing a refresh, which is very topical with the release last week of ‘Wildfire Page 92

easily have been fatal. The group are also drafting working near rail safety guid continue to offer answers on queries received.

FISA Landowner WG In forestry, the Landowner is the party in control of the land forestry work takes place. This role includes agents who may be acting on behalf of This WG will continue to focus on raising awareness of safety in forestry; helping the L better understand their responsibility for health and safety as laid out in FISA Guidance Health and Safety in Forestry (GMHSF). Although the FWM has the key role in manag safety during forestry work, the Landowner also has an important part to play with r to meet. The group will work in collaboration with other organisations to help discharge their duties under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

FISA Worksite Management WG - FISA 803 Firefighting is now undergoing a refresh, topical with the release last week of ‘Wildfire Danger Assessment 22nd April - 26th Ap Extreme’.

And of course, we have FISA 806 Welfare, new guidance for an old requirement…. T introduced asking for industry feedback and thanks go to those who have al comments, which have generated supporting bulletins giving clarification and help feedback period closes in June this year; the WG will issue further clarification in resp queries received. An important point often overlooked in this guidance is the need for as part of the welfare provision - handwashing helps to prevent diseases like Covid and and helps clean minor cuts such as those from wire when fencing, preventing further in

Danger Assessment 22nd April 26th April Very High – Extreme’.

FISAof Electricity &FISA Utilities WG provide regular complex a And course, we have 806 Welfare,asnew queries a guidance regular FISA update feature. The WG pr for an old requirement…. The guidance is kept asking fully for up to date. Most of the queries are guide was introduced the “red zone”and inthanks different situations. industry feedback go to those who have already offered comments, which have In response to repeated incidents and queries, the WG generated supporting bulletins FISA Plant & Equipment WG a large and proactive group demonstrating how differe document regarding the use management of goalpos feed-in across WG alongside external parties like suppliers and manufacturers riskand andthehow to maintain your giving clarification and helpful advice, ensuring that safety guidance keeps apace with new kit. This WG is collaborat its best! machine helpcontact to prevent this?overhe hints.

Theforest feedback period of the workforce from injurytoby with Chainshot – do you know the risk and how to maintain your machine to help to prev This group have raised this topic closes in June this year; the WG group have raised this topic and will continue to coax better understanding on chain sh and will continue to coax better will issue further clarification With theto newer increasing of underground cable understanding on chain shot. in response queries presence developments, there is need to raise awareness of this ha received.

An important FISA Safety Alert on Tree Shear point often overlooked in and Grapple Saw V7 refresh this guidance is the need for released on 23.04.21. If you run handwashing as part of the this kit, you must read this alert! welfare provision - handwashing Soon for release is the new FISA helps to prevent diseases like 608 Tree Shear and Grapple Covid and Weils disease and Saw Safety Guide. Use of this helps clean minor cuts such as equipment is rapidly growing. those from wire when fencing, It offers the potential in some preventing further infection. situations to remove motor manual work in tree felling – FISA Plant & Equipment WG something we are all keen to a large and proactive group see in diseased ash. It is vital demonstrating how different that we ensure that those both sectors can feed-in across the planning the work and using this WG alongside external parties like suppliers and manufacturers equipment know how to do this safely. Next topics for this WG also offering advice, ensuring are refresh of existing machine that safety guidance keeps guidance, including debogging apace with new kit. This WG is collaborative working at its best! and mulchers. www.ukfisa.com Chainshot – do you know the www.forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2021

STORA ENSO HELPS TO ACCELERATE SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY

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ndustry experts from the architecture, construction and education industry recently gathered to discuss how wood can successfully be used as a building material to create sustainable learning environments. Hosted by Stora Enso, in collaboration with The B1M, the webinar showcased the award-winning case study of the Northstowe Learning Community in Cambridgeshire, UK, a 15,000m² project that utilised Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) to meet sustainability targets and provide an inspiring and healthy space for students.

The UK government’s hardening of the carbon emissions reduction target, from 68% to 78% by 2035* puts an increasingly acute focus on how industries can support this ambition. Rory Doak, Business Development Manager UK & Ireland at Stora Enso, noted on the webinar, “the biggest impact [of the Northstowe project] is that there’s nearly 3,000 tons of CO2 stored in the building that’s not getting put back into the atmosphere”. Pair this with the reduction of up to 75% of CO2 emissions that can be achieved using wooden construction methods versus concrete and steel processes, and it’s clear to see how building with wood can contribute to this journey.

