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Considerations & Innovations for Managing
Michigan's Lowland Forests
Panel Discussion About Lowland Harvesting
A panel representing logging contractors was assembled to repond to questions about logging on wet sites. The panel was moderated by Jack Pilon (DNRE). Panel members included Marty Muma (CM Forest Products, Gladwin), Tom Barnes (Executive Director, Michigan Association of Timbermen), Bill Brand (Northland Harvesting, Newberry), Warren Suchovsky (Suchovsky Logging, Daggett), and Mike Elenz (Elenz, Inc., Otsego).
 Jack Pilon |
 Marty Muma |
 Tom Barnes |
 Bill Brand |
 Warren Suchovsky |
 Mike Elenz |
The following notes were provided from the panel discussion. The notes reflect a portion of the discussion.
Do you currently have equipment that allows you to work in lowland forestry and if not do you plan to purchase some?
Marty - We have Ponsse equipment to allow work in lowlands.
Warren - We use harvesters and 8-wheeled forwarders.
Mike - We also use harvesters and 8-wheeled forwarders.
Bill - We use harvesters and create slash mats to drive on.
What is a volume per acre or number of acres threshold to make it possible to enter a sale?
Mike - It depends on the sale; what is being cut, size of trees, etc.
Marty - It is possible to group several small sales together. Trucking access and skid trail options are important considerations.
Warren - Most wetlands in our area are part of a larger ownership so they can be combined with upland areas.
How wet is too wet?
Bill - Equipment doesn’t go where trees don’t grow.
Tom - Newer equipment is capable of going into most lowlands.
Warren - Need enough material to create a slash mat. Wetlands are wettest where they interface with uplands. Rutting is often more of aesthetic [visual] problem than hydrologic. It is important to know the direction of of subsurface water flow to minimize rutting which is perpendicular to flow.
How does access and landing locations affect the feasibility of lowland logging?
Bill - Longer contracts are needed in lowland sites because of the need to wait for the right weather conditions. This is especially true if trucking roads need to be frozen in.
Mike - Short contracts often lead to poor jobs because work is done when conditions are not right.
Are good markets available for products coming out of lowland forests?
Mike - Markets for cedar are not consistent.
Bill - We can move all material although often need to stack cedar until markets are available.
Warren - Demand for cedar has lessened in the past few years.
What would make logging in lowlands more desirable?
Warren - Longer contracts.
Bill - Knowing how 8” rut provision in contracts is interpreted. DNRE requirement that trucking roads be maintained to allow 2 wheeled drive vehicles is not necessary during active timber sales.
Tom - Removing contract provisions that restrict using recreational trails for trucking and skidding. There needs to be a road building credit when new roads must be built.
How can logs be hauled on active snowmobile/ATV trails?
Warren - With good planning this is not a problem. Trails can be rerouted and warning signs posted.
Tom - Is there any economic value which will override the recreational use of trails? Recreational use always seems to be a priority.
Has anyone used mats for crossing lowland sites?
Bill - We tried rubber mats, but they were very heavy and difficult to work with.
Mike - Weyerhaeuser has several mats that are available to loggers. Most mats only cover short distances.
Warren - Temporary bridges and wood mats are useful. When writing cutting specifications state the problem and let us solve them.
Have you used tracked vehicles?
Warren - they are good except when they need to turn.
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by Bill Cook, Michigan State University Extension
Forest in the Upper Peninsula. Comments, questions,
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Last update of this page
was
29 November, 2010
