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Forestry Videos

Started by matariki, October 09, 2018, 08:27:33 PM

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matariki

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if there were any good forestry/logging related videos on Youtube? Because there are plenty of rubbish ones of people doing dumb stuff. I'm more less interested about learning how the professional's go about doing what they do. 

I'm also interested in member commentary, what makes a technique and approach good? Would you use the technique/techniques yourself and why? 

Cheers.

Ianab

For the basics, watch the videos put out by the main saw manufacturers. They have legal departments that don't let them put "bad" info online. 

Something like this covers the basics.
How to work with a chainsaw - Tutorial from Husqvarna - YouTube
You might not end up with a Husky saw, but apart from little things like the choke and kill switch, and saw is going to be similar. What they are showing in that video is just the basics, but everyone has to start someplace. 

Videos from the Game Of Logging seems to be pretty good too, and show some more advanced techniques. You likely wont use them often, but it's good to know them when you get a tricky situation. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

matariki

Here's a decent video on dealing with windthrown trees. Clear instructions with sound advice.

How to Fell a Windblown Tree - YouTube

curved-wood


mike_belben

For advanced felling cuts i really liked hotsaws101's channel.  I think skeans knows him, just seems like a genuinely good guy.  Pro timber feller that makes some pretty good videos.


For good reading on the forestry business as a whole, tennessee timber consultants has a resource page full of great stuff and one of the links is a 100 page landowner guide in PDF form that starts at the basics and works up to commercial scale management.  The region and species will differ from US to NZ but the concepts should carry over.  

Then there is also managing forests for maximum wildlife. (which you may find is an underserved market.  Not much demand and therefore not much supply of people doing it.)  Basically you are selecting trees to hinge cut, cut and lay or clear out with a goal of maximum food and shelter for native wildlife.  In america, QDMA.org is the leader in this stuff and there are tons of video. 

All can be blended together.  You can be practicing best management for growing saw timber and maximum wildlife at the same time as operating a firewood business.  Its quite fulfilling actually.  Which is good because i havent found a way to make it pay yet!   LOL

Look up stephen alfords operation, its in the logging forum, "heading in a new direction, more like a circle."  He manages stands and cuts for firewood. Beautiful work and lots of great tips.  But a lot of equipment.
Praise The Lord

Ianab

Quote from: mike_belben on October 10, 2018, 09:47:23 AMThen there is also managing forests for maximum wildlife. (which you may find is an underserved market.  Not much demand and therefore not much supply of people doing it.)  Basically you are selecting trees to hinge cut, cut and lay or clear out with a goal of maximum food and shelter for native wildlife.  In america, QDMA.org is the leader in this stuff and there are tons of video.


Probably not much call for that locally. Native forest has NO grazing wildlife, and it's open season on anything with hair on it's hide. 

Basically 3 types of trees you will find. 
Indigenous forest. Heavily protected, might be able to get a permit to selectively harvest a few trees. "Management" on those means controlling pests and leaving the trees alone.  
Plantation forest. Usually pine trees as far as the eye can see. But also smaller plantings that don't interest the big guys, and can be a good source of firewood, especially the top and reject logs. 
Random trees and hedges. Most common sources of firewood. Hedges and shelter trees on farms. They get over-grown or blow down in a storm. Often you can get them for nothing if you clean up the mess. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

mike_belben

Praise The Lord

John Mc

Husqvarna has a good series of videos on chainsaw use. Much of it parallels what is taught in the Game of Logging classes:
Husqvarna Chainsaw Usage & Training
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

matariki

Quote from: mike_belben on October 10, 2018, 09:47:23 AM
Then there is also managing forests for maximum wildlife. (which you may find is an underserved market.  Not much demand and therefore not much supply of people doing it.)  Basically you are selecting trees to hinge cut, cut and lay or clear out with a goal of maximum food and shelter for native wildlife.  In america, QDMA.org is the leader in this stuff and there are tons of video.
Very interesting, in New Zealand farmers usually work alongside with government organizations such DOC (Department of Conservation) and MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) to manage native forests and wildlife. In New Zealand we have the opposite problem, not enough native flora and fauna. So there has been increased interest in developing riparian plantings to manage local ecosystems and soil fertility. I have worked alongside with people from DOC in the past. Promoting native wildlife is very much a passion of mine, so there is room for adaptation of this concept e.g. removing exotics and replacing them with native trees. This would be more or less a silviculture venture. So out of the local firewood guys that live in my area, I can confidently say that I probably know more than them about native trees and their potential. Nothing makes me more sad than seeing native trees cut up for firewood because people don't know any better. That's how I became interested in forestry and milling operations to begin with.

New Zealand also has a variety of native epiphytes (parasitic plants), which exotic trees could serve as a host for. The most well known one is Rātā (Metrosideros robusta). Its a large flowering hard wood tree that has a beautiful dark red finish with plum streaks. Its one of the worlds most densest woods. Making it an excellent choice for ship building, houses and furniture. However very prone to cracking and splitting on drying. It also takes a very long time to grow. But It also has a wide range of medicinal uses, with its nectar making some of the best tasting honey.

mike_belben

Well hopefully you can find your niche.  It all takes time. 
Praise The Lord

Ianab

Quote from: matariki on October 11, 2018, 10:04:18 PMPromoting native wildlife is very much a passion of mine, so there is room for adaptation of this concept e.g. removing exotics and replacing them with native trees. This would be more or less a silviculture venture. So out of the local firewood guys that live in my area, I can confidently say that I probably know more than them about native trees and their potential. Nothing makes me more sad than seeing native trees cut up for firewood because people don't know any better. That's how I became interested in forestry and milling operations to begin with.


My firewood (and woodworking supplies) are coming from an operation like that that I'm helping a friend with. She has bought a pretty run down property and is doing a lot of work to tidy it up. A pretty random mix of trees had been planted around it, and many of them had to go. Uprooting in the wind, stock damaged  around the base and rotting out etc. Every time the wind blew we had the track blocked and fences flattened. So I've got literally tons of Pine / cypress / sheoak etc to play with. But we have tried to save all the native trees we can, and get them fenced off from the stock. Have found various Rimu, Kauri, kowhai, totara, kahikatea and tanekaha that we can save, then fill up some gaps with some new seedlings in the future. Then complete some riparian plantings and plan to convert an old oxidation pond to a permanent wildlife pond, fenced off and planted with natives. Should look great with some flax and kowhai planted around the shore. 

Lot of work and $$ going into it, but compared to what she started with it will be a huge improvement, and add enough value to the property to be worth it. The place was on the Regional Councils "watch list" before she took ownership, they are much happier with things now. No more pig poo into the ponds, some rotten and rat infested buildings demolished, truck loads (literally) of scrap hauled away, and fences that actually keep animals in. :D

So there could be work / source of trees involved in that sort of work, especially if you know your native forest stuff. Not sure if you have the book "Native Forest Restoration" by Tim Porteous. It's out of print now, but you may be able to find it in a library or interloan. isbn 0908671466  Lots of practical info on how to actually get native forest established again, and would be useful for riparian planting / restoration work. 

Another thought I've had is about the Manuka honey industry. Lots of land has been allowed to regrow into manuka trees because the honey is so valuable. But manuka isn't a long term tree, just a first stage of forest regeneration. After 20-30 years the manuka is going to start to die off, and it wont regenerate itself under the existing canopy. Other longer term shade tolerant trees will instead come up, and gradually turn the area into a mixed forest, with no more manuka honey. Good for the wildlife, bad if you want to sell manuka honey. Basically if they want to keep producing manuka, the land will have to be cleared again, and new manuka allowed to grow. And that's a big stack of the best firewood you can get.... I know what you said about lopping native forest up for firewood, but if they want to farm manuka, it's going to have to be cleared and replanted like any other "crop", otherwise the honey will quickly become "bush blend". 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

matariki

For chainsaw repairs and mechanics I recommend this guy and his channel on Youtube. He is very knowledgeable about the subject.

The Chainsaw Guy


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