Whakatāne residents had front row seats to a demonstration of heli-logging using a Black Hawk helicopter last month, as local operator Kāhu assisted logging crews on Valley Road.

Whakatāne District Council contracted the crews to carry out the tree felling on two blocks of pine trees growing on steep terrain overlooking the town.

The logging operation, which began in mid-January was necessary to prevent the risk of trees falling down and the hillside giving way. 

The operation was initially expected to be cost neutral once logs from the 45-year-old trees had been sold, taking about four weeks depending on weather conditions and the difficulty of moving trees offsite.

Community Experience General Manager, Alexandra Pickles, says that challenges presented by the steep terrain of the northern section of the Valley Road tree harvest operation meant a change of methodology was required.

“Several options were explored and the heli-extraction method was selected as it presented the least environmental risk, safety risk, financial risk and least nuisance to nearby residents and road users due to its efficiency,” she says.

Kahu Helicopters was engaged for this work, using its Black Hawk helicopter that was designed for heavy lifting.

Nearby residents and businesses were visited by the project manager, who explained that a helicopter would be in use for three part-days of the operation, which would also result in a change to the road closure timeframe.

“Council staff have worked very closely with the western Valley Road neighbours to navigate such aspects as vehicle access and infrastructure. Wider community communications were also carried out via social media and local radio," she says.