Harvesting Process

Stage Two: Tree Felling and Transport

Once the coupe is marked, and the harvest contractor is permitted to begin harvesting, the first process is opening up an access road to a centrally located site within the coupe known as a landing.

The landing is where trees, once they are felled, are lined up and sorted into different grades depending on the quality of that part of timber. The logs are then cut to their appropriate lengths and sorted for various markets.

The trees are usually felled using a machine that safely cuts the trees at a distance or sometimes or by a qualified tree faller who cuts the tree using a chainsaw. The branches and bark are removed from the tree and a heavy-duty four wheel drive tractor called a 'skidder' is used to haul the trunk of the tree to the landing along small internal paths called 'snig tracks'.