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• Engine Scania DC09 318 HP • Swing Torque, Twin Slew 129.876 Ibf • Traction Force 101.673 Ibf • Split cooling system with variable speed hydraulic oil cooler fan
contents NOVEMBER 2019
e
22
4 4
FOREST TALK Ministry slashes log export income forecast; rising log prices bring relief to contractors; forestry deaths remain high: how can we buck the trend?; first D-series TimberPro forwarder in NZ; Randalls appoints Ponsse partners in New Zealand; mechanical tree planting trials ‘revolutionise’ silviculture; former Forest Service celebrates a century; new wheeled harvester from Tigercat; One Billion Trees plan hits two milestones; Timber container loading system quicker and safer; double win for female forester.
38 wrapping up of the ambitious Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future programme and highlighted ongoing research in a number of other areas that will benefit the industry. 22
38
LG29342
16
FOREST GROWERS RESEARCH CONFERENCE The 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington marked the
SHAW’S WIRE ROPES IRON TEST Technology is making it easier and more productive for forestry operators to use machines and the Next Gen Caterpillar 323 road builder now working with Douglas Logging in Dargaville is a great example of how far we’ve come. LOG SUPPLY CHAIN It’s ironic that Nelson Forests has implemented a new log supply chain system that is designed to eliminate paper, but it’s more than that. The new
42 Trimble system – a first in New Zealand – is helping the company keeping better track of its wood flows. 42
BREAKING OUT NZ Logger returns to the Santoft Forest, near Bulls, to catch up with a crew we last visited 12 years ago to mark their achievement in winning the lower North Island Contractor of the Year award for 2019.
DEPARTMENTS 2 editorial 56 fica 58 top spot 60 new iron 64 classifieds
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 1
from the editor
Farms versus forests fight: No winners
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2 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
HIS WHOLE ‘FARMS VERSUS FORESTS’ THING THAT HAS BEEN PLAYING out in the mass media recently smacks of political agendas. It’s the government that farmers are targeting, but we forestry folk are getting caught in the crossfire. And I find it really unhelpful. Farmers should actually be working with foresters for the good of us all, not painting us as the bad guys. I can totally understand where they are coming from. They feel targeted by a green-washed Government that is blaming all farmers for our dirty rivers and lakes, and believe it wants to make them pay. And then heap more costs onto farmers by including them in the ETS scheme. To rub salt into the wounds, they reckon the rules allowing foreign owners to buy big farms and cover them with trees are too liberal and will “empty” rural areas of their populations. So they are fighting back, as anyone would when they feel like they are backed into a corner. But they are using forestry as a whipping boy to make their arguments heard in the media and they aren’t afraid of bending the truth to get their points across. For instance, the 50 Shades of Green ginger group seemed to deliberately misconstrue a Radio New Zealand report that a foreign-owned forestry company (Sydney-based New Forests) had been allowed to purchase more than 77,000 hectares of “good Kiwi farmland in just four years”. Absolute bollocks. New Forests has mostly purchased existing forests, including those of the Hikurangi Forest Farms business that it bought earlier this year. 50 Shades of Green’s Andy Scott then says: “Is the government happy that New Zealand is reducing its food production capacity to the extent it is. “We’re selling the family silver with what can only be described as indecent haste.” He evades the fact that much of the “foreign-owned” land was already foreign owned and already under trees. The bare farmland that has been purchased to turn into forests in recent times amounts to a very small amount. Nowhere near 77,000 hectares. It’s politics at play and truth is often forgotten in the process. What I would say to Mr Scott and his friends – and, indeed, to all farmers – is that forestry is not your enemy. We’re all in the same boat in one way or another and we can help each other. We’re facing environmental and social licence challenges of our own and trying to overcome them. It’s a fact that a number of sheep and beef farms on steep, rugged country struggle to earn their keep. Some of that land would be better planted in trees, where it will earn more money than livestock for the farmer and also help to keep erosion-prone hillsides intact. And it would help offset any ETS charges they may face in the future. Trees do not belong on good, productive farmland, but they do have a place in other locations. So when farmers march on parliament on November 14 as part of their planned protests, maybe they should drop in to the Forest Owners Association offices on the way and have a chat about how we can help each other. NZL
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forest talk
Ministry slashes log export income forecast THE BIG HIT ON LOG EXPORT PRICES OVER THE WINTER COULD wipe as much as $1billion from forestry income over the next year, according to the Ministry of Primary Industries. In its latest Situation & Outlook Report, MPI believes the knock-on effects from the sudden price drop in July will cause some smaller forest and woodlot owners to back off harvesting their trees for some time, until they feel confident in the market. That would reduce the total harvest, which had hit record numbers in May, adding to the reduction in income from the price drop. Ministry figures show that log export prices dropped 20% from February to July, including 17% just from May to July, as increased volumes of log and timber imports arrived in China from New Zealand, Russia and Europe over the first six months of this year. This created a backlog of supplies in China that will take some time to work through before prices can recover, says MPI, causing harvest volumes to fall in response to lower prices, especially for more pricesensitive small woodlots. As a result, MPI says forestry export revenue has been revised down from the previous forecast by $1.0 billion for the year ending June 2020. This would take total forestry export revenue down from $6.382 billion at June 30 this June down to a forecast $5.81 billion at June 30 in 2020. Then rising again in 2021 to reach a forecast $6.35 billion – still below this year’s level. Whilst this is a blow to an industry that has been booming in recent years MPI says it’s not all doom and gloom. It does acknowledge that China’s manufacturing sectors, including furniture, are showing signs of falling demand, but this is not likely to have a direct impact on demand for New Zealand logs. Importantly, Chinese demand in the construction sector, where most of New Zealand’s logs are used, does not show any significant reduction so far as a result of the US-China trade dispute. Chinese end use demand for logs remains robust with real estate starts for the year-to-date in 2019 showing a 10% increase on the previous year. Given the current oversupply at Chinese ports, MPI believes log
4 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
prices are expected to remain at lower levels over the next several months while high log inventories at Chinese ports gradually dissipate. Harvest volumes in New Zealand have been extremely high in response to previously elevated log prices, with some small woodlots being harvested early to capitalise on strong returns. Now that prices are much lower, MPI expects harvest volumes to fall by around 5% from the previous year, as smaller forest owners (who currently represent around 40% of harvestable volumes) delay harvesting. As a result, log export volumes are expected to fall 9.2% in the year ending June 2020. In contrast to logs, sawn timber export revenue is expected to rise again over the next 12 months after ending the June 2019 year with a 5% increase over the previous year, although the rate of increase is likely to slow. Decreases in exports to Australia were offset by growth in the US and other countries. Likewise, the value of panel export is also expected to increase over the coming years after recording a 3% improvement this year. MPI is also upbeat about wood chips after a small increase in revenue this year and it expects a similar performance next year. But pulp, paper and paperboard products are expected to fall. NZL
forest talk
Rising log prices bring relief to contractors THE MOOD OF LOGGERS IS IMPROVING AS THE PRICE OF export logs continues to lift after taking a massive hit at the start of winter, according to FICA (Forest Industry Contractors Association). At Wharf Gate prices improved by US$2 per JAS m3 for A grade during September and by the same amount in October and are now around $8 higher than the lows reached in July, when prices plunged around 20%. FICA is currently in the midst of surveying its members to update how they are faring as the industry continues to traverse a period of uncertainty.
“We do see the tides are changing and prices seem to have improved and we hear a positive vibe out there which suggests that we are coming out of the rut,” says Prue Younger, CEO of FICA, adding that the latest survey will monitor the changes, good and bad, in the most recent weeks. “This time we will ascertain how many of our members work for corporate forests rather than woodlot owners.” FICA is also working on a publication called ‘Contracts - Best Practice Guideline’ for members, to ensure contractors are well informed of what their contracts should be covering. NZL
Forestry deaths remain high: how can we buck the trend? WITH THE DEATHS OF THREE FORESTRY workers on the job, and another four in a road accident this year, the industry has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons…..and it needs to do better. WorkSafe Forest Engagement Lead, Grant Duffy, says there remains too much of a focus in the sector on low level risk controls like training, rules and supervision. “Instead, the sector should be focusing on engineering, technological, and other highlevel risk controls like elimination, substitution or isolation,” he says. “Innovations such as mechanised felling are key to the future safety of workers and New Zealand is leading the world in the development of this technology.” Neilsen research suggests some forestry sector beliefs about health and safety performance are not matched with actions, suggesting that the risk appetite remains too high. Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC) National Safety Director, Fiona Ewing, adds that effective risk control is about more than just good safety practices. It is also affected by workplace culture and worker health. “We already know how to control these risks – and it’s essential that these controls are in place on every site, every day, before people start work. If the controls aren’t in place, then don’t start work,” she says. That’s why FISC’s harm reduction initiatives focus on culture, leadership and health, as well as the management of critical risks, she adds. “Worker health is important because being
fatigued or unwell puts people at a higher risk of having an accident. If you’re not fit for work, you shouldn’t be at work. “Experience tells us that safety is also strongly influenced by workplace culture – particularly how involved workers are in health and safety matters.” To help improve worker involvement in health and safety, FISC is engaging people to act as mentors and champions. Known as ‘Toroawhi’, these people will work with workers and forestry businesses to help them develop their own ways to get workers actively involved in improving health and safety. Mr Duffy adds that the critical focus in this industry must be identification (and mitigation) of risk and a cross-sector commitment to active and effective health and safety. CEO of the Forest Industry Contractors Association, Prue Younger, sums it up as a “holistic approach”. She goes on to say: “It has become more concerning that the wellbeing of a person working in forestry can impact on their ability to react and work with safety at the forefront of their actions. So just being in a healthy space and having everything operating positively around you from the time you leave home until the time you get back to your family/ whanau each day is as critical as having your safety helmet on! “Taking a holistic approach to health and safety is what we will be spending our 2020 year promoting and managing.” “We have to remember that elimination by replacing man with machinery is expensive and the contractor is the one that is making
that investment. It is important that the whole of the industry understands and takes responsibility for making our people safe.” She adds that the fact that we have any fatalities is a concern for the industry and there is a significant amount of work going on within the industry around health and safety, along with technology replacing the need to have people on the slopes/outside. Ms Ewing says the deaths are a tragedy for all concerned: “Our thoughts are with the whānau, friends and workmates of the victims. “We don’t know the exact circumstances around these deaths. However, they do reflect the things mostly likely to cause fatalities in forestry. “These are tree-felling, breaking out, driving vehicles, processing on the skid site and maintenance activities.” Mr Duffy agrees, saying the critical risks in this industry have not changed, adding machinery interaction and travel to and from work to the list. He says with on-the-job deaths hovering around six per year for the past few years, “every part of the supply chain from the boardroom to the bushline must take greater responsibility for the risks they create or are able to influence if the progress over 2014/15 is to be sustained”. “There has been an enormous amount of collective effort put in by all the participants in the forestry industry since 2013 to reduce the human toll. The numbers are not rising, but there is still more work to be done in this dangerous industry to reduce the risk to workers,” he says. NZL
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 5
forest talk
Randalls appoints Ponsse partners in New Zealand FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FIRST NEW PONSSE forestry machine sold in New Zealand, sales and service agents for both the North and South Islands have now been confirmed by Australasian distributor, Randalls Equipment. As reported in NZ Logger in September, 2 Tyre Tracks and Hire in Invercargill, run by Brett McIntyre, has been appointed to cover the south and Hamilton-based Donaldson Mechanical, run by Jason Donaldson, will promote and support Ponsse and Randalls products in the north. Three new Ponsse machines are already working in New Zealand – two forwarders and a wheeled harvester, all in the lower South Island – and Randalls Equipment says they have created a lot of interest among local contractors. “The only way this has been possible is through the provision of local support to ensure these machines have the day-to-day service support and parts required to guarantee the best customer experience possible,” says Davin Frankel, Sales and Service Manager for Randalls Equipment. “Providing the best customer support means more than just saying it or writing it in an advertisement. We must truly mean what we say and go to extraordinary lengths to act on our words. “Partnering with service providers in New Zealand or anywhere else doesn’t mean Randalls can wash our hands of any responsibility after a machine is sold. As the dealer for Ponsse in Australia and New Zealand we have a very serious obligation to our customers, Ponsse and our service partners to ensure things run smoothly and everyone receives what is expected.” Randalls’ Australian-based technicians actively participate in new machine deliveries, maintenance activities and training in New Zealand and a Ponsse Operator Trainer has spent considerable time here helping new customers get the very best from their new machines. With the two new sales and service agents up and running, Mr Frankel
says customers here are in good hands. He says: “Brett and his team have done a fantastic job for us helping to get Ponsse established in this market and we’re very pleased to have Donaldson Mechanical joining the team. “Jason and Jo have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the forestry industry and they know what they are doing. They have a team of mechanics with the ability to work closely with us in New Zealand to ensure we get off to a good start when we do begin selling in the North.” Randalls Equipment is Australia’s longest serving forestry equipment manufacturer and supplier, going back to 1968. Today, Randalls manufactures a range of rotating log grapples and is the distributor for Ponsse, SP Maskiner, Duxson, Sany, Indexator and Clark. NZL
The new era for Ponsse in New Zealand began with the handover of this Elephant King forwarder to new owner, Darryl Diack, in Southland.
First D-series TimberPro forwarder in NZ NORTHLAND CONTRACTOR SUBRITSKY Clark Logging has taken delivery of the first new D-series TimberPro forwarder to arrive in New Zealand. The Timberpro TF 840D features a brand new cab, with more space, greater comfort and improved visibility through the larger glass areas. There’s better vision for early morning starts with an all-new LED lighting package showing the way. Inside the cab is a fully customised IQAN 10” MD4 HD touch screen control system that delivers an electronic overview of the machine’s various functions and allows the operator to personalise settings to suit. The 840D is now powered by the latest Cummins L9 engine, with increased output of 252kW (338hp), which not only delivers better performance, but also reduces fuel consumption, according to TimberPro, helped by a regenerative power system in the boom/ arm. It’s quieter, too, thanks to a new exhaust
6 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
system. Other changes see the maintenance intervals pushed out, which will further reduce the cost of ownership. The engine compartment has also been redesigned to provide better access to the engine, swing motor and other components. John Kosar, Sales Manager of Komatsu Forest NZ, says the changes to the forwarder have made a big difference to the comfort and efficiency of the machine, which support its big load-carrying abilities. Subrizky Clark owner, Willie Subritsky Clark, went with the new forwarder to increase the amount of wood his crew is extracting from forests around Kaitaia and he’s very happy with the results to date. “It’s working very well – couldn’t be happier with it,” he says. Regular operator, Cale Subritzky Clark, is equally upbeat, saying: “We are in perfect conditions for this machine, I am very impressed…it can take a BIG load.” NZL
The first TimberPro 840D in New Zealand, seen here, from left, with Tinus Barnard (Komatsu Forest NZ), Sid Leefe, Cale Subritzky Clark, Dane Subritzky Clark (foreman), Bronwyn Subritzky Clark, Willie Subritzky Clark and John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ), Absent: Kevin Jobe. Photo: Justin Morgan (Partridge Heavy Haulage).
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forest talk A trio of 20-tonne Kobelco excavators fitted with M-Planter hoppers were used in the mechanical tree planting trial.
