Forest Machine Magazine Free June 2020 E Mag

FOREST MACHINE MAGAZINE CUTTINGS FROM THE FOREST FLOOR DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR

JUNE 2020

NEW WELTE W130

TIGERCAT 718

SEQUOIA

NEW STUDY

The last machine in the drive-to-tree feller buncher line up advances to G-series.

Protecting itself against external influences in its natural environment.

Comparing wheel-rut development between 8 and 10 wheeled forwarders.

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 1

FOREST

WELCOME

MACHINE MAGAZINE

A

WRITTEN BY LOGGERS FOR LOGGERS

3

8

Welte W130

The new third generation Welte W130 - compact and agile.

Nokian Tyres

The new R-Truck tyre

developed for on/off road use

1

0 New Study Comparing rut develop-

1

5 News The latest news, research

s we head into July, we are beginning to see some welcome signs of recovery in our industry.

ment between 8 and 10 wheeled forwarders.

and equipment from the forest industry.

Building and construction work has resumed in many places and this should see sawlogs and chipwood move from harvesting sites as demand increases.

Pallet wood has remained steady throughout and the fencing market has been buoyant, as people have taken the opportunity during lockdown to carry out projects in their gardens.

Bio-fuel markets have been slow, but this is normal at this time of year. Not wishing the summer away, but as the daylight hours grow shorter and daily temperatures start to cool, small roundwood will start to gain momentum as there will be a demand for electricity and heating.

It has been a difficult time for everyone and although we face an uncertain future we are hopefully heading into the recovery stage now.

2

1 End Of An Era County Tractors and

FORE MAGAST MACHIN E ZINE

CUTTI

their evolution of forestry.

2

5 Welte W190 The strong one - the new

JUNE

NGS FR

2020

OM TH

+ ISSUE

E FORE

ST FLO OR DE

23 + ISS N 239

LIVER

8-8568

Owner, Editor and Writer

four-wheeled skidder from Welte.

Quality

ED DIR

ECT TO

YOUR

DOOR

Machine

ry Speaks

For Itself

MADE

IN SWEDEN

Maschinenbau GmbH

Made

2

www.m

arshalllo

9 Stonebyres 1.1m refurbishment of

historic Hydro Power Station.

3

in Austria

The next magazine will be available from the 28th July 2020.

Subscribe to guarantee your copy.  sales@

 01892

gging.co

marshall

.uk

logging.c o.uk 8 | 0783 6 274 16 4

770 78

1 Carbon Storage Bedrock type under forests greatly affects carbon storage.

FIND US ON June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 2

THIRD GENERATION WELTE W130

E

ven with the larger bonnet, the new W130 looks as compact and agile as the old one.

Welte have fitted the fine dust filter that is required for exhaust gas stage 5 under the hood in addition to the SCR catalytic converter. On opening the cover, all you can actually see is the components of the exhaust after-treatment system - the diesel engine is hidden somewhere underneath.

The larger bonnet drops sharply towards the front affording a great view from the cabin. The same applies to the view through the panoramic window at the rear when the driver is working with the crane and clam bunk.

Although Managing Director Joscha Nühnen expects the new emissions standard to result in slight savings in fuel consumption, Welte have increased the diesel tank capacity by around 30% in order to increase the vehicle’s operating time without refuelling.

June 2020

The particulate filter of the new engine has a pleasant side feature: it also dampens engine noise. According to head of development Armin Riesle, the TÜV has measured better values in the cabin than in the previous model. The newly designed vibration damping between the diesel engine and frame and the new cab suspension also played a part in this. Other manufacturers offer active cab suspensions, which tend to require more and more sensors, hydraulic valves and controls for the hydraulic cylinders. Welte, on the other hand, relies on passive cab suspension without electronics and hydraulics. The result is a combination of coil spring and shock absorber, similar to that used in a motor vehicle. “This enables us to achieve a noticeable reduction in vibrations,” explains Nühnen, also referring to the “reasonable price” of the solution.

THE SIB GEARBOX REMAINS Welte considered in detail whether the continuously variable SIB transmission (shifting

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 3

in motion) should be further developed or whether a CVT transmission would be the better choice. In the end, the Umkirch-based manufacturer stuck with the proven SIB. The reason: CVT transmissions are predestined for vehicles that often have to drive longer distances, for example agricultural tractors or forwarders.

However, because they are also hydro-assisted or purely hydraulic, depending on the type of transmission, the effort involved is higher.

Welte’s SIB transmission is mainly suitable for reversing tractors, for which hydrostatic starting, braking and reversing is still the main stress.

At the same time they often want to drive fast without excessive hydraulic losses. “Drivers try to avoid long transfers on their own axles,” says Nühnen with conviction. This is why Welte has decided to stick with its SIB solution, but redesign it completely.

The SIB drive system is a purely hydrostatic drive with a downstream purely mechanical two-speed transmission that can be shifted while driving.

Shifting is possible in the green overlap area and is done automatically after the driver has selected a gear. When shifting in the green overlap area, the load is reduced, neutral is engaged, the hydraulic speeds are readjusted, the new gear is engaged and the tractive force in the new gear becomes

June 2020

effective. The whole process takes only one second. This is enough for adjusting the diesel engine, Hydraulic motor and pump, gearbox, sensors, CAN bus data transfer and CPU runtime.

The tractive force-torque diagram shows a quasi stepless progression from zero to maximum speed over both driving ranges. “By changing gear quickly while driving, we can always keep the hydraulic motor in a fuel-efficient speed range,” says Nühnen. The transmission offers additional safety because in an emergency, it also functions without the automatic shifting system: You can continue working in any case, but with a standstill shift instead of SIB. DUO-HYDROMOTOR The heart of the SIB 3.0 drive is the new hydraulic motor in double design. These are actually two hydraulic motors, which are located in one housing and operate on a common adjustment disc. The piston pressures are partially supported on each other, which reduces friction on the supporting surfaces and increases efficiency. The new motor also made it necessary to redesign the gearbox. The gearwheel design now corresponds to the next higher gearbox design stage. The results of the redesign for the customer are: The tractive force is 25% higher than before. This

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 4

means that you can now work longer and more powerfully with second gear even when reversing.

When driving on the road or over longer distances, you can select the Eco mode, in which the diesel engine turns slower and thus more fuelefficiently than in working or slope mode.

You can now drive continuously variable 0-14 km/h in first gear. The desired gear can be preselected, automatic shifting takes place when the driving speed is within the green range and when there is partial load.

S-SERIES OF EPSILON The W130 is fitted with the S120R72 jib crane from Epsilon providing a reach of 7.2 m, a net load torque of 114 kNm and a slewing power of 36 kNm. “Our new W130 corresponds well with the S series from Epsilon,” says Nühnen. There is now a clear allocation: for the W100 the M series, for the W130 series the S series and for the W210 the X series. The W130 from the third generation onwards is now suitable for mounting the Epsilon S110R and S120R cranes. It thus achieves net load torques of up to 119 kNm, slewing moments of up to 36 kNm and ranges of up to 9.6 m.

WELCONTROL 2.0 WelControl 2.0 is the control system for the entire machine, i.e. it regulates the diesel engine, the travel drive and the working attachments such as crane and winch. It now has two displays. The smaller one on the front windscreen is intended for road travel and only shows the functions that are important for this, such as travel speed.

The larger display is located at the rear of the cabin. The driver can move it to the left or right depending on his preferred working position.

Welte has dispensed with the rotating display

on the swivel seat to give the driver maximum freedom of movement. In the rear display, the driver can call up a wide range of masks, from operating data and setting data to a help mode.

A special feature is that all functions can be set either by touch screen or with a rotary knob.

When the service technician at Welte dials into the system for remote maintenance, he sees the he sees the same screen in front of him as the driver on site. This facilitates diagnosis and communication. The following new functions are also convenient: • When leaving the vehicle, you can automatically leave a headlight on for a few more minutes (Coming home), • or as an option switch on remotely when coming (Leaving home), • or have the battery switch off automatically (so that you do not have to wait until the AdBlue lines are pumped empty).

DELIVERY Welte delivered the vehicle to Michael Hund, a forestry contractor from the Ortenau region in mid May, Michael works in the wetlands of the Rheinauen and also in steep ground in the Black Forest. Sometimes when working on flat sites the extraction distance can often exceed 200m and the SIB gearbox (which allows shifting in motion from low ratio to high gear) comes into effect.

This reduces travelling time and improves fuel economy over longer extraction distances. Low gear can be engaged quickly when travelling over rougher ground without having to stop the machine www.welte.com

SUBSCRIBE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FOR PAPER MAGAZINE ONLY £30 BI-MONTHLY- 6 ISSUES PER YEAR

forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 5

A POTENTIAL BARRIER IN THE ROAD TO REACHING NET ZERO TARGETS

F

ollowing the recent reporting of the UK Government’s decision to reduce the height of timber framed buildings from six storeys to four, Angus Mcfarlane, General Manager at James Jones & Sons Timber Systems Division, considers the impact such a decision could have on current environmental and new-build targets and how it contradicts the government’s calls for ‘carbon neutral’ homes.

A viewpoint that is shared by the Structural Timber Association (STA), who has recently released a statement criticising the plans opposing the advice to increase timber in construction.

As active members of the STA, we fully support its findings (which are outlined below) and concur that these contradictions around other government advice to reduce carbon emissions flies in the face of the support that it has shown for off-site manufacturing.

With the Government’s promise to build 300,000 new homes per year to address the current housing shortage, combined with the milestones set out in the Zero Carbon Homes agenda as the government calls for ‘carbon neutral’ homes, timber has become a prime construction material of choice as it causes considerably less environmental burden than its less sustainable counterparts such as concrete or steel.

These recent government initiatives have also encouraged the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Off-Site Manufacture (OSM) within the housebuilding industry. It’s believed this has contributed to the existing popularity of specification of the use of timberbased systems, as it lends itself well to both construction methods, allowing faster on-site builds and can also be engineered and prefabricated in the factory.

Timber possesses many technical, installation, economic and environmental benefits, making it the specification of choice in both modern and

June 2020

traditional housebuilding methods.

