Plantation Thinning
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THIS 400 ACRE STAND OF RED PINE, LOCATED ON CREBO FLATS IN COLUMBIA FALLS, MAINE WAS THINNED USING A TUFAB 310 SINGLE GRIP PROCESSOR AND A TREEFARMER FORWARDER. I RAN THE HARVESTER. NOTE THE ABSENCE OF WHEEL TRACKS AND THE LACK OF SCARRING TO THE RESIDUAL STAND. THIS WAS A NATURAL STAND THAT HAS BEEN THINNED TO A POLE PLANTATION.
This is the Tufab 310. Mounted on a FordBi-Directional farm tractor it makes a very suitable thinning machine. This however is very old fashioned. The technologies driving it are twenty-five years old. Today's models far outperform it and make it as much a dinosaur at work as in appearance.
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This is the working head of the Tufab 310. It grasps, falls,delimbs, and cuts to length. While not "state of the art" the principal design of the "cut to length processor" remains the same. And these things do work. They reduce soil compaction, limit residual stand damage, produce consistent quality fiber and reduce worker's compensation costs.
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This University of Maine plantation was thinned using the Valtra 8150 -Patu 405RH combination processor- forwarder. This was a fairly dense stand which had suffered ice storm damage. It was spaced with an eye to crown freedom and species demarcation: only the best pines were left.
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WITH THE VALTRA-PATU HARVESTER UNIT, YOU FELL, DELIMB, MEASURE, CUT, STACK AND TRANSPORT THE TIMBER. THE BASIC MACHINE IS A VALTRA-VALMET 8150 4WD 125HP. TRACTOR WITH A BACKWARDS STEERING DEVISE, A FORESTERI 400 CRANE AND PATU 405 RH PROCESSOR HEAD AND POWER DRIVEN PATU 110MD PORTER TRAILER. THE HARVESTER HEAD CAN BE REMOVED AND A GRAPPLE ATTACHED TO THE CRANE ROTOR. WITH THE PATU 110 MD POWER TRAILER COUPLED TO THE SAME UNIT, YOU HAVE AN 8-WHEELED FORWARDER FOR TRANSPORTING THE HARVESTED TIMBER TO THE WOODYARD. THIS IS A VERY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MACHINE, DESIGNED PRINCIPALLY AS A THINNING HARVESTER WITH A 17.5'' DIAMETER GRIP. SPRUCE-FIR IS WHAT IT LIKES BEST.
ALTHOUGH SOLD AS A COMMERCIAL MACHINE, IN MY OPINION, THIS PARTICULAR CONFIGURATION OF THE PATU 405 RH HEAD AND VALTRA 8150 TRACTOR WITH THE FORESTERY CRANE IS ONLY SUITED FOR LIGHT DUTY. IT IS POORLY DESIGNED AND EVEN MORE POORLY BUILT.
This is the Valtra 6400 series FWD tractor attached to the Patu 110 MD power driven trailer with a Foresteri 655 crane. As you can see, this combination will carry a sizable load; it has over three cords on it in this photo. Since it not only articulates at the trailer tongue but also steers at the tractor , with it's eight driving wheels, this machine will go virtually anywhere.
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This is the Rottne SMV forwarder. R.A. Thomas Logging has two of these. These are job specific machines with tremendous capacity and great power in the cranes. With eco-tracks mounted on the rear boggies the machine will carry tremendous weight with little soil disturbance.
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| PLANTATION THINNING |
|
WILDLIFE HABITAT ENHANCEMENT |
| INDIVIDUAL TREE SELECTION HARVESTING | CLEAN WOODYARDS |