Mechanical tree planting set to ‘revolutionise’ silviculture ONE ANSWER TO THE CHRONIC SHORTAGE of labour in the silviculture sector in New Zealand could be to plant trees using machines. It’s already done in Scandinavia and now trials have been taking place in the central North Island over the recently finished planting season to see if the technology has a future here. A land preparation contractor has been working with Timberlands to see if mechanised planting could be an effective option on suitable sites. Henry Fear, who runs six land prep crews in the central North Island, says initial results look promising and he has now set up a company to import and sell the Finnish-made equipment to others. The trials were conducted on various sites in Kaingaro and Tarawera Forests, totalling more than 250 hectares using a planting device called the M-Planter, which is attached to the end of an excavator boom. Mr Fear, says around 250,000 trees were planted by machine, mostly on flat-to-gently sloping land as part of the trial. These will now be monitored to see how they survive and grow in comparison to similar areas that have been planted by hand. “Mechanised planting isn’t any quicker than doing it manually, but the advantages are that you get a better consistency of planting and the machine can also add fertiliser to the trees as they go into the ground – so you’d expect the survival rate to improve and they should grow better, too,” says Mr Fear.
8 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
The M-Planter has been produced in Finland for more than 20 years and resembles a large hopper with a digging implement to mound and then create a hole for the young trees. Up to 120 trees grown in plugs are held in a carousel that feeds a tube into which the trees drop and are then fed into the ground, along with some fertiliser granules, when the operator pulls a trigger. Two paddles compact the soil around the freshly planted tree. A double hopper version that holds 240 trees is also available. With practice, an operator could plant up to nine trees at each ‘station’ before moving the machine to the next spot. Typically, the work is done with a 20-tonne excavator, but it could be as small as a 10-tonne machine. And while most of the sites were relatively flat in the trials, the expectation is that the planting machine could go wherever other forestry excavators are already operating. One forest owner is already investigating the possibility of putting a planting machine on a tether for steeper locations. Timberlands’ Tree Crop Manager, Dean Witehira, says the past season’s trials have shown that mechanical planting is a viable alternative to traditional methods and has provided some valuable information for the company to work on. Meanwhile, Mr Fear says his team is looking at introducing GPS technology next season that will record where each tree is planted, together with information on the batch number and which nursery it came from, to provide traceability for forest owners.
He is also looking at ways to improve the cultivation of harvested land ahead of planting with the aim of making the process easier and quicker. “We’ve had quite a bit of interest from other forest owners already and I think we can take this technology a lot further in the future,” Mr Fear adds. He says the manufacturer of the M-Planter has developed a specially strengthened version, using high tensile steel to withstand the harsher New Zealand forestry environment. These will be marketed here through a new company called M-Planter NZ, which has been set up by Mr Fear. NZL
The M-Planter on this excavator feeds young trees from a carousel down into a hole created in a mound of soil, along with fertiliser.
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forest talk
Prof Bruce Manley (far right) receives the Forestry Science Award from Forestry Minister, Shane Jones and Te Uru Rākau’s Julie Collins.
Former Forest Service celebrates a century IT’S 100 YEARS SINCE THE NEW ZEALAND Forest Service was set up in 1919 to foster the fledgling plantation pine industry in the wake of depleted native tree resources. And even though the Forest Service was disbanded in 1987, its memory still lives on among the many former employees and others who gathered to celebrate the 100-year anniversary at a special event organised by Te Uru Rākau (the more recently formed Forestry NZ) at Parliament. The event, hosted by Forestry Minister, Shane Jones, was attended by around 120 guests, including deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, Members of Parliament, both in Government and opposition, former Ministers of Forestry, forestry sector chief executives, and key members from the forestry industry including past Ministry of Forestry Director Generals. New Zealand’s forestry heritage was well represented by a number of former New Zealand State Forest employees and/or their descendants who flew in from around New Zealand – the oldest being 96-year-old Jim Spiers, who first began working for the NZ Forest Service in the 1940s. “To have in one room such a wealth of forestry knowledge and so many people who had significantly contributed to the key milestones
10 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
that define our forestry heritage, was incredibly special,” says Te Uru Rākau’s Julie Collins. The evening included the presentation of three forestry awards specifically created for the 100-year celebrations; a Forestry Science Award, the Kaitiakitanga Aotearoa Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award. The winner of the Forestry Science Award was Prof Bruce Manley, head of the University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry, who received the award for his dedication to, and leadership within, forestry research, and his innovative work on carbon forestry. The Kaitiakitanga Aotearoa Award was presented to the Native Forest Action Council’s Guy Salmon for his commitment to the protection of forests, forest ecosystems and the connection of forests to people. The Lifetime Achievement in Forestry Award was presented to NZFOA stalwart, Peter Berg, in recognition of the true champion of forestry that he is within New Zealand and the Commonwealth. To capture the essence of the past 100 years a forestry timeline was created for display at the celebrations and as a special souvenir takeaway for guests. “We also re-enacted a photo originally taken in 1921 when the State Forest Service leadership
team were in Wellington for their inaugural conference, with our present leadership team. The photo was taken on the Parliamentary library steps where the original pic was taken,” says Ms Collins. The New Zealand Forest Service was originally established in 1919 as the State Forest Service. The State Forest Service changed its name to the New Zealand Forest Service in 1949 at about the same time that the Forests Act of 1949 passed through Parliament. The New Zealand Forest Service was responsible for the management of New Zealand’s state-owned forests, including forestry, conservation and recreational functions, until it was formerly disestablished in 1987. Its environmental and conservation functions were taken over by the newly established Department of Conservation, while the plantation operations were taken over by another new entity, the New Zealand Forestry Corporation, before being sold off to private investors. The policy advice, biosecurity functions and remaining Crown forests on leased Maori land was vested in the Ministry of Forestry, which was later absorbed into the Ministry for Primary Industries. NZL
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Above: Guy Salmon (far right) receives the Kaitiakitanga Aotearoa Award from Forestry Minister, Shane Jones and Te Uru Rākau’s Julie Collins. Above right: Peter Berg (far right) receives the Lifetime Achievement in Forestry Award from Forestry Minister, Shane Jones and Te Uru Rākau’s Julie Collins. Right: Two elder statesmen sharing a laugh – deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters greets Jim Spiers, who started with the NZ Forest Service in the 1940s and, at 96, was the oldest person at the celebrations.
forest talk
New wheeled harvester from Tigercat The new mid-range Tigercat 1165 provides another wheeled harvesting option for New Zealand thinning operations. WITH INTEREST IN WHEELED HARVESTERS USED IN THINNING operations building among New Zealand logging contractors, Tigercat has announced another option for them to consider. Just launched by the Canadian forestry equipment manufacturer is the Tigercat 1165, a mid-sized harvester aimed at thinning, selective cut and final fell applications. Mark Hill, Forestry Product Manager for AB Equipment, says the new Tigercat 1165 falls into the “sweet spot” for thinning operations and he can see good potential for this machine in New Zealand. “It’s just the right size for thinnings and I can see it doing well in places like Southland, Otago and around the central North Island,” he says. Equipped with strong swing and levelling capabilities, the 1165 is well suited for steep slopes as well as flat sites and is available in both six-wheel and eight-wheel-drive configurations. Powered by the Tigercat FPT N67 engine, the 1165 is available in both Tier 4f and Tier 2 options, delivering 210 kW (282 hp) at 2,000 rpm, which makes it viable for the New Zealand market. In recent years, New Zealand contractors have introduced wheeled harvesters from John Deere, TimberPro, Komatsu and Ponsse to
undertake production thinning as a way of mitigating environmental issues and also to test their productivity, versus tracked harvesters. The new 1165 wheel harvester from Tigercat is a similar size to those machines, tipping the scales at 22,910kg. This model sits under the 34-tonne Tigercat 1185 model that debuted in 2017, designed for heavy-duty clear-fell operations. The newcomer uses the same swing components as the larger 1185, as well as oscillating and articulating centre section components used on Tigercat forwarders. The new active oscillation balancing technology provides excellent machine stability even while travelling. This allows crane operation while driving, for increased productivity. The cab and boom/arm are housed on a 360-degree continuous swing turntable that supplies strong swing torque and there are two crane options – the 9-metre version is standard for heads up to 1,600kg and 11-metre telescopic crane is for heads up to 1,100kg. The hooked crane design and large windows in the cab provide good vision for the operator and comfort is enhanced by a levelling system that tilts 24° backward, 18° forward and 18° side/side. Tigercat has also built tethering lugs into the frame to facilitate steep slope cable assisted harvesting operation. NZL
One Billion Trees plan hits two milestones THE ONE BILLION TREES FUND HAS JUST hit two significant milestones that will create more than 7,500 hectares of new forest cover, according to Forestry Minister, Shane Jones. Speaking at a dinner held at Parliament in Wellington to mark 100 years of the New Zealand Forestry Service, Mr Jones says the One Billion Trees Fund is helping put forestry back on the map. The Fund offers direct grants to landowners for planting and regeneration projects, as well as partnership funding to co-fund projects that aim to reduce the barriers to tree planting. “We launched the Fund late last year and I’m pleased with the progress we’re making,” says Mr Jones. “We’ve now approved more than 170 funding grants worth more than $15 million.
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“I’m particularly delighted that eight of these approvals are for Māori Freehold Land, where the $1.7 million allocated will see planting cover almost 1,000 hectares. “We know that growing the right trees, in the right place, for the right purpose will help build resilient ecosystems and help us deliver our climate change objectives.” The grants approved to date reflect an exciting range of initiatives, the length and breadth of the country. “For example,” he goes on to say, “on Stewart Island we’re supporting the planting of some 20 hectares of seaward facing former hill country farmland to regenerate as native forest, providing penguin habitat. “In Taranaki we’ve signed a contract with New Zealand Green School, a new school set to open early next year and committed to educating for sustainability. They expect
to plant up to 40 hectares, of which about 75% will be native species. “And a key component of the grants is to provide funding for farmers to integrate trees onto their land to improve productivity, for example retiring unproductive land through trees, and help diversify their income.” The grant scheme is in addition to the Crown Forestry joint ventures, which are also contributing to the One Billion Trees goal. “There are currently 33 forestry joint ventures covering 19,446 hectares with 17.5 million trees to be planted. Almost 13 million seedlings have been planted since the scheme started in 2018,”adds Mr Jones. The estimated value of Crown investment to date is $194 million. Of this around 10,300 ha (53%) is on Māori-owned land (Māorititle or land owned by a Post Settlement Governance Entity). NZL
forest talk
Timber container loading system quicker and safer
The Combilift Slip Sheet is a new mechanised alternative for loading timber into containers.
A NEW MECHANISED ALTERNATIVE FOR loading long products is ideally suited to the forestry and timber industry. Efficient loading of a container with sawn timber and board products for exports has long been a challenge, relying on a combination of forklifts and manual labour, but the new Combi-CSS makes it much easier. “This is one of the most efficient ways to load containers with logs and processed timber,” says Combilift’s Dave Comber, adding that it was developed as a result of customer demand. “Following the launch of the Combilift Straddle Carrier a number of years ago Combilift received feedback from customers in the containerisation sector who were looking for a mechanised, safer and quicker method,” he says. This prompted Combilift to look at how these procedures could be improved and the engineers and R&D department came up with the container slip sheet, the Combi-CSS. The traditional method uses a forklift to lift and manoeuvre the product laterally into the container, with another forklift operator pushing the product into the container from the end. But this entails risks, including strain on workers when lifting heavy and bulky items, the risk of slips, trips and falls and the potential for product damage. “Forestry and timber products are also
prone to damage if repeatedly handled by numerous forklifts and/or manual handling methods. This system lets companies ensure that they do not face substantial losses due to damaged goods,” says Dave. In addition to being safer and requiring just one operator, the new system is also much quicker – a full load of product can be prepared behind the container on the slip sheet and loaded into a 20’ container in just three minutes, as opposed to the usual half an hour (and six minutes for a 40’ container). Plus, using the Slip Sheet minimises product damage during the loading process. The patented Combi-CSS features a dualdirectional pulling mechanism, on which a steel sheet rests. Once loaded, the sheet is guided into the container by the pulling mechanism underneath, which consists of four hydraulic cylinders moving in sequence. Hydraulic pins on the ends of the cylinders move up, fitting into holes cut into the sheet to secure it, while the cylinders pull the sheet forward, ensuring safe loading without any risk of damage. Guide posts either side of the sheet ensure the exact positioning of the load. Once the load is in the container, a hydraulic rear barrier gate, fixed to the end of the platform, swings across the container opening and is locked in place across the entire width of the platform. This holds the
material within the container while the metal sheet is slipped out from underneath it, hence the name. As well as being Combilift Container Straddle Carrier compatible the slip sheet platform can be connected directly onto the back of a trailer for a quick turnaround, being a free-standing unit, it is easily positioned wherever a container is sited. The Combi-CSS can be manufactured and shipped anywhere in the world, with customers as far afield as Europe and South America. “As far as New Zealand progress goes we have presented to a number of companies here,” says Dave. “The slip sheet can potentially handle any uniform/palletised product that needs to be containerised.” “The Combi Slip Sheet is in the production portfolio and we are ready to receive orders now for delivery in 2020,” he adds. Price depends on model and exact customer specifications, says Dave: “Due to the increased productivity it offers it gives an excellent return on investment in a very short period of time. “The system has been received very positively due to the improvements it offers in terms of safety around loading and unloading containers, and time saving and greater efficiency.” NZL
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forest talk
Left: Michelle Harrison, Northland’s Skilled Professional of the Year with husband, Nigel, who together run Wise on Wood. Above: Contractor of the Year, Skipps Logging, employees receive their award from Kristy Kewene, of sponsor Blackburne Group (in orange, fourth from right).
Double win for female forester A WOMAN CONSIDERED THE BACKBONE of her company, a camp mum to her crew and a team member who will step into any position was crowned the Northland Forestry Skilled Professional of the Year. Michelle Harrison, who owns Wise on Wood with husband Nigel, was awarded the top trophy by Forestry Minister, Shane Jones, and also won the inaugural PF Olsen Woman in Forestry crown at the fourth annual NFA Northland Forestry Awards before an industry-stacked audience of nearly 500 people. Those who have worked alongside Michelle have nothing but high praise for this very driven mother of two, saying she is a great role model, always willing to share her knowledge with others and is talented and capable. Eighteen years ago, Michelle married into a well-established logging family, working in the business before she and Nigel started their own ground-based harvesting crew in late 2015. They started small with just two in crew with Michelle initially the log maker and skiddie. The company has grown to a crew of seven and Michelle is processing more than 350 tonnes a day driving the processor. This year the company notched a record month of in excess of 10,000 tonnes. Michelle also does the office work and health and safety side of Wise Wood while being a mum, wife and chair of the Okaihau College board of trustees. She is passionate about the environment and always looking for ways the company can improve its impact on the environment
and to protect wildlife within their harvest areas. This year she was instrumental in the relocation of the protected Kauri snails she discovered while helping to prepare an area for harvest. She has also worked with Kiwi during and post-harvest, taking on the responsibility of monitoring the birds during harvest. Michelle is hoping to get her Kiwi handling licence this year, to be followed by her own Kiwi tracking dog. Wise on Wood has an excellent reputation for its health and safety practices and environmental awareness, producing good returns for forest owners, and all the while keeping harvest managers and staff happy. Wise on Wood also claimed the Competenz Trainee of the Year with Kiesten-Breeze Repia receiving the certificate and Mark Lavakeiaho walked away with the Forest Industry Contractors Association Emerging Talent of the Year Certificate. Skipps Logging claimed the Blackburne Group Chartered Accountants Contractor of the Year Trophy and the Gough Individual Breaker Out Excellence Award, which went to Caleb Skipps. Rosewarne Cable Loggers picked up two awards, with the company taking out the UDC Training Company/Contractor of the Year crown and Dave Paton winning the AB Equipment Individual Harvesting Excellence Award. NFA Northland Forestry Awards – Results Certificates • Competenz Trainee of the Year: KiestenBreeze Repia (Wise on Wood) • UDC Training Company/Contractor of the Year: Rosewarne Cable Loggers
• Greenheart Group Forestry Excellence Award (individual): Nick Tombleson (Tombleson Logging) • HPL Roading Excellence Award (individual): Lex Harkness (Trees Out Ltd) • AB Equipment Harvesting Excellence Award (individual): Dave Paton (Rosewarne Cable Loggers) • Fortuna Distribution Excellence Award: Selwyn Powell (C3) • Pacific Motor Group Wood Processing Excellence Award (individual): Ian King (Northpine) • Gough Breaker Out Excellence Award (individual): Caleb Skipps (Skipps Logging) • Hancock Forest Management Faller Excellence Award (individual): Jason Kay (Northland Forest Managers) • Forest Industry Contractors Association Emerging Talent of the Year: Mark Lavakeiaho (Wise on Wood) • Woman in Forestry Excellence: Michelle Harrison (Wise on Wood). Trophies • Northern Forest Products Forestry Family of the Year: Lloyd Logging • Blackburne Group Chartered Accountants Contractor of the Year Trophy: Skipps Logging • Summit Forests Outstanding Health and Safety Management Trophy: Wilson Earthmoving • Wise on Wood Outstanding Environmental Management Trophy: Phillips Logging • Northland Forestry Health and Safety Group Northland Forestry Skilled Professional of the Year: Michelle Harrison (Wise on Wood). NZL
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Forerst Growers Conference 2019
Research re-booted after government funding cut THE WORK OF SCION SCIENTISTS INVOLVED IN THE MAMMOTH 6-year Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future research programme will continue, in spite of a major set-back after the government turned down new funding for the follow-up phase. The Forest Growers Levy Trust has stepped in to provide interim funding for the next year and Scion has dipped into its reserves so that valuable research into helping the industry grow better and healthier trees, as well as boosting income from increased harvests, can continue. Russell Dale, R & D Manager of the Forest Growers Research organisation, says the decision by the Ministry for Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE) not to fund new programmes proposed by his organisation and Scion in the current funding round was a surprise, given the success of the GCFF programme, which finished in September. “The GCFF research has been immensely valuable, providing us with a great platform for ongoing research and we don’t want to lose that momentum,” says Mr Dale. “We’ll be supporting ongoing research for the next year while we work with Scion on alternative strategies.” To fill the gap, Scion has proposed an interim Resilient Forests programme that has three research aims to address key questions raised in the Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future as well as the companion Healthy Trees, Healthy Forests projects. This interim plan proposes creating an economic, environmental and social portfolio to “de-risk” forest investment decisions in the face of mounting challenges. Over the next year, the Resilient Forests programme will build on the investment made over the past six years and in March 2020, a new proposal will be submitted to MBIE’s Endeavour Fund called More Certain Forests. The new More Certain Forests programme is aimed at helping transform the forest-growing sector beyond its current boundaries into a futurefocused, resilient, information-based business. At the 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington last month, Scion researchers underlined the importance of their work by presenting the results of the ambitious GCFF programme, launched with the aim of doubling the productivity of New Zealand plantation forests by 2050 – ie just one rotation. The programme differed from previous research because of the highly integrated approach, pooling research resources to maximise results. A joint initiative between Scion, forest growers and MBIE, the
programme was based on fostering and establishing new links between various researchers and interested parties to benefit forestry as a whole. ‘Innovation clusters’ were drawn from various groups with a goal of building more productive, resource-efficient forests that provide the raw material base for added-value processing to be achieved through shifting forest management to a ‘precision forestry’ basis, integrating latest advances in sensor technology, tree physiology, genetics, improved management etc. Among the many advancements being seen are: • Improved breeding programmes to deliver trees that match specific sites and climatic conditions around New Zealand • Helping nurseries raise trees that require less fungicide, which may harm some beneficial bacteria as well as killing off harmful ones, plus reducing the amount of fertiliser, which will not only save costs but also benefit the environment. Research also shows fertiliser use can be reduced in existing forests without hitting tree growth and by planting ‘sacrificial’ companion trees (ie Willows) among Radiata Pines that are preferred by browsing pests, the amount of pesticides can be reduced, too • A result of the above research was the discovery that a by-product of Urea manufacturing, called Biuret, makes a super food that boosts young tree growth. Scion researchers found that coating seeds with Biuret increased their uptake of nutrients in the soil, promoting significantly better growth. Scion is now actively working on commercialising Biuret in New Zealand • Promising work in understanding how microbes benefit root systems is likely to result in ways to increase the effect they have on trees • Work is progressing on developing trees that need less water, for growing in very dry areas affected by Climate Change • Research showing that the optimum level of tree stocking per hectare is greater than previously thought – 676 stems per hectare for trees grown for structural timber, not the 500/ha figure currently used, thus enabling growers to boost final tree numbers by 35% • Remote sensing advancements are helping foresters identify sites where wind damage is likely, identify where fertiliser should be applied to boost growth and how it can constantly monitor for diseases. Mr Dale says New Zealand forestry must become more agile in the way it responds to increasing challenges on competitive, environmental and climatic fronts in future and research is vital to help win the battle. NZL
Future forest research funding secure despite hit to prices FUNDING FOR FORESTRY RESEARCH IS unlikely to be affected by the recent fall in export log prices, says the chairperson of the Forest Growers Levy Trust. The levy, which came into effect in 2013, was recently approved to carry on for another six years in a vote by New Zealand’s forest owners. It pegs the levy at 27 cents for each tonne of wood harvested and is predicted to
raise around $10 million from the 36 million tonnes of wood estimated to come out of our forests by the end of this year. Levy trust chair, Geoff Thompson, told the 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington last month he was confident that amount would be raised, in spite of the small reduction in log volumes being harvested, following July’s dramatic log price drop. “I don’t think the market fluctuations will
see much of a change to the total, so our funding to underpin the research and other good works looks secure,” he says. The trust provides funding for a range of projects, including research into harvesting, biosecurity, tree growth/health, combating fires, education and safeguarding the environment. This year’s election saw an increase in the number of forest growers supporting the levy, compared to 2013. NZL
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Predictive tool needed for Red Needle Cast RESEARCHERS ARE TRYING TO CREATE A MODEL THAT CAN predict when a Red Needle Cast outbreak is due to appear, to enable forest managers to keep on top of the disease. Last month’s 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington heard that work is continuing on developing a tool that sends an alert when conditions are right for an outbreak to occur. Red Needle Cast originated in Oregon and is thought to have arrived in New Zealand in 2005, first showing up on Radiata Pine trees in the central North Island, causing needles to turn red and then fall off. It has now spread to Radiata plantations in other parts of the country. Affected trees do recover, though it can significantly affect their growth in the immediate period after defoliation. The disease – a type of Phytophthora – may return, but not for a few years and outbreaks tend to happen in mild and humid winter months.
Work on developing a predictive model has been hampered by the seeming randomness of the outbreaks and more research is required to understand it. In the meantime, forest managers are using satellite imagery to identify when an outbreak occurs in their forests so treatment with copper sprays can reduce the severity. The long-term hope is that breeding programmes will provide trees that are resistant to Red Needle Cast, along with other diseases, such as Dothistroma, maybe even crossing with other pine varieties that are not affected by the disease. This will become increasingly important, as public resistance to chemical use is expected to rise in future. Scion researchers have already identified Radiata genotypes that show resistance to Red Needle Cast, but this will need to be validated with field trials. NZL
Methyl Bromide woes could slash log exports NEW ZEALAND’S LOG TRADE WITH THE outside world could be seriously disrupted if solutions are not found to the current Methyl Bromide fumigation impasse. Don Hammond, who is Chair of the STIMBR (Stakeholders in Methyl Bromide Reduction) organisation, warns that the clock is ticking towards the deadline to either come up with a way to fully recapture the Ozone-eating gas or find acceptable alternatives by next October, otherwise we could lose 30% of our log exports. He told the 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington last month that a phytosanitary alternative – an Ozone-friendlier
gas known as EDN – is available but the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is dragging the chain over approval. Meanwhile research has shown 100% recapture of the gas is not possible, but a level of 80% can be achieved, which STIMBR has proposed as an option – but the EPA has not replied on that solution, either. Heating logs in a giant ‘oven’ could also kill bugs in the logs, but more research is required. With time running out, STIMBR asked for an extension to the 2020 deadline, but the EPA has yet to agree. Mr Hammond warns that it has now got to
the point where STIMBR may be forced to ask for a judicial review, to force EPA’s hand. At stake is more than $750 million of log exports that currently have to be fumigated with Methyl Bromide – around 6 million tonnes of the 21 tonnes of logs exported annually that are currently treated prior to export. Without a solution, we could kiss goodbye to all log exports to India, while a big question mark would hang over large parts of the Chinese trade. Debarking is replacing fumigation for some logs exported to China but not all, while Korea and Japan do not require logs to be fumigated. NZL
Bio-controls could boost tree growth and protect against diseases THE ANSWER TO COMBATING DISEASES IN trees might be in the soil, or rather, the good organisms that live under the surface. Researchers at Scion says beneficial fungi can be encouraged to help promote tree growth, increase its tolerance to stress, improve uptake of nutrients and protect it against attacks from soil-borne diseases. One programme is focusing on Trichoderma, a type of fungi present in all soils. What interests scientists is their ability to form mutualistic endophytic relationships with trees and plants. There are many types of Trichoderma, some good and some not. The Scion team is currently running national trials with various good types of Trichoderma to see how beneficial they are. The 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington heard that hundreds of strains of Trichoderma have been tested in tree nurseries, with the most effective
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Trichoderma that promoted growth and health of Radiata Pine seedlings selected to be planted out in 20 plantation trial sites from Nelson to Northland. Results from those trials are showing promise, with Trichoderma seen to increase growth, even on sites with growth limitations. The Scion trials reveal: • Up to 20% increase in tree height in young trees • Average 6% reduction in mortality from disease at 12 months • Up to 19% increase in DBH at year 3 • Up to a 17% increase in tree height at 5.5 years. The Scion team says that the trials indicate benefits seen in early growth appear to be maintained over time. But some of the most important results point to progress in beating diseases such as
Dothistroma. The best of the trial seedlings went on to produce trees that showed a 49% resistance to ‘Dothy’, while others were at least one-third better than control trees. The best two have now been selected for eight large validation trials taking place in four regions; Gisborne, Northland, Nelson and Bay of Plenty/Waikato. Of those four sites, all but Nelson are showing increased height after year one. Separate trials have also been done with Douglas-fir and produced similar results. More research is being carried out to see if Trichoderma is effective with other species, such as Cypress and whether it is effective in controlling a wider range of diseases. The Scion work is expected to lead to the commercial application of Trichoderma coatings to seeds, or as a soil drench for nurseries to apply prior to planting. NZL
Forerst Growers Conference 2019
Gene editing of Douglas-fir ‘done’ SCIENTISTS AT SCION BELIEVE THEY HAVE ALREADY managed to produce a sterile Douglas-fir tree through gene editing in the confines of their Rotorua laboratory – but they cannot take the technology any further unless there is a law change. If successful, this technology would help New Zealand overcome the wilding problem threatening vast natural areas around the country, particularly Otago, where seeds from plantations have spread to create numerous wild Douglas-fir forests on what was previously open tussock land. However, the 2002 HASNO Act banning any form of genetic modification, including gene editing, would first need to be repealed or amended to allow those seeds to be grown outside the laboratory. “New Zealand needs to have that conversation,” Scion biotechnologist, Dr Glenn Thorby, told the 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington last month. Australia has just moved to allow gene editing outside the lab and many other countries outside of Europe allow it, too.
He says gene editing does not add new genes or dna to the plant, but merely allows for a process that already happens naturally to be done precisely using science. Changes to the plant cannot be distinguished from those that happen spontaneously through evolution or mutation in nature. Dr Thorby says experiments in the secure research areas at Scion have already managed to produce the first “potentially sterile” Douglas-fir trees using gene editing, but his team is not allowed to plant those young trees outside to see if their seed-producing mechanisms have really been turned off, due to the law. It’s not just growing sterile trees that would be allowed by a law change. Trees could also have their genes edited to become disease resistant, herbicide resistant and even ‘tweaked’ for better growth characteristics. A recent poll conducted by Colmar Brunton shows that the general public is not well informed about the GMO debate, but when they were told that gene editing could be used for combating the wilding problem, most were generally in favour of the technology. NZL
Innovations to stop slash and logs entering waterways LAST YEAR’S DISASTROUS TOLAGA BAY floods prompted forestry researchers to seek ways to prevent harvesting residues ending up in waterways during extreme weather events. This year, the results from two of those projects were unveiled at the 2019 Forest Growers Research conference in Wellington last month by Harvesting Programme Leader, Keith Raymond. One that will be familiar to NZ Logger readers is the fixed felling head being used by Mechanised Cable Loggers in Nelson, which featured in our March issue. FGR conducted field trials to quantify the success of these heads in reducing tree breakage compared to a dangle head, which would mean less slash and offcuts being left on the hills where it could be washed away. The study showed that fixed heads produced stems that are on average 40% longer, as more whole trees were brought to the landing by a yarder. The second project was to improve extraction of residues by using a slash grapple slung under a helicopter to clear locations that are hard or undesirable to reach with machines. The idea originally came from PF Olsen’s Hamish McPherson and was taken up
by FGR, which worked with Helihawk of Taupo to develop a prototype multi-tine slash grapple that was built by Colchester Engineering of Matamata. The first trial earlier this year flown with Wairarapa Helicopters proved the theory behind the slash grapple, with net extraction of 18.5 tonnes per productive flying hour when recovering slash only – larger logs slow down the process and it’s recommended these are extracted first. Mr Raymond says that while helicopters are expensive to operate, the cost of slash extraction averaged NZ$135 per tonne of slash removed, or approximately NZ$112 per metre of stream length. When the cost of cleaning the stream using the helicopter slash grapple was averaged over the volume of wood extracted from the harvest area, the net cost was only NZ$1.05 per cubic metre of wood produced. It would be preferable to the dangerous and difficult job of clearing waterways using people on the ground, or with machines, which may result in soil disturbance and sedimentation of waterways. A demonstration using an updated design of the slash grapple that holds onto residues more effectively was due to take place in Gisborne at the time NZ Logger went to
press. Mr Raymond believes the device is almost ready to commercialise and says that plans for a slash grapple that can be fitted to a yarder or hauler are also under way. NZL
The Helihawk slash grapple is designed to be slung under a helicopter to remove forestry residues from at-risk hillsides and waterways.
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Forerst Growers Conference 2019
Research awards reflect challenges in tree science 1: Dr Amanda Matson, left, receives her award from the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Juliet Gerrard. 2: Dr Graham Coker receives his award from the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Juliet Gerrard. 3: The Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Juliet Gerrard, presents the joint award to Dr Michael Watt from Scion, far left and Prof Euan Mason, from the University of Canterbury (centre). 4: PF Olsen’s Hamish McPherson receives his award from the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Juliet Gerrard. 5: Loretta Garratt is presented with her award by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Juliet Gerrard.