James Jones & Sons also agree with the STA that a blanket ban that is not based on test evidence or scientific fact could have severe environmental implications in the future.

The report issued by the STA is below The Government’s recent consultation on extending the ban on combustible materials to more building types and lowering the height restriction in England from 18m to 11m closed on 25 May. Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of the Structural Timber Association (STA) discusses how this ruling if adopted will severely inhibit our ability to decarbonise the UK construction industry.

In late May Roger Harrabin reported on BBC News that the Government is planning to reduce the maximum height of timber framed buildings from six storeys to four to reduce fire risk. Harrabin rightly pointed out that this action would contradict other advice to increase timber construction because trees lock up climateheating carbon emissions.

But this will not only totally contradict other government advice to reduce carbon emissions but flies in the face of the support that it has shown for off-site manufacturing to deliver the much needed housing – the most proven of which are timber based systems.

It is clear that the UK is out of step with the approach being taken by leading economies in Europe as evidenced by the actions of President Macron – he has ruled that all new publicly funded buildings in France should be delivered from at least 50% timber or other natural materials by 2022. Another study from Germany’s Potsdam Institute found that a global boom in wood buildings could lock in up to 700 million tons of carbon a year. And can only agree with the head of the Committee on Climate Change, Chris

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 6

Stark when he said: ‘Timber buildings can be tall and safe. Displacing cement, brick and steel with wood means more than double the carbon savings in buildings overall.

The STA and other timber trade bodies say the Government in England has misunderstood the science behind timber construction. A blanket ban that is not based on building physics, test evidence or scientific facts is seen as a quick fix and as a result, the UK could experience far reaching implications for decades to come.

Climate change is not some abstract concept, if not dramatically addressed it will be catastrophic and the biggest crisis of our time.

The Government’s response to climate change has been to set net zero carbon targets by 2050 but there is no ‘road map’ to navigate this journey if the most sustainable and replenishable of all building products, is potentially banned. With as much as 7% of all global CO2 emissions coming from other less sustainable construction technologies, it is difficult to see how these targets will ever be met if these restrictions come into force.

The blanket banning of products does not address the Hackitt Review findings for more accountability and responsibility of how buildings are constructed. Nor does banning products improve build quality or clarify roles and responsibilities in the decision-making process.

I could go on, but the point is made. Height restrictions are not a measurement of safety. Poor design results in inferior and not necessarily safe buildings – regardless of the technology from which they are constructed.

The lack of clarity as to what the ban applies to is creating confusion and the STA and our members firmly believe that any extension to the current 18m restriction should focus on the external cladding and not the structural wall itself. We will only support this height restriction on the proviso that Building Regulations replicate the Scottish model where 18m is still acceptable when supported by evidence of non-combustible cladding and well-designed fire management systems. These views together with robust test evidence has been reflected in the STA’s response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local June 2020

Government (MHCLG) consultation.

Structural Timber Association (STA) As part of their continual development programme, the STA has been collaborating with the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, the University of Edinburgh and BRE to produce fire safety in use guidance for timber frame buildings.

Fire safety in use effects all forms of construction.

All buildings must be designed to comply with the functional protocols of the Building Regulations for fire safety requirements, as a minimum standard.

The STA has invested in an industry leading fire in use research project to test and prove commonly used timber frame wall, floor and roof make ups used in the UK marketplace.

The output of this research, a pattern book of EN tested systems, is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK timber frame sector. This research now forms part of the STA’s best practice guidance and is free to download here www.jamesjones.co.uk

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 7

HEAVY DUTY STEER AXLE TIRE FOR ON/ OFF-ROAD USE – THE NEW XL VERSION COMPLEMENTS THE NOKIAN R-TRUCK RANGE

T

he Nokian R-Truck tire series was developed for the special needs of on/ off-road use in mind. At home in two worlds – on a muddy forest road or construction site as well as on a highway – the range had an enthusiastic reception from the on/off-road trucking professionals. Now the heavy-duty Nokian R-Truck Steer XL steer axle tire in size 385/65R22.5 will make even the heaviest construction and timber trucks ready for both worlds. Their good self-cleaning properties enable good grip even on soft surfaces, while high quality materials ensure resistance against chipping and tearing.

Controlled steering Off-road use sets high demands on a tire. Nokian R-Truck Steer XL has an open tread pattern and wide grooves that ensure good self-cleaning and grip for controlled steering in changing driving conditions. What’s more, its main grooves have stone ejectors that prolong the tire operating life especially on rough surfaces.

“In response to the need for a premium winter steering tire for heaviest snowplowing trucks and such, Nokian Tyres released a special Extra Load XL version of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta Truck F2 steer axle tire earlier”, says Teppo Siltanen, Product Manager at Nokian Tyres. “Now, we want to enable also the heaviest construction and timber trucks to have heavy duty on/off-road tires, so we developed the Nokian R-Truck Steer XL.”

New weight class The new Nokian R-Truck Steer XL tire is made available in the popular 385/65R22.5 size. “We want to open up new possibilities for heavy trucks”, Teppo Siltanen says. “Nokian R-Truck Steer XL tire brings good off-road properties to a new weight class.”

June 2020

“We aim to develop tires that retain their good properties throughout the tire service life”, Teppo Siltanen says. “The high-quality rubber compound wears slowly, and the low heat build-up means longer tire life.”

www.nokiantyres.com

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 8

WOODCRACKER

®

1300

The root stock clearing device for harvesting root stocks: cutting force up to 143.300 lb very low-wear and low-service MADE IN AUSTRIA

made of high-strength Hardox® steel

®

June 2020

 learn more about the efficient Woodcracker forest machines  617-401-5584  www.woodcracker.com www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 9

Figure 1. The Ponsse Buffalo 10-wheeled forwarder used in the field test (photo R. Dalen) showing a standard track on the front bogie and a combi-track on the rear bogie. The auxiliary axle is seen behind the rear bogie and has variable axle pressure when in use.

THE EFFECTS OF AN AUXILIARY AXLE ON FORWARDER RUT DEVELOPMENT – A NORWEGIAN FIELD STUDY

F

or the Nordic countries, snow and frostfree winters pose challenges to maintaining even capacity utilization for harvesting contractors and stable wood supply for forest industries. Harvesting sensitive sites during periods of low bearing capacity require repair of the excessive rutting to maintain certification standards in Norway’s farm forestry. Typical costs for rut repair can range from 5 up to 15 NOK/ m3 (Østby-Berntsen and Fjeld 2018). These costs are equivalent to 5–10% of harvesting costs to roadside.

Depending on terrain, soil, and weather conditions, driving factors for rutting can include both ground pressure and traction shearing forces. Since the arrival of the first forwarders, the historical development of axle numbers,

June 2020

wheel, and track widths have aimed to maintain an efficient balance between ground pressure and traction (Drushka and Konttinen 1997; Öhman 2013; Nordfjell et al. 2019). Compared to the initial 4-wheeled forwarders, 6-wheeled forwarders with a rear-bogie under the load frame were a welcome addition, as were the later 8-wheeled forwarders with a front bogie (Seixas and McDonald 1997). In Norway, many harvesting sites have forwarding distances in excess of 1000 m through varying terrain (Samset 1974). Under these conditions robust highcapacity forwarders are preferred and 8-wheelers dominate, typically equipped with chains on the front bogie and traction tracks on the back bogie (Østby-Berntsen and Fjeld 2018). However, a significant portion of the most productive forest area is also located on moist marine-sediment

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 10

sites which are difficult to access except during sustained sub-zero temperatures or warm, dry periods (Fjeld et al. 2018). The 10-wheeled forwarder provides a further increase of contact area and potentially increased availability for such sites.

General calculation models for forestry machine ground pressure is covered in earlier sources such as RTG (1969), Malmberg (1981) or Gigler (1992). Forest machine studies on this topic continue, particularly focusing on the search for less damaging undercarriages (Kärha and Poikela 2010; Edlund 2012; Wästerlund & Bygden 2016; Björheden 2018). Historically, the operational basis for seasonal availability was the development of terrain classification systems such as Berg (1992). Later years have seen improved use of methods for soil moisture modeling (Ågren et al. 2014) and direct measurement of soil bearing capacity (Klvac et al. 2010). These developments provide the basis for more dynamic planning practices in the future (Eliasson and Wästerlund 2007; Willén et al. 2017).

The goal of this study was therefore to compare rut development between a conventional 8-wheel forwarder with traction bogie-tracks and a 10-wheel forwarder with combi-tracks on soft forest ground conditions during typical summer/ autumn conditions.

Materials and methods Two Ponsse Buffalo forwarders with 14 t load capacity were compared; one with a standard double-bogie undercarriage (8-wheel) and one with a double-bogie undercarriage with an auxiliary axle behind the rear bogie (10-wheel) Figure 1. The standard unloaded weight of the 8-wheeled Buffalo is 19.8 tons. Another ongoing study (Björheden 2018) measured the unloaded weights for the 8- and 10-wheeler with tracks as 22.7 and 25.2 tons, respectively. The auxiliary axle on the 10-wheel forwarder is hydraulically lifted and lowered with variable axle pressure when in use. Both machines were equipped with 710 mm wide Trelleborg Twin forestry tires. The 8-wheeler had universal tracks on the front bogie (Pewag Bluetrack Duro, wide-rib) and traction tracks on the rear bogie (Olofsfors OF, narrow-rib) for more difficult terrain. The 10-wheeler had all-round tracks on the front bogie (Olofsfors Kovax-Soft, June 2020

Figure 2. Layout of forwarding trails (dashed: 8-wheeler, solid: 10-wheeler) from upper slope (blocks A–C over 250 m) to lower bog (blocks D–E and F–G over 200 m). Three transects intersected both forwarding trails per block, perpendicular to the direction of travel, where rut measurements were made in each wheel track.

M-rib) and combi-tracks (Olofsfors MaxMagnum with alternating M-plates and narrowribs) on the rear bogie. Based on the contractor’s experience from an earlier 10-wheeler, nonpneumatic tires were used on the auxiliary axle to avoid punctures along the rim edge.

A side-by-side comparison of the two forwarders was set up with two parallel forwarding trails (250-m length) leading down from the landing over marine sediments (coarse sand covered by 10–15 cm raw humus layer) on an undulating slope (0–10% inclination) to a lower bog. These led to four parallel strip roads (200-m length) over the lower bog (4-m deep). The harvester used 50% wider cutting zones on the bog to provide a sufficient reinforcement of the trails with harvest residues. The forwarder load stakes were marked at heights specifying a 12-m3 load, due to the low bearing capacity of the bog.

The upper slope and lower bog were divided into seven blocks of roughly similar operating conditions (Figure 2). Three transects were laid out systematically per block, intersecting both forwarders’ trails to mark measuring points for the compression of the harvest residue layer (while still above the humus surface) and development of rut depth (after compression below the humus surface). Measurements were made in each wheel track after each pass for both forwarders. Pre-harvest ground conditions for each block were measured on the transect

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 11

midpoints (three measurements per transect, Table 1). These measurements included stone quota (percent of soil probes stopped by a larger stones in the first 20 cm), maximum soil probe depth (between larger stones), penetrometer resistance (for three intervals: 0–10 cm, 11–20 cm, and 21–30 cm below the humus) and soil moisture content (volumetric percent at 10, 20 and 30 cm below the humus layer). The soil probe had a diameter of 1.4 cm and a maximum penetration of 70 cm. The cone penetrometer resistance provides a measure of soil strength and was registered with an Eijkelkamp hand penetrometer (2 cm2 cone) at 2 cm/s feed rate.

The remaining residue mat thickness or rut depth was measured in the mid-point of each wheel track for each forwarder after each loaded pass using conventional aluminium measurement frames (140/160 cm wide base for 8 and 10-wheeler, respectively). The residue thickness (positive distance above the humus layer) or rut depth (negative distance below the humus layer) were measured to the nearest cm. Different frame widths were used to ensure the same distance from the outer edge of the respective bogie-belts (20 cm wider belts for the 10-wheel forwarder).

The study was run as a regular forwarding operation, where each loaded pass represents one unloaded pass down from the landing and one loaded back toward the landing. Two field workers made the rut measurements after each transect was passed with the stipulated full load (12 m3). The number of passes was therefore highest for the blocks closest to the landing (A–C) and lowest for the blocks farthest from the landing (D–G). The study design aimed to provide roughly 25 loaded passes per forwarder.

The volume available for each forwarder provided 510 and 612 rut measurements for the 8-and 10-wheeler, respectively.

The analysis was preceded by an initial overview of harvest residue mat coverage after the first pass to check comparability per block and forwarder.

Thereafter, the results were modeled in two steps.

The first step examined the frequency of transects where the residue mat was pressed below the humus level. The second step concerned only transects where the mat was pressed below the humus, and modeled the development of rut depth with multiple linear regression. Statistical presentations and regression analysis were done in MiniTab v17.

Results The initial overview of residue mat thickness after the first pass showed an unequal coverage between forwarders on two blocks (Figure 3; lower coverage for the 8-wheeler in blocks F and G). Both of these blocks were excluded from further analysis. For the remaining data, ruts deeper than 10 cm were found on 19% and 31% of transects after 5–10 and 15–20 passes for the 8-wheeler. The corresponding figures for the 10-wheeler were 7% and 12%. Regarding ruts deeper than 20 cm, these were found on 3% and

Figure 3. The frequency (%) of initial measurements per block (A–G) with a harvest residue mat on the forwarding trail (0: no residue mat over the humus level, 1: residue mat over the humus level) after one pass with the 8-wheeled forwarder (left) and 10-wheeled forwarder (right).

Table 1. Pre-harvest ground conditions per block (n = 9 per block with 3 transects per block with 3 measurements per transect) June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 12

6% of transects after 10 and 20 passes for the 8-wheeler. The corresponding figures for the 10-wheeler were 0% and 0%.

Given the thickness of the harvest residues on the forwarding trail there was considerable error between individual measurements of rut depths.

Average values per transect for 5-pass intervals (0–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–20, and 21–25) were therefore used for further analysis of rut depth development. A simple plot of the average rut depths per loaded pass number is shown right (Figure 4).

Using linear regression, 79% of the variation between transects presented in Figure 4 (n = 32) could be explained by 4 coefficients (Eq. 1): a) the intercept, b) pass interval, c) interaction between pass number and forwarder and d) interaction between pass number, forwarder type, and preharvest soil moisture content. All coefficients were statistically significant at a 5% level (p < 0.05).

RUT = -4.5 - 0.102 (PASS) + 0.413 (PASS X FORW) - 0.0147 (PASS X FORW X VMC)

Where: RUT: average rut level in relation to humus layer (interval −1 to −30 cm) PASS: average number of loaded passes per pass interval (0–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–20, 21–25) FORW: forwarder type (0, 1 for 10- and 8-wheeler, respectively) VMC: average pre-harvest volumetric moisture content (%) Two different rut measurement frames were used for the study (1.4 m for 8-wheeler with wheelwidth belts, 1.6 m for the 10-wheeler with 20 cm wider tracks). Control measurements were made with both rut measurement frames after the operation was complete (seven blocks with three transects per block and two ruts per transect giving 84 paired comparisons). For transects with a harvest residue mat still above the humus level (7.2 cm on average, n = 34) the 1.6 m frame gave an average mat thickness 0.6 cm thicker than June 2020

Figure 4. Plot of average rut depth (cm on y-axis) with increasing number of passes (x-axis) for the 8-wheel and 10-wheel forwarders. The values presented are the averages per 5-pass interval. given by the 1.4 m frame. For transects with ruts below the humus level (−6.9 cm on average, n = 47) the 1.6 frame gave an average rut depth 0.3 cm shallower than given by the 1.4 m frame.

Discussion Öhman (2013) reviewed the historical development of ground pressures for 4-, 6-, and T8-wheel forwarders of different load size classes.

The development of 10-wheel forwarders is a logical continuation of this development trend.

The results of the field study confirm the results which were to be expected given the increased contact area enabled by the longer and wider rear bogie-track for the auxiliary axle. The extrawide harvester swaths provided the increased reinforcement of forwarder trails which are necessary for accessing the lower bog. The total volume transported per forwarder during the study was approx. 300 m3, less than half the volume now typically harvested in a Norwegian farm harvesting operation (600–800 m3). The limited volume still enabled roughly 25 passes per forwarder, partially due to the reduced load volume (12 m3). The field study gave good opportunity to observe the dynamics of the respective undercarriages. A simple observation is that the single-ribbed bogie-tracks under the 8-wheeler’s load quickly broke down the structure of the residue mat, puncturing the humus- and root mat where harvest residues were thin. In contrast, the auxiliary axle extending the rear track length of the 10-wheeled forwarder reduced the vertical amplitude of the rear bogie, better

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 13

bridging short stretches of limited residues.

Because of the higher number of complete loads transported over the main forwarder trail closest to the landing (blocks A–C), the rut depths for the highest number of passes in Figure 4 more reflect the drier conditions and higher soil strengths in these blocks (Table 1). However, even with the limited rutting observed, the regression analysis of depth development with pass interval (Eq 1) shows an increased effect of an auxiliary axle on rut reduction with increasing soil moisture and reduced soil strength. A correspondingly reduced effect of the auxiliary axle on rutting for stronger soil types follows the same logic. For the regression analysis, the use of average values for the noted pass intervals (1–5, 6–10, 11–15, etc.) provided a more stable estimate of rut depth.

This proved to be a useful approach when dealing with high measurement error when working with thick residue mats on soft ground. This approach, however, failed to capture the initial surface compression associated with the first few loads (see Figure 4). Other studies have compared undercarriages for the same prime mover on agricultural fields (Björheden 2018). A common observation from both ongoing studies and the contractor’s practical experience is that the auxiliary axle on the 10-wheeler should be lifted while turning due to the higher shearing forces of the longer bogie-tracks in a curve.

The empirical results of this field test can be compared to the results provides by a rut prediction simulator using the specifications of the respective machines (Fjeld and ØstbyBerntsen 2017; Fjeld et al. 2018; Østby-Berntsen and Fjeld 2018). In this field test, the relative reduction of rutting with the 10-wheeler was greater than the calculated relative increase in contact area and corresponding reduction of ground-pressure provided by the longer and

wider bogie-tracks. In this context, there are differences between underlying formulas for ground-pressure calculations for bogie-tracks (e.g. RTG 1969 versus Malmberg 1981). However, these primarily concern how assumed sinkage contributes to the effective increase in track length and does not take into consideration the differences between traction ribs and floatation plates used on the respective bogie-tracks. It is more probable that the deviation between the field study results and corresponding theoretical calculations can be attributed to the type of bogie-track used on the respective forwarders.

The narrower more aggressive traction ribs used on the 8-wheel forwarder are used on steeper conditions typical for Norwegian operations. In contrast, the wider plates used on the 10-wheeler are only suited to the less challenging topography of flatter sensitive sites. For future studies, it would be useful to further examine the interacting effects of axle configuration and bogie-track types on combinations of soil strengths and harvest residue matting.

In summary, the auxiliary axle matched with a suitable bogie-track served as an effective aid when passing sections of marginal bearing capacity. Given suitable harvest residue matting, it reduced the initial risk of breaking through the peatland root mat and subsequent rut development.

Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. www.tanfonline.com Citation: Dag Fjeld & Øivind Østby-Berntsen (2020) The effects of an auxiliary axle on forwarder rut development – a Norwegian field study, International Journal of Forest Engineering, DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2020.1765645

TO ADVERTISE IN FOREST MACHINE MAGAZINE CONTACT RAB ON +44 (0) 7582055748 OR forestmachinemagazine@mail.com

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 14

NEWS

CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH

T

he Södra Foundation for Research, Development and Education has decided to grant an additional SEK 6.8 million to 13 research projects linked to forestry and the forest industry.

“Investing in research is crucial to facilitating the transition of society, regardless of whether we are in a boom or a slump, or in a period of pandemic and uncertainty in the market. It is on the basis of this insight that we have decided to contribute additional funds,” said Göran Örlander, Chairman of the Foundation.

Among the projects that have been awarded funding is “Lignin-based waterproof coatings,” a project aimed at developing materials based on lignin and tall oil for surface treatments, for example, of wood products and textiles.

