AfrEquip delivers the first Tigercat H-Series Skidder in Africa
The first Tigercat H-series skidder in Africa.
The AfrEquip team has delivered a powerful Tigercat 625H 6-wheel skidder to Merensky Timber’s Weza operation as part of the group’s plans to update their timber harvesting equipment fleet to improve efficiencies, get better data insights towards precision forestry practice, and to minimise carbon emissions by deploying fuel efficient equipment.
This is the first H-Series Tigercat skidder to be deployed on the African continent. It was put to work immediately in Merensky's pine harvesting operations in Weza in southern KZN, to skid full tree lengths to road side for further processing. Merensky is an integrated forestry and sawmilling group.
A key motivating factor for choosing the Tigercat skidder was the level of support and backup that the AfrEquip team is able to provide. With premises in Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal), Ugie (Eastern Cape), Richards Bay (Zululand), Nelspruit and Piet Retief (Mpumalanga), AfrEquip is able to service all relevant forestry areas in the country.
Tigercat launched their H-series skidders recently, introducing a number of new features to these renowned workhorses which have benefited from over two decades of real world development in some of the most demanding timber extraction operations on the planet.
The 625H that the Merensky harvesting team has opted for is a high capacity 6-wheel drive machine best suited to steep slope operations and long distance skidding.
The Tigercat 625H 6-wheel skidder is working in Merensky’s pine operation in the Weza district, skidding tree-lengths to roadside for further processing.
The new series 625H offers a number of key benefits, including:-
• Improved ergonomics, control and comfort for the operator with a 220 degree rotating seat which locks in any position with full access to all machine functions and drive controls. Bigger windows maximise operator visibility all around. • The six-wheel drive configuration spreads the load and offers low ground pressure and incredible traction and power, which enables the skidder to perform optimally in rough and variable terrain, such as that found in Weza. • Electronic controlled hydrostatic drive, known as EHS, offers excellent fuel efficiency and easy operation. The EHS drive provides extremely high tractive effort or very quick travel speeds as and when required. When operating conditions demand high tractive effort, both hydrostatic motors are working. When tractive effort requirements are reduced - for instance, when traveling empty or loaded on flat terrain - all of the pump flow is directed to one motor for higher travel speeds and improved efficiency. It all happens seamlessly with no operator input required. This feature enables the skidder to perform optimally in a wide variety of operating conditions. • The 625H offers operators high capacity dual-cylinder Tigercat grapple options for handling timber of all sizes. • The Tigercat H-series skidders are made up with robust, high quality components including a proven long-life centre section constructed with thick steel plate plus large diameter pins and tapered roller bearings, reinforced engine enclosure doors and large diameter cylinders for improved durability. • Servicing and maintenance is made easy by convenient access to daily service points and a well designed layout of all major components.
Handing over the new Tigercat skidder to Merensky in Weza (left to right) John Barbour (Technical Director, AfrEquip); Raees Osman (Tigercat Technician, AfrEquip); John du Toit (MD, AfrEquip); Wessel Van Niekerk ( Workshop Manager, Merensky); Craig van Dijk (Finance Director, AfrEquip); Ryan Neumann (Business Development Manager, AfrEquip).
The 625H skidder is 8,7 metres in length, weighs just under 22 950 kgs, is powered by a 195 kW Tigercat engine and has a top speed of 23 kmh.
Tigercat harvesting equipment is manufactured in Canada and distributed and supported in South Africa by the experienced team at AfrEquip. Their services include sales, maintenance and service support, as well as training for machine operators. They carry a huge inventory of spare parts and their highly skilled technical team is geared to support customers operating in any of the forestry growing areas in South Africa.
Premium brands distributed by AfrEquip in South Africa include Tigercat harvesting equipment, including skidders, forwarders, harvesters and mulchers, Log Max harvesting heads and Morbark grinders and chippers.
For more information contact Ryan Neumann (072 708 9091) or visit www.afrequip.co.za
Mulching a game changer in SA forestry
Brush lines are mulched along timber extraction routes before the shorthaul begins.
Mulching of harvest residues is rapidly gaining ground in South African forestry, and is proving to be a game changer …
Deon Redinger of Savithi Mulching is one of a new crop of contractors flying the flag for mulching as a means of managing post-harvest slash in SA. Deon is a passionate believer in the benefits of mulching over burning slash, and local forestry companies – notably Sappi – have opted for mulching over burning in plantations with sensitive soils.
Historically there has been a reluctance on the part of forestry companies to throw their full weight behind mulching, due to the relative cost of mulching vs burning, which is the traditional South African way of dealing with slash.
This reluctance to engage with mulching has been exacerbated by the fact that it is known to be one of the toughest operations in forestry – on both man and machine. Contractors and growers have had to learn some hard lessons in the process of finding the right systems that can meet productivity expectations while delivering a consistent quality of mulch.
