Sustainable forestry companies like New England Forestry only log a small fraction of the trees we own every year. We typically replant baby seedlings within one to two years of a harvest, ensuring we will continuously have a supply of wood to meet the world’s needs.

With millions of acres of forests in our care, even a small fraction of our property requires a lot of logging support. In fact, we measure our annual yield of logs by the millions of tons!

Instead of having our own loggers within the New England Forestry team, we primarily work with small, locally-owned logging businesses across the U.S. and New Zealand to harvest the timber and deliver it to mills. The mills then process the logs into everyday products like lumber, paper goods and cellulose pulp, which is in 1000s of everyday products such as medicines, paints and even touchscreens.

What types of careers are there in the logging industry?

What is a typical day like for a logger? It sounds like a simple enough question, but there are many different types of loggers. Some work all day on heavy equipment while others work on foot. Some work for themselves driving a log truck while others manage a whole team of employees.

Here’s an overview of some of the key careers available in the logging industry:

Heavy equipment operators in logging

Heavy equipment operators spend most of their time operating the machinery they work best with in the forest. These days, most cabs are air conditioned and the majority of tasks can be done with joysticks and levers.

Feller Buncher Operator

On a harvest operation, a feller buncher operator uses his machine to fell the trees. 

“The feller buncher has got a big wheel on it with teeth on it, and it’s spinning at like 3,500 RPMs,” explains Chuck Owens, an operator with Wiliston Timber out of Wiliston, Florida. “When you go up to the tree, it just cuts it off basically like a big chainsaw. And you grab a hold of it and walk wherever you want to put it and throw it down.”

When it comes to smaller trees, the buncher can actually hold several trees at once, moving with them still vertical until several are “bunched” together, then dropping them in a pile.

A feller buncher operator is an especially important decision-maker on a thinning operation, in which only smaller and less desirable trees are cut down. The operator will decide which trees to take, and which to leave — it’s important he or she chooses the right logs. Leaving behind sickly trees will only hurt the growing ability of the best-growing, healthy trees around them. And taking away a healthy tree too soon would be a major loss in income for the landowner that would like to grow it to its full potential.

The feller buncher operator fells the trees in piles and leaves them behind for a skidder operator to attend to next. As with all logging careers, safety is most important. The feller buncher operator must look out for the safety of everyone else on the site when deciding where to fell trees that may be well over 100 feet tall.

On steep slopes, a winch assist machine may also be used to allow a feller buncher to safely operate, as explained in our article, Winch-assisted Logging boosts safety on steep terrain.

Skidder Operator

A skidder operator plays many roles throughout the lifecycle of the forest. In fact, we use a skidder with a different attachment in our site prep operations as we prepare to replant. They can also be used in road building. During a logging operation, a skidder is able to move between rows of trees and move one or more logs at a time, bringing them to an open area where a loader operator will sort and prep them for log trucks.

Skidders come with many different types of attachments used in logging. A log grapple, cable winch, crane boom and other accessories may be used to grasp and hold on to logs as the skidder drags them out of the forest. Different types of skidders are designed to handle different terrain: some have rubber tires, while others operate on tracks that can handle slopes and looser soils.

“We purchased a six-wheel-drive skidder from Tigercat years ago and I brought that to the attention of a couple landowners,” says Roger Smith, who owns R.L. Smith Logging in Elma, Washington. “The skidder, outfitted with tracks, can cover a larger area of land without damaging the soil bed and causing erosion the way a more traditional skidder would.”

Loader Operator

During a harvest operation, the loader operator may process more than 1000 trees in a single day. A skilled loader operator is incredibly important, as this individual will make decisions about how to cut and market a log in a matter of seconds. Large, high quality logs will be prepared to be delivered to mills that make large items like lumber and utility poles. Lower quality logs will be prepared for mills that will process them into mulch or pulp.

Loader operator Leroy Frazier, also of Williston Timber, explains: “They can pick up the log, swing it round. If there are vines, you can twist the vines out, throw them away.”

Leroy also operates a saw from the cab of the loader. Through a series of buttons, he can place the log where he wants to cut it, then use another button to lower the saw onto the log. Loader operators may have other tools at their disposal, such as a “delimber,” which removes the branches from a log, or a “debarker,” which clears off some of the bark.

