What are the Different Types of Forestry Equipment in Canada?

Canada’s forestry sector is a vital component of the economy. Forestry and logging make up over $4.2 billion of Canada’s nominal GDP, alongside woodwork manufacturing making up a whopping $12.5 billion in 2020. 

Lumber, panels, printing, wood pulp and more are produced to meet demand across North America and the world. 

So what type of forestry equipment is used commonly in Canada? In a previous blog, we discuss why it’s desirable to finance heavy machinery. Below, we’ve made a list of some essential equipment you would need in the forestry industry to make your hard work a whole lot easier. 

Essential Canadian Forestry Equipment

Loggers and foresters will make use of a variety of tools to make their jobs as efficient as possible. The forestry equipment needed will vary on the business, so read each description carefully to see if your business may need the following pieces of machinery. 

Delimbers

Delimbers are essential pieces of Canadian forestry equipment. They are harvesting machines used to remove limbs and branches from tree trunks. As you can well imagine, this would be a safe method to save any forestry operation time. They typically come in a few forms such as gate, pull-through, slideboom, stroke and flail delimbers. 

Feller Bunchers

A feller buncher cuts down trees from the base, holds them, and places them in groups or “bunches”. Depending on the circumference, they can usually lift multiple trees. They lack any processing power, so these pieces of forestry equipment are often paired with a harvester or delimber. Feller bunchers usually operate with tracks for increased stability. 

Harvesters

Forest harvesters are one of the most versatile pieces of Canadian forestry equipment. They’re capable of a handful of tasks from felling, delimbing, and bucking. They can lift and cut trees to specific lengths and can featuree a rotating cab for the operator. Tracked harvesters are great at tackling steep forested Canadian slopes and have increased stability. 

Mulchers

Mulchers are used in home landscaping to shred vegetation, however forestry equipment models designed for Canada have distinct differences. They are affixed with either a fixed tooth rotor system or a swinging hammer. The size and power of the tractor corresponds to it’s power. Tree sized muchers are usually much larger since most trees have a circumference of about 40cm. 

Yarders

For large worksites with unstable ground, yarders are a must for lifting logs over a long path. Strong cables are mounted to towers ranging from about 30-90 feet high. They offer more deflection for uphill yarding and operate well in varied, hilly landscapes. 

Forwarders

A forwarder is a piece of machinery for moving felled logs to be transported on the road. It lifts logs above the ground, piles them into a trailer, and reduces the impact on the soil compared to a skidder. They are categorized by their load capacity, the largest carrying up to about 25 tonnes of logging material. 

Most are designed as all-terrain machines, handling difficult worksites with or without tracks. This makes it an optimal Canadian forestry equipment piece in itself. 

Log Loaders

A staple in Canadian forestry equipment is a log loader. They contain an operator cab with a long boom arm used to sort and stack logs. They typically come in three types: wheeled, tracked and trailer-mounted. The latter is a bit less pricey, however it must be hauled along the worksite on a trailer. 

Log loaders are grapples or knucklebooms. Grapples bunch logs together in a claw or hook like shape. This is good when your worksite has logs which varry a lot in size. Knuckebooms are better for average sized trees. 

Why Not Finance Your Next Piece of Forestry Equipment in Canada?

As you can tell, there’s a lot of equipment options in forestry. This can all come with heavy upfront costs and risks your business may not be able to withstand. 

That’s why we’re here. At Blue Capital you may just get approved for that piece of forestry equipment you need. 

See our what industries we serve and reach out to get approved today.