May 2021 Forest Focus - One 'L' of a skidder

May 2021 Forest Focus - One 'L' of a skidder

     Story & photos: John Ellegard

Back in the day, woodlot crews typically ran the oldest, most worn out and least-efficient machines in the forest, but times have changed.

Many of the woodlot crews I visit now are equipped with gear that almost rivals their corporate colleagues as they seek to lift their professional standards, improve performance and safety. Like Hodgson Logging of Benneydale, which runs an impressive, up-to-date fleet of mostly CAT tracked machines in its tidy operation.

But a few months ago, a green interloper appeared amongst it...

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May 2021 Special Feature: Roading for woodlots

How much forest roading do we need for woodlots?

As an industry, we will be harvesting a lot more woodlots – and harvesting woodlot is typically more expensive than working in our larger plantation forests. One poten...

May 2021 Tall Timber Bushman are born not made

Bushman are born not made

Golden Downs near Nelson is an iconic piece of forestry estate that features in the family history of many loggers from around New Zealand, not just those from Nelson ...

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