Small-Scale Logging

[Peter Smallidge]

Small-Scale Logging: Sugarbush and Woodlot Management

 

Issue:  

Many woodlot owners and maple syrup producers want to be more active in gathering logs or firewood from their property.  Often there are too few acres or too few trees to attract a commercial-scale operation. In other cases, the owner just wants to be more closely involved in the selection, felling and moving of wood.

Objectives

1.  Develop the skills, knowledge, and resources to safely conduct small-scale logging activities in private woodlots and sugarbushes.
2. Develop a network of woodlot owners and maple producers who can share ideas and strategies related to safe and productive small-scale activities.
3. Create educational resources that inform owners and producers who will practice small-scale logging.
4. Identify and create research-based information related to safe and productive practicies

Activities

•  Almost two dozen workshops for maple producers and woodlot owners in counties throughout NY in 2010 and 2011.  Additional workshops being planned in NY, check the "Events" tab above.
• Presentations at conferences and training sessions
• Presentation via the Penn State Forestry Extesnion webinar series.  See link to webinar archive in the "documents" section below.  178 participants in the live presentation.
• Field trials of equipment, mostly ATV and arch, with research collaborators.

Outcomes

 

Documents (Cornell, Partners, and Other)

 Workshop series in NY, assorted handouts include the following

• • Small scale logging: overview and safety points
  • Field tally sheets_woodlot_&_sugarbush
  • Field tally sheet_example_completed
  • Small-scale logging (select) internet resources
  • Firewood volume chart and BTU ratings
  • Woodlot Management: How It Grows (WVU, W. Kidd)
  • Woodlot Management: Helping It Grow (WVU, W. Kidd)
  • Firewood_measurement_chart_BTUs.pdf

Penn State University Webinar (12/13/2011)

• • Link to webinar archive
  • PDF December 2011 small-scale logging webinar presentation
  • Penn State Farm Woodlot Tractor Webinar (link to archive)

Penn State woodland tractor safety fact sheet

Tax considerations for selling timber

Cornell ForestConnect publications (available from www.ForestConnect.info)

• • Forest stewardship bulletin (several chapters)
  • Forest regeneration(USFS)
  • Silvopasture manual

Productivity and Cost Analysis of Three Small-Scale Harvest Systems...

Other materials and links

Assorted Video Links (please add other links as comments.  Search youtube for logging, mini skidder, etc.)

Equipment

• Cornell University small scale logging
• Gosta mini-skidder
• Woodland tractor safety
• Oxtrac mini dozer/skidder
• Alstor 8 x 8 forwarder
• Alstor, extreme testing
• Woodtiger mini forwarder
• Kranman Bison 6 WD
• Iron Horse
• Iron Horse (more about woods working)
• Horse logging (need to lift the front end of the log more)
• More horse logging (judge for yourself)

Production strategies

• Long split your firewood
• Directional Felling (you still need to take Game of Logging)
• Bucking logs safely

Assorted pictures

Arches

Cornell University's custom made arch

Commercial arch

Home-made arch #1

Home-made arch #2

Wagons / Carts

Tractor accessories  (see safety fact sheet)

[Peter Smallidge]

In response to a question on my YouTube site, here is some information about ATV tire chains.  I hope others can add to the potential vendors from their experience or information

+++++

Here are some links for tire chains. They vary in price, but all have worked well.  One set wasn't sized well, it was too wide, & I had to narrow the width by re-working some chain links.

http://www.whitemountainchain.com/app/inventoryapp/trygg_atv/invent...
http://www.tirechainsrequired.com/shopping/shopdisplaycategories.as...

What other vendors offer diamond pattern ATV tire chains?

[John McNerney]

Old thread, but I found a vendor with several styles of ATV chains:

https://www.bluejayindustrial.com/traction-tire-chains/atv-chains

You'll see Ladder style with V-bar (I'm not a fan of these for working in the woods - the lateral traction is not very good.)

Their diamond pattern chains include: V-bar diamond pattern, Square link diamond pattern, and Studded diamond pattern.  The studded are the most aggressive chains and a good choice for wood work. If not for the short paved loop in our mostly gravel 1/4 mile driveway, I'd have gone with these.

If you are also operating on pavement, the square link chains provide much better traction than bare tires, and better lateral traction than ladder-style chains, but are easier on pavement. The square edges do provide a good bit of bite on snow and ice as well. Not quite as good as the studded, but they definitely make a difference. I used them plowing snow on my smaller side-by-side (a Honda Pioneer 520) with good luck this past winter. I've used it in the woods as well, but have not yet given the chains a real workout there.

For some reason, the square link and v-bar pattern chains are not currently showing up on their web site, but they do make a full selection of those. Their Canadian sister site does show the whole complement of chains they make: https://wescovan.com/traction-tire-chains/atv-chains

[John McNerney]

Within the document "Small Scale Logging (select) Internet Resources" noted above, the link #3 to " Review of small scale equipment in US and Canada, Univ. Minnesota. http://www.forestry.umn.edu/publications/staffpapers/Staffpaper143.pdf" does not work. I'd love to see a current link, if the document still exists.

[Peter Smallidge]

Hi John:

Thanks for noticing and my apologies for the broken link.

Here is the link to the pdf  I think I have also uploaded the original file, but I won't know until I click the "submit" button.  If the file doesn't upload, I'll find another way to share the file.  You can though get it online via the link or the URL.

http://www.forestry.umn.edu/prod/groups/cfans/@pub/@cfans/@forestry...

For what it is worth, the folks at Univ of MN have many good pubs here, including #143 listed above.