TREACHEROUS TIMBER - Loggers And Their Mega Tools | Full Documentary

logging it's one of the most dangerous jobs in the world tough back-breaking work in rough terrain and in all weather conditions [Music] the men even have to work at dizzying heights that's our job something can always happen hazardous work on a steep hillside what makes it dangerous is that the terrain is very steep colossus in the forest a gigantic harvester makes matchwood out of massive tree trunks within minutes it's being used here because a lot of power is required to lift and extract the trees from the forest a spectacular special construction the flying saw so released it's like riding a roller coaster tree felling at the limit of what's possible the dangerous job of felling damaged trees following a storm many of the trees are under enormous stress in a worst-case scenario the tree can snap back and fall on you [Music] stormcaller has destroyed around 28 hectares of woodland in an area of forest near the bavarian city of pasau with wind speeds exceeding 100 kilometers an hour many trees have fallen victim to the forces of nature the storm damaged timber must be taken away as quickly as possible to avoid infestation by the bark beetle a tricky job for the loggers as the massive tree trunks are lying in all directions on the forest floor something known as winthrop in forestry jargon forestry engineer johannes natara assesses the level of destruction what we're looking at here is a typical blow down area where some trees have been uprooted and some snapped off around six to eight meters up i'm looking for paths the harvester can use to get access and working out the best way to accomplish the work for such a large area the logging specialists will need heavy equipment the koenigstiga is one of the biggest and most powerful tracked harvesters it's equipped with a 260 horsepower diesel engine and can effortlessly lift three tons even with the boom fully extended the felling head alone with its two high-performance chainsaws weighs about the same as a vw golf the tracked harvester can turn even massive tree trunks into matchwood within minutes felling delimming and stacking in a matter of seconds we're using it here because we're dealing with mature blow down lying in all directions so we need a lot of power to lift and extract the trees from the forest two forestry workers saw down trees damaged by the storm in preparation for the harvester [Music] it's dangerous work thick branches could rain down or entire tree trunks could break at any time the koenigstiga moves in the tract harvester can navigate even steep hillsides with no problem its felling head is attached to a 15 meter telescopic arm [Music] sensors are built into the saw unit that provide the operator with data about circumference length and volume of the trunks the kernix tiga is a great help to the loggers the forest we're in now has good access so while it's steeper it has logging trails which means we can reach everything with the 15 meter boom and don't have to extract the logs by cable so in the blowdown area the trees are lying in the ground we cut the roots off and the trunks get processed by the harvester using the harvester minimizes the accident risk for the loggers too the forestry machine can work in places where it would be too dangerous for the men when tree trunks like this spruce are under stress it can be extremely dangerous for the men to be among them roman comes to me roman can you cut down these two beaches so the dangerous spruce falls down then mirror can safely sew the root plate off can you do that please easy i think this spruce is a bit too dangerous to saw from below just in case it slips the harvester can't get to this problem tree for now the jammed beech trees have to be removed first as the machine operator extracts the last beach the trunk comes dangerously close to the men that was close the loggers must remain alert at all times every tree has to be assessed individually you check what's around the tree where it's stuck is it under stress is it rotten inside how's the root collar it's essential to do this for every tree and stay alert a trunk that's under stress can burst or splinter at any time despite years of experience it's always an unpredictable situation for the loggers the harvester removes the crown of the problem spruce now the men can cut off the root plate afterwards the harvester takes over again and turns the spruce logs into matchwood in a matter of seconds [Music] the loggers still have a fair bit to do in this section of forest and they always have to proceed with caution because the storm-damaged trees are unpredictable the problem is that the timber is under massive pressure you can see here how the trees are lying in different directions on top of each other and that's creating the pressure and you always have tension on the compression side and the chainsaw operator has to correctly assess whether he can safely cut them down or remove the root plate this huge spruce is hanging half uprooted by a thread so to speak a logger carefully cuts the so-called notch it makes sure the tree falls in the desired direction but there are no guarantees pests in the best case scenario the chainsaw gets stuck because the tree traps it in the worst case the tree can snap back and fall on you the chainsaw operator gradually works his way forward always keeping an eye on how the tree is responding [Music] done the loggers can't call it a day yet the weather forecast doesn't look good it's just raining at the moment but wintry weather is approaching fast it's now almost dark but the men have to finish this section of the forest