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RESEARCHERS IN FIELDS AS DIVERSE AS NITROGEN MOVEMENT IN forest soils, to the designer of a grapple on a helicopter to collect forest slash from vulnerable slopes, have been recognised at the Forest Growers Research Awards in Wellington. The annual awards ceremony acknowledges the science and technology contribution made to the forest industry in an increasingly demanding economic and environmental marketplace. This year, six awards went to recipients for a wide cross-section of projects that are expected to make a positive difference to the industry They included: • Communication and Sector Engagement went to Dr Amanda Matson, Scion. Amanda’s skill set includes a great ability to communicate the research she’s doing on what’s going on under the ground in a pine forest, particularly the movement of soil nutrients. • Innovation for Sector Value went to Dr Graham Coker, Scion, for his study using foliar fertiliser applications to see what works to enhance tree growth and when it’s best to apply those nutrients. • Science of International Quality, which was shared this year by the Phenotyping Team from Scion and the University of Canterbury School of Forestry. This large team has been pulling together diverse science areas, such as genetics, remote sensing, computer modelling, to
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make huge world-leading gains in finding, identifying, analysing and using the genetics of individual super-trees trees in Timberlands and Lake Taupo forests. The team members are Michael Watt, Jonathan Dash, Grant Pearce, Nathaniel Melia, David Pont, Toby Stovold, Natalie Graham, Ahmed Ismael and Heidi Dungey from Scion, and Justin Morgenroth from UoC. • Research Participation and Implementation went to Hamish McPherson of PF Olsen. Hamish has been recognised for his development work on a helicopter slash grapple used for removing forest slash that has fallen near to waterways. This engineering is a significant development in reducing the risks of slash in rivers causing downstream damage. • Collaboration in a Science Team, went to Loretta Garratt, Scion. Loretta is the scientist everyone wants on their team, according to her colleagues. Her work has varied from productivity trails to measuring nitrogen transfer in forest soils. • Young Scientist, Dr Stuart Fraser, Scion. Stuart is a recent recruit to the Scion team in New Zealand from the UK, working to combat forest tree diseases, such as the threat of Myrtle Rust and Dothistroma needle blight. Dr Fraser was overseas and unable to attend the awards ceremony. NZL
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This Douglas Logging machine is the first Next Generation Cat 323 to go to work in forestry in New Zealand.
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The Next Generation 323 has been redesigned from the ground up by Caterpillar, marking the first complete overhaul of the 20-tonne series in more than 25 years.
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HE NEXT GENERATION CATERPILLAR 323 HAS JUST taken excavators into a whole new era and it’s going to win a lot of friends, old and new. Among the many all-new advances is the complete lack of switches and push buttons anywhere in the cab. Everything is controlled from the touch-screen sitting on the lower right-hand front pillar. Everything. The radio, air-con, systems and controls. It can even automate the way an operator digs a hole, blades a surface and avoids hitting objects. It’s all computerised and, I’m sure, all set up for eventually being controlled remotely by tele-operation at some point in the future, although Cat isn’t saying anything about that right now. While it’s not your typical forestry digger, being more of a construction machine, the Next Gen 323 actually works damn well in the bush and Dargaville-based Douglas Logging has been making good use of its technology for road building and skid site/landing construction since taking delivery late last year. The Douglas team were the first forestry customers for the Next Gen Cat 323 in New Zealand that replaces the previous 323F model. What makes it really significant is that it is completely new from the ground up. In fact, the Next Gen 323 is the first full redesign of the 20-tonne class Cat machines in almost a quarter of a century. By starting with a clean sheet of paper, the design engineers were able to introduce a raft of new technology into these latest diggers to make them smarter and easier to use. Like getting rid of all the fussy
switchgear that clutters the cab and replacing them with a single interface. Makes for a very clean and streamlined interior, even if it does feel unusual to be sitting in a machine without any buttons to push or switches to flick. Actually, there is one button. It starts the engine. But taking such a big leap into the future is not anything to be alarmed about, even if you are an old-school operator or someone who considers themselves technologically challenged, because it’s so easy to use. The real advantage of a digger like this is that you can tailor it to suit the way you work, not the opposite, which is most appealing. And this is just the start. Expect all the equipment working in the forest to be just as technology rich and smart in the coming years, not just road builders. Not only will it make machines much easier for current operators to use, it means that if we’re going to attract Generation Z (ie those born after 1995 who grew up with computers) into our industry, it’s machines like this that will provide the bait. However, it wasn’t the tech stuff that led Pete and Brad Douglas to go for the Next Gen 323 in the first place. They just wanted a replacement for the Cat 323F that had been slogging its guts out around Northland forests for the past five years. All that technology is just an added bonus. Brad says: “It’s got some great technical features, but we were mainly after a digger that did the job as well as the old 323F and this one has been every bit as good.” To make it work better for them in forestry applications, Douglas
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Above left: Douglas Logging has equipped its new Cat 323 with a large 1.2m³ capacity bucket and thumb for grabbing slash and bush debris when creating tracks and pads. Above right: The bush package on the Douglas Logging Cat 323 includes full guarding around the cab, extended walk platforms on either side of the body, a high and wide base, and single bar grousers to give the tracks extra bite. Left: Faster, smoother and more controllable than before, the Next Generation Cat 323 is a very capable road builder.
Logging had a high and wide undercarriage fitted and extended the walk platforms on either side of the body on the new 323, in addition to the usual guarding undertaken by the MTL and Gough Engineering workshops in Rotorua. It also sits on 600mm single bar grouser tracks, in place of the standard triple grousers. That means the 323 is not vulnerable when it ventures off the tracks onto rougher ground to prepare new skids and landings or tidy up after harvesting has been completed. The ground clearance has been raised from 470mm to 650mm and the more aggressive single grousers provide better grip on steep terrain. The extra width of those walkway plates pushes the width of the Douglas machine from 2,900mm to just under 3,300mm in order to cover the tracks, and all that additional steel work has increased the weight from just over 24 tonnes to around 30 tonnes. Regular operator and foreman of this particular road building crew, Anton Glamazina, is mightily impressed with his new steed. With a civil road construction background, Anton was originally lured to Douglas Logging eight years ago to help Pete and Brad form the company’s first roading crew. “We began with a 316 when we first started up the crew, which was working with a D7 back then, but when we got the D8 it couldn’t really keep up, so we went with a 323F and that’s what this new machine replaced,” says Anton. “It was Brad’s idea to put the high and wide on this because we do a lot of cutover work. We have to go where the rippers have been and cover all their tracks up after they’ve taken out the stumps and fix it all up. “You’ve got to be high and wide, otherwise you won’t get through. The standard model is quite low and there’s not a lot of space between the top of the tracks and the body if you get something caught in them.” For the roading and pad construction duties, the Douglas digger
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is fitted with a 2-metre wide bucket made by Doherty Couplers & Attachments of Tauranga. And it sports a ROBUR Chubb extending thumb that is well proven in this sort of work. There’s also a single ripper attachment if required. Among the changes that have received Anton’s seal of approval is how all the daily checks, including access to the engine oil dipstick, are now moved lower to allow the operator to perform them easily from the ground. Same with the AdBlue tank for the Tier 4 Final engine, which has been moved from high on the body down to a position next to the lower step, so the operator doesn’t have to climb onto the machine to top it up. The new cab is roomier and features more glass than the one it has replaced, which is especially noticeable when you plonk yourself in the operator’s seat, which is heated and cooled if you go for the Premium pack (the seat in the Deluxe model is heated only). The view is very good on most angles but there’s a nice piece of technology that helps the operator overcome the usual blind spot where the boom is situated. Caterpillar has positioned cameras on all sides to give the operator a genuine 360-degree view looking down on the machine. I’ve seen this feature in some high-end luxury cars, but it’s a first for an excavator and a very welcome one. Anton says it’s very handy, although he adds: “The best for me are the camera out on the boom side and the rear camera – I don’t really need cameras all round, but it is a cool gadget, I guess.” The cameras are worked from the new touch-screen, where all the functions for operating the Next Gen 323 are now housed. Twist the rotating handle on the right side of the seat to turn the machine on, press the engine start button and you can scroll through all the keys on the screen to bring up various functions. SERIOUS FOR BIGAssist TIME LOGGERS In here you’ll alsoPOWER find the 2D Grade functions that help the operator set up parameters for using the bucket. Using these functions,
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The technology package in Cat’s Next Generation 323 can be set up to automate a variety of precise digging operations.
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Above: Regular operator, Anton Glamazina, mostly keeps in Eco mode because the machine has so much power at his fingertips. Rright: The 2-metre wide Doherty bucket also benefits from having a ROBUR Chubb extending thumb to pick up roots, rocks and branches.
the operator can create an ‘invisible barrier’ that prevents the bucket from getting too close to an object in the ground, to either side or even above (such as power lines). The operator can also use the automated boom, stick and bucket movements to deliver more accurate cuts with less effort by simply setting the depth and slope into the monitor and activating single-lever digging. It can also record the weight of each bucket load. While those features are obviously designed for civil construction work, they do have applications in some forestry jobs. Anton explains: “I tried the 2D parameters when I was in the quarry to calculate the weight of each bucket so we could work out what was going out in a day on the trucks. “On another job I set the depth for digging in deadmen so we knew they were at the right depth and it’s the same all the way through. “I can see it being useful for creating a difficult water table to follow a specific design. I’ve used it where I wanted to get a pad level – If you are doing a sheer line, you just set the depth to where you want to start and every time you move you set it to the last one where you were at – you have to re-set it every time you move the machine. “The height restriction is useful if you are working under power lines, which I sometimes have to do. “It took me a while to figure it out, but now I know how to do it, it is quite easy. Trouble is, you have to keep using it to remember.” There’s even something called Lift Assist, to help avoid tipping the machine through visual and auditory alerts if the load is outside the excavator’s safe working limits. There was no touch-screen on his previous machine, so Anton has had to feel his way around all the various functions to understand what it can do. Among them is the ability to easily change from a standard Cat pattern for the joystick controls to the pattern used by Hitachi and John Deere via the touch-screen. With most Douglas machines using Hitachi pattern controls, it was something Anton had to get used to when he started work there because it wasn’t easy to change. Fortunately for our Iron Tester, Stan Barlow, it only takes a few seconds to swap now.
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It’s also easier to make fine adjustments to the power settings of the Next Gen 323 through the touch-screen. There are three mode choices, with Eco providing the most fuel saving, but least power, then a Power mode for heavy-duty work and finally, a new Smart mode that automatically adjusts engine and hydraulic power for the highest fuel efficiency, with less power for tasks such as swinging and more power for digging. Anton says: “If I’m doing easy water tables and such like, I’ll just stick it in Economy and I tend to leave it. I’ve tried the Smart mode but I prefer to make the decisions myself.” Using Eco much of the time has seen a dramatic drop in fuel consumption, says Anton, adding that his old machine would use up its 410-litre tank of fuel in around the same time as the new Cat consumes its smaller 345-litre tank. Cat confirms the improvement, saying the new machine is 20% better on fuel than its predecessor. “It’s far more fuel efficient. Stoked at how good it is,” he adds. “And the power is good. It’s fast, very fast. Especially compared to a 313F that we’ve got – when I hop on that it feels like I’m driving a 40-tonne digger. This feels like a little 2-tonner, it’s that fast. “I did have a bit of trouble getting used to the fine blading because it is so fast – to be smooth, especially when you are starting out, you get that jumping and you’ve got to really concentrate to get it nice and smooth. “So I’ve turned it down – very easy to adjust the settings – and I’m able to be a lot smoother.” NZ Logger has experienced the Cat ACERT C7.1 six-cylinder engine that powers the Next Gen 323 before, as it runs in the Cat 538 forestry loader that we Iron Tested back in 2017. On paper, there doesn’t appear to be much different between this power plant and the one under the bonnet of the old 323F. They are both Tier 4 Final engines, but in the new machine it delivers a slightly higher peak output of 122kW (164hp), yet that doesn’t really account for the different in fuel consumption and performance. Caterpillar explains that it is the precise combination of lower engine speed and a large hydraulic pump governed by the new suite of
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Upgraded hydraulics in the Next Generation Cat 323 make light work of road building.
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technologies that help the Next Gen 323 deliver top performance while burning less fuel. Electronics are a wonderful thing, aren’t they? Similarly, Cat says it has reduced maintenance costs by 15% through things like increasing the life of the hydraulic return filter by 50% to 3,000 hours and doubling the service life of the air filters to 1,000 hours. The three fuel system filters now have a 500-hour service interval. The design engineers have also reduced the amount of hydraulic lines in the system, resulting in 20% less oil required, which will deliver more ongoing savings to owners. We’re keen to see all these improvements put to work and today we’ve travelled to a woodlot just inland from the Northland coastal settlement of Waipu Cove, where the Douglas roading crew has been tidying up roads into the job and making sure all the water tables and drainage are correct whilst this site awaits the return of a harvesting team when the price of export logs returns to higher levels.
There had been a lot of rainfall in the weeks preceding our visit and the ground conditions have really tested the abilities of the new Cat. Anton points up the hill behind us to the top of the track and tells us he has some work to complete at the far end before this machine joins the rest of his roading crew at the next job and we’re invited to help out. Due to the wet weather, the track is very sticky, but the combination of the single grousers and plenty of power in the drive motors ensures the Next Gen 323 lives up to the promise of good walk speed, which has an impressive maximum of 5.7km/h in rabbit. At the far end of the track, where Anton is going to create a small yarder landing, he demonstrates some of the finer movements as he levels the ground and creates a batter on the edge to prevent water and debris flowing down the slope. It looks very smooth indeed. Demo over, he instructs Stan on how to set up the functions on the touch-screen and shows him the controls for the bucket movements. Anton mentions that the controls for rotating and tilting the bucket have changed slightly compared to his previous machine. “The buttons are around the other way now,” he says. “They are on each stick and they used to go from side-to-side but now they’ve made them up-and-down. That took a little bit of getting used to.” Stan takes it all in and then proceeds to finish the batter on the edge of the landing before returning to levelling the ground. There are a number of boom and arm options available for this machine, but the Douglas 323 is fitted with the standard 5.7-metre boom and 2.9-metre arm. With the bucket stretched out, the operator is provided with a maximum blade reach of 9.86 metres. Anton says it doesn’t need to be any longer for the work his crew does.
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Above: Even with a high and wide base, the upper bodywork of the Douglas Logging 323 is relatively close to the ground, making it very stable. Insert: Anton Glamazina is the regular operator of the Next Gen Cat 323 and also foreman of the road building crew. Below: 1. Sturdy rams provide plenty of lifting power. 2. The larger cab has increased glass on all sides to provide the operator with greater all-round vision. 3. Pumps and filters to the left, with the repositioned AdBlue tank on the right, separated by handy steps up to the top of the bonnet. 4. Easy access to the cooling system.
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There are a few big stumps in the way of proceedings, along with slash and rocks, and Stan needs to use the thumb to pick them up and cast them out of the way. Anton says: “I use the thumb a lot, especially when we are carting stumps away. Also, I might have to shift a whole lot of logs that might be left on a pad that we have to do something with, and even load a stems truck with it. “Or laying down corduroy to build the pad in a wet area where we have to unload a truck. Or grab rocks to do slips. Gotta have a thumb of some sort for this work.”
