Our Services
SILVICULTURE
Marking and planting are being done manual, while pitting is done either manual or mechanically with an excavator equipped with a pitting head.
Ring hoeing – cleaning around small trees 0-1 years is being done manually.
Cone spraying, whereby a cone is put over the small trees to protect it from the chemicals sprayed around it to kill the weeds – 6 months up to 3 years.
Chemical weeding is done under strict supervision of our qualified Pest Control Operators.
Manual weeding – being done manually with slashers as and when required to keep the plantations clean.
Pruning – being done when trees reaches a length of 1m, again and 2m and finally when a length of 3m is reached. This is done manually or with pruning saws.
CBF – Clear felling before felling: – compartment are being manually slashed clean before handing it over to the harvesting teams to do the felling.
Fire breaks – are being prepared during May – July on days weather permitting.
Fire Season – 1 June to 30 Sept – Our well trained and highly professional Proto Teams protects the plantations during this season from fires and are prepared 24/7 to fight fires and to assist neighbouring properties with fire fighting to protect the spread of fire our plantations and other properties. We work hand in hand with LEFPA and Working on Fire.
Silviculture / Pitting Machine
Silviculture team at work & Mechanical Pitting Machine to making the holes in the soil for the team to plant the small trees in.
Mechanical
Harvesting
Harvesting done with an Excavator equipped with a Mechanical Harvester Head.
HARVESTING
Semi-Mechanical Harvesting
Chainsaws are being used to fell trees and to cross-cut the trees into the required lengths. It is commonly referred to as “Manual Harvesting”.
Manual labour, called De-Barkers are being used to strip the bark of the Gum timber logs. Pine timber logs are being used with the bark on.
Manual labour, called Stackers are being used to stack the timber logs onto each other once it is ready to be removed from the compartments.
Mechanical Harvesting
Excavator based carriers fitted with SP Harvester Heads, Called Mechanical Harvesters are being used for felling of timber in compartments where the terrain is permittable. These harvesters also debark the timber and cross-cut it into the required lengths
Manual Harvesting teams follow the Mechanical Harvester in the compartments to attend to the areas not accessible to the Mechanical Harvester.
Harvesting
Extraction
Shovel Yarder busy extracting tree lengths from the compartment
Harvesting –
Depot Sorting & Cleaning
Bell Logger sorting timber on a depot at Venus, Graskop for cleaning.
Extraction
Skidder
Timber lengths being extracted from the compartment to roadside with a Grapple Skidder at Venus, Graskop.
EXTRACTION
The extraction of timber from the infield compartments is being done by specialised equipment:
A Grapple Skidder (a skidder equipped with a grabble and a winch) extracts the timber from the Manual Harvesting operations to the roadside. On roadside the timber is being stacked by a Bell Logger.
A Shovel Yarder is used to extract timber from intensive sloped areas. These trees are being extracted first. Cross-cutting takes place on road side and then the logs are being stacked with Bell Loggers.
A Forwarder is used to extract the timber for the Mechanical Harvesting Operations. The Forwarder also stacks the timber on roadside.
SHORTHAUL
6X6 Trucks are being loaded infield by Bell Loggers. They then transport the timber to the nearest depots. This is short distances less than 5km.
Bell 302 Self-loading units are being used in areas where the terrain is not permissible for 6X6 Trucks.
The timber is being off-loaded onto depots by Bell Loggers, awaiting transport to the relevant markets.
Shorthaul &
Transport
Kabelco Log Loader busy off-loading shorthaul truck onto longhaul truck at an infield depot at Inkwazi.