today we need to get this area completely cleared and remove the timber before the snow arrives the men knuckle down it's a race against time the felling head of the harvester quickly eats through the blowdown and cuts it into small sections [Music] the men are totally focused on their work it's now pitch black [Music] it's really hard work for the men operating the chainsaws who are exposed to the elements every day regardless of the weather the machine operators sitting in the cab they have it a bit easier the saw unit of the tracked harvester works flat out the feed rollers push one trunk after the other through the de-liming blades which automatically remove all the branches but it can't operate on terrain steeper than this because the terrain sets limits on where it can be used and then we have to extract the timber using either the cable skidder or the cable crane in this section of the forest the men have managed to remove all the trees using the tracked harvester but another area of forest is waiting for the loggers from gs fost on a steep hillside castle main station the tracks here run along a wooded hillside the overhead power lines are in close proximity to the trees a job for the specialists from vuca helicopter from austria vegetation planner raina gleim from deutsche bahn castle has commissioned the experience team to clean up here the trees here are now collapsing by themselves due to old age we've also discovered that some of them are hollow and are no longer stable enough and could come down in the next storm if they fall over the wall onto the overhead lines the power will be cut the track closed and we won't be able to operate trains and this is the main line between castle main station and castle wilhelm's her to the long distance connections and that would naturally have serious repercussions the men immediately get to work they normally work in mountain forests such as in the alps but irrespective of whether mountain forest or railroad track the first step is always the same they have to assess the trees [Music] when the customer is out of ideas like when the terrain is very steep rough or exposed the extreme loggers not only have to be able to handle a chainsaw but climb too before the helicopter moves in they have to climb and portion every single tree because the helicopter has a maximum payload that must under no circumstances be exceeded otherwise it could crash florian tucha attaches a strap to each section to enable the piece to be clipped later into the cargo hook of the helicopter most importantly he must correctly estimate the weight available wait a second i work out the average diameter estimate the weight and mark underneath where i want to cut i measure the circumference of the tree then i can use the volume table to work out how many cubic meters the trunk has and from that determine the exact weight once he's determined the weight florian tucha marks the cutting point and number of sections with the spray for this tree there will be three the goal is to use the helicopter as little as possible time in the air is expensive all right we're starting five minutes then you can start i'm already up the tree five minutes is good although the helicopter isn't a heavy duty machine it can still transport weights of up to a ton underneath the helicopter is a 40 meter long rope with a cargo hook on the end the pilot must precisely maneuver the 40 kilogram cargo hook to the man in the tree and do so without injuring him transporting timber by helicopter is a challenging aeronautical feat precise coordination of the team by radio is indispensable both the pilot and the man in the tree have flight assistants who constantly provide them with height and distance information florian teucher waits high in the tree for the helicopter while his flight assistant jan burcha assists him from the ground teamwork is everything both to get the job done efficiently and to make sure everyone is safe because something unexpected can happen at any time branches can fall down they're always dangerous lurking and the most important thing is to look after each other make sure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day let's see the arms soon time comes during the first approach exactly that happens that must under no circumstances happen the old trees are so rotten that contact with the heavy cargo hook causes several branches to break off the man in the tree is fixed in place by a safety harness and can't get out of the way that's our job something can always happen and a little fear is normal it goes with the territory so you don't get blase about the risks the tree is now firmly attached to the helicopter pilot michael yan carefully applies tension in order to not damage the rotten tree further he maintains eye contact at all times flying at the limit after it's like sitting on a swing with a weight underneath it and someone is moving the swing from above like this i'm the person moving the swing the calmer i am the less it rocks and swings below down in the tree florian turcher now cuts off the first piece of the trunk the thick branch flies off toward the landing zone the men are now in their element three to four loggers are cutting in different trees at the same time so the helicopter can transport the trunk sections and thick branches away one after the other as soon as a trunk section is cut free the pilot must immediately maneuver the load away from the man in the tree so as not to endanger him and he has to avoid inadvertently damaging other branches or trees in the process [Music] dangerous work that demands the utmost concentration especially from the pilot which is why