# Heli-Logging Series on TLC



## forestryworks (Feb 5, 2009)

the first episode of the heli-logging series starts tonight on TLC
Tune in Thursdays @ 10/9 C Check the schedule for airings.

Episode 1: The Big Wood
Gord and his team of tree climbers begin one of the biggest heli-logging jobs in Canadian history: climbing and topping a grove of prized cedar trees and using a $15,000 per hour Chinook helicopter to fly them.

Episode 2: The Greenhorn and the Beast
The crew has one week to prepare 400 trees before the heavy-lift helicopter's arrival. But after one climber gets hurt and another quits, an already difficult job gets even tougher.

Episode 3: Widowmakers
Gord's crew is set to climb a grove of cedar trees, but after a fellow logger is nearly killed by a falling branch "Widowmaker", they take whatever steps they can, from the superstitious to the practical, to make sure they stay safe and on schedule.

Episode 4: Heavy Lifting Required
The testosterone filled world of heli-logging gets a new look when Gord and his crew team up with a female heavy-lift helicopter pilot in order to harvest a block of trees.

Episode 5: The New Greenhorn
Gord hires a new Greenhorn to help work on an eco-sensitive logging job. But when the job starts to fall behind it becomes clear this is one hire he and the team may regret.

Episode 6: Racing to the Finish
The Clowhom job continues with Robyn leading the charge to finish the job on time and without disturbing the eco-system below. They work feverishly to complete the job and fly home, which despite many obstacles they manage to do. As soon as the get home, Gord gets a call from the Heavy-Lift helicopter company. Because of helicopter scheduling needs, instead of the helicopter arriving in 3 weeks to yard the Clowhom trees as planned, it is coming that very day. Gord knows that you are only as good as your last job and he does not want the helicopter to work without someone from his team there. Robyn and Cleaver hurriedly fly back to Clowhom to make sure that the crucial standing stem process gets done, and done well.

Episode 7: Big Wood, Big Finish
The enormous Brittain River job proposed a life-altering question for Gord Closson, "Can SCSS make it as a successful logging company with a conscience?" They have one more block to finish before Gord answers that question. Due to the traveling distances that the helicopters have to fly, the personal financial risk and the intricacies of logging big wood with minimal damage to the forest, this has been the biggest job for Gord yet. Supervisor Aaron Steen heads in to build the final landing pad, making it possible to log this last block. Unfortunately, the boys get off to a rough start. They are shut down on the hill because of helicopter problems. Then Gord and the team are forced to make up for the lost time in order to close the job out. In the end, Gord goes back to the drop zone, and must answer the big question as to whether the Brittain River job was overall as big a success as he hoped.

Episode 8: Gord to the Rescue
Another logging company has clear-cut an area, causing an environmental problem. They have left a huge area of trees exposed to wind, which not only can cause environmental problems for thousands of trees, but also could lead to eco-contamination of a stream that serves as the water source for the nearby town of Sooke. Gord and his team must Windfirm (climb and top trees to displace wind exposure and keep limbs from falling into the stream) the exposed trees. But when they start to fall behind, which could cause Gord to lose money, Gord has to put on the spurs and try to get them back on track.

Episode 9: Here Comes the Snow
Gord and his crew work year round. That means in the cold, the rain, and even the snow. And now there is plenty of it. They are in the middle of one of the biggest snow falls in Vancouver Island history and Gord, Kurtis, Robyn, and The Beast have a job to climb and top 50 trees in just two days. The only question is will they be able to do it?

Episode 10: The Grande Finale
Gord, The Beast, and Robyn have just 2 days to climb, top and jig, a block of trees before the Vertol helicopter arrives. Again, they are fighting cold temperatures and mounds of snow in order to get the job done.


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## forestryworks (Feb 5, 2009)

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/heli-loggers/heli-loggers.html


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## thejdman04 (Feb 5, 2009)

In a few minutes, I will be watching it.


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## custom8726 (Feb 5, 2009)

Watching now, not bad..


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## slowp (Feb 6, 2009)

It was good. Too many commercials though. The huff and puff through the woods looking for the unit was good to show.


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## adirondackhick (Feb 6, 2009)

*good show*

I've never prof. logged, just weekend timber and cutting. But I thought that heli loggers was a hell of alot better done than historys ax men. Loved seeing the climbers topping............. anyway, hope the rest of the series is as good as episode #1


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## goatchin (Feb 6, 2009)

missed the firt show time but got to watch it later on last night. I really enjoyed watchin this show. Got alot less drama in it but they still sorta over-emphasized some things. Cant wait to see the next episode!


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## thejdman04 (Feb 6, 2009)

Was an excellent show. My hats off to the climbers anyone who can climb 100ft witht hat much gear and cut the top of that size tree. Anyone with enough gull to throw a hook to another tree and swing, my hats off to you. I h ave to assume they are worried about damaging other trees and having clear fall lines is why they didnt cut them first and then top them? (ie drop them and then top them)


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## HuskyMike (Feb 6, 2009)

sshhhshsh I DVR'd it.


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## FIRESMOKE (Feb 6, 2009)

Good show, alot more hands on and How and Why they do things the way they do than Ax men. I hope the rest of the shows are just as good.


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## (WLL) (Feb 6, 2009)

adirondackhick said:


> I've never prof. logged, just weekend timber and cutting. But I thought that heli loggers was a hell of alot better done than historys ax men. Loved seeing the climbers topping............. anyway, hope the rest of the series is as good as episode #1


:agree2:


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## 056 kid (Feb 6, 2009)

good show.


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## Brush Hog (Feb 6, 2009)

Wow sounds like a good show. To bad we cut back to :censored:ing basic cable . Anyone know where I can watch online. Checked TLC site but nothing.


