The harvesting of timber is done all over the world including in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Many years ago, the rising global demand for this product inspired businesses to double their production rate by eliminating the traditional method of forest harvesting.

The conventional way to cut down trees was to use an ax. The felled timbers were then transported using different bodies of water to move them from their current location to various wood-product processing plants. Years passed and there were some improvements with the mode of transporting the timber through the use of donkeys, railroads, and cable lines; production remained slow and costly.

When heavy-duty vehicles began hauling the lumber, the struggle to double production gradually faded and was replaced with the new idea that logging was a good investment. New technology was constantly being developed to eliminate tiring and hazardous techniques and to facilitate safety and efficiency at the work site. Today, these machines help workers solve problems and get the job done efficiently with fewer injuries.

Transitions

Techniques in wood processing are categorized into traditional and modern methods. The conventional way includes the use of axes, cables, railroads, and rivers to fell and move the lumber from the forest to sawmills. This method has since evolved to the contemporary way which involves the use of advanced equipment.

Traditional Cutting Techniques

Customarily, the most costly and exhaustive method used to fell trees was by using an ax, cable lines, railroads, and waterways to cut and transport the wood to the processing plant. This was very tiring and expensive because of the manpower needed to complete the job over an extended time period. Before chainsaws were invented, felling axes were used to cut down trees. This cutting technique required a great deal of effort to fell a tree as well as more time; it affected the overall productivity level.

Transportation

Transferring logs in the past was done by timber rafting; this involved felled trees being brought to certain moving bodies of water so they could begin their journey to the sawmill. This method had one huge disadvantage in that not all felled trees were near a body of water. Another technique used to move the wood was through the use of railroads and cable lines; this was very risky, laborious, tiresome and time-consuming. One other strategy was to use horses and donkeys to pull the timber to the mills.

Contemporary Techniques

Forestry trucks have transformed the timber harvesting process into an effort of efficiency and ease. This equipment is capable of doing the cutting, delimbing, bucking, skidding, and hauling of the wood to the saw mills. It helps those who are in the logging industry to competently perform any job in this emerging market. Aside from using a chainsaw, tree-cutting can be done by a feller buncher or harvester. Skidders or forwarders can then be used to remove the felled logs from the woods. Finally, grapple trucks or log loaders are used to pick up the logs from the roadside and lift them onto transportation vehicles which will carry the product to its final destination.

Bucket trucks can help workers trim hard-to-reach tree branches from a secure elevated platform and spade trucks can be used to unearth tree trunks. Without these machines, logging would remain an exhaustive and hazardous occupation.

The housing industry, along with many others, has created an increased demand for lumber in the global market that the forestry industry has had to attempt to meet. The traditional techniques that were used to supply the world with lumber would not be able to keep up with today's demand. The use of forestry trucks has made the job much easier and faster than could have been imagined a century ago!