Other Systems

In regions of the country with relatively flat, rock-free soils, other harvesting systems have become popular. They are now also being used in southern New England. Large, hydraulically-operated sawheads and stem gathering systems mounted on tracked or rubber-wheeled tractors are very fast and safe for operators. These equipment systems, called feller-bunchers, leave bunches of tree stems along skid roads which are run by forwarders or grapple skidders. Forwarders pick up and carry cut logs; grapple skidders drag whole trees.

A forwarder has a front section like a skidder, but instead of a cable winch, has a hydraulic knuckle-boom log loader behind the cab and a small log deck above the rear axle. Forwarders are used with conventional chainsaw felling and feller-bunchers. When loaded, the forwarder has a high center of gravity which makes it unsuited to steep or rough terrain. Grapple skidders have a large grapple mounted on the rear; they may also have a cable winch.

In planning a harvesting operation, all the equipment systems described above should be considered along with their associated costs and benefits. Independent of the harvesting system chosen, additional consideration should be given to the disposal of slash and the clean-up and seeding of landings and skid roads. Since the effects of a harvesting operation are visually and ecologically long-lasting, these considerations deserve careful attention.

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1. What different timber and wood/pulp harvesting systems were used in the forests of southern New England over the years?

2. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of horse/oxen skidding?

3. What gives excellent traction and maneuverability to crawler tractors?

4. What are the lowest-cost harvesting systems used in southern New England?

5. What other harvesting systems have become popular in southern New England?