Treeline Woodlands held a pair of demo days in June at its base in Baddinsgill, West Linton, where it showcased live demonstrations of a variety of forestry machinery and accessories from Fuelwood, Malwa and Kilworth Machinery. Forestry Journal popped along to find out more.

A COUPLE of days in late June at Treeline Woodlands’ Baddinsgill premises are now firmly embedded in Fuelwood’s demonstration events calendar. Hot on the heels of the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, Edinburgh, the location near West Linton in the Pentland Hills showcases a far wider range of machinery than can be accommodated at the more formal event. 

Furthermore, there is a huge amount of timber available and potential customers interested in what they have seen at the RHS can spend as much time as they like evaluating the various firewood-processing machines in full production mode. Similarly, there are no constraints on time spent at the control panel, getting the feel for the operation. 

The true potential of the big integrated static production machines, such as the Fuelwood Factory with the Splitta 400, Kindlet and bagging line, can also be appreciated at Baddinsgill. Treeline Woodlands has balanced the options for processing the often highly variable raw material and maximised the efficiency of the systems for handling and storage. 

The Fuelwood Factory remains the key production facility at Baddinsgill. Once the log deck outside is filled, the automated production line ensures that the main manpower requirement consists of removing a full bag of kindling at the far end and replacing it with an empty one. An adjacent log deck supplies material for standard log production by a Fuelwood Transaw.The Fuelwood Factory remains the key production facility at Baddinsgill. Once the log deck outside is filled, the automated production line ensures that the main manpower requirement consists of removing a full bag of kindling at the far end and replacing it with an empty one. An adjacent log deck supplies material for standard log production by a Fuelwood Transaw. (Image: FJ/HB)

While those machines remain at the core of the design and fabrication arm of Fuelwood’s business, the company is also keen to act as the UK distributor for imported forestry and firewood machinery suited to British contractors’ needs.
FTG’s Moheda and Mowi cranes and forwarding trailers, for example, have been staple offerings, as have Heizohack chippers. Long-term relationships have been forged with Japa and AMR for the supply of firewood-processing machinery. 

Recently, smaller ranges of equipment, such as Exac-1 tree shears, Black Splitter log screws, Gros chip blowers and Mecanil’s grapple saw offering, have been added to the portfolio. Linking up with Slovenian forestry machinery manufacturer Uniforest has, however, allowed Fuelwood to provide forestry and woodland contractors with not only another line of firewood-processing machinery, but also an ample spread of winches, grapple skidders and loading grapples. 

Fuelwood’s Jeremy Slatem reported that strong demand for the company’s own range of firewood processing equipment is stretching the lead times for delivery.

Jeremy Slatem (left) meets early arrivals at Fuelwood’s Scottish Open Days. Lightweight, yet still sturdy and efficient, Japa firewood processors have been a mainstay of Fuelwood’s product range for many years.Jeremy Slatem (left) meets early arrivals at Fuelwood’s Scottish Open Days. Lightweight, yet still sturdy and efficient, Japa firewood processors have been a mainstay of Fuelwood’s product range for many years. (Image: FJ/HB)

The Warwickshire-based business has always been willing to complement its catalogue list with European-produced machinery. For years, some Fuelwood customers have found that equipment from Japa or AMR has been ideally suited to their particular style of operation – whether that be volume throughput, raw material characteristics, budgetary constraints or the need for early delivery.

Uniforest may have arrived late on the scene, but it has certainly made it mark amongst European forestry contractors. According to Jeremy, the Slovenian firm has really upped its game in its firewood processor range. The new ‘premium’ version of the Titan 53-40 has recently completed its extensive woodyard trials and Jeremy got to grips with it at Germany’s KWF show. He was mightily impressed with the improved efficiency as well as the wide range of raw material it can handle. 

Nick Marshall with the product that has made Baddinsgill famous in the Scottish Borders, the Lothians and Edinburgh. A few weeks after the Fuelwood event the West Linton business was due to host another open day. The guests in this case would be Scottish politicians and the intention was to highlight the important role of woodfuel in a national sustainable energy supply framework.Nick Marshall with the product that has made Baddinsgill famous in the Scottish Borders, the Lothians and Edinburgh. A few weeks after the Fuelwood event the West Linton business was due to host another open day. The guests in this case would be Scottish politicians and the intention was to highlight the important role of woodfuel in a national sustainable energy supply framework. (Image: FJ/HB)

Fuelwood’s sales manager, Ben Billing, agreed that Uniforest’s support was first class. Since last winter there has been a sustained interest in firewood-processing machinery, and the excellent back-up offered by suppliers was key to successful sales. Ben is also able to report that one firewood machinery manufacturer across the Atlantic has identified a gap in the range it offers and is ready to plug it with Fuelwood machinery. The first batch of kindling machines has come off the production line in Warwickshire and is ready for the shipping container. 

The third regular member of Fuelwood’s show-going team is Martin Gove-Evans. Martin could have stayed in the family business of domestic appliance repairs, but eight years ago he joined Fuelwood as an apprentice fabricator. He was to find that his main interest was working on the electrical and hydraulic systems that keep the machinery operating efficiently. Now entitled ‘lead technical engineer’, Martin is, with Jeremy and Peter Slatem, part of the design team. 

The event, as usual, featured local contractor customers of Fuelwood with, for example, machinery from a Uniforest tractor-mounted forestry winch to a Heizohack tandem chassis tractor-hauled crane-fed woodchipper. R J Hall Engineering from Walkerburn in the Scottish Borders demonstrated the quietly impressive Estonian-produced Dipperfox stump-removal system. 

Alan Rose (W M Rose Tractors) was on hand to explain the possibilities of the Merlo telehandler systems for use in forestry-related operations. A number of units have already been fitted out and guarded for forestry and woodland work.

Fuelwood’s lead technical engineer Martin Gove-Evans (left) and sales manager Ben Billing watch the produce accumulate at the end of the delivery conveyor. Together with Jeremy, they form Fuelwood’s regular demonstration team.Fuelwood’s lead technical engineer Martin Gove-Evans (left) and sales manager Ben Billing watch the produce accumulate at the end of the delivery conveyor. Together with Jeremy, they form Fuelwood’s regular demonstration team. (Image: FJ/HB)

The company also supplies the Wacker Neuson excavator range. A couple of units were working at the Baddinsgill demonstration – one on materials-handling duty and a second breaking down oversized timber with the Black cone splitter. 

A range of equipment from Kilworth Machinery was also on demonstration.

Treeline Woodlands has come to specialise in domestic and contract fencing over the last few years, but woodland establishment and maintenance remains a core part of the business. Kilworth Machinery is able to supply the medium-sized equipment they require for contracts that demand a particularly professional finish – as is often required in the environs of the Scottish capital.Treeline Woodlands has come to specialise in domestic and contract fencing over the last few years, but woodland establishment and maintenance remains a core part of the business. Kilworth Machinery is able to supply the medium-sized equipment they require for contracts that demand a particularly professional finish – as is often required in the environs of the Scottish capital. (Image: FJ/HB)

Treeline Woodlands has found that the small-to-mid-range machinery the Leicestershire-based business has to offer – much of it of Italian manufacture – is ideally suited to woodland establishment and maintenance tasks and for use in forest nurseries.