Forest Talk

This month, NZ Logger has been out in the forest near Wairoa to take a look at Razors Edge Contracting's new Waratah FL90 felling head riding on a John Deere 959 leveller.

The FL90 is a new mid- to large-size head designed for demanding operations, but without the added weight of heavier class felling heads. The latest FL90 fills a targeted mid- to large-size gap for 20+ tonne carriers, offering a lighter alternative to the FL100. The FL90 weighs in ..... more

Next month’s HarvestTECH & Woodflow Logistics Conference in Rotorua will showcase some genuinely ground-breaking new machine technologies.

Two key technology speakers will be:

• Mike Casey, an entrepreneur and Central Otago orchardist with hands-on experience of electrifying mobile plant. He is also CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a group dedicated to electrifying fossil fuel machines everywhere as quickly as possible.

• Ian Wilton, covering in..... more

Gisborne District Council says forestry is an important part of the region’s future, but there is also a need to manage environmental risk and protect communities.

Chief Executive Nedine Thatcher Swann says recent public discussion has highlighted concerns about how the council’s forestry consenting and compliance system is working and the ability of forestry to continue harvesting.

“We are listening to those concerns,” she says. “More than 280..... more

A decade ago, Ivan Turdeich was sent by his boss, Ron Thomasson, on a visit to Canada to see first-hand the Tigercat operation. He came back armed with a slew of video and photographs that he wanted to share with others at Thomassen Logging.

He ended up making a video and posting it on the newly created Thomassen Logging’s Facebook page. It went “gangbusters”. Buoyed by the initial reaction and seeing the potential of using videos and social media an..... more

A large increase in log exports has contributed to Port Nelson’s underlying net profit after tax of $12.7 million for the year ended 30 June 2026.  This has been supported by strong cargo throughput of 3.8 million tonnes. Revenue increased to $96.3 million, 15% ahead of last year, and the company has declared a dividend of $6.5 million to its shareholder. Despite the strong operational result, Port Nelson reported a total comprehensive loss of $31.5 m..... more

Morepork Forest Harvesting’s Harvestline Mk 4, combined with a Sany SY415 Pro, is the focus of the Iron Test in October’s NZ Logger.

When Morepork co-director Brad Merwood first considered a Harvestline, he was a bit worried about it. More familiar with big swing yarder, it was quite a shift to the Mk4. However, he was quickly impressed.

 “It's a new generation really, a lot faster than the first examples of yoders that I had heard about. ..... more