Also touching on the biophilic design nature of wood, the panellists shared insights on its

June 2021

Experts showcase Cambridgeshire wooden school success story with low carbon footprint and improvement of student well-being.

Photo: Frank Shaw Associate Limited positive impact on the health and well-being of children as studies have shown that the material can improve concentration and reduce stress.

With return to classrooms postpandemic in motion, this will be an incredibly important factor for educational authorities and construction players to consider.

Despite the benefits of wood as a strong, versatile, and sustainable material, the webinar also assessed the barriers to adopting CLT as a construction material. For example, concerns around technical performance exist, as does a miseducation on cost-effectiveness. Dayo ShittuBalogun, Associate at EURBAN, one important enabler of the webinar and official partner from Stora Enso, www.forestmachinemagazine.com

provided insight: “We’re coming across a lot of risk aversion as people still consider wood construction as a new way of doing things. There is some miseducation on cost.

People consider it to be a bit more expensive, but through some benchmarking work we established that if you’re talking in simplistic terms, the structural skeleton of a building is either equal or cheaper – and more work needs to be done to communicate that this is the case.”

When looking at the path forward for sustainable school construction in light of the Northstowe project, ShittuBalogun, added, “We all have a commitment to not pour more CO2 into the atmosphere than we take out of it, so there Page 93

EDUCATION is a moral obligation for all of us across the industry – and where better to see this play out than in an educational setting? This is exactly what we like to do, deliver buildings efficiently and sustainably.”

Fred Mills, Co-Founder of The B1M, and webinar moderator, added, “Construction methods have the power to truly effect people’s lives. It perhaps doesn’t get more important than thinking about this in the context of where future generations are learning. Wooden school projects create amazing spaces for schooling, both from an environmental, health and well-being point of view. The task now, is to raise awareness of how concepts can be moved to an implementable reality and Northstowe is a fantastic example of this.” *compared with 1990 levels ABOUT STORA ENSO: Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. We employ some 23 000 people, and have sales in more than 50 countries. Our shares are listed on the Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Stockholm (STE A, STE R) The Wood Products division is the largest sawn wood producer in Europe and a leading provider of sustainable wood-based solutions for the construction industry.

Our growing Building Solutions business offers building concepts to support lowcarbon construction and eco-friendly designs. We develop digital tools to simplify the designing of building projects with wood. We also offer applications for windows, doors and for packaging industries, and our pellets provide a sustainable heating solution. www.storaenso.com/woodproducts Page 94

www.forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2021

JUST ONE TREE JOINS FORCES WITH LET’S GO ZERO TO HELP SCHOOLS BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL

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UST ONE Tree and Let’s Go Zero have joined forces to help schools reduce their environmental impact and become carbon zero by 2030 by driving reforestation in areas where it has the most impact and benefit.

Schools are being actively encouraged to hold a JUST ONE Tree Day on Friday 15 October (Friday 1 October for Scotland), raising funds to reverse deforestation and provide species with safe habitats to increase biodiversity – a tree is planted on behalf of the children for every £1 raised. In return, schools get access to a wide variety of learning tools on the environment.

To date, over 420 schools have signed-up to partner with JUST ONE Tree and in the 18 months the non-profit has been established, close to a million trees have been planted at a rate of one every 53 seconds.

Let’s Go Zero is a coalition of sustainability organisations working with schools in the UK providing help and resources to schools, teachers and students on their school journey to zero carbon.

Amanda Bronkhorst, founder of JUST ONE Tree, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Let’s Go Zero’s national campaign calling for

June 2021

Children from Seend C. Of E. Primary School in Melksham, Wiltshire, holding their JUST ONE Tree Day. government backing for zero carbon schools.

“We’re asking parents to encourage their children’s school to host a JUST ONE Tree Day and be part of a global movement empowering children in making a real difference for a greener future.

“JUST ONE Tree Day is a simple – and free – way for schools to help compensate for their environmental impact.

“Forests are the lungs of the planet, cleaning the air and absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. On average, a tree absorbs 48lbs of carbon dioxide per year and it’s estimated forests can provide 30% of the solution to keeping rising global temperatures www.forestmachinemagazine.com

below 2°C. Tree planting is vital for the future of our planet and JUST ONE Tree Day is a way for children to take direct action in protecting their own future. The ‘children’s forest’ already stands at over 150,000 trees; we’re thrilled to be joining with Let’s Go Zero this year to help grow it even further.”