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It does the job admirably and even with a heavy load in the bucket, there don’t appear to be any stability issues when Stan extends the boom and arm to drop another big root at the bushline, thanks to the 5.4-tonne counterweight on the rear. The Douglas team are justifiably proud of the performance of the Next Gen Cat 323. With more than 1,100 hours on the clock, it hasn’t missed a beat since it went to work and it’s costing them much less to run. I don’t think Pete and Brad will be looking very far when their second roading crew needs a replacement for their 323F in the future. NZL
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iron test: Stan Barlow
IF EVER THERE WAS A MACHINE THAT MAKES you feel young at heart, the Next Generation Cat 323 stands at the head of the queue. I just wish I had been offered a digger like this when I was coming into the industry all those years ago. The technology not only makes it easy to operate, it’s also a lot of fun. Sure, you can play around with all those interesting settings which make it do this or that, but what really stands out is how responsive and natural it feels through the controls. Like it’s an extension of your arms. If this is how 21st century machine work is supposed to be, then bring it on. Being so user-friendly means that the new 323 will also be more productive, because there is nothing holding the operator back from doing their job. From the outside, it doesn’t look like it is sitting on a high and wide chassis and even climbing up into the cab is no chore, but the extra height was very welcome when taking the machine over some rough ground. The cab itself makes for a very nice workspace. Bright and airy, even with the shutter pulled across the roof skylight – those deep windows make a big difference. The view wasn’t really spoilt by the guarding grille over
the front screen, either. But what blew me away was when Anton showed me how to bring up the 360-degree outside view through the four cameras. Being able to see my track edge and what’s behind me at the same time was awesome. Takes a lot of guesswork out this sort of work. The same goes for dialling up different functions and parameters for the bucket. Shame there wasn’t a hole to dig for a deadman or some other job that could have put it to the test. It certainly whetted my appetite for being able to use this technology in the future. Straight away you have a record of how deep you dig and how long, which is great for health and safety records, not to mention peace of mind. Those are the types of technology we need to see in the forest. As for the usual controls, I was so relieved when Anton showed me how to switch back to the Cat pattern to operate the joysticks. Very easy using that touch-screen. I much prefer to have the slew and dipper arm controls on the left and the bucket and boom working through the right sticks. Then there are the triggers underneath both joysticks, with the left one changing the power modes and the right for setting up your boundaries, but I didn’t need to use either.
Iron Tester, Stan Barlow. I left the power setting on Eco and found it worked very well for me when blading, slewing and lifting. The only time it felt like it needed more urgency in Eco was in the drive motors for walking. As with most modern machines, the controls are very quick and do take a while to get used to. But I found it very controllable. I could do fine blading on flat ground and even angling the bucket to create the batter was not a problem. Another thing I like is that it shows what angles you are on, so you can compensate. It doesn’t matter what angle the base is on you can keep the bucket steady, because you have a bucket control angle and you dial it in and let the machine do the work. Very nifty. The mechanical thumb is always useful in
1: Wider door provides improved entry and exit to the spacious cab. 2: No more switches or buttons – everything is now controlled through the touch-screen display. 3: Small bonnet opening to access the top of the engine, but this can be increased by unbolting the surrounding panels. 4: The side-mounted camera is one of four that provide a 360-degree external view around the machine.
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IFICATION
SPECIFICATIONS - CATERPILLAR 323 NEXT GENERATION EXCAVATOR ENGINE
REFILL CAPACITIES (LITRES)
6-cylinder, 7.01-litre, Caterpillar 7.1, ACERT, Tier 4final Bore / stroke 105mm x 135mm Gross power 122kW (164hp) @ 1,800rpm Max torque 742Nm @ 1,400rpm Max travel speed 5.7km/h
Fuel tank Engine coolant Engine oil tank Hydraulic system (inc tank) DEF tank
HYDRAULICS
DIMENSIONS (MM)
Main pumps Max flow Swing speed Swing torque
Two variable displacement axial piston pumps 2 x 214.5L/min (total: 429L/min) 11.3rpm 74,000Nm
BOOM / ARM Model Reach
Caterpillar heavy duty 9.86m
Shipping length Shipping height Shipping width Ground clearance Track length Track shoe width Tail swing radius Operating weight
345 25 25 234 41
9,530 3,160 3,280 650 4,450 600 2,830 30,000kg (standard machine: 24,400kg)
BUCKET Model Capacity Weight
Doherty 1.2m³ 700kg
these jobs, especially for keeping a load of slash and rubble in the bucket as I was clearing rubbish out of the way. Good speed and power in both the slew and the lift. And being able to work in such a quiet and relaxed cab is a real
bonus – I turned the radio down to soft and I could still hear it over the engine and hydraulics. That’s probably not a feature that would appeal to a young operator who likes the stereo up high, but to me, this whole machine is music to my ears. NZL
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Log Supply
Story: Sandrine Marrassé Photos: Tim Cuff
New log supply chain New log supply chain software system reduces environmental footprint
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OU MAY FIND IT IRONIC THAT A forestry company has implemented a new system designed to eliminate paper, but that’s exactly what Nelson Forests’ newest software system is all about. Innovation and technology are at the
forefront of modern forestry and the latest clever business application by Nelson Forests is a great example of that, and a first in New Zealand. The software is the brainchild of Rotorua-based company, Trimble. “The way we’ve done things forever, is that
every load of logs that gets shifted out, every time you see a truck coming out of the forest, there has been a paper docket associated with that load that has all the details about where the wood is coming from and who it’s going to,” says Nigel Brabyn, Nelson Forests’ Business Performance Analyst. “The harvesting crew kept a carbon copy of the docket, the wood went via truck to a weighbridge and the load weights are added to the docket, a copy was left at the weighbridge, the truck driver had a copy, a copy went to the customer and then Nelson Forests ended up with the docket book after that.” Paper dockets are laborious to organise and delicate and susceptible to the elements – think windy days, muddy harvesting sites, smoko break coffee spills, not to mention the ongoing issue of who’s got a pen when you need one.
Left: Grant Gale, a loader driver for Nelson Forests’ contractor, Endurance Logging, using the new tablet system.
38 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
“There was a whole industry associated with moving these paper dockets around,” says Nigel. “They all had to be collected, checked, and people would have to come and get new docket books. There’d be couriers running backwards and forwards moving a mountain of paper backwards and forwards. “One of the biggest single savings is that we no longer have people driving all over the place with docket books, going to and from customer sites, weighbridges and harvesting sites. It’s a huge fuel and environmental saving from having less vehicles on the roads. We also had a team of people here at the office checking each docket, putting them in boxes, and storing them – where they’d remain for a number of years. “We thought, goodness, we can get on a plane and fly from here to Australia without a paper ticket, why can’t we move a truckload of logs?” OneFortyOne, the Australian company that owns Nelson Forests, was the first to implement the paperless system in Australia, and Nelson Forests has become the first company to officially go paperless here in New Zealand.
Top left: Ricky Hovenden, one of the team of ‘air traffic controllers of trucks’ at Belgrove Despatch. Above: The new software shows real-time, instant information about truck locations and destinations.
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Phone: 07 849 4839 Email: hiab@trt.co.nz Address: 48 Maui Street, Te Rapa, Hamilton
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Log Supply Endurance Logging loader driver, Grant Gale, tops up a load of logs on a Borlaise Transport truck at a Spooners Range harvesting site.
Now, each truck driver has a tablet connected to the system, as does each loader driver on each harvesting site. Information is instant, updated in real time in the cloudbased system and accessible via the tablets, phone Apps, and from any desktop computer or laptop. The information is able to be tracked and viewed by anyone in the supply chain that needs it, including customers, who can now see when loads of logs are coming and their ETA, with instant information provided about what’s been delivered. The tablets are robust and rugged, designed to withstand a metre drop onto concrete, and they can be rinsed off under the tap if they get muddy. “The uptake from everybody has been great. There were a few doubters who said that people wouldn’t like it, but that’s not the case – nobody would go back to the old system now.” The tablet system is a bit like a taxi dispatch system – the truck drivers can see where they need to go, how to get there, and what they’re going to pick up. The loader drivers each have a tablet and can upload information such as what logs they have available, and when they have loaded a truck ready for dispatch, and at
weighbridge dispatch, the trucks show up on a list ranked under their various job statuses. The tablets also have a text messaging service so that everyone can communicate via message. Previously this would all have been done via radio. Each harvesting site, customer location and weighbridge is geofenced so that when a truck crosses the boundary of the geofence, the system automatically updates to mark the truck as ‘en route’, ‘arrived’, ‘departed’, or ‘delivered’. Similarly, the tablets in the trucks automatically update with colour coded entries for the drivers. At Nelson Forests’ Belgrove Despatch Office, the team are the ‘air traffic controllers of trucks’. Before the new software system was introduced, anyone walking into the office would hear a constant cacophony of sound coming from voices over radios and phones, from truck drivers, harvesting crews, customers – basically everyone in the log supply chain. Now it’s a quiet working environment with the intermittent cheery hello from a truck driver who calls in to weigh their truck load of logs and enter the weight into the system. Ricky Hovenden, a despatcher for Nelson Forests’ at Belgrove, spends most of his day
looking at real-time satellite images of trucks approaching harvesting and customer sites. He says: “With the old system, we had to be quite reactive and make allocation and operational decisions on the spot, whereas now we get about 45 minutes to plan and allocate because we get a notification from the software that lists the truck as on its way. It means we can work smarter and more efficiently.” From a harvesting crew perspective, the new system is a game changer. “It’s really good for us because we know what’s coming and we can plan and be prepared for that,” says Grant Gale, a loader driver for Nelson Forests’ Contractor Endurance Logging. “We now know in advance of the trucks arriving whereas before we could’ve just had three turn up at once. Prior to the new system we had to do paper dockets and then take in final stock sheets at the end of every day and drop them to the weighbridge. Now we just update the tablets as we go, and we know what they’re seeing is our available stock.” The next step for Nelson Forests is to fine tune the system and use this tool to further influence and streamline other areas of the business, such as harvest planning. NZL
40 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
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Breaking Out
Story & photos: John Ellegard
It takes time to build a successful crew, but Whisker Harvesting seems to have got the formula right from day one.
42 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
T
WELVE YEARS AGO, NZ LOGGER visited Whisker No2 when it picked up a coveted contract to work for Ernslaw One in the Santoft Forest, near Bulls, and we remarked on the slickness of the operation. Nothing much has changed over the course of the past dozen years, except that the crew converted to full mechanisation, reflecting advances in harvesting practices across the industry.
That same crew is still beavering away among the sand-based pines in Santoft and, remarkably, many of the same crew members we met back in 2007 are there today. It’s that continuity, along with a determination to maintain the highest standards that saw Whisker No2 named 2019 Contractor of the Year in the recent Southern North Island Wood Council Forestry Awards. It’s very rare for any logging contractor to hold onto a contract for such a long stretch of time and it obviously speaks to the strong relationship forged with their forest manager. In fact, the Whisker crew was nominated for the award by Ernslaw One. “We use the Whisker model, as we call it, for other crews that we manage,” says Linda Waddell, who is Ernslaw’s Harvest & Woodflow Manager for the southern North Island. “We
have two of our other crews in Karioi that basically mimic the Whisker crew and it’s worked well for their configuration, volumes, etc.” A nice bit of kudos for Nick Whisker, who founded the contracting business more than 20 years ago and now manages four forestry crews, as well as the family farm south of Bulls. He’s not sure if there is any one reason why the No2 crew has been so successful over the years, putting it down to a combination of contributing factors, including employee stability, a high work ethic, strong team culture and, importantly, the leadership of the crew’s co-owner, Colin Wroe. “Colin and I started that contract with this crew and he’s very hands-on, still working in there as foreman – plus there are several others who have been around most of that time,” says Nick. Before the contract came up for tender it was viewed as one of the best to have in the region, coveted by many. But it had been in the same hands for some time and Colin wasn’t so sure about tendering as he wondered whether anyone else was likely to win it. He’d worked around that area for much of his professional career and even had his own crew back in the 1990’s.
Main pic: Nick Whisker now has four crews under his command in the lower North Island. Left: The second – and older – of the two Tigercat 880 swing machines is falling trees for the processor in the main photo. Above: Colin Wroe runs the Whisker No 2 crew as a 50:50 partnership with Nick Whisker. November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 43
Breaking Out
A FI
Of the two Tigercat 880 processor/harvesters working with Whisker No2, one has been stood down following a reduction in production, brought on by the export log price drop. “And then after one forestry crash too many, I got out of that and I managed a few crews for different people,” he says. “I was running a small woodlot crew for Nick when he first started out and the Ernslaw contract came up. I’ve known of the contract the whole time I was working in the bush and it was always the one you looked at and thought ‘shit, that’s the one to have if it ever comes up’. “It got tendered out for the first time in 21 years and Nick said to me ‘we’ll put in a tender for it’ and I said ‘you reckon?’ And we ended up getting it. So, for 12 years we’ve been running it as a 50/50 partnership. Works really well.” The No2 crew is actually two-in-one. There’s the clear-cut harvesting team of five, including Colin, who oversees it on a day-to-day basis as crew boss. Working in a separate area under a foreman and reporting to Colin, is a three-man production thinning team. On second thoughts, make that three-inone, because a couple of the main harvesting crew split out occasionally and bring in another worker from the wider Whisker group to go road lining when required. With three operations all combined under one umbrella, there is potential for some things to go awry or get overlooked, but that doesn’t seem to have happened, which was obviously reflected in the forestry award. It’s fair to say that Colin was really chuffed when the crew took out the Contractor of the Year title, with the whole team travelling over to
44 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
Palmerston North for the dinner and ceremony. Like Nick, he believes that stability in personnel has been a key factor in creating an award-winning crew. “We are pretty lucky in that most of our guys are very long service – the majority in both crews have been with us over ten years,” Colin says. Each person who hits that mark earns a ten-year celebration. “We’ve known each other for a long while and I think one of the main reasons we do well is that they are all good guys, good people. They all want to do a good job and take a lot of pride in their work. I set pretty high standards and I think that has rubbed off over the years and they are the same now.” But that wasn’t the only reason the Whisker No2 guys got their 15 minutes of fame over in Palmerston North. Colin reckons: “It’s due to a lot of factors and criteria that we met. Like, you’ve got to have an exceptional health & safety record, which we have – we’ve won numerous awards for that. “You’ve got to be meeting your production targets and still produce good quality. Amongst the Ernslaw crews we are consistently at or near the top in QC audits, recovery audits and so on. So as far as they are concerned, we are always doing a good job for them.” The fact that crew No2 has been able to continue to produce the goods for more than 12 years underlines the quality of the teamwork and leadership.