“Lignin, one of the primary components of wood, is processed in enormous volumes on a daily basis in the paper and wood pulp industry. There is great potential in taking further steps in the value chain and identifying new applications for lignin, which could replace current fossilbased alternatives. Examples of such applications are glue, liquid biofuel and carbon fibre as well as building and construction materials.

June 2020

There has been a great deal of progress in these areas, but a long-term perspective and continued investments are needed in order to reach out commercially in large volumes,” said Catrin Gustavsson, Head of Innovation and New Business, Södra.

Several forest-related projects were awarded funding, including one concerning the difficult situation involving damage caused by the spruce bark beetle.

“Spruce is the most important tree type for forestry in southern Sweden. That is why producing the best knowledge possible on the scope and development of spruce bark beetle damage—and how this is to be limited going forward—is important,” Göran Örlander said.

One project awarded funding was: “How to constitute the spruce stock of tomorrow to reduce the risk of spruce bark beetle attacks.” The objective of the project is to establish which spruce stock types run the greatest risk of attack from spruce bark beetles and to estimate the extent of the damage these beetles cause.

Read more about the Foundation and which projects have received funding www.sodra.com www.forestachinemagazine.com

NEW H212 HARVESTING AND PROCESSING HEAD

T

he new H212 from Waratah Forestry Equipment is a lightweight, agile harvesting and processing head. Waratah’s smallest harvesting head, designed for 8-16 metric ton tracked carriers or 16-18 metric ton wheeled carriers, provides enhanced productivity for early thinning operations. The multipurpose head can handle mixed hardwood and softwood stands as well as multi-tree harvesting, processing or debarking applications.

Read more here

TREE PLANTING BACK ON TRACK

N

ew figures published show that despite the COVID-19 challenges, Scotland delivered over 80 per cent of all new tree planting in the UK. In total, 10,860 hectares of new woodland were planted, the second highest level since 2001. That means that nearly 22 million more trees were planted in Scotland last year.

Read more here Page 15

NEWS

RIVERS HELP LOCK CARBON FROM FIRES INTO OCEANS FOR THOUSAND OF YEARS

T

he extent to which rivers transport burned carbon to oceans where it can be stored for tens of millennia - is revealed in new research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Oceans store a surprising amount of carbon from burned vegetation, for example as a result of wildfires and managed burning. The research team describe it as a natural – if unexpected – quirk of the Earth system.

The international interdisciplinary team, including collaborators from the Universities of Exeter, Swansea, Zurich, Oldenburg and Florida International, studied the amount of dissolved carbon flowing through 78 rivers on every continent except Antarctica.

Lead researcher Dr Matthew Jones, of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA, said: “Fires leave behind carbon-rich materials, like charcoal and ash, which break down very slowly in soils. We care about this burned carbon because it is essentially ‘locked out’ of the atmosphere for the distant future – it breaks down to greenhouse gases extremely slowly in comparison to most unburned carbon.

June 2020

“We know that this burned carbon takes about 10 times longer to break down in the oceans than on land. Rivers are the conveyor belts that shift carbon from the land to the oceans, so they determine how long it takes for burned carbon to break down. So, we set out to estimate how much burned carbon reaches the oceans via rivers.”

Based on a large dataset of 409 observations from 78 rivers around the world, the researchers analysed how the burned fraction of dissolved carbon in rivers varies at different latitudes and in different ecosystems. They then upscaled their findings to estimate that 18 million tonnes of dissolved burned carbon are transported annually by rivers.

When combined with the burned carbon that is exported with sediments, the estimate rises to 43 million tonnes of burned carbon per year.

Dr Jones said: “We found that a surprising amount – around 12% per cent – of all carbon flowing through rivers comes from burned vegetation. While fires emit two billion tonnes of carbon each year, they also leave behind around 250 million tonnes of carbon as burned residues, like charcoal and ash. Around half of the carbon in these residues is in the particularly long-lived www.forestachinemagazine.com

form of ‘black carbon’, and we show that about one-third of all black carbon reaches the oceans.”

“This is a good thing because that carbon gets locked up and stored for very long periods – it takes tens of millennia for black carbon to degrade to carbon dioxide in the oceans. By comparison, only about one per cent of carbon taken up by land plants ends up in the ocean.

“With wildfires anticipated to increase in the future because of climate change, we can expect more burned carbon to be flushed out by rivers and locked up in the oceans. It’s a natural quirk of the Earth system – a moderating ‘negative feedback’ of the warming climate that could trap some extra carbon in a more fire-prone world.”

Further information, data and figures explaining the findings can be found here.

This study was principally funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NE/L002434/1), with other financial support from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the Swiss National Science Foundation (PZ00P2_185835).

‘Fires prime terrestrial organic carbon for riverine export to the global oceans’ is published in the journal Nature Communications on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. www.uea.ac.uk Page 16

NEWS

HOW THE GIANT SEQUOIA PROTECTS ITSELF

T

he giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) has developed effective strategies to protect itself against external influences in its natural environment in the Sierra Nevada. Its bark ensures that the tree survives wild fires and rock fall almost unscathed.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck from the Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energyautonomous Materials Systems (livMatS), working with Dr. Georg Bold and Max Langer of the Institute of Biology, have examined the structural properties of its bark in detail for the first time. The University of Freiburg team has shown that the bark fibres form a three-dimensional network with cavities. This network distributes energy acting on the bark across the entire tissue. The results of their study have been published in the “International Journal of Molecular Sciences.”

The outer bark of the sequoia tree contains many fibres,

which are organized in fibre bundles. These cross over each other and are also layered on top of each other, creating a three-dimensional netted structure. In between the fibre bundles are air-filled cavities.

When a rock strikes the bark, these cavities are compressed.

Compressing the hollow spaces and stretching the fibre network has the effect of distributing the energy evenly over the bark and protecting the inside of the tree with the sensitive cambium that forms wood and bark. The bark later returns almost completely to its original state. The cavities also insulate the tree so that it is resistant to the heat generated during wild fires.

Due to this structure, the bark of the sequoia tree behaves like an open-pored foam similar to the foam used in the construction of cars and houses, for example. On the basis of their findings, the researchers are, among others, to develop with colleagues

Photo: Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg from the University of Stuttgart a new type of light weight concrete with bundles of hollow fibres, which could be used to insulate and to better protect buildings against earthquakes, for example.

Original publication: Bold, G.; Langer, M.; Börnert, L.; Speck, T. The Protective Role of Bark and Bark Fibers of the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) during High-Energy Impacts.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 3355; www.pr.uni-freiburg.de

KOMATSU FOREST SUPPORTS CHARITIES

K

omatsu Forest has joined forces with the Komatsu companies in Europe and the parent company Komatsu Ltd in Japan and donated approximately SEK 1.2 million to charitable causes. In the UK,

June 2020

Italy and Brazil, the pandemic has hit the population hard and Komatsu has chosen to target the grant to local relief efforts. In the UK, the money goes to Peoples Kitchen and Carlisle Foodbank. In Italy, the grant is directed to the efforts www.forestachinemagazine.com

of the Red Cross locally.

In Brazil, the contribution to health care protective equipment goes to the Açailândia / MA Health Department. The city is very poor and the stress on health care is great. KomatsuForest Page 17

NEWS

SAVING THE CLIMATE - FREIGHT OF WOOD CHIPS FROM ROAD TO RAIL

F

or many years, transportation of wood chips from saw mills in the Lillehammer area to the wood processing industry in Halden has been done by trucks on road. Now the trucks are being replaced by trains.

The transition from road to rail has come about as a result of good cooperation between customers and suppliers.

The rails were in place, but adjustments have been necessary in order to facilitate loading and discharging of the cargo. The first wood chip load was successfully transported this week.

“We have acquired new train wagons and we use electrical train engines. We are planning weekly deliveries thereby saving 1650 truck loads per year. These trucks now being replaced by train would otherwise have travelled on the E6 through

June 2020

Oslo centre, giving huge environmental benefits,” says Kjell Arve Kure, managing director of Norske Skog Saugbrugs.

“We have worked with this project for a long time and we are very happy that we now have managed a smooth transition from road to rail for this kind of transport.

Freight by rail is a much more environmentally viable solution with the additional benefit of being more cost efficient”, says Jørn Nøstelien, managing director of Gausdal Brucoll.

The wood industry company Gausdal Bruvoll in Oppland produces building materials.

Wood chips is a by-product which is transported to Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden where the chips are processed into different types of magazine paper. www.norskeskog.com www.forestachinemagazine.com

HIAB’S MULTILIFT LAUNCHES TWO NEW HOOKLIFTS

H

iab, part of Cargotec, launches MULTILIFT Optima 15S and MULTILIFT Optima 25S hooklifts for two and four axle trucks to complete the MULTILIFT Optima product range. The 15S and 25S offer 15 and 25 tonne capacity for two and four axle trucks respectively.

Optima hooklifts have a light, yet robust construction to provide better fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. All Optima hooklifts offer great value and deliver quality, safety, and reliability.

The hooklift can be customised with optional features, such as automatic sequence control, hydraulic locks and fast speed functions for greater ease-of-use, safety and productivity. www.hiab.com Page 18

NEWS

MAINE COMPASS: RELIEF PACKAGE FOR LOGGING AND TRUCKING COMPANIES DESERVES SUPPORT

M

aine logging and forestry trucking contractors have joined a national effort seeking federal relief for their industry at a time when COVID-19 and its economic impacts are threatening the survival of the companies on which the entire U.S. forest economy depends.

Here in Maine, the industry was introduced to COVID-19 back in January and February as export markets started to shut down, bringing about an abrupt end to their busiest time of year even before the state began to see the impacts of the disease. A short and warm winter added insult to injury for most loggers as they hoped for the best but prepared for the worst.

Yet, with typical tenacity, our state’s family logging and forest trucking businesses persevered

as they were deemed essential and felt that a growing demand for wood fiber during the pandemic could lift them back to health.

This optimism quickly turned to despair as the twin shocks of the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Maine and across the United States as well as the explosion at the Pixelle Specialty Solutions pulp mill in Jay struck within weeks of one another, and everything changed.