Alex Green, Project Manager for Let’s Go Zero, added: “We love the work that JUST ONE Tree does with schools – it really helps children to learn about the link between local and global actions, and that they can make a difference. We look forward to seeing lots of Let’s Go Zero schools signing up to take part in JUST ONE Tree Day this year!” www.justonetree.life www.transform-our-world.org/ lets-go-zero Page 95

EDUCATION

NEWTON RIGG LTD LAUNCH URGENT ACTION PLAN

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ewton Rigg Ltd is calling for support as the community organisation announces its urgent action plan to rebuild the future of landbased education at Newton Rigg, starting with land-based training courses this year, the introduction of apprenticeships in 2022 and leading to the opening of a new, independent, Cumbrian Newton Rigg College in 2024/25.

“Rebuilding land-based education will not be an easy journey in light of the current challenges facing education, but we are making it possible.

Our message remains clear: Any compromise of land-based education in Cumbria is not an option. The alternative provision currently being offered to some students on some courses is too limited to sustain our communities and industries.

Cumbria needs Newton Rigg College. At this critical moment in Cumbria’s history, and with the changes to rural practice following Brexit, our community has a unique opportunity to bring Newton Rigg back to Cumbria and rebuild this vital institution for generations to come. We must pull together with great urgency to make this happen and we hope the whole community will get behind this urgent action plan to rebuild land-based education in Cumbria and bring back Newton Rigg College for good.”

Said Professor Andy Cobb, NRL Chairman.

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The urgent action plan is led by influential members of the Cumbrian community along with experts in land-based education including Andrew Counsell (former Principal of Duchy College, Cornwall, Vice Chair of Landex) and Dr Jane Sullivan (Director Newton Rigg College 2015-2018 and educational consultant specialising in alternative and further education). Newton Rigg Ltd has also been supported by major local businesses including Westmorland Ltd and Carrs Group as well as land-based organisations.

NEWTON RIGG LTD’S URGENT ACTION PLAN CAN BE OUTLINED IN FOUR STEPS: 1. STOP THE SALE While we await the outcome of the Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry, Askham Bryan College are at the same time preparing to advertise Newton Rigg’s campus, land and farms for sale. Funded by supporters, Newton Rigg Ltd’s legal advisors have already played a critical role in challenging Askham Bryan College’s right to sell Newton Rigg, stripping these assets from Cumbria in order to save themselves from insolvency.

Other legal questions relate to the acquisition of Newton Rigg by Askham Bryan in 2011, and Askham Bryan somehow releasing itself from an Asset Deed, of 2007, which was designed to protect Newton www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Rigg for Further Education.

2. PROTECT THE ASSETS Newton Rigg Ltd have begun an initiative for Newton Rigg’s campus, land and farms, once saved, to be held in trust and therefore preserved for educational use, forever. They are working with legal experts on the most appropriate structure for this trust or foundation to ensure that the assets can never be threatened again.

“All local stakeholders and authorities must pull together to make this happen and we are calling on local and district councils, the LEP, Cumbria MPs, local businesses and other rural stakeholder organisations, such as the Farmers Network and the Foundation for Common Land to support this critical step for Cumbria.“ said Professor Cobb 3. REBUILD LAND-BASED EDUCATION WITH TRAINING, APPRENTICESHIPS AND A RURAL BUSINESS SCHOOL A new initiative, ‘Newton Rigg Training’, being set up

by Newton Rigg Ltd and advisors including Dr Jane Sullivan (Director of Newton Rigg College 2015-2018, scientist, outdoor educator and educational consultant specialising in alternative and further education) and Andrew Counsell (Director of Newton Rigg Ltd, former principal of Duchy College, Vice Chair of Landex, member IFA Route June 2021

panel for land-based) - will offer training courses this September and apprenticeships starting next year.

Andrew Counsell, who now lives at Hawick, said, “As one of the top farming counties in the country, Cumbria needs to be proud of its own provision based at Newton Rigg, maintaining a long and outstanding history. We are creating a Group Training Organisation - a partnership between education and rural business and industry – that will provide education and training that will lead to employment.

This is specifically aimed at local land-based businesses and the farming community. We will actively seek to become a main provider of apprenticeships for land-based and allied businesses in Cumbria, starting with agriculture, horticulture, agricultural engineering and forestry, expanding in time to other areas of land-based education. This will take up to a year and it is hoped that the positive support of the farming and rural communities will strengthen the process. We will also build upon this training offer with the development of the ‘Newton Rigg Rural Business School’, that will set the foundations for our future college by creating close and strong links between education and employers, rural businesses and farmers, and the rural community” 4. WELCOME NEW LEARNERS AGED 16 AND ABOVE TO A NEW, CUMBRIAN, INDEPENDENT NEWTON RIGG COLLEGE IN SEPTEMBER 2025 June 2021

Once Newton Rigg Training has been trading as a training provider for a year, the organisation will apply to create an independent, innovative, “new model” Newton Rigg College, using technical innovation and partnerships.

