In Review

Cutting Edge Technology at the world's largest forestry trade fair 

Part of the 55,000 attendees wait for gates to Elmia Wood 2001 to open.

Official attendance figures from the Elmia Wood 2001 International Forestry Trade Fair-pegged at close to 55,000 attendees-confirm the demo-fair as the world's foremost event of its kind. The size of the stand area was nearly double what it was for the 1997 show, presenting an organizational challenge the organizers met handily and making the event even better than last time. Held in Jönköping, Sweden from June 6 to 9, 2001, the forestry trade fair was termed an international breakthrough for the Nordic cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting method-a method organizers predict will dominate world forestry practices in the next decade or more. 

Unusual combination of processor mounted Yarder from Konrad Forsttechnik. Linsey accompanied her Idaho logger dad, Bob danielson, on a tour organized by timberjack's Timb White

As expected, many Forest equipment manufactures choose Emlia Wood as the venue to unveil new machines and technology. Keto displayed its new 2,112 pound, 150Victor head, with a felling diameter of 22" and delimbing diameter of 18". The head features a track measuring system that gives increased strength and improved access to hydraulic hoses. Keto products are available in North America through Hakmet Ltd. Savcor Forest, a manufacturer of customized forest data management systems, offered a suite of timber measurement solutions incorporating computer calipers and including inventory, log measurement and harvester head measurement control. Inventory software provides information for felling decisions, forest valuation and harvest planning. 

Left: Loggers get up close look at the new 2001 product series Ergo Harvester at the Ponsse demo site.

The log measurement software can measure up to 1,000 logs per hour, in ports, at sawmills or at roadside. Timberjack also showed off an integrated suite of software solutions, TimberOffice, specifically designed to enable contractors and forest companies to manage the information produced by the harvester for cost-effective performance. With a mobile or fixed Internet connection, TimberOffice also facilitates data transfer to and from mobile e-mail enabled harvesters for real-time production management. The TimberNavi program is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that uses global positioning (GPS) so a machine operators can see their position displayed in real time. 

The extremely efficient firewood processor from Bilke utilizes a rotary shear instead of a saw to split as well as quickly cut firewood to length from small whole trees at a rate of one cubic metre per minute. A line of log forwarders for CTL harvesting operations was introduced by Caterpillar and its development partner, Tiger Engineering of Western Australia. 

The new machines, to be marketed as Timberking branded products, will be sold and supported by selected Caterpillar dealers worldwide.  Included in the line is the Timberking LF 14 log forwarder displayed at Elmia. Expected to be available within a year, the LF 14 has a 14-metric-ton payload and features a 174-hp Cat 3056TA sixcylinder diesel engine. The COM 90 log load securing system from ExTe offers automatic load lashing with remote-control-activated throw-overs that latch over the logs in the trailer bunk, thus reducing the load on the stakes by about 50 per cent. 

The system is monitored and post-tensioned automatically for faster handling and more loads per shift. Ponsse introduced Opticontrol, a digital forest machine control system for harvesters and forwarders that integrates the diesel engine, measuring device and crane control systems. All functions can be controlled on a single display. The OptiComm data transfer system for forwarders includes OptiGIS mapping and GPS equipment, as well as the Opticontrol system. The new 4.1-hp, 60-cc 2159 Turbo chain saw from Jonsered offers an exceptional power-to-weight ratio of 0.54kW/kg and has a side-mounted chain tensioner, a unique automatic fuel compensation system, a magnesium alloy crank case and a SoftStart decompression valve. 

The Tree King felling head features damage-free processing, exact length measuring and a delimbing force of 9,800 kg at 250 bar and a feed speed of 9'/sec at 320 l/m with a 100 mm feed cylinder. Made of high quality steel, the delimbing knives have low pressure for less friction when handling crooked trees and a straight line measuring system over a sprocket wheel, integrated with the feed chain. The SP series of single grip harvesting heads includes the SP 451 LF and offers low friction for maximum speed and capacity. 

The optional LogHold system allows a lower knife pressure without risk of dropping the trunk, while QuickCut minimizes cutting damage by reducing cutting time. The cutting capacities range from 16" to 28". The Valmet EcoPlanter offers scarification and planting at the end of a single grip harvester. With two individually operated rotors powered by the hydraulic motor, two planting positions are made simultaneously and plants contained in the planting pipe are blown into the prepared holes. 

Plants are transported on the host equipment and manually loaded into the EcoPlanter's revolving magazine. The HUET Performa cutting and handling unit is designed to optimize the economic and logistic management of log yards. Attached to 15- to 30-ton hydraulic excavators, the HUET processor grapple can double or triple productivity. Strong tongs fitted with hydraulic motors firmly grip and move logs for loading, unloading and sorting. Fitted with a high-speed chain saw, it allows easy, optimized the cutting of logs up to 32" in diameter.

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