The Steepland Harvesting Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) Programme aims to develop new forestry machinery and equipment that will reduce cable logging costs and make harvesting jobs safer. It is also about expanding the machinery manufacturing sector to future-proof industry growth.
Our vision: “No worker on the slope, no hand on the chainsaw”
This vision is being achieved by developing innovative harvesting technologies to realise substantial productivity gains and improve worker safety in steep terrain harvesting in New Zealand.
This is a seven year, $7.6 million industry/government partnership which began in July 2010 and will conclude in June 2017.
Main research themes:
The steepland harvesting programme has three main research themes:
- Mechanisation of steep terrain
- Increased productivity of cable extraction
- Developing operational efficiencies
Our collaborators:
The main funders of the programme have been:
- Future Forests Research Ltd (now Forest Growers Research) – $3.93 million
- Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) – $3.68 million.
The development programme has been a collaboration between forestry companies and contractors, Scion, the University of Canterbury School of Forestry, and a number of forestry engineering companies and technology developers.
Contact:
Keith Raymond, Harvesting Programme Leader, Forest Growers Research
email: keith.raymond@ffr.co.nz