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The exploitation is the first step of the transformation and the development of the production.
The clearcutting of a plot has for main aim getting the maximum usable wood possible.
The exploitation of the Douglas Pine doesn’t just occur at the time of clearcutting.
During the production cycle it is vital to:
-Do some thinning out to allow the development of the remainder trees.
-Do some pruning in order to produce high quality wood.
What are the objectives?
- Silvicultural : It allows the renewal of the tree’s population which is essential for the upkeep of the estate (regeneration and reconstitution’s cut) the growth of future trees (thinning out) and the production of high quality wood (pruning).
- Economic : It brings in finances to the owner as well as supply to the wood industry.
- Environmental and social : It contributes to the maintenance of biodiversity, to the soil’s protection, to the respect of the environment (freeing from some treatments owing to its rot proof quality) and also welcoming visitors (picking, walks, cycling...).
Implementation:
It is made of a succession of works:
Planning of the interventions: Choice of period and intervening methods.
Marking the plots: This consists in clearly marking the trees before cutting them out, in order to delimit the plots. The marking is either done using a hatchet or paint. In order to be effective, the marking must be well orientated and visible from the machines. Regarding thinning out, the marking is decisive for the forest future as it is at that particular time that the trees which have the highest potential will be kept.
Cubing: It is the volume’s estimation which allows to approximately calculating the yield. It is used to estimate the volume of ‘commercial’ wood. There are two methods to ‘cube’ woods:
- Wood on standing trees: Essentially used for clear-felling. The sale is done in one lot. The price of the entire trees population is determined before the exploiting.
- On felled trees: Essentially used for the thinning out. The sale is done by products category. The price is determined before exploitation starts.
Cutting down: The cutting down of the trees is the first step of the trees ‘exploitation. The tree is cut using a chainsaw or a tree feller. The tree fellers deal with both the forest cutting and the shaping. Productivity is higher. Working and safety conditions are much better for the driver of this silvicultural machine and yields are better too.
Shaping: The branches of the tree are removed and it is cut following quality and length criterions proper to each user. The felled trees are separated into two categories:
- Timbers: essentially from clear cuttings.
- Trituration wood: essentially from thinning outs.
Skidding and driving out: Consists in transporting the felled trees from their cutting place to a road or a temporary storing place. For the thinned out areas, one precaution has to be taken into consideration: Not damaging the trees still left in situ. Furthermore, the felled trees must be left in a spot which is easily accessible to be transported later on.
Transport: Conveyance to the processing place. The transport is mainly done by road as sawmills usually get their supplies nearby their processing sites.
Conditioning of the site: Evacuation of wastes and cleaning the storage area.
Selling the wood on the marketplace: Different sales’ methods can be applied, according to the circumstances. For smaller lots, it is the sale ‘by mutual agreement’ which is the most requested. For more important lots it is the sale by ‘call for bids’.
- The sale by mutual agreement is also called ‘amicable sale’.
The owner and the operator reach an agreement on the price without the latter being in competition with others. The advantage of this method is the sale’s rapidity. It also allows forging links with a « trustworthy » purchaser.
- The sale by “simple” call for bids: A certain number of wood operators are gathered together for lots’ sales. This consultation aims to increase the value of the woods at best, taking into account the usage’s capacity of the wood for each potential purchaser. The financial stakes are important.
- The sale grouped by sealed submission: The sale takes place in public. Purchasers make their offers known in advance. Each buyer attributes or not a price to each lot.
Each lot will be sold to the highest bidder. One lot can be withdrawn from the sale if it has not received any bid or if the bid offer is inferior to the withdrawing price.
Usage:
The Douglas Pine has a quality wood which is used in numerous sectors
- inside and outside woodwork,
- Framework,
- Frame structure,
- cladding...
The certification PECF in wood’ sales:
In France, approximately ¼ of private woods are certified or in the course of being certified and 78 % of the French public forest is PEFC certified.
The PEFC certification is an advantage for the owner. It allows the wood owner to open up new markets and to answer to the new requirements from consumers and manufacturers. It is the guarantee that forests are sustainably managed.
The rules to comply with:
- Ensure that the forest’s paths are not neglected (service road) so as to facilitate access to the plots, to carry out mechanical maintenance, skidding and also to facilitate access to the firefighters in the event of a forest’s fire. Furthermore the service road does not have any negative effect on the production.
- Look after the lobed-leaved trees and the edges to diminish health risks and also to restore biodiversity.
- Respect the favourable periods for interventions so as to avoid soil’s compacting.
- Respect the operating and silvicultural path planned so as to temper diseases’ proliferation.
Clearcutting does not mean that the silvicultural path is at an end since the plots will be replanted with trees again.
It is those constant reforestations which make of the French forest a renewable and renewed resource. - Photos (1)
The exploitation of the Douglas
Author: Planfor
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