He sorts the prepared logs by product type because different products will be delivered to different customers. Finally, he loads the logs onto log trucks, ensuring they are securely in place and ready for transport to the mills.

How do you become a heavy equipment operator in logging?

To become a heavy equipment operator, you will typically need to be 18 or older, have a high school diploma and sometimes a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Many logging contractors offer on-the-job training to potential equipment operators. Some vocational schools also offer training to become a heavy equipment operator in the logging industry.

Skills needed to operate logging machinery include an acute level of care when it comes to the safety of yourself and others on the job site, attention to detail and flexibility. For example, you may be asked to work on a different machine or to assist with fixing equipment depending on what happens during the course of the day. It’s also important to be able to make decisions quickly and have the physical stamina and strength to operate large machines on often rough terrain.

Steep Slope Logging Careers

Chainsaw Operator

There are different challenges when it comes to logging on steep slopes. As explained above, a winch assist machine can sometimes be used to allow a logger to work from the safety of the cab of a feller buncher. Other times, loggers have to work on foot, using chainsaws to fell trees. Chainsaw operators must go through thorough training in using, safely operating and maintaining their chainsaws. This training may be provided on the job.

Yarder Operator

If the ground is too steep for a skidder, a cable system is used to move the logs uphill to a landing area, also called a “yarding” area. This technique has improved logger safety and prevents erosion and sedimentation into waterways.

This popular method for moving logs off steep slopes has many names: tower logging, skyline logging, cable logging and cable yarding are among the most-used, as we explain in our article, How tower logging works. 

A yarder operator runs the cable system, also known as a yarder, through hand and foot controls. This operator works within the cab of the yarder at the landing above the logging operation. Safety again is the priority: lifting massive logs off the ground and transporting them in the air above a mountain is no small undertaking!

In addition to having the skills to communicate with the crew on the ground throughout the day, a yarder operator may need to know how to troubleshoot if the machinery breaks down.

Choker Setter

How do the logs get attached to the cable? Loggers called “choker setters” attach the logs to a choker (or babbitt), which is a separate, vertical cable that hangs from the carriage that moves up and down the horizontal cable. It secures the logs with an interlocking mechanism called a bell and knob. (The bell-shaped side is like a keyhole, while the knob is like a key).

Ed Bryant, owner of ENB Logging in Chehalis, Washingtron, refers to choker setters as “the guys out in the brush who make things happen.” In addition to choker setter, they have also traditionally been called rigging slingers and rigging men

Hook Tender

A hook tender is the person in charge on a steep slope logging operation. This position supervises and coordinates the work on the site, including overseeing the setup and management of the cable system and the work done on the ground by the crew. A hook tender must have a thorough understanding of all that goes on in a logging operation and be able to communicate safely guidelines as well as expectations with the crew.

How do you become a steep slope logger?

Steep slope loggers typically need a high school degree or equivalent. Sometimes CDLs are also needed. On-the-job training is typically offered, and at times training courses are also available through local logging and forestry organizations. Some vocational schools also offer training relating to the logging industry.

Skills needed to be a steep slope logger mirror those listed above for heavy equipment operators: a deep sense of dedication to safety for yourself and others, attention to detail, flexibility, physical stamina and the ability to make decisions quickly.

Log Truck Driving Careers

Log truck drivers may either own their own truck and operate their own business out of that truck, they may work for a mill, or they may work for a company that owns multiple log trucks. A business may specialize solely in log trucks, or it may do logging operations across the board.

A log truck driver will drive to a forest site to pick up a load of logs. This may involve driving into the woods to the area where the loader has loaded the log trailer. In other cases, the trailer may be driven to a pickup site closer to the road, where the log truck driver will then pick it up and transport it to the mill.

A log truck driver always inspects the trailer to ensure all logs are secure and that the trailer will be safe on roadways before getting on the road. Some loose branches may need to be trimmed, and flags may need to be added to some of the logs at the back of the trailer to ensure other drivers don’t get too close.

A log truck driver will need to be knowledgeable about driving regulations for log trucks. Certain roads may not be accessible to log trucks, such as busy streets or major highways. 