the men take regular breaks in order to give the pilots rest and refuel the helicopter the sa-315b lama helicopter built in 1990 may not be the youngest but it's a reliable and easy to maneuver helicopter thanks to its low net weight and 870 horsepower turbine engine the machine is ideally suited to heli logging operations in an emergency the pilot can disengage the cargo hook on the belly at the press of a button to avoid crashing and how do you fly this helicopter i'll be nicked off the gas pedal the foot pedals aren't for controlling the gas but to rotate the machine around its vertical axis there's a control stick between my legs i use it for all other movements forwards backwards and side to side is the collective pitch control lever which i use for applying thrust the timber is extracted like this throughout the day the aim is to prevent the overhead lines above the tracks from being damaged by the decaying trees the flight assistants carefully observe the extraction of the trunks and branches to ensure that the men in the trees are not at risk [Music] weight 600 from the ground i tell him the exact height so he can navigate the sled to the logger and then i tell him the total weight if the load is too heavy the pilot must immediately release it by pushing a button otherwise he could crash the pilot maintains eye contact at all times there are buildings and overhead lines in the immediate vicinity florian turcha is concerned about a rotten tree the massive tree is dangerously close to a house there's a house about four meters behind the tree and down the slope behind me is the track and overhead line we've attached the choker very high up on the trunk so that when cut later it can be lifted up pretty much vertically the tree mustn't be allowed to tip otherwise it could damage the roof there despite meticulous planning there's always a residual risk the mostly dead wood is unpredictable the pilot carefully applies tension to the strap if he puts too much strain on it the tree could shatter uncontrollably done the treetop floats away without damaging anything the flight assistant is waiting at the landing zone he gives the pilot precise instructions for setting down his load the men from the ground crew cut up the rotten branches and stack them for transport one thing the loggers from vuca helicopter have in common their fascination for their spectacular occupation here four three two one and contact you can unhook when you work in aviation and with helicopters in particular you get hooked and can't do without it it's just a great job i don't know how to describe it the last of the huge trunks that the men have removed from the trees float in the logging specialists from austria finished today's job at casa main station on schedule back at the storm-damaged woodland near paso the men from gs fost plan to clear a section of forest that lies on a hillside this requires the use of a cable skidder harvester johannes natara briefs his team we are missing its we have to make sure we clear this area down here where the road is the timber pro 735 harvester is fitted with a 300 horsepower diesel motor its hydraulic system can lift timber weighing up to 10 tons the gigantic forestry machine can grasp and cut the trunks to length within minutes the high performance harvester is also equipped with a powerful cable winch the saw unit alone weighs 1.8 tons and can pluck damaged trunks as if they were matchsticks [Music] you need to be a specialist to operate this machine but it's really amazing to see how many buttons it has and all the things you can control it can't be compared with a normal excavator the cockpit of the cable skidder is cramped the displays provide the operator with information about the weight and length of the timber as well as the run time of the saw blades the grab arm is riddled with sensors and computer chips the built-in winch can extract trunks weighing up to 14 tons from 140 meters away a potent assistant in the storm ravaged forest the arm of the timber pro 735 is equipped with a steel prop which is able to rip roots out of the earth to ensure that the 34-ton forestry machine doesn't damage the forest floor the operator constructs his own path from branches and debris this cushions the load of the special harvester a bit if you build a path from branches that helps distribute the weight better than the tracks alone can that of course is better for the forest floor the operator maneuvers the timber pro as close to the next location as possible [Music] the loggers prepare to fell three large spruces each tree that has suffered serious damage must be removed the decision as to which of the trees has to be felled was made beforehand by the forest rangers the trunks have already been marked [Music] these trunks would be unreachable without the winch of the special harvester johann we're going to extract these two trees at the back all right so let out the cable then okay now the range of the winch cable comes into play the men make their way through the undergrowth and cable several trunks together the two trees aren't too heavy so we can haul them at the same time okay on you can pull meter by meter the special harvester hauls the heavy trunks up the slope with the cable winch and cuts them up on the spot with its saw unit [Applause] but despite its operating radius of almost 140 meters the machine cannot do everything if the machine reaches its limits it's probably due to the length of the slope that is if the length exceeds 100 meters we have to use the cable crane instead that can go down 600 or 700 meters and be used when the hillsides are steeper or impassable with the help of the