Mechanized Harvesters are the Future of Logging
In logger parlance, the “feller” refers to someone who cuts down the tree, and the “buncher” is the means by which multiple felled trees are dragged (“skidded”) out of the woods.
The feller buncher is a mechanized harvester that performs both of these duties. It can grab, cut and stack. Modern equipment can do more, including delimbing and bucking. They come in both wheeled and tracked options, allowing for options based on terrain, weather forest structure.
The original feller bunchers were designed for pine plantation harvesting, where it was very easy to gather large quantities of trees quickly, often on somewhat even terrain. In the past decade or so, they have gradually evolved into models more suited for the hardwood region, where selection harvesting and challenging terrain make them harder to justify based on the investment.
However, those times are changing as the benefits outweigh the costs, and will only continue to increase that gap. The average logger is 58 years old, while the capital required to start a logging company eliminates most young people from getting in the business. Add to that the difficulty and cost in finding insurance and high-risk, long-hours and history of relatively low pay. Those who come into the industry through family can, and do, maintain the operations which is why so many third, fourth and even seventh generation logging business exist in the state.
Other benefits to the logging industry include significant reductions in:
• Stress • Energy expenditures
• Repetitive motion injuries • Hearing loss
• Physical load • Weather-related lost time
The Challenge of Finding Employees
The operators are significantly more comfortable and safer in their work environment, with so much of the physical toll eliminated. The job becomes less about strength and more about hand/eye coordination. They are able to work smarter, not harder. They can lead to better forestry and better silviculture, and logs can be cut to length.
Mechanized harvesters in the hardwood region are most useful in dense stands of young trees that need thinning, but they continue to evolve towards smaller and more nimble machines, which will in turn increase their utilization.
So,what do the logging firms need to consider when taking on the expense and opportunities of switching over to mechanized harvesting?
First and foremost, well-trained operators are the secret to success. Not only must they be a master of the machine, they must also know when to factor in their usefulness when bidding on timber sales. They must consider stand characteristics, the logistics of the trees marked for felling, the tree dimensions (some are too large for the current equipment), the dimensions of the machines being used, and the skill level of their operator.
“For me, my big things are safety and production,” said Joe Crone of Crone Lumber in Martinsville. “It’s a safe way of doing what we do and I know it’s going to be even safer when my kids eventually take over this business.”
What about landowner benefits? Are there any? Will it tear up my forest?
When utilized properly, mechanized harvesters can provide additional protection of advanced regeneration, mostly because the surgical nature of their use causes less damage to residual trees. The workers on your jobsite are safer and in more comfortable conditions. They help insure a timely harvest and whole tree utilization is much easier. The quality control is better and you can assume that the crews are highly-trained. They can also make it easier to install wetland crossings. And let’s not ignore the fact that they are fun to watch, if you need an entertainment break.
When asked what a landowner should consider in hiring a logging firm that uses mechanized harvesters, Crone said, “Safety is a big concern for them. There’s less mess due to more directional felling, but there can also be more land disturbance from the machinery. They also can count on it being a faster process.”
Are there concerns?
Of course there are. In certain conditions, the weight can cause more damage to the land, but BMP’s are designed to ensure that conditions are restored. Until the more nimble and smaller units come to market, their use is still limited in the hardwood regions, and the industry is still in the infancy stages of transitioning, so there are not many trained operators out there yet.
In summary, mechanized harvesters are the future of logging, as we see the timber harvesting workforce gradually evolve with them into a very old, multi-generational profession. Reductions in physical toll, insurance costs/availability and increases in productivity will continue to propel the momentum.
Ray Moistner is Executive Director of the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association. IHLA (www.ihla.org) is a non-profit trade organization comprised of sawmills, wholesale brokers, equipment vendors, secondary manufacturers, loggers, landowners and others who recognize the benefits of working together on issues and projects for the good of the hardwood industry.