Once the log truck driver travels to the mill or other customer, he or she will wait in a line of other log trucks to be weighed on the mill’s scale. Many loggers start their day very early to reduce the amount of time they will have to wait at the mill. Once the logs are weighed, the driver will receive a ticket confirming the weight of the logs, which will determine what will be paid for them. Then the logs are removed from the trailer.

How do you become a log truck driver?

A log truck driver needs to have a high school diploma or equivalent as well as a CDL. Typically, drivers will need to have several years of experience driving heavy trucks before they can qualify to drive a log truck. After that, many companies will provide additional on-the-job training if they hire you to drive a log truck for them.  Some vocational schools also offer log truck driving programs.

Skills a log truck driver needs to have include an ability to map and plan routes as well as logistics in picking up and delivering logs. A log truck driver will have to be aware of road closures, weather hazards and other conditions that could impact a day’s work. A log truck driver needs to have a good understanding of driving safety including defensive driving and must have the stamina for what are sometimes long waits in the vehicle at the mill.

Logging Company Owner Careers

Logging company owners may have just a few employees or a large team with a fleet of trucks and equipment. They may operate equipment themselves, or they may strictly manage their company. Many logging company owners inherit their business after first working in lower level positions within the company. These businesses often pass through families for generations.

While not required, it is helpful to take at least some business courses in order to start and manage a logging company. In addition, a vast knowledge of logging laws and regulations, safety guidelines, and general best practices is critical.

It’s also important to know how to find and hire good employees.

“I think a lot of the older guys have a lot of pride in what they do, myself included,” says Roger of R.L. Smith Logging. “When we’re hiring younger guys,what we try to instill in them is have pride in your job. Also, I like to hire guys that have a smile on their face and they enjoy their job. That means all the difference in the world on good production.”

The post What does a logger do? appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

GRAYS RIVER, Washington—When it’s your job to safely remove trees off mountainsides without disturbing the soils or nearby streams, you have to be a talented problem-solver.

Every forest presents new challenges, like a recent tower logging site here in the beautiful mountains of Grays River. Until recently, there would have only been one way to unwind cable down one steep mountain and up another to set up the skyline: on foot. But a new drone has turned a multi-day job like that into a 10-minute job.

How does Tower Logging Work?

First, a quick background on the steps it takes to remove trees from a steep slope here in the Pacific Northwest:

Step 1: Cut trees in an organized layout

A logging crew cuts the trees and places them on the ground in an organized layout, which will make them easier to move. 

Step 2: Set up the tower and skyline

Loggers set up a tower connected to a cable system. The skyline cable has to stretch from the tower, across the slope the logs are on, to the top of a nearby slope. Setting this cable into place is the step where drones are involved, replacing the work of loggers who would have to spend hours if not days unwinding 100s of pounds of haywire down one slope and up the other to get the cable in place.

Step 3: Use skyline cable to move logs to sorting yard

A motorized “carriage” carries the logs up the skyline. Loggers called “choker setters” attach the logs to a chain that hangs from the carriage, securing them with an interlocking mechanism called a choker. Then the carriage lifts logs up into the air and moves them to a sorting area. 

Did you know? Logs are lifted into the air to prevent them from dragging in the soil, which could lead to erosion and deposit sediment into nearby waterways. Airlifting also prevents damage to the log.

Step 4: Prepare logs for transport to the mills

Once the logs are in the sorting area, they are prepared for transport. This could include the removal of any remaining bark and branches, cutting the logs to fit the truck they will be on, and sorting them by species and size for the various needs of the mills they will be sent to.

For a more detailed description of this process, read our article, How Tower Logging Works.

How Drones are Making it Easier to Place a Skyline Cable

In order to lift bundles of 70-foot logs with a skyline cable, you first have to put a cable into place that stretches high above the ground. To do that, loggers start by unwinding 250-foot sections of synthetic cable (called haywire) as they walk from the tower at the top of the slope the logs are on, to the top of a nearby slope or peak.

This is usually done on foot. It can be exhausting and dangerous because of the terrain. The crew often has to go up and down the mountains multiple times to get more rigging until they finally reach their destination, often thousands of feet away from the starting point.

