Dana Mitchell
Southern Research Station
Forest Operations Research Unit
Participants
 SRS‐
SRS Center for Bottomland Hardwoods
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 SRS‐Forest Operations
 Mississippi State University
 Louisiana Tech University
Outline
 Study Site
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 Equipment Overview
 Next Steps for Harvesting Implementation
Study Site
LOWER MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL VALLEY (LMAV)
History
Ecologically degraded area
Afforestation efforts
Important wetlands
Bosco Site
LMAV
Photo credit: Ducks Unlimited
Photo credit: NASA
Study Site
LMAV
Army Corp of Engineers
100 acres
SRWC established in 2.5 acre plots

3 replicates of each species/ spacing
 Plot rows = 660’ long, 165’ wide
Climate

Winter Flooding
 Summer Drought
Study Site
LMAV
Species
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 Eastern cottonwood  Black willow
 Red maple
 American sycamore
Source: Gardiner and Oliver, 2005
Study Site
LMAV
Spacing
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 3’ x 3’ (4100 cuttings/ac)
 2.5’ within/between row pairs,  6’ between double rows
 Harvest years 4, 7 & 10
 6’ x 9’ (807 cuttings/ac)
 Thin year 3, CC year 5
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3,
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5
 Reestablish for 2nd rotation
 12’ x 12’ (302 cuttings/ac)
 Harvest year 10
Harvest Nov/Dec
Equipment Overview
Criteria
 Cut stems in a row
 High production rate with limited backward movement (not drive‐to‐tree)
 High floatation, low psi  Effectiveness with Effectiveness with ‘bushy’ bushy stems?  Effectiveness with single stems?
Hydro Ax Feller‐Buncher
Hyd‐Mech Prototype
Equipment Overview
MULCHING WITH BALING
Claas
 2‐pass system
 Mulch
 Collect/bale
 Netting used to secure bales
 Transport bale to roadside
 Impurities, Ash
Equipment Overview
MULCHING WITH BALING
FLD WB‐55 Bio‐baler
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 7.5’ cutting swath
 Tractor‐powered (185 hp)
 4.3 minutes/bale (pmh)
4 3 minutes/bale (pmh)
 14.7 bales/pmh
 1,000 lb bales (green wt)
Photo credit: Anderson Group
 Baling twine
 Stop to drop bale
 Transport bale to roadside
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Photo credit: Anderson Group
Equipment Overview
MULCHING WITH TRAILER
Fecon





1‐pass system
Operational characteristics
Transport chips to landing
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Size / turning radius
Low psi on prime mover, tracks offers flotation on wet soils
 Trafficability of trailer on wet soils?
 Cutting action = teeth
C i i h
 Impact of tooth type on stool re‐sprouting
Equipment Overview
MOBILE CHIPPING
Fecon RTC‐22 Bio‐Mass Chipper
 2‐pass system
 Production remains focused on chipping
 System would include a felling operation and trailer transport to roadside
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Source: www.fecon.com
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Equipment Overview
MOBILE CHIPPING
Bruks
 2‐pass system
 Second machine needed for 



felling
Available with an integrated chip bin
Machine width 8.2 ft
Machine width –
8 2 ft
Weight, size, maneuverability
Transport trailer to roadside
805.2 STC
Photo credit: www.bruks.com
Equipment Overview
MOBILE MULCH/BALING
GyroTrac
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(BBS) 1000
 1‐pass system  Chips
 Cutting action from knives
 Re‐sizer
 Round bales
 88” cutting width
 Bale transport could require a second machine
 PSI on baler?
 Turning radius?
Equipment Overview
SINGLE STEM HARVEST (COTTONWOOD)
Felling Machine
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 No backing movement
 Tracked for floatation
 Boom reach reduces trafficking of site
 Accumulating arms
 High production with Hi h d ti ith specifically‐designed shears
Skidder
 Light payload , numerous stems
 medium hp skidder
 large grapples.
Source: explainthatstuff.com
Equipment Overview
SUMMARY
# of passes
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Machine Width
Stem Impacts ‐ Willow
Turning radius
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Floatation
Photo credit: Anderson Group
Kisatchie NF Strip Thinning Project
Next Step: Equipment Selection
Trial harvest‐ stool integrity g y
for coppice sprouting
Multiple Systems?  Single vs multi‐stem
Feedstock specifications at processing facility (chipping vs
mulching)
Source: backyardbutterflygarden.com
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Source: explainthatstuff.com
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Next Step: SRWC Harvesting Implementation
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Production and Cost Studies
Carbon Footprint for Entire Project
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Stool Impacts
Site Impacts
Growth, yield, neo‐tropical migrants, non‐game birds
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Thank you
Dana Mitchell, Research Engineer
US Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Forest Operations Research Unit
Auburn, AL 36849
(334) 826‐8700
danamitchell@fs.fed.us
www.srs.fs.usda.gov/forestops