Forest Restitution

[WDH]

Great pics, Tonich.  Good looking stand as well.  We call that cable logging in North America rather than overhead skidding, although your term is more descriptive! 

You are doing a good job!

[tonich]

Thanks for clearing this up, WDH!
I just wanted to pay you attention, that logging is of sections, which are in the air and do not touch the ground in harvest area. Since the pictures are from near the upper store, it might be confusing. While the stand is at opposite slope.

[tonich]

Toni, where is the sawmill?

As I’ve already promised  :









PS. Folks, just uploaded more pictures in my gallery. You might find it interesting. Have fun! 

[beenthere]

tonich
Nice milling setup you have there.   Thanks for the pics.

Is the 'cover' over the electric motor for sound reduction, or air blowing sawdust in your face?  or both?

Do you sell the lumber you've cut, or are you doing the sawing for someone who owns the logs?

Do you have a drying room, or move the lumber green (not dried)?

   too many questions?   

[SwampDonkey]

Looks a fair bit warmer in the saw shed. So what's the production per day on the mill? Looks like a nice whack of logs int he door and out the yard. You have time to take photos when there is board tailing to be done, and kiln feed'n?


Looks great Toni. I had a look at some of your gallery pics. Are some of those photos from the old days with lots of fellers with tools working weather they get paid or not? Looks like a lot of fellers in one another's way.  Almost more men than logs on the ground. Do you guys usually scale the big ends of the logs? That would be real cool if I'm selling. I'm hoping for big price.

[Ed_K]

 Tunich, when I saw that tractor with a tower behind it my eyes about popped out  . Can you get more pictures of that setup? How many winches are on it? How much H.P. is the tractor?I've been thinking of using a setup like that for a couple of yrs now. The forester's here say it won't work.

[tonich]

You have time to take photos when there is board tailing to be done, and kiln feed'n?

Oh, no! I’m not a log feeding killer. 
I was just able to capture all these pictures from a DVD movie for cooperatives, made back in 2005. All except the black-white ones, which were taken from the early 70’s, a believe.

Is the 'cover' over the electric motor for sound reduction, or air blowing sawdust in your face?  or both?

Both! This is a self adjustment out of tarboard.

Do you sell the lumber you've cut, or are you doing the sawing for someone who owns the logs?

All lumber, sawn in the mill is from the cooperative forests. Probably about 60 % of the annual harvested volume is redirected to mill. The other 40 % is sold as a roundwood (basically small timber and lower quality logs), directly from the upper store. The advantage here is that they can pick up the desired logs for the needs of the sawmill, while others are left for another potential buyers.

Do you have a drying room, or move the lumber green (not dried)?

Not yet. But within the next two years, I suppose. For the time being, the only sawn timber sold is green.

So what's the production per day on the mill?

They saw about 10-11 cubic meters roundwood per 8-hours shift. The output is reasonable as well – usually about 72-74 %. As you all see, this is WoodMizer (I can’t tell you the exact model, though), which is tend to be commonly spread in cooperative mills in my region. As far as the production is outsourced to Poland nowadays, this is appearing a “best buy” sowing item around.

Are some of those photos from the old days with lots of fellers with tools working weather they get paid or not? Looks like a lot of fellers in one another's way.  Almost more men than logs on the ground.

Something like that! Mind that this is a picture pose – kind of communist pride. As for the rest, you quite right.

Do you guys usually scale the big ends of the logs? That would be real cool if I'm selling. I'm hoping for big price.

Yes, this is common practice, resulting in better view for the potential buyer and even higher price. The other reason is state timber control – the state forester must apply his control stamp in other to logs can be transported out of upper store.

Tunich, when I saw that tractor with a tower behind it my eyes about popped out  . Can you get more pictures of that setup? How many winches are on it? How much H.P. is the tractor?I've been thinking of using a setup like that for a couple of yrs now. The forester's here say it won't work.

Ed, all I know so far is: this thing works!
For many years now, it is used here. And it is ideal for slope terrain.
This is a cableway of smallest class. It is a classic Austrian production - KOLLER Gesellschaft. It has two winches – one for the support rope and one for the hauling rope. The support rope is as 400 m. long, so it can cover this long ride. The hauling rope pulls the wagon. On the wagon there is another winch and rope, for side hauling – about 25-30 meters in both directions. The whole thing covers about 350x50 meters cutting strip. The mast is folding, so can be transported by the tractor.
The main advantage of this setup is it hauls uphill, where no forest roads can be build.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how much H.P. is the tractor, nor to get more pictures for the time being. I will do it when I'm able.

cheers! 

[tonich]

Just read the “Deforestation discussion” and thought you might be interested to hear this:

Did you know, that Bulgaria is probably the only country in the world, where the forest area is growing slightly, but surely in the past 20 years!?

The main reason is political: the agricultural lands, ideologically created during the years of communism, nowadays, turned back to their true owners are left alone and forest is currently striking back. It is mainly in the mountain parts of the country, where the soils are relatively poor and is not worth dealing with agriculture. This results to increasing forest area now and increasing biomass in the near future.
On the area I’m practicing (see pictures above!) the increase rate is about 20 % (for the last 20 years) - a fact, based on the decade’s inventory, held last year.
Of course, it could not take forever, but this is how it goes for the time being and the nearest future.

[SwampDonkey]

Toni, a lot of old cleared land here reverted back to forest after the first and second world war. Some folks found new jobs when they returned and some never made it back. A lot of guys left at the times of war because 'anything would be better than this' , besides the patriotism. In those years there was little money and the farmers ate well, but their sons were basically free labour, others worked for store pay (food, tools, blankets, kerosene). Many that returned from the war went on to the US or westward for jobs in various careers and helping to rebuild Europe. Some ares that were booming during the war effort, dried up after it was over. And a lot of areas around my region didn't want big industry while the federal government was happy to entice everything with incentives to central Canada.