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## Happyjack (Feb 6, 2009)

I liked the , "logger glue" trick with the double wedges. I'm going to try that.


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## sILlogger (Feb 6, 2009)

it was a good show. very informative. 

but form a forestry perspective all i can think of is HIGH GRADING AS HE11! they have got to be just taking the best stuff and leaving the rest.


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## HuskyMike (Feb 6, 2009)

Just watched the first episode, not bad at all! Those guys are crazy!


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## Roy M (Feb 7, 2009)

TLC was advertising it all week but the local provider put some enviro wacko crap on instead. We were disappointed.
I worked supporting a heli logging crew for 5 years and enjoyed my time in the bush with them.


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## smokechase II (Feb 10, 2009)

*Nice*

*"I've never prof. logged, just weekend timber and cutting. But I thought that heli loggers was a hell of alot better done than historys ax men. Loved seeing the climbers topping............. anyway, hope the rest of the series is as good as episode #1"*

================

Much much better than AxMen and Saw 4 Hire.

I liked the guy puking in the tree. The amount of work he was doing came across. I certainly have never climbed anything that big. But I have puked in a tree at about the three hour mark.

I noticed two things that should be corrected.
However, I am such a small time p__ Ant compared to those guys and they did so much so well that I'll just keep my little mouth shut.

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I would like it if timber was worth more just now. That operation, with the thin margins financially needs that.

===============

I hope and expect the Discovery Channel to cover both the skill and danger parts of the Chinook Pilots' lives. Respectfully, I think they have a higher fatality rate than loggers and I want their story told this well too.


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## (WLL) (Feb 10, 2009)

smokechase II said:


> *"I've never prof. logged, just weekend timber and cutting. But I thought that heli loggers was a hell of alot better done than historys ax men. Loved seeing the climbers topping............. anyway, hope the rest of the series is as good as episode #1"*
> 
> ================
> 
> ...


 nice post


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## Humptulips (Feb 10, 2009)

I guess I'm odd man out as I thought it worse then axe men. Totally lame. Couldn't make it through the whole show. Had to turn it off.


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## adirondackhick (Feb 10, 2009)

"*Much much better than AxMen and Saw 4 Hire.

I liked the guy puking in the tree. The amount of work he was doing came across. I certainly have never climbed anything that big. But I have puked in a tree at about the three hour mark."*

smokechase II, I def. agree. Anytime your dry heavin' in a tree from the strain, your def. working. Where I am a *big *tree is 100ft, or such. 150ft and then topping 50 ft.............. AWESOME...... don't know if i'd have the balzzz for that height though, I'd love to just be able to even see them working on stuff that big. Well, maybe i'd want to drop a stick or two...:greenchainsaw:


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## John Paul Sanborn (Feb 10, 2009)

When do they start the reruns? I looked at the weekly schedule and saw nothing.


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## slowp (Feb 10, 2009)

I don't have high hopes for the rest of the series. The Greenhorn Theme returns. I hardly ever see any new to logging guys here. Nobody wants to deal with the training. But they seem to be common on the TV shows.


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## adirondackhick (Feb 10, 2009)

I think the only re runs are later that night..... search the learning channel then heli loggers and then you can hit the tv schedules and veiw daily or weekly times for any show............


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## smokechase II (Feb 10, 2009)

*Training the Discovery Channel*

*"I don't have high hopes for the rest of the series. The Greenhorn Theme returns. I hardly ever see any new to logging guys here. Nobody wants to deal with the training. But they seem to be common on the TV shows."*

The training of someone on the show is a good segway into teaching the viewer. 
It also sets up a nice conflict/resolution script between the reckless young thinks he's a stud and the wise old alcoholic who has made every mistake in the book.

=============

I do have high hopes.
I think they did pretty well.
I've set up a flip chart in the living room to post my Excel spreadsheet results on cost per board foot / weight ratio with respect to species per Chinook haul. Allowing of course for fuel load variable determined payload and breakdowns but I just can't take waiting on the fog.
They've got me much deeper than Saw 4 Hire could ever hope to with just tipping cranes and screaming.

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I'm hoping for a poster of the grapple sinking its claws into some soft cedar for my garage tool area.


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## HolmenTree (Feb 10, 2009)

15 yrs ago when I lost my falling job to a processor, I was almost lured to the BC west coast to heli-logging. A couple of my co-workers went and a year later they bragged of $1000 a day guaranteed as a cutter. They were taking smaller cedars, climb and top the tree, spray paint an X on top of the spar, come down and cut the base almost all the way through, leave a small hinge and drive 4 wooden wedges into each corner to support it and walk away leaving the spar standing. The chopper would come , grab the top with its grapple , snap the hinge off with a side pull and haul it away.

At this time BC Workers Compensation Board and Workplace Health and Safety tried numerous times to shut these operations down. I quess workers didn't have the proper certification and leaving the standing cut timber was probably another problem.
I didn't see the show but if they are falling the spars now then it must be for the safety reasons and of course they are cutting alot bigger trees too which have to be bucked up for the choppers to lift them.


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## Tree Sling'r (Feb 10, 2009)

With lot's of experience cutting for the Chinook and Air Crane (F model) I enjoyed the show, primarily because as a cutter the weights, lengths and turn time have to gel. Those guys stapling tags and painting bucks and logs with his vis paint brought back lots of memories.
Those were excellent pilots too. The pilots make everyone look good or very bad.


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## forestryworks (Feb 11, 2009)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> When do they start the reruns? I looked at the weekly schedule and saw nothing.



looked at mine and the rerun of this week's episode is one hour after the original airs.


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