In his position as Forest Resource Manager for Elmsdale Lumber Company, Jason Casey has become acutely aware of the challenge to carry out pre-commercial thinning and semi-commercial work.

Casey began working at Elmsdale Lumber Company (ELCO) in Elmsdale, Nova Scotia while in high school. Following graduation from the Maritime Forest Ranger School in 2000, he became a permanent employee, handling a variety of forestry responsibilities, working his way to the Forest Resource Manager position. It was through this position that he witnessed the challenge to effectively meet the need to handle both pre- and semi-commercial thinning on Elmsdale’s forest lands.

“One of the chief challenges for pre-commercial thinning is an ageing workforce and the need to attract new workers to a very challenging job,” pointed out Casey.

He went on to share that there is an acute demand for pre-commercial and semi-commercial thinning, not only for ELCO, but also for other forest companies and woodlot owners, all across Nova Scotia.

“We have a serious labour challenge for silviculture,” he explained. “Our current workforce is ageing out, with the average thinning saw operator somewhere in the mid- to late-50 years of age, and soon looking to retirement. Manual silviculture work is not an attractive career option for younger workers. Many do not want to work outdoors, dealing with weather and other environmental challenges.

“The cost to get set up with equipment and transportation is a serious challenge to start working in the sector,” he added. “There is also a lack of basic training and incentives to support workers until they develop the skill level to be productive and be able to take home a respectable paycheque. The seasonality of the work is not attractive for many. Many rookie thinning-saw operators reflect on their first two weeks of effort and investment, look at their paycheque and then see $16/hour at McDonald’s as a viable alternative career choice.”

In Nova Scotia, semi-commercial thinning is challenged by a lack of pulpwood markets, since the shutdown of the Paper Excellence mill at Abercrombie Point due to environmental issues.

“First entry commercial thinning is important to maintain the growth curve established with pre-commercial thinning,” says Casey. “Equally,” he added, “that timely first entry commercial thinning is important to maintain crown development which directly corresponds to root development, and which has a direct relationship to wind firmness.

“Tropical storm Fiona in September 2022 was devastating to many commercial thinned stands across central Nova Scotia. As severe wind events continue to impact our province, it’s important to keep a focus on tree development and especially wind firmness.”

For some time, Casey has realized that mechanization of pre-commercial and commercial thinning has a place in the industry, along with professional thinning saw operators to work in stand conditions where their expertise is required.

“I have thought of mechanizing pre-commercial and first entry commercial thinning only as a complement to manual thinning,” he explained. “For example, mechanized would fit well for stands that have advanced (height and diameters), beyond what thinning saws can reasonably handle, but where the forest managers want to maintain the growth of crop trees.”

Casey points out that there have been pre-commercial thinning trials conducted with adapted commercial tree harvesters, but he contends that it is hard to imagine a silviculture contractor being able to make that level of investment and make a living with current assistance rates for thinning.

Casey’s journey to develop mechanized pre-commercial thinning steered him toward mini excavators equipped with mechanical shear heads for cutting trees.

Caseys’ JC Contracting (sideline business) demo’ed their 3.5 tonne Hyundai/TMK 200 shear head during the 2023 Fall meeting of the Canadian Woodlands Forum.

“This small excavator is relatively economical to purchase and equip with the TMK shear head, right around $100,000, or the cost of a new pickup truck. That is an investment that a small contractor can consider, and use, as a complement to an established thinning saw crew.”

Casey said the choice of a rubber tracked Hyundai came about through consultation with the A.L.P.A. Equipment Truro, Nova Scotia team. Narrow at six feet, and with zero tail swing, both of which contribute to achieving spacing and crop tree count, he also wanted to try working with a machine that would have an afterlife, if it did not work for thinning.

“Fuel cost is a serious consideration, and this unit sips fuel at about 2.5 litres per hour. The machine maintains mechanical functions and appearance which is important to consider for trade-in value. It can handle challenging terrain, as the operator gains experience,” said Casey.

A.L.P.A. Equipment Ltd is a family-owned company, with three generations currently working at the firm. A.L.P.A. has grown to five convenient locations serving Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec, located in Balmoral, Fredericton and Edmundston, New Brunswick, Truro, Nova Scotia and a new branch location in Moncton, New Brunswick. Each location offers full service of forestry and construction equipment, with field technicians offering service on-site.