Moreover the additional and hidden benefits of mulching are not easily quantifiable. It impacts on almost every facet of growing and harvesting trees, so to appreciate the full benefits you have to consider the bigger picture - not just short term rands and cents.
Productive tree growth requires a healthy soil habitat which is achieved through maintaining the pristine state and balance of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Numerous local and global studies have demonstrated the extreme negative impact of organic matter loss due to repeated residue removal, burning (and subsequent erosion) on the soil health and productivity of sensitive soils. Residues left behind after harvest contain large quantities of organically bound nutrients and carbon. Mulching compared to burning or residue removal directly conserves the soil health. This retained organic matter feeds the trees and soil microbes as a slow release organic fertiliser and carbon source for much of the subsequent rotation. Healthy soil microbes contribute to tree nutrition and are believed to also act as the soils immune system by outcompeting soil pathogens.
Before: stumps and brush left in-field after clearfelling creates access problems for the pitting and planting operation to follow.
After: the mulcher has prepared the way for follow-up pitting and planting operations.
Further benefits measured after mulching are increased soil water due to reduced surface evaporation, reduced weed growth and increased percolation; and stabilisation of soil temperature by eliminating extreme heat and cold. Prevention of soil erosion and compaction through surface protection are further major benefits.
In addition, greenhouse gas emission due to fuel use during mulching is far less than the methane and nitrous oxide release during residue burning.
Residue mulching through these benefits can potentially mitigate the effects of climate change.
Forwarders haul timber along mulched extraction routes … no stumps, no tyre damage, soil protected by the mulch layer which reduces soil compaction.
No more burning
Sappi was one of the first large grower companies to adopt mulching of slash as a strategy in their Zululand plantations. Work by Sappi’s research team to gauge the cost benefit based on trials concluded that at rotation end the additional growth benefit was three times the cost of mulching. This research was used to motivate for the decision to proceed with mulching in Zululand.
The mulcher clears a burnt compartment...
... young saplings and all.
Sappi started doing trials in 2010, and by 2014 were mulching 100% of their Zululand coastal plantations, stretching from Richards Bay to north of Mtubatuba. No more burning of slash takes place on these plantations.
Mulching solved a lot of problems for Sappi in Zululand, reducing temporary unplanted areas dramatically, improving seedling survival and growth, removing old stumps thus paving the way for better access for modernised silviculture operations and fire prevention; as well as more productive future harvesting operations, whilst protecting and nourishing the sensitive soils with a mulch blanket.
Much work has been carried out by Sappi in quantifying the financial benefits of mulching due to improved growth at rotation age. Their research team has installed mulch/burn twin plots to directly measure and compare the effects of mulching on soil water, soil health and tree growth.
The Merensky forestry team inspects the Tigercat M726G wheeled mulcher operated by Savithi during an in-field demo.
This work has led to a study currently being undertaken by Leeshan Mahadeo, a BSc Forestry graduate from Stellenbosch University, to gauge the impact of mechanical mulching on subsequent pitting and planting operations in both pine and Eucalyptus. The study, supervised by Bruce Talbot and Simon Ackerman of Stellenbosch University, is being implemented on sites in Zululand, KZN midlands and the Mpumalanga Highveld.
This study will provide useful data that will help to clarify the operational cost/benefits of mulching while developing drone-based methods for residue load assessment.
Negative impact of residue removal
According to Sappi research scientist, Steven Dovey, productive tree growth requires a healthy soil habitat which is achieved through maintaining the pristine state and balance of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Numerous local and global studies have demonstrated the extreme negative impact of organic matter loss due to repeated residue removal, burning (and subsequent erosion) on the soil health and productivity of sensitive soils, he says.
Big old stumps left in-field create headaches for foresters and contractors, hindering access and mechanised operations.
The same compartment after mulching...
Residues left behind after harvest contain large quantities of organically bound nutrients and carbon. Mulching compared to burning or residue removal directly conserves the soil health, he says. This retained organic matter feeds the trees and soil microbes as a slow release organic fertiliser and carbon source for much of the subsequent rotation. Healthy soil microbes contribute to tree nutrition and are believed to also act as the soil’s immune system by outcompeting soil pathogens.
Further benefits measured after mulching are increased soil water due to reduced surface evaporation, reduced weed growth and increased percolation; and stabilisation of soil temperature by eliminating extreme heat and cold. Prevention of soil erosion and compaction through surface protection are further major benefits.
In addition, greenhouse gas emission due to fuel use during mulching is far less than the methane and nitrous oxide release during residue burning. Thus residue mulching can potentially mitigate the effects of climate change, says Steven.
