Bites from the Blog (December 2022): Discussing Confor's new scheme

“Take part in one of our events to try out the controls on an immersive, custom-built simulator, then experience the real thing with a guided visit to a working forestry site.”

So said a post from trade body Confor, shared to the Forest Machine Operators Blog page last month, referring to a planned series of open days offering would-be operators the chance to experience life at the heart of the action.

READ MORE: Confor's Introduction to Forestry Machinery: Plugging the skills gap

Part funded by Scottish Forestry and run alongside John Deere, the course will be split into two parts. The first will see potential forestry employees have a go on a forwarder simulator. This will have the same controls as the real machine and is used as a training aid by the forestry colleges.

There will be an experienced operator on hand to guide trainees through the controls.

The second part will see a select group move onto the real thing and try their hand inside the cabin of a forwarder on a working forestry site.

Armandas Budreckis (Image: Bites)

With an ongoing skills shortage promising a desperate challenge to fill operator roles in years to come, plus confusion among potential new entrants about how to get their foot in the door, it’s hoped this course, first run in 2022, will uncover the forwarder drivers of the future.

But will it really give them the full picture of what the job is truly like? Members offered a few thoughts:

“One thing they forget to tell you is this isn’t a 7.30am till 5.00pm job. You can’t work a 40-hour week, be married and pay a mortgage. It’s a way of life, a bit like farming.”

“Does the simulator cover being stuck in a caravan in the middle of nowhere for years on end?”

“new, open-air canteen with plenty of company from the midges in summer (canteen is closed in winter because your little fingers get too cold to open a Kit-Kat), toilets between the front and back bogies – bog roll not included. It’s a great job, go for it!”

Chris Coughlan (Image: Bites)

“Don’t forget the minimum 11-hour days to keep the timber harvesting manager happy, even if timber is on the roadside, waiting for months on end.”

All valid points to keep in mind, but one comment in particular stood out to us: “Oh yeah. Learn how to help deforest the world. If people only had a little common sense they’d realise that clearcutting forests ruins the environment and is the number-one climate change accelerator!”

An unusual kind of remark to see on the Blog. We did wonder at first if one of those armchair climate warriors had snuck in, but no, this was a forestry professional – specifically a hand-cutter from Canada.

He didn’t elaborate further on his argument within the thread, but popped up again in the comments of another post – this time a picture of a Komatsu 895 forwarder in a misty landscape with an impressive load of 3.1 spruce logs. The image was shared with the caption: “She can take some load!”

Below, our Canadian friend remarked: “And not a tree in sight. Wake up, people! Clearcutting is nothing more than cutting our collective throats!”

The image’s owner explained this was windblow clean-up from Storm Arwen, which drew the response: “Yep. Well, that has to be done, for sure. Over here in Nova Scotia people are flattening all viable land.”

Another member weighed in: “You do understand it has to be replanted again? It’s cash crop that’s just reached maturity and the cycle starts all over again.”

The reply: “I don’t know where you’re from, but where I’m from it takes 100–150 years for a tree to mature. Most plantation forestry harvests wood long before maturity or plants a species that matures in 40 years or so that always has less density and quality.”

Another UK member patiently explained this was not the felling of native wild old forest growth. He said: “All the trees are commercially planted and non-native species, so not really much different to a farmer cutting a field of arable crop.

“As soon as the harvesting is done, the ground will be prepped for the next generation of trees to be planted, to be clear-felled again in 30–50 years. It all needs a felling licence, which will have conditions on how it is replanted next time – species mix, etc – so it is all regulated by independent bodies, not just the landowner.”

The discussion seemed to end there, but this was an individual determined to make a point about the evils of machine felling to someone, somewhere.

The next target was a young operator who said: “Was harvesting today, chucked a chain and then found it inside out – mind blown! This happened to many people or just the unlucky ones? I’m very new to driving a harvester, so I’ve not seen this before.”

Several operators reported the same thing happening to them at least once in their careers (some many more times) – and not always at the mischievous hands of others.

Graham Miller (Image: Bites)

“It’s a good joke to play on the new boy,” said one, while another confessed: “We used to flick the new guy’s chains over on his Ute. He would always think he’d joined a chain up like that and would go and break it and rejoin.”

Another said: “My boss used to put a chain on backwards when he knew another bloke was gonna be on the machine next.”

Sounds positively mean to us, but other members weren’t so cruel, helpfully providing a video tutorial which explained the trick to flipping the chain back.

However, who should pop up once more but the logger from Nova Scotia, to declare: “Darn junk processors should be banned! Be a man and use a chainsaw!”

When his comment received a number of laughing emojis he added: “I see you guys laugh. When you get a little older you will realise you aren’t doing your kids any favours. Clearcutting is just plain stupid!”

We haven’t seen him around since then – and it’s been a few weeks. Perhaps he’s found another forestry group, more receptive to his arguments.

Jake Bell (Image: Bites)

We’re sure if he was still around he would have commented on the video shared recently by Blog founder Mark Curtis, which showed a number of Tigercat feller bunchers at work in the woods of Alberta, Canada, taking down trees in record time. Said one member:

“Bet it would impress folks if someone designed a way to replant the same area at the same speed. Might even shut some of the bobble-hat brigade up too. Nah, that would be asking too much!”

To keep up with the latest comments and get stuck into the debate, visit the Forest Machine Operators Blog on Facebook.