The choice of a TMK shear came about through consultation with Don Philippe, owner of Forotek, based in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The TMK 200 has the size, weight and operating capacity to conduct and perform adequately on the Hyundai 3.5 unit. The TMK shear is equipped with a stem accumulator arm and a heavy duty cylinder on the shear function, providing power to cut larger stems. The shear is robust and structured such that the operator can safely anchor the shear to the ground to lift and or pull with the boom, to help the excavator climb over obstacles.

Casey is quick to sing praises toward Truro, NS-based M-C Power and manager Jason Monk. “M-C Power has been pivotal for our journey toward mechanized pre-commercial thinning. Jason Monk has a great attitude and talent for innovation, design, mechanics and fabrication,” said Casey.

As for drawbacks, Casey said rookie operators were challenged with rubber tracks spinning off when trying to turn against stumps. He suggests that steel tracks would have been a better choice. He underlined that maintaining track tension is an important daily maintenance item.

He also allowed that the little Hyundai did experience overheating issues on really hot days, since the engine compartment in the zero turn machine is crowded, and the hydraulic oil cooler collects chaff and debris.

The first TMK Shear experienced trouble severing small diameter stems. Rather than cutting the small stems, some species would simply bend, and would remain damaged but intact, and would have to be pulled out of the ground to ensure the stems were indeed killed.

When Casey and M-C Power directed their talents building a six-ton excavator for thinning, they selected a TMK 200 shear head which had a cutting face on the grapple arm which, essentially, exerts a scissor like cutting force, and provided more effective stem severing action.

Casey concluded that the Hyundai 3.5 to five tonne excavators are generally the appropriate size carrier for pre-commercial thinning ‘to waste’ (no fibre recovery). JC Contracting saw an average daily production of 0.5 hectares, with the production ranging from 0.3 to 1.0 hectares, depending on terrain difficulty, tree size and density.

Casey pointed out that his operator Shane Taylor has also made a huge contribution to JC Contracting and the adventure toward mechanized pre-commercial and commercial thinning.

“Shane has embraced mechanized thinning, despite all the challenges we encountered, dealt with, and overcame. He has the most hours operating the Hyundai/TMK over the past couple of years we have worked with it.”

“When we built our 6 tonne excavator with TMK 200 and the JOBO combi head for first entry commercial thinning, he became the operator and took it to production. Shane has two notable talents; operating proficiency and patience to figure out both mechanical and operational challenges.”

Reflecting on the Hyundai/TMK combo, Casey would consider that an excavator in the range of a 5 tonne machine with steel tracks may make a higher production combo with the TMK 200 head, pointing out that it would not be a lot more capital cost, but it would offer greater hydraulic flow.

Casey experienced a level of success with Hyundai/TMK, to give himself the confidence to look at mini excavators as the base for mechanized commercial thinning, initially with a TMK shear head. His initial idea was to purchase a TMK shear head with delimbing capacity, to produce merchantable volume in stands advanced beyond pre-commercial thinning stage of development.

“When M-C Power undertook mounting and plumbing the TMK 200 shear head on the excavator,” said Casey “Jason Monk brought my attention to the JOBO Combi head, which is a combination of roller and stroke delimbing harvester head. After some study and conversation with the manufacturer, we purchased the JOBO combi head for the excavator.

“We found that in stands with heavy limbs to the ground and with larger diameter trees, we were using the stroke delimbing function about 80 per cent of the time. The stroke function has a long cycle time which reduced production compared to using the roller head function. Despite that drawback, we could produce around 30 tonnes per work shift. However, in nice clean stems and in small clear cut patches, the excavator/JOBO using roller delimb function can produce fifty to sixty tonnes per day shift.”

Since the Woodlands Forum demo, Casey has had interest from another contractor to purchase the excavator/JOBO machine and he has already begun negotiations to purchase a nine tonne excavator and a Nisula roller processing head.

“M-C Power is a dealer for Nisula heads, and when the Nisula reps discovered what we were trying to build for commercial thinning, a factory rep visited with us and they recommended their Nisula 425H as a good fit for the nine tonne excavator and for the tree types working with in our typical commercial thinning stands.”

JC Contracting uses a nine tonne Rottne forwarder for bringing marketable fibre to roadside. Casey points out that when considering producing fibre from pre- and semi-commercial thinning, the economics must consider volume of product and market prices, as well as the requirement to upgrade road access for commercial trucking.

Casey is convinced that small excavators can be productive base machines for pre-and semi-commercial thinning. He is also convinced that work must be done to determine what types of stands will benefit from mechanized thinning. He is also convinced that compensation rates for both manual and mechanized thinning have to be realistic in order to attract workers and contractors to the forest industry.