TIMBER HARVESTING
We have a decade of experience operating various logging equipment in the hills of Vermont. Tree Dogs currently owns and operates with a Timberjack 380B cable skidder, Timberjack 450B grapple skidder, Prentice 180D log loader/slasher, chainsaws, and a Hitachi Ex 80 excavator. We harvest hard and softwood sawlogs, pulp, and firewood, always with an eye on the shifting markets. We design and build bridges, skid trails, truck roads, and landings, and ensure all road and trail systems are compliant with Acceptable Management Practices. Through careful planning and an investment in the future of the forests we keep our jobs both economically and ecologically sound.
We are happy to work with foresters in marked timber, or cut timber we have marked, and are available for any other timber harvest related activities such as trail making, close-out, TSI and timber felling. Give us a call to start a discussion, we are always excited to talk about a harvest!
We are happy to work with foresters in marked timber, or cut timber we have marked, and are available for any other timber harvest related activities such as trail making, close-out, TSI and timber felling. Give us a call to start a discussion, we are always excited to talk about a harvest!
Cable Skidder
The cable skidder is an extremely off road capable tractor fitted with a winch. The winch is used to drag multiple felled trees to the tractor and raise one end of the trees partially off the ground to facilitate skidding. The large tires of a skidder help reduce ground pressure and sustain a heavy load, while the tire lugs and chains help the tractor maintain traction over the various terrains logging machinery encounters, such as rocks, mud, steep hills, branches, snow, and ice. A skidder has an articulating joint in the mid section that provides extra stabilization while steering on uneven terrain. Skidders are also fitted with a blade in the front, which is commonly used to push trees or logs into piles, clear trails of debris, and to build crude water diversion structures when needed.
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We currently operate with a Timberjack 380B skidder. This tractor is a powerhouse. It is small enough to perform well in a light thinning, and yet strong enough to pull a large hitch of trees behind it at an efficient speed.
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Grapple Skidder
A grapple skidder is similar to a cable skidder in its overall design and operation, except that it also has a large grapple or "claw" extending behind the rear tires. Grapple skidders tend to be larger than cable machines, but they do come in all sizes. Their most efficient use is to follow behind a feller buncher (a machine that, as its name suggests, can cut or fell trees and lay them together in bunches). There are many uses for the grapple; sorting logs on the landing, bunching felled trees in the woods to a trailside location, moving brush around to facilitate operations, and as many more as the creative operator wishes to explore.
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We currently own a Timberjack 450B grapple skidder. This machine has a dual arch grapple, meaning it can operate in both fore and aft, and up and down motions. It is also fitted with a winch, and so can fill the role of a cable skidder when needed. We like to use the grapple for the purposes listed above, and sometimes fall into the category of a "creative" operator.
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Log Loader/Slasher
A Log Loader/Slasher is a large piece of equipment, mounted on either a truck or trailer, used to buck (or cut to length as determined by marketable product), sort, and load logs in the landing area. Some loader/slashers are also capable of delimbing trees by pulling a whole tree through a set of clamping knives. Bucking is accomplished by using a large barsaw or circular saw, and measurements are taken visually as the tree is dragged into a bucking bunk which is marked with common lengths accepted by mills.
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We currently own a Prentice 180D loader/slasher, which is mounted on a trailer. This machine has a barsaw to buck logs, and aids greatly in a smooth, safe, and efficient operation. The ability to sort logs is paramount when working in a mixedwood stand, as we sometimes sort for as many as 10 markets on one job!
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Excavator
An excavator is an earth moving machine that can fill many important roles in a timber harvesting operation. Excavators are commonly used to create and maintain trails, landing areas, and access roads, as well as finding use in sorting and stacking logs on the landing, bunching felled trees in the woods, and manipulating brush to protect soft soils and install stream crossings.
We currently own and operate a Hitachi Ex80 excavator, which is considered a mid sized machine at 8 tons. We utilize it for all the aforementioned purposes, and couldn't conduct our timber harvest operations without it. Our machine has relatively wide tracks which result in low ground pressure, a feature we really like when it comes to trail work.
We currently own and operate a Hitachi Ex80 excavator, which is considered a mid sized machine at 8 tons. We utilize it for all the aforementioned purposes, and couldn't conduct our timber harvest operations without it. Our machine has relatively wide tracks which result in low ground pressure, a feature we really like when it comes to trail work.