Harvesting
General information
Harvesting and timber processing become one of our business lines. Since 2013 we rent woodland with total area 16 500 ha and annual output 61 000 m3 for this purpose in Tula region. We harvest oak, softwood (pinetree, spruce) and hardwood (linden, birch, aspen, ash).
Forest protection
We treat with due care of the forest entrusted to us and participate in a special program of forest regeneration and fire protection. A special department of "Forest Protection" keeps the forest safe, looks after it and performs afforestation. We preserve the rules of Foresty Code of Russian Federation, and thus, our company have become approved by Government for our responsibility.For instance, in 2016 we planted 3570 nurselings instead of old spruse that had been biten by bark beetle.
The main stages and their peculiarities
List of operations and technological process of harvesting depends upon the type of final product. The final product can be:
- complete tree;
- tree lengh material is a clear-bolded stem with the root and top of a tree;
- assortments is lumber according to its usage (commercial and milled).
Commercial assortments are logs, lumber, dimension, sawed wooden details, cleaving tree etc.
Milled assortments are waste wood, wood chips etc.
There are stages and types of the procedures according to the ways of harvesting in the table.
| Location | Assortments | Tree lenght material | Complete trees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe |
Felling Branch cutting Scaling Crosscutting of assortments |
Felling Branch cutting |
Felling |
| Logging | Assortment | Stems without branches | Complete tree |
| Timber landing | Storaging |
Scaling Loading Crosscutting into longwood and assortments |
Branch cutting Scaling Loading Crosscutting into longwood and assortments |
| Hauling | Assortments | Tree lenght material, longwood or assortments | Complete trees, tree lenght material, longwood or assortments |
| Warehouse | Acceptance |
Crosscutting into assortments Acceptance |
Crosscutting into assortments Acceptance |
As a rule, we complete harvesting according to the following programs:
1. Preliminary work– felling – branch cutting– logging – hauling to the warehouse– removing from the logging waste.
2. Preliminary work– felling – branch cutting– logging – crosscutting - hauling to the warehouse– removing from the logging waste.
Harvesting becomes more effective if all the procedures are completed with machines. Though, it is not possible all the time because of enviromental conditions. We prepare our harvesting machines accurately and choose the most effective ways in oreder not to harm the forest, sometimes we apply hand-labour.
Main procedures and their peculiarities
Preliminary work of coupe is completed in order to harvesting effective and safe. They include:
- Coupe preparation. This procedure presupposes checking of correct data of felling area resourses, choosing the place for loading and haul road. Trees under the felling should match the criteria for harvesting such as size and age evaluation. The main rule that we preserve in our work is inehaustability and recruitment rate approach. It means that the quantity of felling forest is equal to the planted one.
- It is supposed that coupe preparation should develope felling work, plot of forest area, issue documentation according to forestry standards and accident prevention technology.
- Preparation of coupe area presupposes marking the allotment and cutting blocks, skidding tracks, removal of dangerous tree, arrangement of the loading place and haul road.
Trees felling
It is the first procedure at the coupe. Felling is strictly accomplished according to the technological map. We give a great attention to the develoment of technologies and programs for forestry exploitation. We allocate areas for tree planting, take care of the forest and make felling technologies better.
We use main types of felling:
- mechanical with a help of motor ;
- engine.
Harvester
It is a track laying vehicle that is used to make different actions (felling, branch ant top cutting, packaging lumber). We employ harvesters by the greatest manufacturer of the forestry vehicles «Komatsu». Harvesters by «Komatsu» belong to the world class vehicle.
It is possible with the help of the computer program to measure the diameter and lengh of a tree and thus it allows to cut the tree according to the settings. Onboard computer calculates the possible size of the future assortments and selects the logs into different packages. Harvester helps to process the felling trees without any harm to nearby growing ones by means of the handler lengh that makes it less drive on the felling area.
We offten use small in size and mobile tractors to fell the trees with roots. And if the tree stem is more than 25 cm in diameter we will apply a blade machine.
Crosscutting
It is a cross devision of tree lenght material into longwood and assortments. Longwood is a piece of tree length material which is obtained by crosscutting of an assortment and has the same length as the assortment. This work is completed accurately according to State Standards for round timber, the allowed lenght of cut pieces should not exceed 5 cm.
Then we evaluate the quality of timber according to the length, diameter on the top, the volume and the utility of the following usage. We evaluate inner and outer flaws of wood after every cut.
Crosscutting can be performed on coupe, at timber loading place or at the factory. We apply portative sawing tools or mobile machines when we make crosscutting on coupe. We apply stationary automatic crosscutting machines if we bring the material at a timber loading place or at the factory.
In order to avoid the expences for the transportation of wastewood we usually complete crosscutting human force with a help of power saw.The useless tops of trees and branches provide with nutrient for soil and cover it, all this will supply pleasant conditions for planting.
Logging
It is a transportation of trees, tree length material or assortments on coupe from the felling place to a loading one. Loggig is the most dangerous stage of timber harvesting for the forestry environment.
We employ forwarders which are automatic timber harvesting equipments «KOMATSU» and tractors with maniulators. The forwarders have some functions that allow to avoid the soil damage due to alternative wires (from 500 to 800 mm), chains and caterpillar tracks, smooth motions. We optimize the plan of the traffic in order decrease the transportation times without load. We choose the areas with hard soil for hauling. The operator looks after the loading process that excludes damage of the neighbour growing trees.
Hauling
Reloading is accomplished from logging machines to logging trucks. We look after the logging trucks are to be loaded fully. Most of the trucks have special machanical arms for taking the timber from forwarder or from the ground. We employ special logging trucks such as MAZ, KAMAZ, KRAZ, Ural, ZIL, which are very powerful. All the vehicles have hydraulic manipulators.
Logging waste disposal
This procedure is performed in order to eliminate filthness and lower the forest fire hazard. Logging waste disposal might be performed during as well as after felling work. There are three main types of logging waste disposal: fiery, nonfiery and mixed. As a rule, we apply fiery waste disposal, burning it in big heaps while felling in Autumn, in Winter and in Spring. In addition to it we take sanitary and fire-safe care of the forest, build fire-resistant bariers, provide an access to supress a forest fire, complete firesafe waste disposal and upgrading and introduce fertilizers.
