Steep slope timber extraction problem at Newtyle Forest near Forres
Images are courtesy of Derek Dean Huntly and Steven Mair, Elgin.
Loch Romach located in Newtyle Forest is in the distance below a steep slope on which the trees had been felled quite some time previously. The team from SJM Forestry were asked if they could remove the large trees from the slope and not having a double drum winch and skyline they devised a system of rope extraction using two drum winches. One drum was mounted on the rear of a newly acquired excavator with a pulley jib extension on its dipper arm and the other on a Valtra tractor skidder placed at the bottom of the slope. The rope from the excavator stationed on the top of the slope ran through the top of the pulley jib down the steep incline and was joined with the rope from the tractor skidder. The skidder drum cable acted as a haul back rope. Most of the pole length timber was hauled uphill to the excavator, its jib extension just giving enough height to allow a bit of lift on the dragging operation. The timber once landed was processed by a harvester.
Derek recalls this as the steepest slope he ever worked on for four weeks in November and December 2022 with long periods of heavy rain. The site was grassy and very slippery causing many falls and slips and extending the bounds of the explicative vocabulary. Chokering on the timber to the haul lines partially out of sight of the machine operator had its challenges as well as keeping the drags clear of the worst of the tree stump obstacles. Here modern technology came to the fore as the team used the latest Stihl headsets which had an open channel allowing open communication to all. On the Valtra tractor the Igland winch used for the haul back rope was remotely controlled by the chokerman (a team of two) when on the hill. A further team of two operated the Daewoo Solar 220 LC-V excavator and the forwarder the latter pulling away the logs and tree lengths to keep landing area clear.
An email from Mike, a forest recreational user shut out from his regular forest walking and cycling area for a time, says much:
“I want to congratulate your management of this area. Signage, access and track conditions are all fair and clearly laid out.
As I frequently use the high track on the south side of Loch Romach, I've been frustrated through lack of access during its closure for timber felling and extraction.
However, on a recent walk to the Loch, it became apparent to me as to why it appeared to be taking so long. The land is incredibly steep - much steeper than I had imagined when it was tree covered. The crew working on those slopes are doing a great job and with safety obviously being paramount, I can understand that this work can't be rushed.
I will obviously still enjoy the rest of your wonderful forest and thank you for allowing access to such a fantastic facility.”
The images in the PDF (link below) show the machines used and slope of the slope conditions.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes