Organised Felling using Huntly Hinge
Photograph courtesy of Mike Aldridge, Inverness, who worked as a Training Forester for a number of years.
This is a view of the Huntly Hinge cut into a Norway spruce before the tennon has dropped down into the slot thus holding the tree securely in position at desired height off the ground. Note that the photograph has been hand modified as the edges of the tennon were very unclear.
Mike describes the technique:
‘This was a technique devised by the Foreman Roy Neish and harvesting squad at Huntly to solve a problem. Following the introduction of Organised felling they quickly grasped its benefits and were keen to take advantage. However they had a problem not identified elsewhere, much of their felling involved large Norway spruce and they found it was almost impossible to retain trees on the stump. The physiology of local crops produced a brittle hinge that invariably broke allowing tree to slip off the stump, making it impossible to gain a bench of sufficient height. Though the complex felling cuts took longer than conventional methods, it guaranteed a perfectly positioned bench and the extra effort proved well worth while and nobody was able to provide a better solution to the problem.’
The PDF shows the whole process of cutting the hinge but unfortunately the last slide with tennon slotted in place is missing.
Download Large Version (530kB)
Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland