Over the last two decades, a lot of effort and research has focused on improving cable logging systems
This has been driven by the need to mechanise both for productivity and safety reasons, and also in recognition of the fact that, in many regions, harvesting has moved on to ever steeper terrain.
The list of improvements are impressive, with motorised grapples, winch-assist, mobile tail holds, advanced operating controls and even remote-controlled backline machines, all helping our yarding to be some of the most productive in the world.
As such, it is easy to overlook the “humble” skidder, which is still the number one extraction system in New Zealand. From the FGR Benchmarking system, approximately 38% of the country’s professional logging crews use it as their preferred extraction system, and it extracts about 55% of all volume harvested.
To see exactly how the new skidders are pushing the limits of modern productivity, University of Canterbury School of Forestry’s summer research students, Yotam Perchig and Noa Visser, supervised by Prof Rien Visser, set out to gauge the characteristics of one of the most productive skidder harvesting operations in the country.
To read more, get your copy of the June 2026 edition of NZ Logger magazine, on sale from 1 June. Check the link on this page to subscribe to either a printed or digital copy (or both).