timber pro harvester the men have managed to get this small area of forest cleared within the tight time frame near the town of uptonau in the salzburg region of austria a spectacular piece of specialized equipment is being used the flying saw it's used along cable car and power line corridors where branches are encroaching on the cables for example that's when this flying monster goes into action the flying saw has ten rotating circular saw blades the unit is an in-house design co-developed by chief engineer gunta shaya two minutes he'll head up again shortly he's got something else to finish cutting a quick round trip i think he'll be back in 10 to 15 minutes the machine is checked over thoroughly after each use this saw has huge advantages over other forestry equipment it has a cutting length of five and a half meters which makes it unique and highly effective we can cut up to two kilometers each hour which is far better than what can be done climbing each tree it's very fast and effective it's a real beast once it's running it shows no mercy keeps gaining nothing an austrian power company has commissioned the men with the flying saw from vuca helicopter to clear the corridors along their power lines in the salzburg region these men are the experts for difficult jobs like this pitta schweiger prepares his helicopter for flight there are only a handful of pilots in the world that can safely fly this saw we're generally called on when no other method is feasible and a cable crane can't be set up where it's no longer economical to install cable winches because it's simply too far in these situations the helicopter is the last and most sensible option [Music] powered by its own motor the beast comes to life during the startup procedure the pilot has to maneuver extremely carefully so as not to injure the ground crew so released the 640 kilogram saw unit hangs from a 36 to 42 meter long steel tube the cable runs through the tube that allows the pilot to switch off the saw from the cockpit in an emergency the pilot can release the entire unit in order to avoid crashing it takes a great deal of skill and above all experience to fly the saw flying the saw is a matter of practice it takes a fair amount of time before you've mastered it often that's precisely the situation we find ourselves in because the pilot must maintain permanent eye contact with the saw unit a second man sits in the cockpit co-pilot stefan rida must constantly check the flight instruments a true test of nerve it's like riding a roller coaster you can't look at the instruments the whole time or you'd get sick you try and find a reference point somewhere in the surroundings in order to stay composed pilot peter schweiger must be able to rely on his co-pilot without question those are many my eyes are focused on the saw for a whole hour or even longer so everything that happens with the helicopter has to be monitored by my partner the six meter long flying saw unit cuts its way along the corridor what's left behind at the end of the one and a half hour flight would have taken loggers on the ground days i'm from eastern and i'm sure instruments for me it's great to see it fly off for an hour and a half then come back again there's almost nothing to do now and then you have to tighten the blades because a friction clutch is slipping refuel and that's it runs without a hitch that's the most important thing for me this is for me working with the flying saw requires utmost concentration which makes taking regular brakes essential the pilot again has to maneuver with pinpoint accuracy to set the saw down once the saw unit has been safely stowed the experts immediately check it over the motor transmission saw blades and friction clutches of the saw unit are examined meanwhile the pilots refueled their helicopter for the next flight and perform a function check as well the saw unit is so powerful that it can also remove fused branches along power line corridors listen there are 10 saw gearboxes 10 55 centimeter diameter saw blades double tooth blades that need to rotate fast to work effectively the rotational speed is three and a half thousand rpm at the saw blades that's right on the limit of what they're certified for now we've pushed everything to the max a similar flying saw was used to hunt down james bond does my house run out the door sick we can't cut through whole houses and cars like in james bond but they have to fake it a bit in the film of course the men discussed their next job 10 000 v power lines have been switched off for safety reasons for the residents this means no electricity so they have to get the job done as quickly as possible we've been commissioned by the company salzburger to clear the lines behind us we're just waiting for the green light which means the power has been switched off that should happen in about five minutes then we'll pass on the clearance to the helicopter and get started with the first side the difficulty there's very little space in this section 30 copper cables in the direction of switched off and grounded lines without power and grounded hey the uh lines without power and grounded can we start getting into position directing the flying saw is especially tricky at the next site it's extremely confined and difficult to navigate tom brantna gives the pilot precise instructions i'm primarily there to let the pilot know what sections need to be cut things get interesting when he cuts closer to the ground then i'm pretty much the pilot's eyes you can roughly estimate the distance but everything under half a meter i need to let him know exactly the power lines run in all directions navigating the flying saw