56 | Thinnings boost forest owners’ income Roger has been in the forestry industry all his working life, logging with his father straight after leaving school. Roger Kelly Harvesting T T Kelly Deeks With some of the lowest log prices Roger Kelly of Roger Kelly Harvesting has ever seen, farmers and forest owners are currently reluctant to cut their trees down. However, as Roger points out, they should be aware the production thinning process by a skilled contractor can not only increase forest growth and profit, but also generate income during the life of the forest with a relatively stable market for the extracted thinnings. Roger has been in the forestry industry all his working life, logging with his father straight after leaving school before the two of them started their own crew more than 35 years ago. Today, Roger Kelly Harvesting is mainly a thinning operation based in Palmerston North and has contracted to John Turkington Limited for the past 28 years. Roger says the industry is struggling at the moment and log prices are the worst he has ever seen. The company has already downsized from two crews to one, with Roger, his son Kieran, and another qualified operator all working closely together for almost a decade. The crew has been mechanised for about 10 years and this, combined with improved communication technology, means the job is a lot safer than it was. The three are in constant contact, which Roger says is difficult to achieve with a larger crew. Roger Kelly Harvesting has recently added a new John Deere forwarder to its cut-to-length harvest and haulage operation, bringing higher productivity, lower fuel consumption, and better stability and ergonomics for the operator. Cut-to-length is a common method of forest harvesting, which increases efficiency and revenue and decreases waste and soil disturbance. All trees are cut to small lengths within the harvest area by the harvester and loaded onto the forwarder. Roger wasn’t sure the new forwarder would suit his operation so he visited some other contractors in Taupō who were using the machine and saw the benefits for himself. With its main focus on production thinning, Roger Kelly Harvesting is providing a viable option for farmers and forest owners with logging rates cost-competitive to the value of the product extracted. Thinning is a common practice within New Zealand’s forest industry and improves future crop quality and value. Rather than thinningto-waste, where trees are simply felled and left, production thinning includes the commercial removal of trees. Often overlooked as an option, due to its higher cost than waste thinning, production thinning provides an opportunity for farmers and forest owners to recuperate costs. “A lot of forest owners aren’t aware they can pay someone to come in and thin their trees out, extract the materials and the grower gets a cheque for them,” Roger says. “It costs about $1500 per hectare to thin them, and the grower gets about $1000 per hectare in the hand.” Despite the current downturn, Roger still loves the forestry industry and enjoys going to work every day. Our expertise includes servicing, repairs, and maintenance, backed by a fully equipped service truck. We specialize in small welding repairs and engineering work. Located in the Manawatu/Whanganui region, covering the lower North Island. earthmoving, forestry, farm machinery and equipment. We offer a wide range of services for 027 228 0798 sam@sams2021.com SAMS Service and Maintenance Specialist Ltd FORESTRY
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