Selection Harvest
For selection harvest, I use Stihl chainsaws and a compact Kubota MX 5000 tractor equipped with a Wallenstein 8000 logging winch. Hand falling and small scale equipment allows me to harvest only selected trees and remove them with a minimum of trail building and damage to standing trees.
Low impact harvesting starts with directional falling techniques: using a combination of skill, wedges and breaking block techniques, I make the tree fall into exactly the right spot. Those who don’t use directional falling techniques have trees fall in the direction they lean...regardless of what smaller trees are in the way.
Because I only need a small space to work in, I don’t need to cut down extra trees like mechanical harvesters do. You and your woodlot profit: more trees left standing and undamaged means a healthier forest. Trails are kept to a minimum because logs are winched out to the trail, or if room allows the narrow tractor winds its way around trees to reach a log. Conventional skidders and forwarders must open up wide trails to allow access.
