Keeping Anchor Forests Healthy

Forest health and well-being plays a central role in supporting sustainable wood production and environmental health. To advocate for forests long-term, forestry companies must plan accordingly.

One way forest longevity is achieved is through using anchor forests. These forests have multiple owners and are supported by local infrastructure, as well as technical strategies.

The forests are established to promote ecosystem function and reduce occurrences of wildfires, disease, and insects through management. They also provide employment, recreation, food, building material, and medicine.

Forest Harvesting

Forest harvesting is done for two reasons: commercial or sustainability. Environmentally conscious harvesting includes being attentive to what is taken from the forest and what is left behind.

Cutting down trees and delivering them to a mill requires a specialized set of tools.

Forestry workers’ safety and job efficiency are among the top priorities when getting things done. Tongs need to meet strength and durability standards to make removing the logs both easy and safe.


Visit MTN Shop for all your forestry needs!


Lifting and Skidding Tools

MTN Shop offers a variety of tongs fit for lifting and skidding. Tool such as these work towards achieving the unified goal of maintaining working forests. Harvesting with reliable tools will establish a balance between cultural and economic management necessary for healthy ecosystem function.

Dixie Industries’ tongs are specially designed to grip and handle logs efficiently.

The Dixie Alloy Steel Timber Lifting Tongs have tensile strength made of upset formed around allow steel. Setting the steel in this manner increases the cross-sectional part of the tong, reinforcing its toughness. The tools are proofed up to two times the working load limit, and has a permanent metal tag attached. Each shipment comes equipped with a written product certification. They can carry various sizes, up to 36” in diameter.

Forestry regularly manages a process called log skidding in which the logs are transported from the cutting site to a landing. 

It’s important to have both durable and sharp tongs while doing any kind of skidding to ensure log transportation needs are met. A strong tool forced from round steel that gives additional reinforcement in stress areas are Dixie Swivel Grab Hook Skidding Tongs. They’re easy to use for grabbing logs or poles at any angle from a swivel attachment, and have fine ground points for long-lasting sharpness. The skidding tongs are available in four opening sizes, the largest at a 32” diameter.

Smaller tongs, also designed to safely grip logs, are available. The Logger Style Skidding Tongs have a hook design that make it easy to hook and unhook logs that need to be moved. These tongs can open up to 24” and there are three sizes to choose from.

Another type of tong ideal for hooking and unhooking are the Dixie Forged Ring Skidding Tongs. Also available in multiple sizes, these tongs can open up to 36”. They ensure holding strength from having a heat-treated ring for attachment. Since they are commonly attached to shackles for lifting, there is additional material at stress points making the tongs highly durable.

With the right tools to efficiently harvest a forest, ecosystem health is increased. Furthermore, keeping anchor forests healthy encourages community engagement.


Sources:

http://anchorforest.org/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299531573_Anchor_Forests_Sustainable_forest_ecosystems_through_cross-boundary_landscape-scale_collaborative_management

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