Chairman, Professor Andrew Cobb, said, “With the continuing support of government agencies, incorporation of a new, Cumbrian and independent Newton Rigg College will be possible, providing short courses for skills development, apprenticeships and lifelong learning programmes to Cumbria and beyond. We will deliver a range of Further Education programmes, leading in time to a Higher Education portfolio. Our aim is to welcome new learners aged 16+ to a new, Cumbrian and independent Newton Rigg College in September 2025. It will be a new dawn for this vital institution built on the strong foundations of expert-led training, robust community and industry links, and the very values upon which this unique land-based college was founded in 1896.”

FUNDRAISING CALL Newton Rigg Limited is a community-led organisation involving leading experts in land-based and further education. The organisation has been relying on donations large and small from individuals and organisations including Westmorland Limited and Carrs Group, alongside the voluntary support of expert educators and advisors who have been working on this roadmap for the future with close links in the local landwww.forestmachinemagazine.com

L-R: Chris Crewdson and Professor Andrew Cobb based community.

Newton Rigg Ltd Director Chris Crewdson, former Managing Director of Gilbert Gilkes and Gordon Ltd in Kendal, said,“We are incredibly grateful to the supporters whose generous donations have funded our fight to save Newton Rigg and landbased education in Cumbria so far. Our fundraising must now continue and intensify to support two key areas: Stepping up our legal support at this pivotal moment for Newton Rigg, and employing initial key staff who will launch our expertled Newton Rigg Ltd training and apprenticeship programmes – the first step in rebuilding Newton Rigg College.”

“We are in the process of launching a crowdfunding campaign, but also urge any local businesses or individuals who value Newton Rigg College’s future to get in touch via our website or email (contact@futureofnewtonrigg. co.uk) and discuss how they can support our urgent action plan by becoming a sponsor, making a donation or getting involved.” futureofnewtonrigg.co.uk contact@futureofnewtonrigg. co.uk facebook/futureofnewtonrigg Page 97

YOUNG LOGGERS

MISSING VOWELS

ANAGRAM

ROOMHUMS DRIB

FALE

SH_T_K_

A S F T B N T O G S

M C R F D W O F A C

Page 98

L E M E I U L J R N

Fill in the missng vowels to find the name of four mushrooms

E W H G E W P E B F

P_FFB_LL

H_NEY F_NG_S

CH_NT_R_LL_

WORD SEARCH

R N K T G P E N A I

K C R S O T L M K F

T D A F O I O E E L

S H B E K J B A P H

A R F N L R G R M W

P L O U C N W D T O

O T K J S T E M L O

P G W B A P I E R D

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O R O O T U E C T U

L M E E W T P R K A

A I I N C S G O S J

D W M D O O B W I T

T U H B K C M N M U

N F B F S K A F E N

June 2021

Change one letter on each row to turn Saw into log

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE There Are 10 To Find

SAW ___ ___ LOG

Tree Bark Leaf Stem Bud Cone Nut Knot Bole Root Twig Crown Wood Sap Limb June 2021

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FORWARDERS / SKIDDERS / TRACTORS

Logset Forwarder 6F 2006 11000 hours, 91 loglift crane, two sets tracks, £40k Contact: downieken@ msn.com

VALTRA TRACTOR with BOTEX forestry crane T150, red, 2006.

Ref. KX56HFL. Price £35,000.00 plus VAT Gregory 07831185 952 or gregredman1964@ gmail.com

Valmet 890.3, 8WD, UK, 2008, 16,700h CRF14 crane 8.5m Tyres 750-26.5 FKF Equipment: Hydraulic oil refill pump, Radiator protection, Side window wipers, Xenon lamps, Fuel filing pump, Sprinkler system, Sun visor, A/C, Radio. £40,000 + VAT Contact: John McIlwraith, tel +44 7730 435 891 Page 100

Komatsu 845 Timber Forwarder Year 2016 5237 hours Autolube, TRS Tyres, 8 Mtr crane Machine has been covered by Komatsu Service Plan £145,000.00 + Vat Contact Stephen Clark Eagle Asset Finance Ltd 07967 588739

Ponsse Buffalo 35th Anniversary Jubilee Model Forwarder Year 2005, 19500 Hrs Centre Bearing & rear bogeys rebuilt. Slew pot seals & dipper ram seals replaced.