along here is an enormous challenge for the pilot and he must avoid hitting the cable in the process [Music] working right next to the power line the saw keeps cutting non-stop through everything in its path we have two trees left to cut maintain height pay attention to the bench below okay i see the bench teamwork is of course very important in our job we have an experienced team where everyone knows they can rely on one another just like i have to rely on the pilot flying above flick and he has to be able to rely on me to give him information he needs and you get into a routine after a while when you know what you're doing and what you have to pay attention to but you're still under stress regardless you just deal with it better there's always a certain risk it's not without danger if we say our work isn't dangerous we're kidding ourselves despite this peter schweiger can't imagine a better job it was set here of course i didn't know back then what skills you needed and how to get into flying and one day it happened more or less by accident it wasn't really planned but once you're in the business you're pretty much hooked for life the heliloggers have successfully completed today's job back in a storm damaged section of a forest near paso in bavaria this hillside resembles a battlefield with uprooted trees everywhere in this area of the forest the logging specialists can't do much with either the classic harvester or the cable winch of the timer pro johannes natara of gs forced knows why from the glenda here the terrain here is even steeper than before with trenches that are unnavigable so we have to use the cable crane system the cable crane system is installed on a truck and consists of a powerful hydraulic steel cable winch and steel masts the mast is firmly tethered to healthy sturdy trees in the immediate vicinity using up to five cables without these cables the truck would topple down the slope under the smallest load [Music] the cable is pre-tensioned with 300 bar then it can pull timber weighing up to five tons to the cable car the main line is 650 meters long and likewise anchored to healthy trees at the foot of the slope further down the slope the loggers are busy cutting the roots off the storm-damaged trees and preparing them for transport on the main line the primary casualties of the storm are spruce trees they're trees with shallow roots and have difficulty with standing storms the men now attach the massive trunks to the main line the storm damage is especially bad in this section of the forest a lot of work for the loggers up at the cable crane a forestry worker operates the main line by remote control he must maintain an overview at all times as the tree sections are extremely heavy the safety of the men on the hillside depends on him [Music] total concentration is the order of the day down the hillside too the forestry workers have to precisely estimate the size and weight of the sections before attaching them to the main line the men are not just at risk from the huge loads hanging from the cable the hillside on which they're working possesses risks of its own the dangers are due to the fact that the terrain is very steep covered in debris the trees are lying all over the place so you really have to pay attention it's very dangerous even though the cable crane poses some risk it's often the last resort in rough terrain the intricate construction permits its deployment on steep slopes or even cliffs the rain is starting to come down harder and a temperature drop has been announced if snow were to fall work with the cable crane would have to stop due to the increased danger that explains the urgency tree for tree with the aid of the cable crane the loggers managed to work their way up the steep slope to the drop location evacuating the trees quickly is also necessary to escape the pernicious bark beetle the timber has to be moved out of the forest within two weeks further down the slope the loggers continue disposing of the root plates spruce trees with root plates three meters in diameter is not uncommon higher up the hill a powerful harvester is hard at work trimming the massive tree stems and stocks down to size in minutes [Music] shortly before the continuous rainfall transforms the access roads into a quagmire the loggers succeed in extracting the last of the storm-damaged trees from the slope a demanding job for the extreme loggers comes to an end just before nightfall the men and their gigantic forestry machine finish clearing this section of forest of wind thrown timber extreme loggers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world when normal forestry operations reach their limits they call in the specialists the logging professionals clear storm damage in forests cut in dizzying heights and clear rotten trees before the dreaded bark beetle has a chance to spread unchecked whether with the assistance of harvesters cable cranes or unique constructions like the flying saw the logging specialists are ideally equipped for any mission it's like riding a roller coaster extreme jobs logging one of the toughest and most dangerous jobs in the world

Channel: WELT Documentary

Views: 353,693

Keywords: full documentary, full documentaries, hd documentary, hd documentaries, free documentary, welt documentary, welt documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary film, top documentaries, reports, factual film, forest, forest tools, timber, logger, loggers, timber loggers, wood, flying saw, saw, forest saw, timber saw, Woodworkers, woodworking, bark beetle

Id: 4S72QYuLMoo

Length: 46min 23sec (2783 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 07 2021