1992 Case Study on Shovel Logging in Virginia

[forestryworks]

http://www.g-eng.biz/le/logsys/shovel/shovel.html

Here is an excerpt...

Shovel logging is a technique which I became interested in applying as soon as I heard about it out West some five years or so ago. It was not until early in 1992 that I got the opportunity to see the technique applied to Virginia's Mountains. This opportunity spun out of efforts to attract efficient skyline operations that would use the latest in rigging skills. Just so happens that progressive loggers use progressive techniques, and along with the cable yarding skills came a shovel logger. The man's name was Ross Hojem, president of H&H Logging from Chehalis, Washington. After several trips from the West to see our timber conditions and markets, H&H Logging was the high bidder on the Parker's Gap cable salvage timber sale, close to Natural Bridge, Virginia.

Also, the logger featured in the case study is Ross Hojem. Some of you may know him, he is out of Chehalis, WA and is featured on Madsen's photo album.

 

[hammerlogging]

Good find and rather poignant given discussion in the sust. logging thread. There are optimal systems for different conditions, prescriptions, terrain, yarding conditions, and so forth. You have to have a winch for at least some work no matter where you are, and I have seen many places where shovel logging is impractical in Appalachia- too rocky or too steep on too much % of the ground, but I have also seen lots of opportunity for it.

 

[056kid]

Thats neat.




I cut some nice timber at Natural Bridge.

 

[Humptulips]

Read it and I have to say the analysis of the costs leaves a lot to be desired.

The shovel logger wasn't able to log the entire unit due to the steepness of the ground yet additional costs of cable logging the remaining timber was not considered. When the front end of a unit is robbed off by the shovel it is going to increase the costs of cleaning up th rest. Less volume with the same amount of rig up as would be incured if the total volume was there equates to increased costs to log the unit.
They should have used a total cost to log all the timber on the unit and compared that to what it would have cost to cable log the entire unit.
They only give you half the story.