The mulcher can work on fairly steep sites, and can go wherever skidders can go.
Savithi Mulching
Savithi Mulching, equipped with a fleet of tough-as-teak Tigercat wheeled mulchers, are currently mulching for Sappi in Zululand, and have now started mulching for Sappi in the KZN midlands around Ixopo, Highflats and Bulwer as well.
Deon Redinger established Savithi Mulching in 2010, initially using tracked machines but now has graduated to wheeled Tigercat M726G machines.
“We started slowly and learnt a lot of lessons along the way,” says Deon. “We started with tracked machines, but when we got wheeled machines we came right.”
Deon Redinger of Savithi Mulching … at the business end of a Tigercat wheeled mulcher, KZN midlands.
The three most important ingredients in the mulching business, according to Deon, are the quality of your ‘pilot’ (operator), effective maintenance and spares availability.
It’s no coincidence that he calls his operators ‘pilots’. This is because it takes training, skill and concentration to operate a mulcher properly. The importance of effective machine maintenance and spares availability in this extremely tough operating environment speaks for itself.
Every compartment presents different conditions and different challenges, says Deon. Tree species require different mulching tactics due to the quantity and nature of the slash left behind. Some stumps are much harder to grind down than others; ground conditions, weather, slope and the turnaround space at the compartment edges - all of these factors impact on the mulching operation.
Savithi’s ‘pilots’ prepare for take-off.
“The challenge is to get the mulch to cover the soil evenly like a blanket (not to mix the mulch up with the soil) and to reduce stumps to ground height.”
He says the mulcher will run over a brushline two or three times to get an even distribution of mulch that you can plant into.
It can take anything from two to six hours to mulch one hectare (in Zululand), depending on conditions, so Savithi generally works on an average of three hours per hectare. He says they average around three hectares per machine per day, and do not operate at night.
Deon says that 350 horse power is the minimum grunt required for an effective mulcher. He’s also convinced that wheeled machines are better than tracked because they can be moved around from compartment to compartment without the need for a lowbed trailer.
He says they are operating right behind the harvesting team, and as soon as they’re done mulching the planting team moves in. They are also mulching the routes that will be used to extract the harvested timber from in-field, so mobility of the mulching machines between adjacent compartments is essential. This operation speeds up the shorthaul, reduces tyre damage and protects the soil from compaction.
All post plant and future harvesting operations are made easier and cheaper in compartments that have been mulched.
Deon says Savithi has mulched 13 000 to 14 000 ha in Zululand over the past few years, and just this year will mulch 3 000 to 4 000 ha in the KZN midlands.
“We can work in fairly steep slopes – where a skidder can go our mulchers can go,” he said.
Savithi has also been mulching old forestry compartments for private farmers that are converting land to other crops like macadamias, avos and pecans.
Deon has been doing a lot of work to find an effective way to accumulate mulch for further downstream processing opportunities that he believes will be viable in future, and likes to refer to mulched material as “unutilised biomass”.
The Tigercat M726G wheeled mulcher, operated by Savithi Mulching.
Sappi’s Zululand Area Manager, Sandile Nkosi, says mulching has enabled the Sappi forestry team to keep temporary unplanted areas below 1.5% throughout the year, thanks to the speed of mechanised operations and the extended planting window that mulching has given them. Furthermore it has enabled Sappi Zululand to maximise silviculture mechanisation, improving compartment access for planting, weeding and fire fighting.
He says they have had fewer fires since they started mulching, and are able to put fires out quickly as they don’t spread so fast. He says all the Sappi foresters have observed improved survival and growth in mulched compartments.
Sappi’s Silviculture Manager for KwaZulu-Natal, Jeffrey le Roux, has seen the benefits of mulching in post harvesting operations, reduced TU as well as tree growth and yield. Here he inspects a mulched compartment in Zululand, 10 months after planting. The mulch has given these trees an excellent start.
This adjacent compartment was planted at the same time as the photo above – the difference being that the post harvest slash was burnt – not mulched. Soon after planting strong winds commonly experienced in coastal Zululand sand-blasted the young trees, many of which did not survive. Extensive blanking was required, but still the productivity of this compartment will be poor compared to the adjacent, mulched compartment.
Says Deon: “the mulching operation returns organic matter back into the soil and increases plant growth by 5-10%.
“The benefits of mulching harvesting residues are infinitely preferable to burning them. It has taken some time, but the benefits of the mulching process are finally being recognised by the forestry industry.”
The last page of Sappi’s 2019 Corporate Citizenship report focuses on the company’s mulching strategy in their South African plantations, and states: “The value of the estimated additional timber produced exceeds the current mulching costs.”
There you have it! With the right team, the right equipment and sufficient commitment and experience, mulching can be a game changer in the South African forestry environment.