“Keeping people motivated is hard, but it’s probably about being a little bit competitive, too,” adds Colin. “Once you get to a higher standard you can compare it to other crews. They want to maintain it and stay at the top or near to it. “I’m not going to take all the credit, but I think you’ve got to start at the top and set an example, so they know that’s what is expected. It just becomes normal to have high standards.” And then there’s that X-factor, which some people like to refer to as ‘crew culture’ or ‘team work’. Whatever you call it, this is a very important ingredient. Colin agrees, saying: “Everyone looks out for each other; they are good like that. We have auditors from outside and the one thing they always comment on is that everyone works for each other. They are always looking to make the next person in the chain’s job easier. You are always thinking about that next step, rather than just thinking about what you are doing.” At the time NZ Logger visited Whisker Harvesting, the team spirit was really being tested by the fall-out from the drop in log prices and subsequent reduction in demand for wood. Until then, the main harvesting team was regularly cutting in excess of 500 tonnes a day and the production thinners were adding more than 100 tonnes of their own. But there is now a cap on numbers in both the clear-cut and thinning operations, which has caused a few headaches. That’s resulted in one of the two
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Breaking Out
Tigercat 880 processor/harvesters being laid up and one of the crew members having to float around other operations. Nick says the plan was to actually increase clear-cut production going into the Spring: “But we’ve come back down from 18 or 19, to 12 loads a day and we stopped using one of the 880s and have just gone back to four men again. So we’ll sit on that for the foreseeable future. It is sustainable at that level.” Maybe. But it still hurts when you have expensive machines side-lined due to matters beyond your control. At least they have got work. Many others haven’t. Nick has two other crews operating in the region, both in woodlots, where the prospect of continuous harvesting is more fragile – though they were still working at the time of writing, as export log prices were showing signs of improvement. Funny how things go in cycles. Not long after Whisker No2 started up this contract, the industry went through a similar upheaval following the Global Financial Collapse, before coming right. It shook a lot of people out of forestry, some never to return. What is very different in 2019, compared to 2008, is that Nick and Colin have much more money tied up in equipment, as most of the logging was being done manually back then. Chainsaws were bringing down the trees to be de-limbed in a Harvestech and then dragged by a skidder to the skid site and turned into logs by cross-cutters, recalls Nick. They went fully mechanised in 2010, with the first processor being a Volvo 360 equipped with a Woodsman Pro800. In 2014, Nick and Colin decided to go down the purpose-built route, replacing the Volvo with their first Tigercat 880, also with a Woodsman Pro800. The second Tigercat 880 and Woodsman Pro850 arrived in 2017 when the target was increased, enabling the original 880 to go falling and delimbing. It’s the older machine that is now mostly parked up under the reduced quota and will probably go to one of the woodlot crews soon. Crew No2 also has a Volvo 250 for loading and upgraded to the latest Tigercat 632E skidder a year ago. Working in with the crew is a Sumitomo 235, which is mostly used in road building, raking and drainage. Although Nick professes a preference for purposebuilt equipment in the forest, the Sumi was purchased as a standard digger and then guarded and given a high and wide base in the Mobile Sheet Metals (MSM) Feilding workshop located at the family farm, and he’s happy with the results. The roading side of the crew’s duties are completed by a second-hand MAN gravel spreading truck purchased from Douglas
46 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
Logging in Dargaville early last year. In place of the usual tipper on the back, this truck releases the gravel onto the road via a dumping mechanism underneath the bin. To update us on how crew No2 is fairing in 2019, Nick takes us first to the thinning operation, which is working in a Santoft block around five minutes from the rest of the team. The thinning work has always been bundled under the same contract by Ernslaw One, says Nick. The machinery used for this type of work has been specially selected to suit the task and the environment they are working in. It includes
a compact Tigercat 610 skidder, a zero-swing Doosan 235, which is unique in New Zealand, Nick explains. “We high and wided and guarded it in our workshop, to use in loading, fleeting and also shovel-log out in the forest,” he says. “It’s a very handy machine to have in this operation and has created a bit of interest among other contractors.” The third machine is a Tigercat 822 fitted with a SouthStar 450 head and Nick mentions he will soon be taking delivery of the very first levelling 822 in the country to go onto steeper jobs with one of his other crews.
The Whisker team is fortunate that Ernslaw One has been able to keep the production from this thinning job to around 100 tonnes per day. Nick says: “They’re mostly doing straight roundwood, although we do cut a little bit of export, which is really just a 3.7 off the end and then straight into longs. MitchPine (sawmill based in Levin) will do about 8% better grade turnout on a long than a short. “Originally we would have liked to do this job with a forwarder but it works OK with the little skidder. We do three or four loads a day on McCarthy’s trucks. They (Mitchpine) wanted the longs and that’s why we do it that way, whereas in the other thinnings we are using a forwarder because we are cutting shorts and export.” Stopping at the load-out area we catch up with Mike Jeffree, who is foreman of the thinning team. He is also one of the ‘originals’ starting with Nick and Colin 12 years ago. He was actually in here even earlier, working for the
previous contractor for 10 years. Mike has also done a few woodlots for Nick but prefers working for the big companies, saying: “It’s more stable in this environment and the health and safety is a lot higher in corporate forests. This one in particular.” Being a three-man operation, everyone is hands-on, with Darren ‘Smally’ Smallman in the Doosan and Chet Swan handling the harvester, leaving Mike to drag trees out of the bush behind the skidder, which he also part-owns. If Chet is away, Mike swaps into the 822. Although they are kept busy, Mike says his team could produce more than the 100 tonnes they are currently being held to. “This is a good forest, it’s nice like this all year round, the ground conditions don’t really change,” he says. “Summer is probably more of a problem than winter with the dryness and fire risk – which can restrict what we’re doing. Last
Left: These 12-metre stems from the production thinning team are being loaded onto a McCarthy Transport Mack bound for the Mitchpine roundwood mill in Levin by the Doosan 235. Below: The Doosan 235 was guarded and given a high and wide base by the MSM mechanical workshop near Bulls.
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Left: Foreman of the Whisker No2 thinning team, Mike Jeffree, also has a stake in the Tigercat 610 skidder. | Above center: Doosan operator, Darren ‘Smally’ Smallman, started with the crew 16 years ago. | Above right: Chet Swan quit log truck driving in Australia to operate the production thinning harvester for Whisker No2. summer it came very close, we were only days away from being restricted.” He’s enjoying the 610 skidder, especially as he has a stake in it: “First one I’ve had partshares in. Bought it a year and a bit ago.” Nick says they’ve hung on to its predecessor, the first 610C in the country, to work in other Whisker jobs. Mike goes on to explain: “We started in this compartment at the beginning of the year and have done 80 hectares, and we’re doing another 18 hectares, but there are three blocks here that are almost similar size, so at least another year left in this part of the forest. Nick mentions that Mike “knocked this
all down” when the previous rotation was harvested, with Mike adding that the 2004 storms blew much of the forest over and it had to be clear-felled for re-planting. His association goes back even further, with Mike’s father having worked for Ernslaw: “He did 45 years, first with the Forest Service, then Timberlands before Ernslaw. So I’ve grown up in this forest. Parents still live just down from here and I’m in Bulls.” This team was also included in the Contractor of the Year Award and Mike reckons it’s because “we are pretty good at what we do and our health and safety record is pretty damn good”. As Mike returns to the skidder, we get ‘Smally’
to shut down the Doosan for a quick catch-up. He’s also been here for around 16 years, although his general experience goes back much further, with around 40 years in forestry, including two years in Papua New Guinea, logging in the rainforests, along with stints in Rotorua, Mangatu and Nelson. “I’m from here originally so I guess that’s why I’ve stayed and it helps having family here,” says ‘Smally’. “I used to work for Nick’s old man back in the 80s, doing silviculture. And I logged this forest, did the first rotation back in ’88. They’ve logged it since and here we are again. Mike was here, we cut it by hand back then.
“I’m enjoying being back in here except I’m not on a chainsaw now and I’m getting fat without the exercise – I’ll need more than a few jogging sessions. But machines are much easier on the body. “Don’t really get to use a chainsaw here. I can break the ends off with my grapple so I don’t have to get out and cut them if they are too long.” ‘Smally’ starts at four o’clock every morning and does two hours bunching in the forest and at 5.30am takes a break to load the deck for the first truck arriving around 6.30am and then goes back into the bush. “Between trucks I bunch, fleet, come out and load up, then clean my skids and I do that 12 hours a day, otherwise you’ll never do your quota. It’s busy, so I’m not bored, I’m always doing something,” he says. And he’s enjoying his new Doosan, saying: “She’s nice and fast for loading and shovelling. Although it’s got smaller final drives on it, so not as quick as the bigger machines when I have to walk in to do bunching, but otherwise it’s a great little machine. It’s really only meant to be loading and fleeting. And it’s very quick for that.” Nick is very proud of the choice of machine, along with the work his engineers have done on the Doosan. “It’s light years ahead of anything else we’ve put in there,” he says. “Lift is incredible. It will throw a 5-axle trailer off. I think it’s the only one working in the bush. Since we put it in, a couple of other contractors have rung me up about it. The reason we went with it was because of the 6-cylinder engine, more grunt and just the lift capability. “It has a standard arm and boom, so we can get into the trees to bunch with it as well, which is a big advantage. “With 3 or 4 loads a day, you know that every time a truck leaves, it’s an hour and 45 minutes before he gets back, so you can either go in or stay out and fleet. It works quite well because you are not having to go to-and-fro with four trucks coming and then nothing and that’s the advantage of working in the corporates – McCarthys giving you a nice, constant flow. “They just sit on a hundy. It doesn’t sound like much but it works. It’s a very specialised game. What Mitchpine takes is quite unique, because they cut out a pile if they need to, to take something out of the log. They cut short posts, halves and all sorts – very unique. At the end of the day, you can sit back and look at what you’ve done and be quite satisfied with the result, how you’ve improved the stand and provided some good product to a mill that is crying out for it.” The person responsible for cutting those trees in the Tigercat 822C is Chet Swan, who joined Nick’s organisation eight years ago. He’s
operated a wide array of machinery over time, from driving trucks to agricultural tractors, both here and in Australia. “I was driving trucks in Australia, with my wife still here and she saw an advert for a job with Whisker and said ‘you’d better come home’. I started as a loader driver.” Chet then spent two years in a big skidder, swapping to a harvester four years ago in clear fell. So what does he make of thinnings? “It’s different, I came out of a Tigercat 855 with a Woodsman 700 down to this. Not sure which one I prefer, they’ve both got plus and minus points. You lose a bit of paint in this job even with a short tail swing.” Unlike some thinning operations, Whisker doesn’t remove every third row, preferring to take out the smallest and ugliest trees. Nick
says it’s because they don’t want to leave heavy tracks. The aim in here is to take stocking numbers down to 350 from 600. For this sort of work, they both agree that the compact 822 is a “very good machine”. Leaving the thinnings and on the way to see the harvesting team, we pass near to the Whisker farm, where Nick mentions he was born and has now moved his family back there. As well as rearing livestock and growing crops, the farm also sparked the forestry career for Nick, with the block behind it being planted in trees by his father. Those trees have since been logged and their replacements are already 12 years old. Approaching the harvesting site, Nick spots a familiar truck driving out and pulls it over. It’s the 6-wheel-drive MAN ‘bottom dumper’ used for delivering gravel to the forestry roads from
The Tigercat 822C could produce more than the 100 tonnes per day allowed under the current quota.
The Tigercat 610E skidder drags another bunch of production-thinned stems to the skid site. Whisker Harvesting got the first 610 in New Zealand when this job started. November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 49
a nearby quarry. In the driver’s seat is Scott McPhee, who is a more recent arrival, starting with Whisker two years ago. Prior to that he was with Foxpine, driving logging trucks. Scott is not a full-time member of this crew, only working in with them on roading jobs. In addition to driving this truck he also operates farm machines for Nick. Call him a general hand. This truck arrived from Dargaville at the start of 2018 and Scott says: “I’ve driven a lot of trucks but nothing quite like this, very enjoyable to drive. Very different to tippers. Lot better, does a better job. “You get a better spread of metal and you can stop/start them easier. If you are doing potholes etc you can just cruise over them and drop it straight on.” He’s been spreading on roads in here for the past couple of weeks and will drive out to other forests when needed. The truck is also used on the farm for roading. Turning our attention to the harvesting team, Nick says the action is more subdued today, compared to a few months earlier. Co-owner, Colin, has already departed for the day, having completed his early shift, but I manage to talk to him on the phone a few days later. I ask Nick whether the forest itself has changed much since this crew first started work in here and he says: “We still cut trees at year 28, which gives them a good chance to grow. But it’s not all that consistent in places. “Looking down a forest you can see where someone has got it wrong in the past, where it’s too heavy and it’s basically growing a K grade forest instead of an A grade forest. They come out at the same tonnes per hectare but the K grade is worth $25 less than an A grade. “Santoft, over time, has probably come back in piece size from 2.5 tonnes to probably now about 1.6. It used to be done over two thinnings – a thin to waste then a production thin at age 14 and then a final production thin at 19, but they don’t do the 19 anymore. They use the second thinning to push up that tree height to get the volume and the better log grades. “It’s hard to explain it to some people who don’t understand because there are so few forests in New Zealand where you have the opportunity to do it. You’ve only got a few sandbased forests on the west coast of the North Island where you can do that. Maybe less than 50,000 hectares. Not a big area.” Nick says their close relationship with Earnslaw One sees Colin talking to Harvesting Manager, Linda, on a daily basis. Likewise, Mike is in contact regularly to discuss progress and any changes for the thinning side. But, unlike the wood produced in thinnings, there aren’t many mills left in the region to take saw logs, so most of it goes to export.
Above: Scott McPhee is the regular driver of the MAN 6x6 bottom dumper truck used on roading jobs by Whisker Harvesting in the Santoft Forest. Below: Kit Bradley is the youngest, but longest-serving employee in the Whisker No2 crew, having started with Nick Whisker before this contract was taken up.
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 51
Breaking Out
The Sumitomo SH235-6, used for road and skid building duties, is ripping out stumps.
