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...

Read More  

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 ...

Forest Talk

 
  • Carbon capture pilot launched at Finnish mill

    Carbon capture pilot launched at Finnish mill

    In a first of its kind trial, Metsä Group, a leading Finnish forest industry group whose operations span pulp, paperboard, tissue, and wood products, has sta...

  • Custom Controls improve Forestry Safety

    Custom Controls improve Forestry Safety

    Is the standard, off-the-shelf control system in your forestry machinery a weak link in your safety chain? In an industry where operators navigate treacherou...

  • Eco Survey and a Possum

    Eco Survey and a Possum

    Along with a New Zealand Timber feature this month, we take a trip back in time with Ross Lockyer to his Ecological Survey days as a Forest Ranger back in 19...

  • First of its kind Tōtara height-diameter model

    First of its kind Tōtara height-diameter model

    In research published earlier this year, the Bioeconomy Science Institute released the first height-diameter model for tōtara (Podocarpus totara). To date th...

  • Search for Most Valuable Coach begins

    Search for Most Valuable Coach begins

    Entries are now open for the Competenz Most Valuable Coach (MVC) award - a new nationwide search to honour the mentors, trainers, and workplace leg...

  • Solid build, light work

    Solid build, light work

    When it comes to bunching grapples, big is good and tough is even better. The new Duxson BX1100 is both. It’s hooked up to a John Deere 2156G XD LC at Nathan...

  • Tarata Road upgrade underway

    Tarata Road upgrade underway

    New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) has kicked-off a multi-million-dollar project to upgrade a key rural road.When it is finished, about five kilometres of ...

  • NZ Logger Magazine
    Tarata Road upgrade underway | Read Now