Crane re-piped, Air conditioning unit fully refurbished. New rear window, LED Lights Tyres 90% tread Complete with one set of tracks Whole machine is in excellent order for its age and ready to go to work. £65,000.00 + Vat ono Contact Stephen Clark Eagle Asset Finance Ltd 07967 588739

Ponsse Wisent Timber Forwarder Year 2018 4000 Hours TRS Tyres, 10 Mtr Partless Crane Machine has been covered by Ponsse Service Plan £175,000.00 + Vat Contact Stephen Clark Eagle Asset Finance Ltd 07967 588739

Forwarder Ponsse Buffalo Year: 2013 14,395 hrs Price: €128,050 www.xgielda.pl | Marek: +48 796 775 300 | Gdynia, Poland

Forwarder John Deere 1010E. Year: 2012 Mileage: 13,500 hrs Price: €102,000 www.xgielda.pl | Marek: +48 796 775 300 | Gdynia, Poland

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Forwarder John Deere 1110E Year: 2013. 19,200 hrs.

Price: €93,260 www.xgielda.pl | Marek: +48 796 775 300 | Gdynia, Poland

Forwarder Ponsse Buffalo Year: 2015 13,000 hrs Price: €142,000 www.xgielda.pl | Marek: +48 796 775 300 | Gdynia, Poland

Forwarder Ponsse Buffalo Year: 2015 13000 mth Crane: K90M+ Price: 140 131 EUR www.xgielda.pl | Marek: +48 796 775 300 | Gdynia, Poland

Free Listings

Contact us at forestmachine magazine@mail.com June 2021

HARVESTERS / HEADS / ACCESSORIES

John Deere 1270 Eco111 2007 9000hrs Harvester fitted with as new FAE HD Mulcher head. set of tracks, also Logset 506 with 6m head available to convert back to Harvester.

John Deere/FAE £35K, with Logset £50K Contact: downieken@ msn.com

Logset 6H Harvester.

2018. 7000hrs. POA Call 01550721641 E: info@rjfukes.co.uk

VARIOUS

Hydro Ax 511B Forestry Mulcher, 1993 Cummins 6 cyl 8 foot flail head, set wide wheels included, £8k Contact: downieken@ msn.com June 2021

Komatsu 931XC, 8WD, UK, 2017, 5,000 hrs 230H crane 10m, Komatsu C144 head Tyres 710/45-26.5FKF2 Equipment: Stump spray system, Hyd. Oil refill pump, Vacuum pump, Bonnet bars, Stump treatment fluid re-fill pump, LED lights, Balanced bogies, Fuel filling pump, Steering wheel, Sprinkler system, Sun visor, A/C, AdBlue, Engine heater, Radio Good condition (grade 4 out of 5) Price £250,000 + VAT Contact: John McIlwraith, tel +44 7730 435 891

Logset 10H Timber Harvester (2006) c/w Logset TH75 Harvesting Head (2013) 14,560 Hours £48,000.00 + Vat Contact: Stephen Clark 07967 588739 Eagle Asset Finance Ltd

Jcb 818 Super 1994 Harvester with Logset 6.65 head, new tracks chains sprockets, Perkins 6cyl rebuilt, £12k.Contact: downieken@msn.co

Neuson 243HVT Timber Harvester c/w Logmax 6000B Harvesting Head 2017, Hours 1043 Levelling Cab, Autolube, 10M Crane Climbing and flotation tracks included Logmate 500 computer, 24 tonne.

Machine is barely run in and ready to go to work £270,000.00 + Vat Contact Stephen Clark Eagle Asset Finance Ltd 07967 588739

Logset Harvester 8H 2006, 11000hours, 8L head, set of tracks and chains. £40k Contact: downieken@ msn.com Van Vault 780mm X 415mm X 370mm Bolt down lockable tool storage unit for pick ups. Hardly used, top has a few marks on it. £90.00 Motherwell 07582055748 Assorted shackles, pins, bolts and grapple pins. Sold together not separately. £80.00 07582 055 748 www.forestmachinemagazine.com

Harvester Ponsse Ergo 2011. 21,000 hrs €91,100 Marek: +48 796 775 300 | Poland www.xgielda.pl Page 101

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June 2021

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