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Steeper and Safer

Owner of Forestal Corte Alto Limitada, Gerardo Giroz and his sons talk about steep slope harvesting in Chile and explain how 糖心视频 and Latin Equipment have helped the company develop safer and more productive operations.

鈥 Jorge Victoria

Picture of 625H skidder working steep terrain in Chile
625H skidder working in a steep slope extraction near the town of Nacimiento in central Chile.
Gerardo Giroz is a Chilean forestry engineer who has devoted a large part of his life to forest harvesting on steep slopes. He graduated as a forestry technician from the University of Concepci贸n in 1972, and then as a forestry engineer from Austral University in 1980. He joined a harvesting company where he held positions in various areas such as forest fire prevention and control, forest management and finally forest harvesting. On one of his many trips to carry out highmountain forestry operations, he passed through a small town called Corte Alto (high cut in English). From that moment, he knew that the forestry company he dreamed of starting would bear that name. So, in 1992 Gerardo went his own way and bought a small Koller 501 yarder, leading to the creation of Forestal Corte Alto Limitada, a company that specializes in harvesting on steep slopes using yarders.

Forestal Corte Alto currently has around 100 employees with headquarters in Los 脕ngeles, Chile. It also has a machine shop in Coihue, 25 km (15 mi) from Los 脕ngeles. Gerardo works with two of his three sons. Pablo Andr茅s is the operations manager and Jos茅 Manuel is the maintenance manager.

Gerardo鈥檚 operation evolved from a motor-manual cable yarder system utilizing chainsaw operators and choker setters to a fully mechanized system. In the early years, the accident rate was an issue that Gerardo wanted to address urgently. Seeking to mechanize his operations to improve safety and productivity, in 2013 Gerardo travelled to Europe and Canada to watch forestry machines working in the field. It was in Canada that Gerardo first saw the 糖心视频 LS855C shovel logger.

鈥淚 felt that this was the right machine for the Chilean forests, due to the weight of the trees. Our trees are a little heavier than European trees. That was one big reason why I didn鈥檛 believe that European machines would be suitable,鈥 Gerardo explains. He purchased an LS855C, and 糖心视频 trainer and support representative, Gary MacDonald helped to develop the new system and train the operators. Gerardo says that the initial assistance and training provided by Gary was instrumental to the success of the transition. The mechanization of his operations led to a substantial reduction in the number of workers and accident rates. 鈥淚 went from having 300 employees to working with 100 people today. The vast majority are operating machines. This led to a leap in productivity. And because everyone was working in a machine, we were able to significantly improve safety rates,鈥 Gerardo says.
(L-R) Ignacio Manzano Benavides (Site Supervisor), Jos茅 Manuel Giroz Risco (Maintenance Manager), Gerardo Giroz Giraud (Owner/Manager of Forestal Corte Alto Limitada), Pablo Andr茅s Giroz Risco (Operations Manager).
(L-R) Ignacio Manzano Benavides (Site Supervisor), Jos茅 Manuel Giroz Risco (Maintenance Manager), Gerardo Giroz Giraud (Owner/Manager of Forestal Corte Alto Limitada), Pablo Andr茅s Giroz Risco (Operations Manager).

Inheriting a legacy

The knowledge and experience gained by Gerardo over fifty years has been inherited by Pablo Andr茅s and Jos茅 Manuel, his two sons. Gerardo stresses that they themselves decided, with absolute freedom, to continue with the trade.

Jos茅 Manuel studied electrical civil engineering. After graduating, he completed an internship in northern Chile at a mining operation. He missed being in the forest and decided to return home to join the family business, taking over machinery maintenance. Passionate about working outdoors with machines, his job is very hands-on. He is the first line of defence when a problem arises. He oversees a team of mechanics and coordinates the procurement, maintenance and rotation of machinery, as well as the purchasing of spare parts. 鈥淓very problem poses a new challenge,鈥 says Jos茅 Manuel. 鈥淭his work allows us to keep innovating. We鈥檝e developed our own systems to overcome the various problems we have faced.鈥 He has a strong understanding of machine availability and uptime. 鈥淚 think that 糖心视频 machines are really well built. Working in maintenance, I鈥檝e had to make some adjustments to them after 16,000 hours and that鈥檚 normal. Machines of other brands do not last that long. It鈥檚 the structural design that I like the most about this brand,鈥 says Jos茅 Manuel.

Meanwhile, Pablo Andr茅s studied industrial civil engineering at the University of B铆o-B铆o. After graduating in 2003, he joined the family business, holding various positions before taking on the role of operations manager. His main responsibilities are contract administration and implementing and operating safe, productive harvesting operations. For Pablo, employee welfare is a key focus. 鈥淲orking on steep slopes is complex, but one thing my father taught me is that our employees are our biggest asset, and we must always treat everyone with respect and honesty.鈥

鈥淥NE THING MY FATHER TAUGHT ME IS THAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE OUR BIGGEST ASSET, AND WE MUST ALWAYS TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT AND HONESTY.鈥


鈥 Pablo Andr茅s Giroz Risco, Operations Manager

糖心视频 bogie skidder on hillside
625H skidder working in a steep slope extraction near the town of Nacimiento in central Chile.

