
360° Operations
How we work
Although every job we undertake is different and throws up new challenges, the way we approach new projects can generally be divided into three main sections:
Planning & Management: We have ability to organise every aspect of your woodland project from obtaining the correct permissions to the selling of timber via the best available market
Ground Work: this usually starts with preparing the site to create access for our machinery and to create suitable areas for lorries to uplift timber and also to the actual timber harvesting and thinning work sites if required. Full local authority planning permission can be sought if required.
Timber Harvesting & Thinning: We have a complete set up of both harvesters and forwarders which are able to work on all manner of sites to harvest and extract timber to roadside to be uplifted by timber lorries.
Woodland Creation: The full application process for grant approval including helping you choose the right species as well as providing support with the ongoing management of your new woodland
Forestry work often presents unique obstacles and unexpected opportunities but with the right planning we can make sure everything runs smoothly.
We always start with a free initial site visit to our clients and produce a comprehensive appraisal of what we have found, listing all our options and recommendations.
There are often a lot of legal issues to consider when tackling forestry work including obtaining felling permissions, producing management plans, completing grant applications and providing detailed maps to the required standards –Agriforest can handle all of this for you.
It is sometimes necessary to work closely with utility companies, roads departments, NatureScot and local authorities. We have experience of liaising with the relevant public bodies and third parties especially where more complex work is planned. At Agriforest we also manage long-term forest plans which often involve consultation with Scottish Forestry/Forestry Commission England.
Once we have agreed a plan of action, we ensure that it can be fitted around any time scales that the client may have such as lambing, calving or silage and harvest work.
Before any harvesting work can begin, we sometimes have to create access for the various machines to ensure that there are sufficient areas for lorries to turn and enough tracks to allow our equipment access to the site, often creating ramps to help out teams work safely alongside the harvesting machinery.
Once there is access we can begin the timber harvesting and thinning process. Agriforest has a fleet of the latest forestry machinery and tools which allow us to work efficiently, minimising any possible downtime that might occur waiting for hired equipment to arrive, for instance.
We upgrade our harvesters and forwarders regularly so we are always using the latest cutting-edge technology which helps to keep the impact on the environment to a minimum. And we use selective timber harvesting methods ensuring only the mature and dead trees are removed if thinning a stand, leaving the younger and healthier trees to survive and grow. This helps the forest ecosystem as well as maximising the value of the harvested timber.
The Agriforest team are all very experienced and capable of ensuring that every job is carried out to the highest standard in a professional, safe and efficient manner.
Agriforest utilises its specialist knowledge and experience to have all aspects of site planning in place prior to starting harvesting operations.
Risk assessments for each site are undertaken as standard, along with any communications required with relevant agencies or utilities to enable the work to happen. Wildlife checks are carried out on each site, with follow up surveys if required. Once the harvesting commences, Agriforest will closely manage all aspects of the operation, including daily communications with hauliers to ensure timber is moved to its particular market without delay.
Throughout the work, we will regularly update the owner as to tonnage felled & at roadside, and loads delivered to the mills. Our goal is to provide a complete service which leaves the site tidy for any impending re-planting works.
With our own harvesting team with brand new machinery, we are in a unique position to be able to offer a high quality, professional service, at great value to our clients.
Harvest progress reporting via Komatsu Maxifleet
Our own Komatsu timber Harvester has a unique reporting format - Komatsu Maxifleet. Not only does this tell us everything the machine is doing from production to fuel consumption, the online computer programme can produce detailed reports showing on a map where every individual tree has been felled and the timber volume being produced. This can all be shared with our clients who can be kept in the loop regularly and accurately, from anywhere with an internet connection.