How bad is it? A recent survey of the membership of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, the state’s trade association for loggers and forest truckers, found that 88% of respondents have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Read more here

FMM’s free monthly emag provides an honest and unbiased international perspective on the important issues affecting forestry. Delivered direct to your inbox every month.

Click here to Sign up June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

NEW VERSION OF PONSSE MANAGER

A

s a new feature, PONSSE Manager displays the progress of work areas in a separate graph, showing harvester production and forwarder production relative to the total estimated volume of the work area in question.

Printable load certificate The PONSSE Manager load certificate displays work area identification data and local transportation per storage location, both as sum totals and operator-specific values. The printable load certificate also includes the volume of each load, the assortments delivered, and the distance travelled.

“Forwarder production volumes will be updated in PONSSE Manager reports if the forwarder is equipped with a compatible PONSSE Load Optimizer loader scale or the Opti 4G operator load details feature, which allows operators to enter their roadside deliveries in the Opti 4G system.

These features raise machine chain reporting to a whole new level and offer a better overview of total harvesting production”, says Juho Leskinen, Product Group Manager, information systems and digitalisation. www.ponsse.com Page 19

We provide a wide range of winches suitable for most foresters needs provide a wide range winchesWe to suit forestersmanufacturers needs for both and forWE both excavators and of tractors. usemost reputable andbrand, tractors. reputable as our as wellexcavators as our own allWe of use which can bemanufacturers relied upon as forwell tough and own brand, all of which can be relied on for tough and demanding demanding conditions.

Visit our website to see what other great products we have to serve the forestry and associated industries. Or call for more information on 01434 230852

www.forestmachineservices.com

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 20

COUNTY COMMERCIAL MOTORS LTD END OF AN ERA

C

ounty Tractors have played a significant role in the evolution of forestry. The sheer number of machines that are still around today is testament to the fact they were a reliable and effective tractor for forestry use, with responsibility for bringing the majority of the UK’s timber to roadside in the 1970’s and early 80’s.

County (County Commercial Cars Ltd) was founded in 1929 in Fleet, Hampshire, England by brothers Ernest and Percy Tapp. Both had been Army officers in WW1 and upon returning to civilian life had established a meat transfer company, transporting supplies from Smithfield market for a butchers business run by Ernest’s father-in-law. The available trucks didn’t have a big enough payload for their needs so they converted one to a twin rear axle design that would increase the payload to two tonnes. As

June 2020

the conversion proved successful, they began to convert two-axle Ford trucks to triple-axle trucks for other companies. Ford picked up on this and the brothers built kits for Ford to convert the Model B and 7V trucks from four- to six-wheel vehicles at their factory in Dagenham.

During WW2 County supplied kits to convert 14,000 Fordson War Office 1 Trucks to Sussex specifications as well as converting a small number of E817T chassis, which were fitted with winches, into anti-aircraft barrage balloon launch trucks.

In 1948 a prototype crawler was designed and sent out on field trials for the Ministry of Agriculture, and by the end of the year another 50 were delivered. This machine was offered with a Bray angled dozer kit and others were fitted with a Boughton winch for forestry and recovery work.

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 21

They were underpowered so the option of a sixcylinder Perkins engine was offered at extra cost, which increased power from 29 to 45hp. This design was modified several times before the new Fordson E1A Major was released.

The County Four Drive was a Fordson E1A Major converted to a skid steer; essentially a crawler with four equally driven rubber wheels that was steered by skidding, this model was introduced in 1954 and continued until 1958 when it was superseded by the County Super 4.

While County conversions were primarily based on Ford tractors, other makes were used as well and all could be fitted with straight six cylinder engines or Perkins diesels.

Above: County Crawler.

Left: Falstone County 754.

Below: County Sea Horse and County 1174 Forward Control.

Ford began to manufacture their own fourwheel drive tractors in 1970, which had a huge impact on County’s sales as the forward control conversion was their biggest seller at this time.

The Forestry Commission purchased 754 County tractors and converted them to Falstone Skidders, adding Igland double drum winches, a logging blade, guarding, and a robust safety cabin. The James Jones Engineering division also used County tractors as a base for their Highlander skidder and forwarder conversions built at Larbert in Scotland.

Although the County was a popular and affordable tractor for forestry use the market was still relatively small. The 1980’s, however, saw the introduction of short wooding felling systems with forwarder extraction by purpose built Scandinavian machines and this accelerated the demise of skidders as the main form of extraction.

By 1983, County was in serious financial trouble and went into receivership in February that year.

David Gittins from Shropshire formed a new company entitled “County Tractors Limited” after purchasing the business and promptly set about updating the range, aligning the top models with the new Ford TW series spec skid units.

County was sold again in 1987 to the Benson Group and relocated to Powys in Wales; Benson manufactured very large machines and built two County 1184’s for BSC at Ravenscraig in Scotland.

The 1184 was an equal wheeled six cylinder 188hp 6.57 litre engine tractor, with dual power and a June 2020

County transfer case weighing 8030kg. In 1990 County was closed down as all Benson were offering was their own high powered models and importing other makes into the UK, which were then labelled as County tractors under licensing deals.

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 22

The parts operation was initially taken over by the Thama group, which had purchased the County parts business along with the remains of the Bamford operation from the Benson Group.

The spare parts business changed hands again in 2005, this time acquired by AT Osborne of Hampshire.

Tractor dealers and contractors AT Osborne had previously been a County dealer in 1981 and were the first non-Ford dealer to be appointed as a County specialist. All the spare parts, records and drawings were moved to their premises in Ower in Hampshire. The company is still in operation to this day repairing and rebuilding existing County’s, focusing on forestry and construction applications.

In total, over 35,000 tractors were built with over 75% sold overseas. Many of these units are still in use and others are increasing in value as they are in great demand from collectors.

It wasn’t just tractor four-wheel drive systems which were they offered four-wheel drive systems for Ford Transits and the D series trucks, which were popular with the utility companies.

They built Half Track conversions for tractors, high clearance sprayers, and the prototype Track Truck. This was a Ford D series four-wheel drive truck for both on and off road use with tractor tyres designed for use as a slurry tanker/sprayer, yet only one was built before County went into receivership.

Looking back, I remember when local newspapers were full of County’s for sale. In 1982 I went to see a 754 County with a Duncan safety cab (which was in mint condition and had been used on a farm) for sale for £500.

I decided against it and bought the more powerful 1004 Super Six instead – how I wish I had bought both and kept them in a shed! www.tractors.fandom.com

County 1004 Super Six with a Vimek Processor

Ford Transit County

ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FOR PAPER MAGAZINE ONLY £30 BI-MONTHLY- 6 ISSUES PER YEAR

forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 23

718 ADVANCES TO G-SERIES

T

he last machine in the drive-to-tree feller buncher line-up advances to G-series.

Tigercat engineering recently completed the drive-to-tree feller buncher line-up with the release of the 718G. One of the last Tigercat machines to receive a Tigercat FPT Tier 4 engine, it was a challenge to package the additional after treatment componentry required for Tier 4 compliance, while still retaining the nimble size of the industry’s finest thinning machine. The designers have succeeded, incorporating all of the features of the larger G-series family members, as well as additional enhancements, while maintaining the approximate size of the previous E-series machine.

The 718G gets its power from the Tigercat FPT N45 Tier 4f engine which provides 125 kW (170 hp) at 2,200 rpm. The completely redesigned engine compartment allows for a high capacity cross-flow cooling set-up with a hydraulic driven, automatic variable speed fan and an automatic reversing cycle. The new compartmentalized layout keeps the cooling system, hydraulic components, and engine in three separate areas.

The new accumulation mode allows the operator to choose between normal and auto-accumulate

June 2020

for bunching head arm operation. Simultaneous open and close of the clamp and accumulator arms can also be programmed on a joystick button. A saw interrupt trigger on the joystick turns off saw power temporarily when extra horsepower is required. This is particularly useful in hilly terrain once the saw head is full and the operator is backing up to dump the accumulated bunch.

The G-series cab is quiet and well-equipped and affords excellent visibility. LED lights improve reliability and brightness. A more even light pattern provides better coverage around the machine. The front window area is nearly ten percent larger. Combined with Tigercat’s lowprofile boom structure, visibility to the front is unmatched. The rear quarter windows are over twenty percent larger improving the view over the back tires – an asset in thinning applications.

Additional new features include a rear camera system, programmable joystick buttons, electric hydraulic fill pump, and ground-level fueling.

Enhanced differential lock controls are timed to turn off after a pre-set duration to save axle wear. www.tigercat.com

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 24

THE SHORT STRONG ONE WELTE INTRODUCES THE NEW SKIDDER W190 FOUR-WHEELER

I

n 2018 Welte presented the W190 six-wheeler.

This model consists of two construction classes. This is because the machine manufacturer Welte took the front end of the four-cylinder series and connected it to the rear end of the six-cylinder series. This new model type was initially built as a six-wheel skidder.

Now the first W190 four-wheeler has been sold to Emile Lucht from the Eifel. His company is located in Kall, 60 kilometers south of Cologne.

He and his wife Stephanie are both trained foresters and got to know each other during their training. They founded the company in 2004, since then Emile has been controlling the machines and Stephanie has been swinging the chainsaw.

The Eifel is known for its steep slopes. In the partly rugged valleys there are often thick Douglas firs. Thick wood requires a powerful machine. The fact that it is only four-wheeled is part of the plan: What has been important to the customer is the compactness of the machine in combination with power.

MADE FOR A HEAVY CRANE The machine has power: because the rear end of the W190, including the centre joint, corresponds to the six-cylinder class. The two larger axles of the four-wheel skidder are also installed in the W230. This means more stability: The six-cylinder rear frame, for example, is about ten percent wider, ten percent higher and also a little heavier in cross-section than the rear frame of the W130.

The swivel joint of the large centre joint is 35 percent larger in diameter than on the W130. “The cylinders for locking the twist are located further out, so they have more power due to the leverage effect,” explains Joscha Nühnen, managing partner at Welte, and adds: “Both centre joints also have two joints, one vertically above the other, for the articulated movement. The distance between these two joints is greater in the case of the six-cylinder center joint, making the joint more stable overall”.

In addition, larger steering cylinders provide more steering power.

June 2020

At the same time, however, the machine appears as compact as the W130, especially as it carries its smaller cab. However, the strong rear frame offers one advantage: it can carry a correspondingly heavier crane. For example, the largest possible rear crane from Epsilon would be conceivable for the 190: the X150. The four-cylinder machines from Welte, on the other hand, are fitted with the crane manufacturer’s S-Class at most. So the powerful four-wheeler W190 also promises a powerful crane. In this case, however, the customer opted for an X130, more precisely an X130R72. This is similar to its big brother in the components main and lifting jib as well as telescope and “is strong enough for my purpose”, explains entrepreneur Lucht. There is also a reason why the crane only reaches 7.20 metres for the logs, not eight metres, which Epsilon also offers. The 7.20-metre Epsilon lifts a little more at short distances, because the difference between the eight-metre version of the X130 and the 7.20-metre version is solved via the respective length of the main arm. The main arm of the X130R72 is therefore shorter. When the lifting jib hangs down vertically from the main arm, the crane has the most power. On the X130R72, the grab can be guided 80 centimetres closer to the machine and in this case it provides more lifting power at certain points than the longer version.

Especially when the wood is particularly thick and takes the crane to the limits of its capacity, such reserves of power are worth their weight in gold -

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 25

or rather, wood.

This little bit more lifting power is necessary.

Because the massive Douglas firs that were felled here in Stephanie Lucht’s stand now have to be moved from the slope down to the removal path.

The ground is soft. Although the Welte carries the grippy Tianli tyres Super Logger SL 1 of the dimensions 28L-26 with rough cleats and steep shoulders. Nevertheless, Lucht fights his way up the slope in his W190 with chain-lined tyres.

Arriving at the beginning of the back road, the 36-year-old entrepreneur quickly realises that a second uphill drive with the machine will probably not be possible. The ground is already too greasy and Lucht does not want to ruin the alley. So he resorts to a trick: First, Lucht uses the winch to bring the trees outside the reach of the crane. On the Welte double-drum winch, he had a highly compressed 13-millimeter steel cable on the left side and a 16-millimeter Dyneema plastic cable on the right. Once all the logs have been packed with the crane, Lucht always places them a little further down the aisle, continues with the machine and then moves the logs back behind.

At the same time he has more logs in the rope.

In this way he manages to avoid another trip into the alley, but to get all the wood out of the slope.

The assembled Epsilon X130R72 truck-mounted crane does a good job in this. After all, it has a gross lifting moment of 156 kilonewton metres and, with a jib length of three metres, still lifts 4.2 tonnes. This is also necessary in this department.

Because the logs on this slope impress with an average log content of 4.5 solid metres. That demands a lot from the driver and the machine.

TORQUE OF 820 NEWTON METRES The W190 can take such strains: So two hearts beat within, that is, two traction motors. Both engines plus the complete drive train of a sixcylinder engine bring its torque of 820 Newton metres to the forest floor at 1200 revolutions of the diesel engine. The four-cylinder engine comes from Volvo Penta, which still complies with the Tier 4 final emissions standard. It delivers a lush 217 hp and allows working in second gear. The transmission has a good ratio and the engine has enough reserves to deliver power in second gear.

This allows the operator to drive faster without any loss of power. However, because of the two June 2020

traction motors, the maximum travel speed is reduced to 38 kilometers per hour instead of the familiar 40. The large Welte double-drum winch pulls ten tonnes. The rear blade also has the optional height-adjustable cable infeed. The special feature: two “windows” that give the driver a good view of the aisle even from the cab when the rear blade is raised. This is particularly useful on unclear paths where trees lie crosswise or roots protrude into the roadway. Such obstacles can be detected more quickly thanks to the recesses.

“Some people will say, I never needed this. But anyone who has it will be happy to see trunks that are directly behind the sign,” says Frank Hellekes, sales consultant at Welte and contact person for Lucht.

DEFLECTOR MADE OF STEEL TUBES At the end of the back lane, on the path that is once again fixed, Lucht opens the ropes and drives each log individually to the polter. Here the logs are cut into the different lengths, ordered by quality, by his wife with a saw.

At the end of this procedure it is again Emile Lucht’s turn: he used to work with skidders without a crane. So he polishes the logs with the front shield. Frank Hellekes about this technique: “Since the introduction of the rear cranes, it is rarely done this way, the polishing is mostly done with the crane”. Lights don’t touch that: It’s not for nothing that he ordered a front bulldozer from Welte for an extra tough job. This shield is also used on the large W200 eight-wheeler. It is suspended lower, namely at the level of the front axle on the frame, and is therefore fitted with cylinders at the top, which thus provide more force for pushing. “The two-metre wide French sign is even slightly lighter

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 26

than the narrower 1.80-metre wide standard front lift arm,” says Nühnen. Because it is specially designed for pushing. This version is widely used in France, which is why Welte internally calls it the “French Shield”. The reason: In France, entrepreneurs regularly have to push back roads into the forest, as forests there are sometimes poorly developed. The articulation of the padding shield thus favours the pushing away of earth masses. Stowage boxes welded to the side make it additionally stable for lateral forces. In Germany, on the other hand, fewer and fewer customers are ordering a front polarizer shield, explains Joscha Nühnen. After all, he says, the polishing of logs with a crane is now the norm. Because Welte sells its machines with a front blade as standard, customers receive a credit note. Welte also offers a version of the deflector, which is mainly ordered

by French customers. Emile Lucht, for example, ordered the tubular steel deflectors from Hellekes instead of the standard wire ropes. The rod deflectors can be tilted to the side using a swivel joint. The hinges are located on the roof rails. The rod deflectors are disengaged at the front of the vehicle. A chrome-colored swivel joint holds the two steel tubes together. If the deflectors are

opened at this point and swung to the side, the cab can be tipped without having to remove the steel tubes. The bonnet, on the other hand, can always be opened, as it swivels through the closed deflectors. For Emile Lucht, these steel cab guards are the icing on the cake on a machine that has two main capabilities: Steam in the power train and a strong crane. Frank Hellekes describes it like this: “This is how we get the delicate look of the four-cylinder front end and the brute working characteristics of the six-cylinder.” www.welte.com

Quality Machinery speaks for itself

Visit our website for all our product information

MADE IN

SWEDEN

Maschinenbau GmbH

Made in Austria

Tel: 01892 770 788 Mobile: 07836 274 164 www.marshalllogging.co.uk sales@marshalllogging.co.uk

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 27

SUPPLIED BY SPALDINGS

TMC CANCELA RANGE EXCLUSIVE TO SPALDINGS IN THE UK & IRELAND

TFK-225

High Strength Forestry Mulcher

TMC CANCELA TFK-225 Forestry Mulcher c/w hydraulic push frame and rake teeth

2.25m WORKING WIDTH

UP TO

325mm

FINANCE DEALS LE AVAILAB E PLEAS ASK!

MANUFACTURED WITH

CUT DIA.

BUILT FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT & LAND RECLAMATION APPLICATIONS EFFICIENT MULCHING CAPABILITY The TFK forestry mulchers have been engineered to deliver impressive mulching ability from lower input power.

With high strength build quality, capable of mulching branches and grinding stumps up to 325mm in diameter.

• Body built in high strength “Strenx” steel for tough environments • Hydraulic hood to improve material intake and mulching

A RANGE OF TFK FORESTRY MULCHERS WITH WORKING WIDTHS FROM 1.6m to 2.25m ARE AVAILABLE FOR USE ON TRACTORS FROM 100hp to 145hp — PLEASE ASK FOR DETAILS!

Fitted with HEAVY DUTY CARBIDE TIPPED hammers

For further details and to see TMC Cancela mulchers in action visit: www.spaldings.co.uk Call our dedicated team on: 01522 507100 June 2020

facebook.com/spaldings.ltd • twitter.com/spaldings

www.forestachinemagazine.com

email: forestry@spaldings.co.uk

Page 28

Power Station has been restored to its original design.

£1.1M REFURBISHMENT OF HISTORIC DRAX HYDRO POWER STATION

E

nergy company Drax Group has invested £1.1 million refurbishing the historic Stonebyres hydroelectric power station on the banks of the River Clyde, near Lanark ahead of its 100th anniversary.

The Lanark hydro scheme, which comprises both Stonebyres and Bonnington power stations, was the first large-scale hydroelectric scheme in Britain when it was completed in 1927 – producing enough electricity for around 17,000 homes.

Using the plentiful supply of water from the River Clyde to spin the power stations’ turbines, the hydro scheme can operate almost continuously throughout the year to provide a reliable and sustainable source of renewable electricity.

The refurbishment of the power station was a

June 2020

complex task due to Stonebyres being a category A listed building – the highest possible grading, as a result of it being designated as a site of national architectural importance.

The restoration of the historic site was led by Drax Group senior civil engineer Anne Kerr.

“Restoring Stonebyres has been a labour of love for my team,” she explained.

“It was a complex and challenging project, involving a great deal of care to protect the station’s many original features. It has been a real privilege to not only safeguard Stonebyres’ history but to play a part in its future too.”

As part of the project, every original pane of glass and window frame in the building was painstakingly replaced using stronger, modern

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 29

materials, but which retain the station’s original design. The power station’s exterior received a new concrete coating as well as a coat of mineral-based paint to protect the integrity of the building for decades to come.

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Head of Hydro, said: “Stonebyres Power Station has been producing reliable, renewable electricity for almost a century, and this major refurbishment will ensure it continues to do so for many years to come.

Senior civil engineer, Anne Kerr, and Head of Hydro, Ian Kinnaird, in front of the newly refurbished power station, view from a bridge over the river Clyde.

“Since the refurbishment, the station looks almost brand new – you would be forgiven for not realising it has been generating electricity for the area since 1927. Scotland has a long and proud history of hydroelectricity, and with this project Drax is ensuring these power stations play an important part in securing a net zero carbon future for our country.”

Drax acquired the Lanark hydro scheme alongside the Galloway hydro scheme and the Cruachan pumped-hydro storage facility in Argyll in January 2019, helping to make the company a leading provider of flexible, low carbon and renewable power generation.

replacement steel windows have been individually fabricated and fitted whilst the old paint on the outside of the building was removed using grit blasting before being washed down. A survey then identified areas for repair and all loose and damaged concrete was removed. The paint used in the project is mineral based, and chemically bonds with the concrete to allow water to evaporate from the concrete.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Prior to work starting at Stonebyres power station, it was scaffolded and wrapped in plastic to protect the building while the work was completed. The

An artist’s drawing of the site pre-refurbishment.

June 2020

The £1.1m refurbishment has transformed Stonebyres.

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 30

Image: Warren Reed/Penn State

BEDROCK TYPE UNDER FORESTS GREATLY AFFECTS TREE GROWTH, SPECIES, CARBON STORAGE

by Jeff Mulhollem

U

NIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A forest’s ability to store carbon depends significantly on the bedrock beneath, according to Penn State researchers who studied forest productivity, composition and associated physical characteristics of rocks in the Appalachian ridge and Valley Region of Pennsylvania.

The results have implications for forest management, researchers suggest, because forests growing on shale bedrock store 25% more live, aboveground carbon and grow faster, taking up about 55% more carbon each year than forests growing on sandstone bedrock.

The findings demonstrate that forests underlain by shale in this region provide more ecosystem services such as carbon uptake and biodiversity, explained researcher Margot Kaye, associate professor of forest ecology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Also, shale forests make

June 2020

up a smaller portion of the landscape and should be high-priority candidates for management or conservation.

“As forests grow and respond to warming, shifts in precipitation and invasive species, managers will benefit from incorporating lithological influences and considerations on forest composition and productivity,” she said. “For example, conserving forests growing on shale with higher species diversity will likely lead to forests that are resilient to stressors and can grow more vigorously.”

Forest managers — now realizing the disparity of productivity — may target forests growing over shale for conservation and carbon sequestration, Kaye contends. In contrast, they may decide that forests growing over sandstone are better suited for wildlife habitat management or recreation.

To reach their conclusions, researchers analyzed forest inventory data from 565 plots on state forest

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 31

and game lands managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the state Game Commission in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. They used a suite of GIS-derived landscape metrics, including measures of climate, topography and soil physical properties, to identify drivers of live forest carbon dynamics in relation to bedrock.

Those forest plots contained more than 23,000 trees, ranging from 20 to 200 years old, with most being 81 to 120 years old, according to the most recent available forest inventory data. In the study dataset, 381 plots were on sandstone bedrock and 184 were on shale — a similar ratio to the amount of Pennsylvania public land on each bedrock type in the Ridge and Valley Region. There are 812,964 acres of forest on sandstone and 262,025 acres of forest on shale in the region.

Researchers also identified the tallest trees in each plot and compared them by bedrock types.

Maximum tree height in plots underlain by shale is, on average, more than 19 feet higher than in plots underlain by sandstone.

The forest inventory plots in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province in Pennsylvanias used in this study are shown. Inventory plots were restricted to land owned and managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, underlain by shale and sandstone bedrock.

Image: Margot Kaye Research Group/Penn State

“That is an eye-opening number,” said lead researcher Warren Reed, a doctoral student in ecology.

While forests underlain by both shale and sandstone bedrock were oak dominated, the tree communities are quite different, Reed pointed out. Northern red oak is more dominant on shale bedrock, and chestnut oak dominates on sandstone. Most species in the forest tend to be more productive on shale, and the diversity of tree species is higher in sites on shale bedrock.

Forests grow faster over shale bedrock than sandstone bedrock because of soil characteristics that generally make water more available to trees, Reed hypothesized. Over millions of years, bedrock breaks down, becomes parent material and soils develop. Because of the composition of the rock types, shales break down into soils with finer texture than sandstone, which is coarser.

Forests above shale bedrock growing in finer soils typically have better access to water during the growing season.

“We see this across the landscape, so forest productivity is indirectly related to bedrock,” Reed said. “Oaks growing on sandstone are more June 2020

This photo shows big northern red oaks growing on top of the Rose Hill Shale formation.

Researchers found that the maximum tree height in plots underlain by shale is, on average, more than 19 feet higher than in plots underlain by sandstone. Image: Warren Reed/Penn State

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 32

sensitive to annual climate and water availability — or put differently, oak growth on sandstone is more limited by water than on shale.”

The findings of the research, recently published in Forest Ecology and Management, are exciting, Reed noted, because the information about underlying bedrock type has been readily available but previously not used to understand forest growth. Maps showing the locations of bedrock types have existed for decades. But the magnitude of the forest differences due to bedrock is quite surprising, he said.

The concept of geologic influences on forest growth will be especially valuable in Pennsylvania, Reed said, because it is a major producer of hardwood lumber, and the state has so much forest growing on its portion of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. The Ridge and Valley is a major portion of the forested Appalachian Mountains, so these rules should apply from southern New York to northern Georgia within that landscape.

“Sequestering carbon in forests is one of the many nature-based solutions we have to combat global climate change,” he said. “I believe this is an

A typical stand of chestnut oaks growing on top of the Tuscarora Quartzite formation in Rothrock State Forest. Forests growing above sandstone bedrock like this have smaller trees and less diversity of tree species. Image: Warren Reed/Penn State ecosystem service that will continue to gain traction and eventually greater market value.”

The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture supported this research.

Jeff Muhollem | jjm29@psu.edu | 814-863-2719 A’ndrea Elyse Messer | aem1@psu.edu |814-8655689 | news.psu.edu

CHIPPING SERVICES ACROSS SCOTLAND TOP PRICES PAID FOR STANDING OR WINDBLOWN TIMBER DIRECT TO YOU THINNING AND CLEAR FELLING FREE NO OBLIGATION SURVEY

T: 01307 466699 Steve Watson: 07716 245299 Email: steve@angusbiofuels.co.uk | Unit 1, Eco Park, Forfar DD8 3BS June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 33

MONDI POSITIONS ITSELF TO BECOME ONE OF THE LEADING SUPPLIERS OF PREMIUM RECYCLED PAPER WITH ITS NAUTILUS® BRAND

• Launch of three new products- NAUTILUS® ProCycle, NAUTILUS® ProCycle high-speed inkjet and NAUTILUS® SuperWhite for HP Indigo • Alongside a new brand design, customers will also benefit from a broad range of sample portfolios and will experience the papers’ versatility with new marketing tools and inspiring stories on mymondi.net • The expanded range has good availability across Europe and beyond due to an established distribution network

M

ondi, global leader in packaging and paper, is paving the way to become one of the leading suppliers of premium recycled paper with its established brand NAUTILUS®. Over the past few months, the business has initiated several steps to meet increasing demand for premium recycled paper and goes to the heart of Mondi’s approach to sustainability.

MILESTONES THAT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED: Brand refresh “For the Love of Nature” As part of the NAUTILUS® brand update, Mondi developed a new brand design entitled “For the love of nature” in line with putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do. The key visual shows the scenery of Lake Gosau, in Upper Austria, the home of the NAUTILUS® brand. The brand symbol has its origin in nature too - the NAUTILUS® snail – is based on the golden ratio.

In order to offer its customers the variety of the NAUTILUS® papers, Mondi has developed new marketing and sales tools and a broad portfolio of samples for its office and professional printing applications. Through its inspirational platform, mymondi.net, customers can draw inspiration from stories about the brand and learn about its commitment to sustainability.

June 2020

NEW PRODUCTS UNDER THE NAUTILUS® BRAND In 2020, Mondi launched three new members of the NAUTILUS® family, NAUTILUS® ProCycle, NAUTILUS® ProCycle high-speed inkjet and NAUTILUS® SuperWhite for HP Indigo.

• NAUTILUS® ProCycle is a 100% recycled office paper meeting the highest environmental standards. It is CO2 neutral and offers EU Ecolabel, FSCTM and Blue Angel certification. The paper has a high degree of whiteness (UV 100 / CIE whiteness 135), which is achieved without using optical brighteners in the production process.

Therefore, NAUTILUS® ProCycle is currently the only recycled paper on the market that is produced in line with the new standards of the Blue Angel ecolabel. It is available in 80 g/m² A4 and A3 sizes.

• NAUTILUS® ProCycle high-speed inkjet is especially tailored to high-speed inkjet printing presses. It is available in reels of 80 and 90 g/m2. Its special surface treatment for dye and pigment inks retains ink on the paper surface for crisper colours with lower ink consumption. Additionally, it is optimised for quick water absorption, fast drying, no offsetting and, consequently, increased productivity.

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 34

• NAUTILUS® SuperWhite for HP Indigo is the ideal sustainable alternative to bright white paper made from virgin fibre as it is produced entirely from post-consumer waste paper and with a CIE whiteness level of 150. The entire range, from 80 to 350 gsm, is certified for HP Indigo presses, which is ideal for runnability, blanket compatibility and ElectroInk adhesion.

EXTENDED PORTFOLIO AND AVAILABILITY In the first half of 2019, Mondi recognised that there was a shortage of uncoated recycled fine paper in Europe in the market place yet huge demand. In response to this, Mondi’s recycled paper NAUTILUS® has been extended to include a full portfolio for professional print and office applications to meet this increased demand.

Produced at Mondi’s Neusiedler mill, Mondi has been working with leading distributors across Europe and beyond to make the NAUTILUS® brand available to customers. Mondi is the only supplier that offers a recycling portfolio for all printing technologies such as high-speed inkjet, HP Indigo, laser and offset printing.

“At Mondi we believe all our products should be sustainable by design. With our broad portfolio, strong supply and distribution partnerships as well as our considered approach to natural resource use which is reflected in our new NAUTILUS® brand design, we want to ensure that our customers find the right recycled paper for diverse applications, be it for industrial, office or personal purposes” said Johannes Klumpp, Marketing & Sales Director.

ABOUT MONDI UNCOATED FINE PAPER Uncoated Fine Paper is a business unit of Mondi Group. In six operating sites in Austria, Slovakia, Russia, and South Africa, Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper produces pulp and environmentally sound office and professional printing papers tailored to the latest professional digital and offset print technologies. The company complies with the strictest international certification standards to support sustainable production processes through the responsible management of forest, water and air resources. All Mondi uncoated fine papers belong to the Green Range of papers that are FSC™ or PEFC™ certified, 100% recycled or bleached entirely without chlorine. www.mondigroup.com June 2020

FOREST MACHINE MAGAZINE #homeoflogging JUNE 2020 SUBSCRIBE Magazine - bi-monthly, 6 issues per year.