Stuck Between a River and Two Cliffs

On a recent logging job in Grays Harbor, featured in the video above, ENB Logging owner Ed Bryant knew his team would have to do the job differently. Between the slope they were logging and the slope their cable would stretch to, there was a deep river with high cliffs on both sides.

It would take a team of several people a long time to get the haywire in place. And they would have to get creative to get it across without losing it in the river. In the old days, they might have attached the cable to an arrow and shot it across with a bow. Or they might have dropped it over one cliff and fished it out from the top of the other cliff with a fishing pole. 

But the cliffs were a safety hazard, the terrain was rough, and they would waste valuable time. Ed wasn’t going to put his team through that. It was time to call in a drone.

“It’s a good tool. If we didn’t have that option, we would’ve taken a few more days to get across,” Ed said as the drone pilot arrived.

An Unusual Drone to the Rescue

Thankfully for Ed, he’s not the first to run into this kind of challenge. Mark Standley of Banks, Oregon, spent most of his life logging. He saw many hours waste away placing haywire on dangerous terrain. Then he got into the business of creating drones to solve the problem.

Pacific UAV offers custom-made “workhorse” drones that can lift heavy weights, release items and even spout fire! While not all logging companies own the high-end drones, those that do own them can be hired to fly them for their colleagues.

Ed called C&C Logging Company. Soon, their drone pilot, Operations Manager Rex Pitullo, made his way up the mountain to help.

Rex attached the haywire to his Hector T drone using a servo attachment that releases by remote. Meanwhile, one of Ed’s team members drove to the peak of the next mountain. He then walked into the forest to find a strong tree to serve as the “tailhold” that the cable would connect to. Then he communicated with Rex by radio, guiding him to drop the cable nearby with his drone.

Using a Spotter to Guide the Drone

As the drone took off, haywire followed after it, quickly unwinding itself from a large container. Ed’s team stood alongside Rex, holding up binoculars to try to find their spotter on the ground across the slope. The man waved his orange coat, trying to help the team spot him. But with tall trees all around him, he was barely visible.

“A little to the right, a little to the right, now come in straight ahead,” the spotter said over the radio.

“I’m not the one flying the drone,” Rex said as he positioned the drone above the spotter. “My spotter guides me where I need to be.”

When the spotter could clearly see the drone within close proximity to the tailhold, Rex used the remote to command the drone to drop the haywire, trying to avoid any tree branches that could tangle with it. After a few minutes of searching, the spotter found it and secured it into place.

Rex says that’s just one of the many ways the drone is impacting forestry work. His drone can assist in firefighting, deliver bags of seedlings to planting sites, bring tools to workers whose equipment breaks down in remote areas, and countless other uses.

Celebrating a Milestone in Safety and Efficiency

With the cable line quickly in place, Ed’s team got back to work. The team pulled a stronger cable through a pulley, or spool. Finally, they pulled a strong cable through. This one would be able to support the weight of the motorized carriage and its loads of logs.

They were days ahead of where they would have been, thanks to a single drone flight.

“I’ve been doing this for 47 years, and this is pretty new to me,” marveled ENB logger Dave Johnson.

To New England Forestry’s Timber Production Forester Scott Grigg, who works with our logging contractors to come up with the safest possible harvest plans, it’s an exciting step forward in forestry safety.

“The dollar value (of using a drone) is a big deal, but the safety factor is insurmountable,” he says. “It shows just how much this industry has embraced technology to keep people safe.”

The post High Power Drones Are A Safety Game-Changer in Tower Logging appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

GRAYS RIVER, Washington—Have you ever wondered how terrain that’s hard to even walk on could be used in forestry operations?

A technique that has vastly improved logger safety—and prevents erosion and sedimentation into waterways—uses a cable system to hoist logs high into the air to move them to flatter ground.

This popular method for moving logs off steep slopes has many names: tower logging, skyline logging, cable logging and cable yarding are among the most-used. 

This overview will help you understand how we use this type of logging in the Pacific Northwest:

Beginning with An Organized Cutting Operation

Before a tower is even brought to the site, a logging crew will begin by cutting the trees and placing them on the ground in a neat, organized layout that will make them easier to move when the time comes.