52 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
employees: “I remember signing out of school and the very next day came out to do pruning around Nick’s property, plus a bit of thinning to waste and then spent a few days out with the logging crew. “Leon, my brother-in-law who worked for Nick at the time, he got me in. He asked me what I wanted to do after I left school and I didn’t know so he said come into forestry until you do. And I’ve just stayed here.” He was brought in originally to help with manual tree falling: “A lot of edge tree were coming up and they said, get Kit in, he knows how to do it. I kept chipping away at the edge trees and then they said, ‘oh well, you’ve been here long enough why not try a machine’.” He’s tried the skidder and tracked loader, but for the past three years Kit has been falling and trimming trees with the older 880, which he enjoys, but admits to liking the newer one even better. “I love the work and the old 880 is a nice machine, but that (later) one is even better,” he says. “It’s brand new and everything wrong on this one they’ve made better with that one. The new Tigercat engine is more powerful, the hydraulic pumps and rams are bigger, it’s just so good, ask it to do something and it does it with ease. “I’m using this old one today because we’ve started creating another skid and it’s better for falling. Normally I’ll swap with Colin after he’s finished processing for the day.” When Colin is processing in the 880, Kit will do some QC first and then spend four or five hours falling in the Tigercat. “That gives us enough for the next day, plus a
little bit more, so even if there is a breakdown or something, there is always enough wood flow to carry on – around 300 trees a day to keep us ticking along,” he says. Kit says he feels good to be part of a Contractor of the Year winning team, adding: “Bit of a surprise really. We didn’t have too many expectations and just went along for the night for the free beer! “But then again, we get externally audited quite a bit and they comment on how well our crew is structured, how well we all get along, our production standards – they all seem to have something good to say about our crew.” As a machine operator, Kit acknowledges the fact he doesn’t get as much exercise on the ground as he used to, but relishes the early QC work, saying: “I still love being on the chainsaw and being outside, that’s my nature, I play rugby or cricket every weekend and that keeps me fit, which makes up for sitting down every work day.” A few hundred metres away, Sumi operator, ‘Jimmy’, is dragging out stumps from the ground to create the new skid site. He’s the newest member of crew No2, arriving two years earlier from a local earthworks contractor. He didn’t know anything about forestry before he started and reckoned it would be an interesting challenge: “And it’s turned out to be a good challenge. Work with a bunch of great guys and really good bosses. We all gel well together and Ernslaw is a good company to work for.” ‘Jimmy’ has just completed 3km of roading on the way in and is upending the stumps so they can be shifted to enable the ground to be TD29912
A lot is sent by rail from Palmerston North to Wellington, says Nick, although they do have the option of shipping across to Napier or back to New Plymouth by train. In addition to Mitchpine, some goes to the Ernslaw mills at Tangiwai. The woodlot crews mostly provide export logs, with the prunes going up to Tenon in Taupo. A little bit goes to Kiwi Lumber in Dannevirke and every now and then some goes up to Pan Pac in Napier. The challenge of meeting production targets, whether they are set high or on reduced quotas, can cause some head scratching, says Nick. They rely on electronic information from their harvesting and processing equipment to determine what has been cut at the end of each day, so everyone knows what is in stock. “It doesn’t matter whether you are cutting 3-tonne trees at the back of Kaitoke prison or 1.2 down by the coast, our target is still the same,” says Nick. “So you have to work smarter to get the same result. For instance, if you cut a whole load of shorts for export that will slow you down. If you did a whole load of 6.1 you load quicker and the turnaround would be quicker. It’s just the nature of the block and terrain – we’re pretty lucky with this crew that we are on sand, which means the ground conditions don’t hold us up.” With the time ticking on, there’s just a couple of the team left out here to carry the work into the afternoon; Kit Bradley, who has taken over the Tigercat 880 from Colin and James ‘Jimmy’ Dear, running the Sumitomo bucket machine. Kit is the youngest member of the team, arriving directly from school in 2002, so that makes him one of Nick’s longest-serving
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IF MEMBERS OF YOUR CREW ARE NOT MEMBERS OF A CLUB AFFILIATED TO NZ SPORT FISHING INCORPORATED A TOURNAMENT MEMBERSHIP OF $25 PER ANGLER IS REQUIRED. PLEASE TICK BOX IF TOURNAMENT MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED FOR ANGLERS.
TOURNAMENT MEMBERSHIPS REQUIRED No: __________________ @ $25, TOTAL: $ _________________ (Tick Box Alongside Anglers Name) $125 PER ANGLER, No: ___________________________________________ TOTAL: $ _________________ GUEST ENTRY (non anglers) $50 each, No: ___________________________
TOTAL: $ _________________
WE WILL BE FISHING FROM ANOTHER AREA ON THURSDAY MORNING:
YES
NON-REFUNDABLE 25% DEPOSIT with entry to Tournament. Balance payable no later than Wednesday night briefing. Cheques payable to: Truckers & Loggers Fishing Tournament. DEPOSIT: $ ____________________________
NO
TEAM CONTACT NAME: ______________________________________________________________________
PH:________________________________________
ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EMAIL:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TD29912
VISA
MASTERCARD
CHEQUE
CARD HOLDER NAME: _______________________________________________________
EXPIRY DATE ________/ _________ AMOUNT: $ _______________
SIGNATURE: _______________________________________________________________
SECURITY CODE ________________
James ‘Jimmy’ Dear, the newest member of Whisker No2, has a background in general earthworks but is enjoying forestry. levelled. He’s got a grubber with a thumb on the end and is churning through the stumps at a fast rate, reckoning it will take a few hours tomorrow to complete raking the site and it’ll be done. Then back to roading. He is pleased to be working with good gear and Nick points out that the high and wide conversion and guarding are another product of the MSM workshop. Is there any task that ‘Jimmy’ likes more than others? He says: “I don’t mind any kind of work, it’s all good, because of the variety. Nice working out here, it’s pretty flat, so not difficult. “Another benefit is that we’ve got two years work in here, so I’m coming into the same place for a while – handy, because I live close by, in Palmerston North.” Another of the long-serving crew members is skidder driver Ross Bertram, who has been with Nick for 14 years and has worked with Colin for much longer, stretching back some 25 years. A native of the Manawatu, forestry is in his blood, having followed his father, who was a forest supervisor, into the industry 35 years ago. Ross describes this outfit as “a bloody good crew – everyone is experienced so they all know their job and the crew just ticks away”. He’s usually at the controls of the Tigercat 632 by 4am and finishes “when I have enough wood set up for the next day”. With daily loads now back to 11, it means he now finishes early in the afternoon, though it depends on how far he is dragging stems. Ross says the sand-based forest might look easy to work in, but it can be deceptive because there are swampy areas and
54 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
Skidder driver Ross Bertram says dragging stems on the sand base in Santoft Forest can be challenging. environmental sites that he’s not allowed to drive on. Also, sand can be a difficult surface to pull heavy loads on. “You don’t generate traction on sand like you do on clay country where you can use your horsepower – once you disturb the sand you create a mess for yourself and you can’t maximise your drags,” he says. “It’s not about pulling the biggest drag, it’s more about your cycle time because you don’t really want to disturb the sand tracks.” Loader driver, Paul Green is another early starter, arriving in the forest around the same time as the first trucks. Paul began with Nick 11 years ago in one of his other crews and joined this one a couple of years later. He’s been in forestry since 1994, but did take two years off to drive grain harvesters in Canada and Australia. These days he spends all his time in the cab of the Volvo 250 loader, in which he owns half shares. That arrangement dates back to 2014, with an earlier machine. “Then we got another and had two going at one stage, but we’ve let the older one go – this one has done 4,200 hours,” says Paul. “Nice machine, although I liked the factory cab in the older one – was more comfortable than the purpose-built, but this is what we need for safety these days.” Paul is relaxed about the reduced quota, but you do get the impression that he misses the buzz of loading more trucks in a day. It can still be up and down. “On the biggest day I did around 25 loads and still managed to keep up – now we do around 11 or 12,” he says.
Paul Green is a part-owner of the Volvo 250 that he operates for the Whisker No 2 crew. “I enjoy it here because we can do our own hours to suit, so long as the work gets done. Finishing early in the afternoon means I can pick up the kids from school. And we all get on really well. It’s a great work environment.” They’re a tight bunch alright. Nick and Colin even regard Harvesting Manager, Linda Waddell, as a member of their crew and made her feel welcome from the time she moved to Bulls with Ernslaw ten years ago. She says: “I was pretty green when I came down, not knowing much about harvesting and that side of it. I was fortunate enough to work with this group, learning and understanding what they do. “One of the advantages of working with Whisker is that when I came here I was young and female and they never treated me any different. I was treated like one of the crew and I didn’t feel disadvantaged because of my situation. They were there to help me learn and work with me and ten years later they feel like family. “They not only needed recognition for that, but also for the fact they are a very good crew, good health & safety, good operations, they are good guys and environmentally they do very well, so from a company’s perspective they are the type of crew any company would want.” It’s great to see that it’s not only the Whisker No2 crew who are so happy in their work after 12 years here in Santoft Forest, but also the forest manager. Colin agrees, saying: “We just need to make sure we keep them happy so we keep the contract. That’s an important part of
having high standards, because it will help you keep the contract.” Nick concurs: “We try to make it so that nothing is a problem.
“At the end of the day, the contract is ours to lose, that’s the way I look at it. As long as you treat it that way it works for both parties.” NZL
The Whisker No2 crew celebrates winning the 2019 Contractor of the Year Award.
www.ďŹ ca.org.nz
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This work is being driven by FISC and the TAG Group led by Wayne Dempster with supporting industry representatives from FICA and NZFOA. The industry is working hard to stay ahead of the regulations and proactively working with MBIE and WorkSafe on all matters concerned with the Reform.
top spot
Safety/performance/quality
Winning teams have a plan WATCHING THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED World Cup Rugby tournament in Japan, you can’t help but be impressed by how the top teams play. They have a plan, everyone knows it and they execute it well…even if they don’t end up winning the game, they’re always near the top. What struck me is the way that teams like the All Blacks have a structure that also allows individual skills/talents to be expressed within that, all for the betterment of the team overall. So how – apart from the obvious fact that we aren’t playing rugby – is this any different to the way we need to operate in forestry? As a team we have a daily plan that everyone should know and follow – if not, why not? We work within a structure that allows individuals and the team to succeed – if not, why not? Within that structure we allow individuals with particular talents to develop and express these for the betterment of themselves and the team – if not, why not? We have a management group (contractor, foreman, business support) who develop and steer the team in the direction needed for success – if not, why not? The most successful teams we see are those that have all of the above and work on them 100% of the time. Interestingly, we’ve had feedback from several contractors who acknowledge that, through their participation in Top Spot, they have changed their thinking on how they work to pretty much reflect the comments above. Their results; more productive, happier people with less pressure and time on the worksite. This month has the results from Period 3 assessments, reflecting individual success as part of the cohesive and positive team structure we’ve just discussed, with photos spread across these pages and in next month’s Top Spot. Sponsors – They don’t have to do this but they choose to! Awesome companies, awesome people and awesome support! They back you and your workmates to succeed as professionals, so why wouldn’t you support them. They believe in what we do and what you do. So a big ongoing thank you to our Strategic
58 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
Partners – STIHL and NZ Logger and sponsor SWAZI. The best way to keep our industry working is to get out and support those businesses that support New Zealand. Participating Companies This competition wouldn’t be what it is without our participating companies. We understand the commitment it takes from them to be part of Top Spot and value their ongoing support and feedback. Our ongoing thanks to Rayonier/Matariki Forests, Wenita Forest Products, Port Blakely, Crown Forestry, Brand Logging, CMH Logging, Hauraki and Moehau Logging, Thomassen Logging, Te Waa Logging, Lakeland Cable Logging, Logged on Logging, Pakiri Logging, Inta-Wood Forestry, Otautau Contractors, Heslip Forest Contracting, Waikato Forestry
Services, Hodgson Silviculture, Makerikeri Silviculture, NJ Simns Forestry Services, SAS Forestry, XMen Forestry, Central Forestry Services, Mangoihe Logging, Kohurau Contracting, Tohaia Forestry Harvesting, Kuru Contracting, Dennis E Hayes Logging, Swain Logging, Lumberjack Logging, Ernslaw One, Blue Wood Logging, Mike Hurring Logging, McCallum Logging, Whisker Logging, Kaha Logging, Lahar Logging, Dempsey Logging, Moutere Logging, JBD Harvesting, McDougall Logging, Forest View Logging, Kimberley Logging, Dewes Logging, X Men Harvesting, Pakiri Logging, Storm Logging, Lumberjack Logging, Eastside Logging, Veal Forestry, McHoull Contracting, Johnson Forestry Services, Pride Forestry, Halley Forestry, Penetito Forestry, FM Silviculture, Forest View Forestry, Wayne Cumming Contracting, Rodco Forestry, Johnson Forestry, Pro Forest Services, Eastside Logging and Norwest Logging. Into safety? Into performance? Into quality? Contact Shane Perrett on 0274 781 908, NZL 07 3483037 or at primefm@xtra.co.nz.
Successful members of the Moehau 99 team in the Period 3 results are, from left, Charlie Balle (second-equal in Manual Tree Falling, Solomon Walker (first in Machine Operation on the Landing), Quentin Kew (third in Breaking Out Cable), Hayden Diskin (first-equal in Breaking Out Cable) and Tristan Armstrong (first-equal in Mechanised Processing).
top spot Safety/performance/quality
Brad Atkins, of Mangoihe 5, was first-equal in Mechanised Processing in Period 3. Dave Leckie, of Forest View 12, was first in Manual Tree Felling in Period 3.
Chris Steele, of JD Harvesting, was first in Ground Base Extraction in Period 3.
TOP SPOT – PERIOD 3, 2019 RESULTS FUNCTION
BREAKING OUT CABLE
PARTICIPANT
CONTRACTOR
HAYDEN DISKIN
SCOTT WISE
MOEHAU 99 PAKIRI 26 MOEHAU 99 PAKIRI 26 FOREST VIEW 12 HAURAKI 91 MOEHAU 99 KIMBERELY 22 JD HARVESTING KIMBERELY 22 TE WAA LOGGING MANGOIHE 5 PAKIRI 26 PAKIRI 24 MOUTERE 8 JD HARVESTING KIMBERELY 22 MOEHAU 99 JD HARVESTING MANGOIHE 5 MOEHAU 99 PAKIRI 26 TE WAA LOGGING
2ND 3RD 1ST 2ND 3RD 1= 1= 1= 1ST 2ND 3RD
MIKE WILSON
MANGOIHE 5
4TH
ANTHONY TIPENE
MOEHAU 99 HAURAKI 91 KIMBERELY 22 RIBBONWOOD 11 MOUTERE 8 HAURAKI 91 MOEHAU 99
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 1ST 2ND 3RD
DALLAS FRENCH QUENTIN KEW ARDEN TUKI BOYCE DAVE LECKIE
MANUAL TREE FELLING
BRIAN KENNY CHARLIE BALLE BEN HOHEPA CHRIS STEELE
GROUND BASE EXTRACTION
JOHNNY BEACH SIDTSE POSTHUMA RALPH HODGETTS
SHOVELLING
ROBERT ASHFORD JULIAN NGATAI MATE NGAROTATA
MECHANISED FELLING
SCOTT LEASK JOHNNY DEWES TRISTAN ARMSTRONG
MECHANISED PROCESSING
NICK PAEWAI BRAD ATKINS SOLOMON WALKER
MACHINE OPERATION ON THE LANDING
QC / RETRIM
SIMON COLLIER
GEORGIA BALLE CHEVY BOYCE JAMIE METEKINGI GLEN COLE
YARDER
ADAM DIAMOND DAVE COX
PLACING 1= 1= 3RD 4TH 1ST 2= 2= 4TH 1ST 2ND 3RD 1ST
Mate Ngarotata, of Moutere 8, was first in Mechanised Felling in Period 3.
Mike Wilson, of Mangoihe 5, was fourth in Machine Operation on the Landing, in Period 3.
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 59
new iron
THREE CATS & TWO WOODSMAN PROS FOR KURU The Cat 538LL and 568LL purpose-built forest machines in the left photo are the latest acquisitions for Ricky and Leanne Kuru for their East Coast operations. The top-of-the range Cat 568LL features a Woodsman Pro850 head, making for a powerful combo to get through the big wood in the region, while the 538LL and its Ensign 1730 grapple has been put to work on fleeting and loading duties. The units are pictured with operators, Paul Leota (538LL) and Jaz Kuru (568LL). They’ve been joined in the Kuru Contracting operation by a new Cat 552 Series 2 harvester with a Woodsman Pro1350 felling head, pictured right with operator Tony Hill at the controls. Heath Stewart, from Gough Cat, sold the machines.
ANOTHER VOLVO FOR SCHOFIELD KOMATSU FOR PARENGARENGA The team at Parengarenga Incorporation, in the Far North, has taken delivery of a new Komatsu 875 for a new production thinning operation, which is headed up by well-known local logging/ trucking identity, Dan Henderson. Operator, Sid Busby, reckons his new Komatsu 875 “is a pleasure to operate”. Pictured, from left, are Jay Erstich, Murray Larsen, Dan Henderson, John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ), Sid Busby, Pete Earle (Komatsu Forest NZ) and Cliff Ujdur. Photo: Arron Marshall (Komatsu NZ).
