FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK MAY 2018 21from the River Trent. Lee
aboard the recently acquired
Komatsu 931.1 was producing
three selections; 12 ft logs, bars
and chipwood for the Bedmax
facility in nearby Newark. Anton was
leading out along the field edge to the
timber landing 1 km to the east at Manor
Farm in the John Deere 1110D.
While the sandy agricultural soils of this
corner of Lincolnshire produce poorly formed
pines, they are ideal for turf production and
certain fields can supply the quality required
by top sporting venues such as Wembley
Stadium. The estate is compensating for
the reconversion of a couple of hectares of
coniferous plantation to agricultural use with
extensive woodland-creation schemes on the
poorer soils under its ownership.
After harvesting is completed, Steve
himself will come onto site with an excavator
to remove the stumps and Peter Lord of
Peterborough will chip as much of the
harvesting residues as possible. It remains to
be seen what quality of sward the reinstated
land will produce, but with prices for rolls of
turf ranging between £2 and £11, it has to be
suspected that the revenue will be better than
that produced by poorly grown pine.
While Lee and Anton were enjoying
clearing timber from the
level, dry site only 10 miles
from home, not all harvesting
contracts within Wainwright
Forestry’s sphere of operation are
quite as easy. Despite a reasonably dry
autumn, harvesting spruce on the clays
of Northamptonshire required the fitment of
flotation bandtracks for the machines. Despite
having to regularly clear accumulations of
sticky mud from what had been the very clean
cab of the recently delivered Komatsu 931.1,
Lee was very impressed with its performance
under adverse conditions.STEVE WOULD LIKE
TO SEE A LITTLE
MORE CROSS-COMPLIANCE
WITH CERTIFICATION
BETWEEN DIFFERENT
INDUSTRIES.
If conditions for timber harvesting were not
perfect, in this case it was Anton Dale aboard
the forwarder who had to attempt to preserve
the extraction routes and carry the timber
to the roadside to ensure that Wainwright
Forestry was paid for the tonnage produced.
The team Steve has built about him, he feels,
has proved exceptional and Anton is no
exception.
With the business for five years, Anton has
progressed from the Valtra/Botex combination
to the John Deere forwarder. He and Lee
can now work away at the mainstream
timber harvesting contracts, negotiate withSteve Wainwright
planted these
poplars on his former
property. He was
assisted by his – at
the time – very young
son Lee. Steve sold
up to release capital
for the business and
upgrade the family
accommodation.The pine shelterbelt that
Wainwright Forestry
has been contracted to
clearfell for a local estate.
In the cab of the recently
acquired Komatsu 931.1
Harvester. Lee has found
that sensitive controls give
him total management
of the operation of the
harvesting head.