I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my request for information
regarding wet ground logging systems in the lake states.
The original query was suggestions for summer logging of balsam and spruce
in the upper Great Lakes. A summary of the information I've received
follows.
Apologies to the respondents for my summaries of their comments.
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1. Low Ground Pressure/Wide Tire Skidding Equipment
---------------------------------------------------
A couple of people suggested wide tire skidders. Some of the current
mill suppliers have already begun taking this approach here. I think
it holds further promise.
Margaret Penner <marg@pnfi.forestry.ca> related her experience in a study
of wide tired skidding in black spruce stands on clay soils in Ontario
that found growth and yield to be similar to that of stands horse logged
in the 40's, an improvement over the use of standard tired skidders as
used in the 60's and early 70's. She also pointed out the following reports:
Groot, A. 1987. Silvicultural consequences of forest
harvesting on peatlands: site damade and slash
conditions. Canadian Forest Service. Inf Rep.
O-X-384.
Heikurinen, J.K.K. 1981. Current management practices
in the boreal mixedwood forest: northeastern region.
Pp 184-192 in Boreal Mixedwood Symposium, Can. For.
Serv. Inf. Rep. 0-P-9
Mathew F Smidt <smidt001@maroon.tc.umn.edu> provides a lot of good
information in relating his experience during a two year study of the
effect of high flotation skidders on aspen regeneration on sites in east
central Minnesota.
- "harvesting was late spring and summer...soils...were sandy loam so water
holding capacity was limited and they dried out quickly once the trees
flushed in June".
- no difficulty with excessive disturbance due to skidding or felling with
surface soil moistures of 30 to 40%.
- Comparable productivity to conventional skidding
- "Soil disturbance using a combination of high flotation and designated
skid trail will probably be within acceptable levels at soil moisture
levels higher than 30 %. One site with an organic surface horizon and
70% soil moisture had less then 5 % of the area in ruts (2 in or deeper)
using the combination of high flotation and designated trails".
- "The trend in Minnesota has been to equip + 150 HP skidders with High
flotation tires. With moderately high inflation pressures the tires
increase the load capability of the machines and ground pressures maybe
similar to smaller machines with conventional tires. The upside is that
traction from this combination is dramatically increased. Soil compaction
is driven to some extent by slippage rather than ground pressure".
- "Environmentally speaking it is probably more advantageous to equip the
smaller skidders (<130 HP) with HF tires for collecting bunches across
the site and using larger machines (with > load and > speed) to
transport the wood via designated trails to the landing".
He also points out (quite correctly in my opinion) that the ability to
skid wood from these sites at this time of the year usually isn't as
limiting as is the problem of hauling wood over often substandard road
systems. He suggests a need for more prehauler capacity.
Jim Shepard <NCASI@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu> points to Bryce Stokes at the
Auburn Forest Service lab as someone who has done quite a bit of
research into wetland/wet weather logging (tire size, configurations,
productivity and soil damage). They've also looked into forwarders,
helicopters, cable systems, etc. Their research has been geared
primarily toward logging in southern swamps.
Dr. Bryce J. Stokes
U. S. Forest Service
Devall Street
Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
(205) 826-8700
-----------------
2. Cable Systems
-----------------
Several people suggested looking at cable logging systems on flat ground.
Francis Greulich <greulich@u.washington.edu> Pointed to the use of cable
systems under similar conditions in the PNW. He felt high-flotation
vehicles tended to be more expensive and prone to damaging sensitive
soils. He suggested taking a closer look at "small to medium sized
cable yarder with a mobile tailhold rigged in a running skyline
configuration". He also pointed out the availablility of software for
cable system feasiblity and productivity analysis.
Trevor Stone <stonet@ucs.orst.edu> pointed to Dr. Loren Kellog of Oregon
State as currently conducting research into, and willing to discuss,
cable logging systems on flat ground ("small tractor-mounted yarders
with multispan capability"). He also offered a copy of a study conducted
in Zululand, South Africa entitled "The Application of a Skyline Yarding
Technique in the Harvesting of Ecologically Sensistive Flat Terrain Sites"
by D.L. Howe (currently unpublished).
Jim Mattson <fswa/S=J.MATTSON/OU1=S23L04A@mhs.attmail.com> The USFS
Forestry Sciences Lab in Houghton, Michigan is currently conducting
research in cable systems for wet and steep situations in the Lake States.
They hope to have a demonstration operation going in Eastern Minnesota
later this year. Jim Mattson or John Sturos at (906) 482-6303.
I <ktw@solaria.sol.net> flipped through a few issues of the trade magazine
_Forest Products and Equipment_ and found Christy Mfg, Inc of Orofino,
Idaho. They appear to offer a relatively small mobile yarding system
with 1400' of mainline. I contacted several colleagues in the Idaho
Panhandle and got a good report on the system ("reliable"). I have
requested more information from the company.
--------------------
3. Other suggestions
--------------------
Scandanavia
-----------
Jeff Prestemon <prestemo@calshp.cals.wisc.edu> suggests looking into the
methods used in Sweden/Finland as in his experience with the Swedish
Forest Service he observed they were harvesting a substantially similar
timber types under the same conditions. He also suggested playing with the
species mix in order to overcome fiber quality problems at the mill.
Olli Eeronheimo <olli.eeronheimo@metla.fi> offered a report he did in 1991
that summarizes the Finnish experince in wet ground logging. "It was
written in Finnish, but has an English summary and bilingual tables and
figures".
Eeronheimo, O. 1991. Suometsien puunkorjuu. Summary: Forest
harvesting on peatlands. Folia Forestalia 779. Finnish Forest
Research Institute. 29 p.
Wood Tech Suggestions
---------------------
Ted Bilek <FORE069@csc.canterbury.ac.nz> suggested looking into methods of
enhanced woodyard storage techiques to overcome the fiber quality problems
with stockpiled wood (i.e. sprinklers to prevent sapstain in pine sawlogs).
Misc Suggestions
----------------
Brian D. Glodowski <brian@cody.sol.net> says he's had some success
using geotextile mats to enhance the ability of haul roads to handle
heavy traffic. He points out that one of the keys to an even flow of
wood products is to be planning at least 18 months in advance and having
roadwork completed a year in advance of logging activity.
Charlie Blinn <cblinn@mercury.forestry.Umn.EDU> indicates that he serves
on a harvesting technology committee (at the University of Minnesota?)
that has also been looking into wet ground harvest solutions and would be
interested in sharing information on the subject.
Net Resources
-------------
I <ktw@solaria.sol.net> took a look via gopher at metal.fi (the Finnish
Forest Research Site) and the UofMinnesota Forestry Gopher and came up
empty on information pertaining to harvesting wet sites.
I also dropped by the US Forest Service document catalog via MERVYN
(FS INFO database). I appreciate the resource but I have a difficult
time using it with packet switching layered on top of telnet. I wasn't
able to come up with any useful references on the topic in a rather
limited amount of search time.
--
K.T. Wieringa ktw@solaria.sol.net
Ironwood, MI
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