60 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
Tony & Rachelle Schofield, of Schofield Logging, have taken delivery of a new Volvo EC250DL FC with a SATCO 630 felling head for their operation just south of Oamaru. Tony runs the first EC300DL FC in New Zealand, with a SATCO 325T processing head, which has run up more 7,000 hours over the past five years. Tony is a fan of Volvo and likes the power and comfort. His operator, Aaron, has been in the cab of a few Volvos in his working career and rates the new EC250DL as the best yet for comfort and quietness in the cab. The machine was sold by Territory Manager, Mark Hopwood, and the hand-over completed by Ewen Satherley, TransDiesel’s Volvo Forestry Product Manager.
new iron
ANOTHER KOMATSU FOR CMH
CAT FOR A&R LOGGING
CMH has taken delivery of another new Komatsu, this time an 875 forwarder. The forwarder joins the 951 wheeled harvester in the CMH thinning operation in Kaiangaroa Forest. Sparky is in the operator seat and while it’s been a few years since he was at the controls of a forwarder in thinnings he’s enjoying the comforts.
This new Cat 538LL Forest Machine is a new arrival for Arana and Runa Kuru at A&R Logging. The Cat 538, which is running an Ensign 1730 grapple, has gone into their East Coast operations and as the machine decals state, the team reckon their new purpose-built machine is “Nek Level”! Heath Stewart, from Gough Cat, sold the machine.
A&R DEMPSEY TIGERCAT
FALCON FOR CHARLES
Spec’d with the Tigercat 880 undercarriage, there is no chance of twerking with the stability on this Tigercat 875. Reach, power, speed, visibility, and not to mention the free fish and chips, all put a smile on operators PJ’s face on delivery day. This 875 is the youngest Tigercat in the A&R Dempsey Logging fleet, joining the older grumpy brother 875 with a SATCO falling head, Koro, the 880D with a Woodsman Pro850 and Kanye, the near new 632E. Mardi Pritchard, of AB Equipment, Lower North Island, made the sale.
The team at Charles Logging is pictured at the delivery of a brand new Falcon winch-assist machine built onto a Sumitomo SH300 base. From left, they are Ben Charles, Mel Charles and operator, Rick.
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 61
new iron
LOG CHAMP JOINS NAB KOMATSU FORWARDER FOR ERNI Dick and Shaun Erni of Whanganui-based Erni Logging have a new Komatsu 895 forwarder. Trent, who is at the controls of the new 895, is very happy with the food heater and other comforts that come with the Komatsu forwarder range. Erni Logging traded an 890 that was immaculate and a real credit to Trent, an operator who excels in machine maintenance. The machine, which is working in Himatangi sand dunes, west of Foxton, was sold by Paul Roche, of Komatsu Forest.
Nick Bunn and the NAB crew have received their new Log Champ 650 swing yarder. Craig, the operator, is stoked with his new machine and reckons the ease of operation, comfortable cab and smoothness of the drags are daily reminders that the Log Champ really is the swing yarder of 21st century technology. Nick has also made comment about the good fuel efficiency of this yarder compared to his previous yarder. Nick and the crew are pictured with the new swing yarder, which was sold by Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment, Lower North Island.
BURGESS TIGERCAT LEVELLER & WOODSMAN PRO Jason Burgess had a re-think about his crew configuration and managed to eliminate two machines from his operation and replace them with one machine to cover both jobs. This Tigercat LH855E with a Woodsman Pro 750 is keeping up with Jason’s expectations to both fall and process for his Manawatu ground base crew. Traction, power and stability are key for where Jason takes this machine on the challenging jobs, while operator comfort and oil flow to the head are also noticeable assets in this package. Jason Burgess is pictured with the machine, which was sold by Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment, Lower North Island.
62 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
CAT & WOODSMAN PRO FOR STUBBS Gisborne-based Stubbs Contracting owner, Robert Stubbs, has a new arrival in his fleet with this Cat 552 Series 2 feller buncher. The big new Cat is the second 552 in the operation and features excellent ground clearance, long reach, great stability and tractive power, which combined with a Woodsman Pro 1350 felling head, makes for an ideal forestry harvesting combo. The machine was sold by Heath Stewart from Gough Cat.
new iron
DOOSAN FOR DORNE Josh Dorne has taken delivery of a new Doosan DX300LL road builder, fitted with a full Priceright guarding package and cab. Although a new brand of digger to the Dorne fleet, it has been very well received, with comfort, smoothness and stability among the many comments offered up by the numerous curious operators who have put their hands up to give it a go. Josh Dorne is pictured with the new machine, which was sold by Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment, Lower North Island.
ELTEC TILTER & DUXSON FOR STOKES Stokes Logging has taken delivery of new Eltec FHL317L Tilter fitted with a Duxon FX142 felling head. This machine is hooked up to his tether winch to undertake felling duties for the yarder operation in the Far North. This is the fourth Eltec machine to join the Stokes fleet and was sold and serviced by Shaw’s Wire Ropes.
SUMITOMO & WOODSMAN PRO FOR GAMBLE
HAVENDALE FALCON
Mosgeil-based Gamble Forest Harvesting has taken delivery of a Woodsman Pro FH1350C paired with a Sumitomo SH350-5TFLS. This new felling head version now allows for changeover between a Woodsman Pro felling head and tree harvesters. The machine is running the new Loggic FH control software, allowing operators to use GPS mapping, PDF map viewer and geofencing technology. The sale was made by Cory Hellyer, from AB Equipment.
Roger Barnes and Chris Wise, from Havendale Logging out of Masterton, are pictured with their brand new Falcon winch-assist machine, built onto a Sumitomo SH300 base.
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 63
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ENSIGN 1500 MADILL 124 / 171 / 046 GUY SPLINED ROTATOR SHAFT MOTOR WINCH MOTOR
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NZ LOGGER classified
Hauler Engineering Ltd 021 365 812
Brightwater yarder parts + servicing – 70 main/tail shafts in stock Sept – genuine Witchita 19kk parts in stock Sept – Gears all engineered parts available
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Yarder Rebuilds
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68 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
Jas ww
s e c i v r e S y r t s e r Waratah Fo
Floor Stock on Hand Recently traded low hour HTH624C head only. Never fallen a tree. Available now, balance of new warranty applies. Call Jason for more information. 0274 864 227 Price $200,000 + GST
Waratah 624C
NEW STOCK NEW
NEW
FL95 Series II Brand new floor stock, Fixed saw box felling head with 1000mm log cut. Ready to replace any existing felling head plug and play. Auto tension main saw $85,000
NEW
NEW
FL85 Series II Brand new Floor stock, small felling head ideal for small 20 ton carrier, auto tension saw $65,000
Extra heavily reinforced model for the toughest jobs in the forest and excavator applications, Strong cushioned cylinder reduces shock loads, ž Saw unit SC300 Integrated mounting of saw motor, No hoses in the saw box, Simple installation Introductory Pricing $38,500
NEW
NEW
Waratah 852 Log Grapple
Waratah 864 Log Grapple
Heavy duty fleet and stack grapple. High pressure cylinders allow mains pressure to be used in grapple circuit. Price $27,750
Heavy duty fleet and stack grapple. High pressure cylinders allow mains pressure to be used in grapple circuit. Price $29,550
USED
New Waratah SG360RS Grapple with Supersaw 650S
USED
Waratah 618C Upper and lower delimb knives along with topping saw are standard features on the HTH618C.Short, robust chassis that can easily be positioned in tight spots while thinning or taking on the bent and ugly timber for which this model is famous for. Price $130,000.00 + GST excluding automation
USED
Rebuilt 626 Bigwood
Waratah 622B
Waratah 625C - Under Rebuild
Rebuilt 626 Bigwood - New motors, line bore, new pins, hydraulic valve bank reseal, repaint. New TimberRite automation system.
TimberRite Head only. Softwood spec. Ready to go
Just traded 625c with TimberRite Optimisation computer system, auto tension mainsaw and ž topsaw. Our Waratah technician will partially or fully rebuild this unit to meet your needs. Talk to us today.
As is price $42,500.00
*prices exclude GST and are valid for a limited period.
Jason Huitema - Customer Support +64274864227 www.waratah.com
November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 69
NZ LOGGER classified
GAMMINCO CNC MACHINING Medium-Large Machining Capacity Available CNC Borer: 3 0 0 0 x 2 0 0 0 x 1 8 0 0 mm travels, 1 0 0 tool atc, 4 5 0 0 0 k g capacity, production and j obbing
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Ph: 07 348 0501 Email: Info@rwfs.co.nz Mob: 027 817 9448 Workshop 41 Riri Street, Rotorua 70 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
LG26859
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LG29794
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LG28714
UPER OUGH
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NZ LOGGER classified
LG29731
Re-grip for winter with our Nokian and Maxxis combo deals.
CHOOSE THE HARDEST WORKERS. Call us on 0800 NOKIAN (0800 665 426) or email info@nokian.nz to find a dealer.
Like Nokian, Maxxis understands how to make tyres stand up to the roughest of conditions and keep working hard, day after day. So this winter, we have combo offers so you can go further not only in the forest, but also on the roads that get you there. Talk to us about your requirements today.
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November 2019 | NZ LOGGER 71
NZ LOGGER classified
KOMATSU PC 400LC-8
www.chains.co.nz ENGINEERED WITH EXPERIENCE.... Clark Grouzer Super Grip with 28mm links for 30.5x32 Firestone tyres is the single wheel track that delivers maximum climbing capability for 6-wheeled machines. GSG’s give exceptional traction and require less maintenance than tyre chains. $10150.00 + GST per pair while stock lasts.
Chain Protection Services Ph: 03 338 1552 • E: chainpro@xtra. co.nz • www.chains.co.nz
LG28236 LG3 0 188
Chain Protection have been Clark Tracks NZ agent for 20 + Years.
This harvester has a full EMS build, boom and arm, tilt bonnet, cab etc. The factory radiator and oil cooler have been replaced by an high flow radiator and oil cooler. Plus an auxiliary oil cooler in the counter-weight. Base has done 3,985 hours. Base still has 2000 hours power train warranty. Just had it’s 4,000 hours service. The head has done 1700 hours and still has 2300 hours left on chassis warranty. Has the latest optimisation timberite H16 computer system. New colour marking which is not fitted. Currently being used and will be available end of April early May so the hours will climb a little.
Price $665,000 + GST Phone 0272 379 160
GAMMINCO CNC MACHINING Horizontal Machining Centre Capacity Available Volumes: small, doz ens, hundreds, thousands Weight: f lyweight, f eatherweight, heavyweight and more Size: handf ul to cranef ul Quality Assurance: by C NC C M M
with motorised probes and f ull reporting
Scope: material supply, prof ile- cutting, machining, heat- treatment, plating, painting,
pack ing, despatch
Send us details of your part, weldment or casting….
72 NZ LOGGER | November 2019
LG25750
Phone 0800GAMMINCO or email sales@gamminco.co.nz
FOR SALE: Clark F665, 666, F667, Cat 525B Grapple Skidder, JD648G, TJACK 460, 560. DOZERS: Caterpillar, D4H, D6C, D6H, Komatsu D65 + D85, tie back dozers, D85/21. Excavators: Caterpillar 320, 322, 325, 330, B,C & D. Hyundai 250/9 Volvo 240C log rigged. Teebar manufactured and sold. Wheeled loader WA470/3.
Lakeland Heavy Machinery Ltd
Branches now in the NZ LARGEST RANGE OF SKIDDER FOR SALE: Clark 664, 666C, 666B, F67 Grapple Skidders No rth & South Island HEA AND BETTER CHAINS, HEAVIER Komatsu D65/6 and D85/21 log rigged, CAT 936, 950B and Komatsu WA470/ wheeled loaders, buckets or forks.
Forestry Tyre Chains NZ LARGEST RANGE OF SKIDDER
Branches noNZ w in LARGEST the North & South IslSTOCKS and
Super Heavy DutyHEAVIER AND BETTER CHAINS, 35.5x32 - Weight 10000kg 30.5x32 - Weight 950kg 29.5x32 28L Super Heavy Duty 23.5x26 30.5x32 - Weight 950kg
Forestry Tyre Chains
OF DOZER
NZ LARGEST + DIGGER STOCKS CHAINS, OFROLLERS DOZER + DIGGER IDLERS, CHAINS, SPROCKETS ROLLER available Roller rebuilding/reshells Track press service IDLERS, Mini Excavator tracks SPROCKETS
35.5x32
Heavy 29.5x32 Duty
30.5x32 -23.5x26 Weight 650kg Heavy Duty Machines
30.5x32 - Weight 650kg
Zaxis 270Standard with teebar. Teebars in stock. D7H with30.5x32 winch - Weight 365kg Machines
Roller rebuilding/reshells available Track press service available Mini excavator tracks also available
PC350/6 with teebar or grapple DYH with winch
Cat and Komatsu Pumps Komatsu Pumps
WE QUOTE HEAVY TRACK CHAINS WE DUTY QUOTE HEAVY DUTY TRACK CHAINS BONING OUT DISMANTLING 525 CAT 518,CAT 525A B & C, Clark, WRECKING, SKIDDERS, John Deere TJack. BULLDOZERS, LOADERS, Excavators all makes, CAT EXCAVATORS All Models, 3x 33OD Cat, FOR SALE: Dozer parts
NYLON / FIBRE DRIVE GEARS NYLON / FIBRE DRIVE GEARS
CAT D5B, D6D, D7H D65 & D85 KOMATSU POA TRY US WE ARE FOR WORTH IT! SALE: More Machines On Our Website NEWParts PARTS, CAT, KOMATSU, New Clark off the shelf MACHINES $2476-$6884 + gst. Grouser Bar From $36 per 3 EXCAVATORS metres HITACHI & SUMI ADJUSTERS DOZERS + DIGGERS Scrap Handling units also 32.5x32 FIRESTONE available Used Tyres RECOIL SPRINGS AVAILABLE 126-136 View Road, PO Box 1976, Rotorua Email: info@heavy-machinery.co.nz • Phone: 07 347 0765 • Fax: 07 349 2325 • Mob 0274 945 886 ROTATING GRAPPLES TO FIT 1 TO 40 TONNES ROTATING GRAPPLES MACHINES $2476 to 30K + gst. TO FIT 1 TONNE TO 15 TONNE Shears, dredge buckets
126-136 View Road, PO Box 1976, Rotorua Email: info@heavy-machinery.co.nz
• Phone: 07 347 0765 • Fax: 07 349 2325 • Mob 0274 945 886 Check our website for more info www.heavy-machinery.co.nz
Check our website for more info www.heavy-machinery.co.nz
EXCAVATOR WORLD
Hokitika South Island BULLDOZERS EXCAVATORS SKIDDERS
ALL NEW STOCK
ORS EXCAVAT FOR SALE
er in 0/3 30 tonn Hitachi EX30 et or grapple. ck bu r de or nice + GST $39,000
LG25750
• • • •
Buckets Cabins Final Drive Parts Grapples
• • • •
Pump Parts Ram Seal Kits ROPS Slew Drives
ALL MAKES, NEW WINDOWS, NEW DOORS + PANELS, NEW RADIATORS AND COOLERS, ENGINE KITS + GASKETS, COMPUTERS, FINAL DRIVES AND PUMPS
The future of forestry ropes is here! S-6X31G2 Our extra high-performance ropes provide improved flexibility and increased bend cycles that further increase rope life, ensuring minimal downtime.
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GREAT SCOTT, MARTY - THE NEXT GENERATION OF ROPES