Pre-commercial Thinning

[sjfarkas]

Those mulchers should be able to cover 3+ acres a day.  I can do 2 a day with my bobcat on steep ground in oak.  I don't think anyone with a saw could compete with that.

[SwampDonkey]

No, they couldn't. But, in pre-commercial thinning no machine can do the quality work we require and can do manually. They space the trees too wide for our criteria, we have to leave trees 6 feet apart or a little tighter (1200/acre). They tried machines and had to give up where we work. We do 50 acres a week with a 12-15 man crew, manually. How many weeks it going to take before the manual crew saves enough in cost and gains in production? Each man works his own section, and if both man and machine get the same $$/acre..........well.  What about getting close enough with a machine to cut all those raspberry cane sized whips growing around the stem of the crop trees? We have to cut any woody stems over a foot tall in height. ;)

[VT_Forestry]

Yeah, that machine can definitely roll.  We mowed down that 5 acre stand in probably an hour  We have a few hundred acres more to do this year, gettin a little too hot to run the brushcutters but we'll run the machine during the summer since its got A/C and then wait until it cools off in the fall/winter to brushcut again.  We got the shredder stuck yesterday doing a little clearing in some bottomland, I got some pictures around here somewhere I'll have to post them up  ;D

Edit:  Got this picture with my cell phone....had to cut a few trees down and use the winch to get it back out

[DirtForester]

Eeak!  A forester's nightmare.

[stonebroke]

Why do you not run chains?

Stonebroke

[junglejim]

Machines sure are nice for some stuff. But some times you just can't beat a man with a saw in his hand.

[sjfarkas]

I'm not saying that a machine could do 100% of the work, but I think that it could do about 90%.  You could put a man or two with one machine and haul but.

[Ron Scott]

One needs to consider the existing stand condition and the desired future condition as to whether mechanical or hand methods or both should be to do the thinning.

[VT_Forestry]

Why do you not run chains?

Stonebroke

We're generally not running around in poor conditions, we were clearing a small area for a hotel sign next to the highway and their timetable didnt' permit us to wait for things to improve.  We thought it might be ok but once it broke through the top layer it was done for.  After we got it out, we went back to cutting with chainsaws, skidded the trees up to higher ground and mulched them there.  Headed back out to finish up today

[SwampDonkey]

Well, tomorrow we have a first aid refresher course. Thinning season is approaching fast. The boss says by May 1st, but I imagine in another week I'll be marking out perimeter and strips. I could be cutting 12 acres or so on my own ground right now, but that's my cash reserve. ;D

[VT_Forestry]

Started in a new area this week...ran the shredder through then started on it with the brushcutter.  This area is natural regen from a hurricane that came through in 2003 and flattened the previous pine stand.  Pretty thick, but I'll take care of that




to the left of the photo is the portion that has yet to be thinned, center is where I've done a little work.

[SwampDonkey]

Yup, looks like thinning.  ;D The machine does a better job then some they used here. We began yesterday and what looks like a lot of aspen actually had a few butternut, ash, basswood, sugar maple. I probably saved about 30 butternut so far. Cut a 1-3/4 acres strip in a day and a half. Starting in on a new strip tomorrow. It's a 14 acre block and I suspect there will be quite few more butternut and hardwood to leave.

[VT_Forestry]

I finally got around to putting a few videos on YouTube.


First up is the Franklin Environmental Shredder

http://www.youtube.com/v/-gf04REP5ig


Next up is yours truly running the FS450...

http://www.youtube.com/v/MxMEzKJzBs8


Enjoy  

P.S. - not sure what I'm doing wrong with the embedding code on Youtube...if anyone knows the error of my ways, suggestions are always welcome ;)

[Bobus2003]

I'm guessing you just leave the trees lay on the ground. You ndon't brush them down or Pile to be burned or chip the wood?

[Ianab]

P.S. - not sure what I'm doing wrong with the embedding code on Youtube...if anyone knows the error of my ways, suggestions are always welcome Wink

The forum software automatically embeds YouTube clips. Just past the link into your message.
The youtube embedding code is ignored and just makes the clutter, while the forum software finds the actual address in the code and makes it active.

Ian

[Jeff]

Yep, simply paste the url for the youtube page, not the embed code.

[VT_Forestry]

The forum software automatically embeds YouTube clips. Just past the link into your message.
The youtube embedding code is ignored and just makes the clutter, while the forum software finds the actual address in the code and makes it active.

Ian

Yep, simply paste the url for the youtube page, not the embed code.

Makes sense!  Thanks, I guess that's why they pay you guys the big bucks

I'm guessing you just leave the trees lay on the ground. You ndon't brush them down or Pile to be burned or chip the wood?

Yes, as of right now we leave the trees laying.  We are trying to decide if it's worth it to try and chip them in the future, but for now they lay.  Being in the city a burn is out of the question unless I feel like looking for a new job after smoking out an international airport  :D

[SwampDonkey]

It's the best for the site to let them rot where they lay anyway. I know some old fart will want to walk among his trees without tripping in slash, but this is forestry not a manicure job. ;D