Lesson Seven brings together the information from the previous lessons to guide you to choosing the best options for you. You may have good idea of what your main piece of equipment will be from Lesson One. Or you may have decided to go with one of the equipment options mentioned in Lesson Four. You have read about various attachments and accessories and what they can do and also about winching and forwarding.
This lesson applies your personal objectives from Lesson One to the other information in the Module. It also looks briefly at environmental concerns while harvesting wood and how you can reduce damage while using your equipment.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
A whole book could be written on how to minimize damage to your woodlot. A good one is - Preventing Soil Damage, A Practical Guide to Forest Operations, an easy- to- read guide published recently by FERIC. Some of the main points are summarized below but you may also want to read the guide itself. See Appendix A.
Why is prevention important?
Good soil is vital to the health and future of your woodlot. It supplies food, gases, water and support to your trees. Harvesting equipment can damage the soil by compaction, rutting, and erosion which results in a loss of nutrients. Find out what kind of soil or soils you have in the area you plan to harvest (fine, organic, shallow, dry, etc). Learn about the techniques to use for your kind of soil.
Damage can be prevented first of all by matching your equipment to your woodlot and your needs and secondly by how you use it. Some modifications help in one area but cause more damage in another so some balance or trade offs may be necessary. Planning your operation in advance is the key to avoiding a situation that may cause damage.
Outfitting to prevent soil damage
Harvesting to prevent soil damage
Planning
Cutting
Skidding and forwarding
After harvesting
For more information on crossing streams, and preventing erosion see Module 11, Roads and Trails - Building it Right from the Start. For more information on working near riparian areas see Nova Scotia Wildlife Habitat and Watercoruse Protection Regulations.
CHOOSING YOUR EQUIPMENT
You can finally now apply your objectives from Lesson One with the information from the other Lessons (summarized in Charts below) to complete the final exercise.
Note that overall efficiency may be the same for different attachments since some can take bigger loads. It will depend on how much wood you want to move in total.
Remember your list of objectives from Lesson One? Review them here. Have any changed?
Check off your objectives for buying or improving your harvesting system.
___ To harvest _____ cords/m³ per year.
___ To harvest firewood
___ To harvest saw logs
___ To sell ______ cords/m³, per year or earn $______ in income.
___ To maintain forest cover through selection cuts only
___ To maximize income from my woodlot
___ To spend time in the woods doing productive and enjoyable work
___ To get a system that requires as little lifting as possible
___ To get a system that is as cheap as possible
___ To do the work myself
___ Other ____________
These numbers on page 52 are only a guide. However, the numbers in these charts can be used for relative comparison of machine types. Generally speaking, as machine horsepower increase so does cost, thus a larger harvest will be required to make a purchase economically viable. The productivity figures are based on an average extraction distance of 100 meters on level terrain, and do not account for felling time. Skill level, terrain, extraction distance, and wood size will all impact on productivity. Maximum travel distance and annual harvest listed is based on load size, and machine speed. The larger the load and the higher the speed, the greater the distance that is feasible. However, ultimately the maximum distance will be determined by your circumstances, productivity concerns and how much you plan to harvest per year.
Purchasing equipment is an investment. It is a good idea to find someone who is working with the type of equipment you are considering to make sure it is the right decision for you and your woodlot.
(To convert from m3 to cords - m3 X 0.276 = cords)
Chart One: Comparison Chart for Prime movers
To help you decide, consider these factors:
Chart Two: Attachments
Chart Three: Other Equipment
EXERCISE 7.1
Remember this from Lesson One?
Has it changed after reading the Module? This Exercise also asks a few more questions and looks at cost over time. Fill in your situation.
| Have equipment (List) | Do not have equipment |
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| Equipment adequate/ Not adequate (List what is and is not adequate) | Decide what you need |
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| Buy or build equipment (List with prices) | |
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Costs/Time - Making a wise investment is important to you
The total price may seem like a lot or more than you want to spend. By going through the next part of the exercise, you can see how it is balanced against income and over a number of years.