UK £30, Europe £60.

Emag - monthly, 12 issues per year.

Free ADVERTISE - contact us for great rates.

CONTACT US UK: forestmachinemagazine@mail.com Rab: +44 (0) 7582 055 748 Wendy: +44 (0) 7951 473 846 Website: www.forestmachinemagazine.com Address: 33 Holm Gardens, Bellshill, ML4 2PB. UK

FIND US ON

#homeoflogging Forest Machine Magazine assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate information, errors or omissions. Forest Machine Magazine considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible.

However, reporting inaccuracies can occur and consequently readers using this information do so at their own risk. The opinions expressed in each article are those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Forest Machine Magazine.

Therefore, Forest Machine Magazine carries no responsibility for the opinions expressed thereon. Through the magazines you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Forest Machine Magazine. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites.

The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

No part of this publication and/or website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher.

© 2020 Forest Machine Magazine. All rights reserved.

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 35

TOWARDS INNOVATIVE, CONFLICTSENSITIVE AND HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACHES TO FOREST MONITORING

T

he Governments of Myanmar and Finland today launched a trailblazing project designed to allow for monitoring of forests in a manner that is sensitive to local conflicts and protects human rights.

The five-year project will be led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) thanks to a EUR 8 million endowment from the Government of Finland, a consistent partner in the promotion of environmental sustainability.

The project is innovative in taking a conflict sensitive and human rights-based approach to forest monitoring. This has global relevance as it will provide insights into how to bolster sustainable forests in other fragile countries

June 2020

affected by conflicts that are frequently exacerbated by disputes over tenure and access to natural resources.

“Actions to monitor and measure Myanmar’s forests have great potential to deliver benefits for multiple purposes. In Myanmar there are many conflicts or mixed governance land areas, which pose particular challenges in working and engaging ethnic peoples and stakeholders in the measurement of forests,” said Xiaojie Fan, FAO Representative to the country. “While performing the technical tasks of forest inventories, this new project will ensure that the socio-political and cultural context is explicitly addressed through appropriate conflict sensitive and Rights based approaches.”

The virtual signing ceremony for the project was

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 36

held in Myanmar’s capital Nya Pyi Taw today and attended by the Director General of Myanmar’s Forestry Department, Finland’s Ambassador to Myanmar, and the FAO Representative to Myanmar.

“The project is innovative in developing an approach to National Forest Inventory (NFI) in areas with security and conflict issues; a much needed approach with global application. NFI involves the physical measurement of the trees and forest on the ground, which is essential for accurate information on forests, and the corner stone of National Forest Monitoring Systems”, said Julian Fox, FAO’s Team Leader of national forest monitoring. “Accurate forest monitoring is the foundation of natural resource management decision making as well as contributing to global efforts to preserve biodiversity and fight against climate change”, he added.

National Forest Monitoring Systems are also essential for evaluating and validating a country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, an essential step toward enabling a country to obtain resultbased payments from REDD+.

“In the Government and especially in the Forest Department we are very pleased with the support we are receiving through Finland and FAO for developing a truly national scale forest inventory, something which never has existed in the country before. We are in urgent need of better and updated data about the state of all the forests in Myanmar. These data will help to better plan and evaluate sustainable forest use and conservation in our country together with all stakeholders, public and private and also in the land areas of our ethnic brothers and sisters”, said Dr. Nyi Nyi Kyaw, Director-General, Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

Promoting sustainability The human rights-based scope of the project is anticipated to actively contribute to alleviating conflicts and offer a platform for improving the livelihoods of the country where 70 percent of the population who live in Myanmar’s rural areas and rely on the country’s estimated 29 million hectares of forests for basic needs and service. It also has a special focus on engaging the more than 100 different ethnic groups, each with its own history, culture and language or dialect, who live in the country.

As some of Myanmar’s regions are affected by internal conflicts, the project is designed to be participatory and inclusive, with extensive stakeholder consultations, communications and a grievance procedure that will include minority groups as well as global and national organizations with expertise in human rights and conflict. This will contribute to a do-no-harm approach in development projects related to the country’s natural resources.

“Forest monitoring is part of Finland’s support for Myanmar to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

It is important that conflict sensitivity and human rights remain in the core of the forest monitoring work in order to ensure that it benefits all people, including ethnic minorities,” Finland’s Ambassador Riikka Laatu said. “Building a conflict sensitive and a human rights-based methodology to forest monitoring is a key target during the first phase of the program. This includes answering questions on openness of data and building trust between the villagers and forest authorities on the use of data.”

FAO is pledging to use the human rights-based approach to forest monitoring developed under this project to craft global guidelines for conflict sensitivity and human rights-based approaches in ecosystem monitoring more broadly around the world. www.fao.org

ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FOR PAPER MAGAZINE ONLY £30 BI-MONTHLY- 6 ISSUES PER YEAR

forestmachinemagazine.com

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 37

Young loggers

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 38

CLASSIFIED

JCB 85Z Excavator on rubber tracks (2014) c/w FMS 575 Stroke Head (2017) Hours 2231 £61,000.00 + VAT Price includes Full forestry guarding, 2 buckets, Tree shear, Rake.

This machine has very low hours, has been well maintained and is ready to go to work.

Finance for the machine is available in the UK via Eagle Asset Finance Ltd (subject to status) Call 01506 400772

Stockmann HL4000FW 40 tonne splitter with Farma Crane (2018) Hydraulic Log Lifter, Hydraulic knife adjustment. Range of splitting knifes included.

C5,3 G2 Frma crane, 5.3 m Lifting power at full reach 540 kg. Swing angle 360 ° Selling on behalf of our customer £24,995 For more information please call 01926 484673 or email sales@fuelwood.co.uk June 2020

Eco Log 574 B (2007) 10120 h 8 heels, Loglift crane. POA Régis Wallerich ZI de Marville, 55600 Marville, France Tel: +33 3 29 88 10 20 Mobile: +33 608653377

Gremo 1050 F (2014) 8500 h. Cranab FC80 Crane Boggielift. Bogie bearings on changed on both sides.

Engine changed at 6000H. Service was done ~100H ago.

POA. Andreas From Ly 506, 305 72 Steninge, Sweden Tel: +46 761132072 Mobile: +46 761132072

Heavy duty recovery chain 7.5m long £50 + vat Glasgow 07306 078644 Komatsu 350/350.1 Centre feed rollers £200. Price is per roller. Centre feed rollers for Komatsu 350 or 350.1 harvester head. Good condition, Just used for demo.

Komatsu Outer feed roller motors Refurbished outer feed roller motors for Komatsu Harvester heads: Head model C144 - motors / 780CC / Special price £800 + VAT per motor (Recommended price new motor is £3000).

Head model 360.2 - motors / 688CC / Special price £600 + VAT per motor (Recommended price new motor is £2400).

Per Annemalm Tel: +44 1228792018 Mobile: +44 7741669796 www.forestachinemagazine.com

HSM 208F (2016) 12108 h. Loglift 91 100, Cranab CR360. POA Régis Wallerich ZI de Marville, 55600 Marville, France Tel: +33 3 29 88 10 20 Mobile: +33 608653377

Husqvarna 560XP Good working order with 18” .325 bar and chain. £200 +vat Glasgow 07582055748 Page 39

World leading machinery on a budget Used High Speed Shredders

Languages spoken: ENGLISH

DEUTSCH

FRANÇAIS

PORTUGUÊS

ESPAÑOL

2015 Doppstadt AK 235

2011 Doppstadt AK 435 K

2015 Doppstadt AK 510 K

2016 Doppstadt AK 560

2018 Doppstadt AK 635K

2016 Paal Dokon 500 H Channel Baler & Cross Wrap

POLSKI

Used Slow Speed Shredders

2014 Haas Tyron 2000

2013 Doppstadt DW 3060K

2017 Doppstadt DW 2060K

2018 Fuchs MHL 340F

2014 Fuchs MHL 350

Used Material Handlers

2019 Fuchs MHL 340F

For more information contact:

Tony Weir +44 7748 677274 @blue_machinery

June 2020

@BlueMachinery

or email: blueused@bluegroup.co.uk

@Blue-Group

www.forestachinemagazine.com

@BlueGroup

@BlueGroup

Page 40

BUSINESS CARDS

ADVERTISE

alstor.se

angusbiofuels.co.uk

apexfluid.co.uk

balmec.com

bluegroup.com

caledonianforestryservices.co.uk

clark-engineering.com

clarktracks.com

forestryfinance.co.uk

finnmetko.fi

forestmachinemagazine.com

forestmachineservices.com

fuelwood.co.uk

gblubricants.co.uk

gremo.com

homeforestry.co.uk

husqvarna.com

kingwell-holdings.co.uk

kesla.com

logset.com

marshalllogging.co.uk

mettron.co.uk

ncdequipment.com

pfanzelt-maschinenbau.de

ponsse.com

rjfukes.co.uk

sbforestryltd

spaldings.co.uk

timbermax.ca

wedesign.com

westtech.at

tmktreeshears.com June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com

Page 41

THE PROFESSIONALS CHOICE

TR30 AQ MECHANICAL FELLING WEDGE • DESIGNED FOR USE WITH CORDLESS IMPACT DRIVER • STANDARD RATCHET CAN ALSO BE USED • 25 TONNES COMPRESSIVE FORCE • 4.2KG - WEDGE ONLY Felling Wedge with Ratchet Drive

£700 + VAT

Felling Wedge with Milwaukee M18 Fuel ¾ Drive Cordless Impact Driver with two 5.0 Ah Lithium batteries

£1200 + VAT

Felling Wedge with Milwaukee M18 Fuel ¾ Drive Cordless Impact Driver with two 9.0 Ah lithium batteries

£1400 + VAT

AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON OUR WEBSITE

June 2020

www.forestachinemagazine.com Page 42 www.forestmachinemagazine.com