58 | FORESTRY Douglas Logging Eight crews mastering the forest Kelly Deeks Steep terrain is no match for Douglas Logging’s experienced operators. With more than 30 years of professional experience in the logging and earthworks industries, Dargaville family business Douglas Logging proudly provides tree owners and farm owners with a safe and efficient service. Douglas Logging was established in 1993 by Peter Douglas, who now runs the business in partnership with his son, managing director Brad Douglas. They employ more than 100 people including highly skilled and experienced machine operators making up eight separate logging crews. Seven of these work around Northland, from Kaikohe to Warkworth, while one crew has been based in the South Waikato for the past four years, harvesting for China Forestry Group New Zealand (CFG). Douglas Logging invests heavily into modern equipment to keep its operation as safe, efficient, and sustainable as possible. All eight logging crews are fully mechanised using tethered winch systems which allow machines to operate safely on steep slopes without damaging soils. One of the team of 100 is manual tree faller Pep Paniora, who works in all the places the machines can’t get to. Pep is now training up Matty Barnders in the correct felling techniques for this high-risk and physically demanding activity, including hazard identification, safety instruction, health and safety rules, and environmental compliance. For about three years, Douglas Logging has run a six wheel drive tethered skidder which can haul logs out of the forest without disturbing native bush and streams. “The majority of commercial forests only contain pine trees, but we still do a lot of work in wood lots with native pockets,” Brad says. “These are more difficult to harvest with a conventional swing yarder, where you have ropes running over natives or streams.” The six wheel drive tethered skidder will protect the existing biodiversity, as well as extending the harvesting window with its ability to work on wet terrain not accessible by a four wheel skidder. The environmental development of the forestry industry is embraced by Douglas Logging and full-time in-house trainer Aaron Cutts is responsible for developing and training staff on all of the company’s health and safety modules and environmental modules. If you’re a tree, look away now. The Woodsman Pro 850 is built tank-tough by ENSIGN to take on New Zealand’s harshest forest conditions. The largest of our harvesters, the 850 makes light work of the most demanding trees and effortlessly produces clean stems and high-quality logs with speed and efficiency. If you don’t like the thought of grown trees trembling as you approach, the 850 is probably not for you. to page 60
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