Hey WBF...I got a question for you about heli-logging. I've only done about ten years worth of it out of the fifty or so I've been working in the woods, all in the US under Skycranes and Vertols, and I was wondering how you guys in Canada did it. I was thinking that there might be some similarities but since I don't know anything about Canadian logging I could be wrong.
In big timber on cow-face ground do you guys try to keep everything in lead or just let it go where it wants to? On smaller timber is lead important?
How do you get in and out. Do they use like a Hiller or a JetRanger to ferry you guys around or do they make you pack?
How about bucking for weight? Do increases in elevation...say from sea level on up to five or six thousand feet...affect how you buck?
Do you ever get to send in 40's? Do you have to rip butt-cut 16s very often? On the big timber can you lay it out so the choker setters can bonus a log or do you let them just fend for themselves?
What's the wages up there? Do you guys bushel or work by the day? What would be a good average wage?
I'm not prying...just really curious about Canadian logging.
A little change in plan ...OK cow -face ground? If its a big cedar snipe or schoolmarm and one is cranked down the hill then that's were its going, nothing you can do about it except chase it down and buck it if there is anything there and buck the **** off your f&b, then fall the other with the lay if you can.
I'm sure the principals all the exact same, except we are doing a lot more retention now apposed to clearcuts. when we work a falling face everything is clearcut in the lay,snags, including sort stubbies and sapling for safe practices for faller and rigging crew. Oh yes I see what you were getting at now about
elevation. Yes we have laminated bucking cards for Dia X length for each helicopter lift specs, our job is to figure the best grade per weigh as you know so as long as we measure our wood then we are not going home because the wood isn't
flying. If there was a change to the spec as for whatever reason then we would has a meeting about things or be notified.(thats out of my pay scale) Ive done 6-7 thousand ft falling pine for an A-star in the rockies that had the bigger engine that could lift 2,600 lbs(not at that elevation) on a empty tank put a good turn would be about 2000lb that was control work for Mountain Pine Beetles and they would fly to an Area close by and light the pile sometime 1500 trees per pile. One time they gave me a Lighter snow shoveler due to elevation as they would bump us in and out in a R-22 (that crashed the following year biding on more work) That job we used a lot of our own judgment on weigh and limbed some bigger branched on bigger pine. One I had to buck it in three
to fly..big pine!
On the coast 5OOOft is a long long ways from the ocean
to long of a turn.$$$$ A minute and a half..2 min turns. Most shows would be close to the ocean. although its steep ground,stumps are higher on heli as well to keep your wood on the hill. We Just pack in from our HP that are decked
using a suitable four stump sequence, we rip boards that meets WCB of BCs standards then, spike with 12"
not that this flat lander knows what y'all saying, but it is logging so now i'm happy.
at least we have that in common. cheers back at ya...........later