While some slopes have to be logged on foot with chainsaws, many steep slope logging jobs are now being done with a winch assist system, which anchors into flat ground above and supports vehicles on the slope with a cable. The driver of a machine that cuts the trees on the slope uses a remote to control how strongly the winch assist system supports his vehicle.  

Further Reading: You can learn more about winch-assisted logging and see a video of it in action in our story, Winch-Assisted Logging Boosts Safety on Steep Terrain.

Setting Up the Tower and Skyline

Once the trees are cut, it’s time to get them off the steep slope and onto a flat “yarding area” above the slope. In order to safely move them without damaging the ground, causing erosion or damaging the logs, we lift the logs high into the air.

To set the system up, first a large tower is put into place with the support of several cables called “guylines.” They connect to the tower and then anchor into place in various directions to ensure the tower remains steady against the weight of the logs.

The part of the tower that gives it height, referred to as a “tube,” can be 100 or more feet tall. Years ago, loggers used strong trees to serve as towers. But using man made, movable towers gives loggers a much more reliable option, with the added safety benefit of not having to climb a tree with heavy rigging.

Replacing Synthetic Haywire with Skyline Cable

Once the tower is anchored, it’s time to put the skyline cable in place. The strong cable, typically 1.25” thick, would be too heavy to carry across mountains. Instead, a lighter, synthetic cable called haywire or strawline is used first.

Getting this line into place can be dangerous: imagine how hard it is to walk up or down a mountainside, and now imagine doing it while carrying and unwinding 50 to 80 pounds of cable. The cable is usually 250 feet long, meaning it will take several trips to gather more cable to cover the thousands of feet between the slopes.

While it is still done on foot in many cases, large drones are becoming an increasingly popular, safer alternative. Rather than losing a day’s work or more having several people carry and disperse the cable, a drone can carry it through the sky. It travels from the tower to the “tailhold” the cable will attach to across from the slope the logs are on.

A tailhold can be a strong tree or stump that will hold steady under the weight of the cable and the logs it carries. If there isn’t anything strong enough, a heavy vehicle can also be used.

Further Reading: To learn more about how drones are now being used to put skylines into place, check out our article and video, High Power Drones Are A Safety Game-Changer in Tower Logging.

Once the synthetic line connects the tower and tailhold, a stronger cable is then led through a spool, followed by the thick, heavy skyline that will be used in the next step. (Depending on who you ask, a spool can also be referred to as a pulley, sheave or block).

Moving Trees to the Sorting Yard

With the skyline cable in place, a motorized “carriage” can be placed on the cable to carry the logs up the skyline.

How do the logs get attached to the cable? Loggers called “choker setters” attach the logs to a choker (or babbitt), which is a separate cable that hangs from the carriage. It secures the logs with an interlocking mechanism called a bell and knob. (The bell-shaped side is like a keyhole, while the knob is like a key).

Ed Bryant, owner of ENB Logging, refers to choker setters as “the guys out in the brush who make things happen.” In addition to choker setter, they have also traditionally been called rigging slingers and rigging men.

This method is preferred over using on-the-ground equipment or people to move the trees on the dangerous slopes. And while it might be easier to drag logs on the ground, that would create deep ruts in the soils and send sediment into nearby waterways. In order to protect the water and the ecosystems that depend on it, loggers use the airborne option. 

Further Reading: You can read more about how we protect waterways in forestry by checking out our video and article, How Foresters Restore Salmon Habitat in the Pacific Northwest. 

Preparing the Logs for their Buyers

Once the logs have made their journey off the slope and into a flat area called a yard, it’s time to prepare them for transport. This could mean removing their bark and branches with an aptly-named debarker machine. The logs also might be cut to fit into the trucks they will be loaded onto.

The logs also will be sorted by size, quality and species in order to best determine which mill each group of logs will be delivered to. The highest quality logs will be used for products like flooring and lumber. Lesser quality logs can be processed into pulp, which is used in thousands of everyday products.

Further Reading: You can learn more about the products that are made from logs by reading our #ItStartsWithTrees series. Here’s a link to the first article in the series.

The post How Tower Logging Works appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.