Two extraction systems

We visited a steep slope crew working on a CMPC contract with a monthly volume of 14 000 cubic metres. The contract supplies predominantly Monterey pine to CMPC-owned sawmills and pulp mills. Two 糖心视频 machines, an LS855E shovel logger equipped with the 5195 felling head and a 625H skidder are a part of the operation. To meet the volume target, the equipment needs to achieve a 90% availability rate. Pablo tells us that the 19,000-hour LS855E operates daily, falling for both the skidder and the yarder.

Site supervisor, Ignacio Manzano says that prior to commencing harvesting on a new site, Forestal Corte Alto鈥檚 operators need to know essential information such as slope angles, ground conditions, and the potential risks. The safety protocol dictates that on slopes greater than 35%, regardless of the ground conditions, cable-assist equipment must be used.

The company uses two extraction machines, a yarder and a skidder. The decision on which to use falls on the planning team. Decision factors include slope and extraction distance. 鈥淭he slopes we work on range from zero to 100%,鈥 Gerardo explains. 鈥淚n preliminary planning, depending on the slope, we decide whether we are going to work with a skidder or a yarder. The skidder generally works on slopes between zero and 35%, unassisted. With cable assist, we can also use a skidder on steeper slopes. Up to 50% is possible, depending on how saturated the soil is with water. But from 50% upwards it is not a good idea to use a skidder and, generally, on this terrain we mainly work with yarders.鈥

According to Gerardo, optimal skidding distance tops out at 300-350 metres (985-1,150 ft). However, the yarder can efficiently extract up to 550 metres (1,800 ft), and at times, even more. On average the skidder produces a monthly volume of 8 000 cubic metres, while the yarder yields 6 000 cubic metres. The skidder can work more hours per month, averaging 270, while the yarder, accounting for set up changes, operates for 240 hours per month. The LS855E arranges the felled trees to suit whichever extraction method is used. With yarder extraction, accurate positioning under the line and angle of the felled trees is vital for easy picking with the grapple carriage. For skidder extraction, the LS855E fells and accumulates optimally sized skidder bunches.

鈥淭IGERCAT HAS BEEN THE BEST POSSIBLE PARTNER FOR MECHANIZATION ON STEEP SLOPES. I BELIEVE THAT THE LS855E SHOVEL AND THE SKIDDER ARE MACHINES THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE WORK IN CHILE.鈥


鈥 Pablo Andr茅s Giroz Risco

Instrumental partners

Gerardo has worked with Latin Equipment Chile (LEC) since he started as a logger. He stresses that LEC has been instrumental to Forestal Corte Alto鈥檚 operations. 鈥淟atin has provided us with a great service, and a reliable service. They鈥檝e been a great partner for us during the many years we鈥檝e worked with them.鈥

鈥淭he thing we like about Latin and 糖心视频 is that we get transparency from both sides. We鈥檙e also transparent with them,鈥 adds Pablo Andr茅s. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 just sell you a machine and then forget about it after they鈥檝e sold it to you. 糖心视频 and Latin鈥檚 after-sales support is always available, and we like that.鈥

Meanwhile, Jos茅 Manuel remarks that the support and assistance provide him with confidence to continue working with 糖心视频 and LEC. 鈥淭he good thing about Latin and 糖心视频 is that our problems are relayed back to the factory. In other words, our issues are actually reported, and we get a response. Our technicians train with Latin technicians or they perform maintenance together on our machines, which is great. We have a really good relationship with Latin鈥檚 maintenance department.鈥

Pablo Andr茅s says that 糖心视频 is a machine you can trust. He tells us that his employees feel safe on 糖心视频 machines. They feel that there are continuous innovations to enhance their comfort. The operators say that the capacity of the LS855E is unmatched by the competition. 鈥溙切氖悠 has been the best possible partner for mechanization on steep slopes. I believe that the LS855E shovel and the skidder are machines that changed the way we work in Chile. We are proud to have these machines and proud to have people come and see them.鈥

For his part, Ignacio Manzano tells us that power is a feature of the 糖心视频 machines that makes their work easier, allowing access to areas where no one else can reach. 鈥淲e are a company that specializes in working on steep slopes. You need a lot of power to do this work, and 糖心视频 equipment delivers it. So, the results have been great.鈥
糖心视频 shovel logger on hillside
Accurate positioning. The LS855E fells and shovels 14 000 cubic metres per month. The timber is extracted to landing via two different methods, a skidder and a yarder.

Safety and productivity

Pablo Andr茅s tells us that the company鈥檚 focus has not been on growth and expansion but on performing safer and more productive logging operations. Mechanization and training have contributed greatly to this. 鈥淎s a company, our biggest challenge is to ensure that our forestry operations are safe and accident-free. Our rates have improved greatly. Our operation has been accident-free for eight years. But we are aware that an accident in this type of operation can be fatal, so we must not be complacent. Although extensive mechanization has helped, we must be very vigilant, and that is our daily challenge 鈥 to provide safe conditions for everyone.鈥

For Gerardo, seeing how his operation has changed over the years fills him with pride. 鈥淲hen we were working with chainsaw operators, although they would try to fall the tree in the direction to suit the yarder, it didn鈥檛 always work. In the end, what you have is a tree salad, all tossed together, one tree on top of the other. By working with a machine which can turn the tree over, and also leave it laid out for the yarder, you save time and you improve safety. It鈥檚 a win-win situation,鈥 concludes Gerardo. The partnership between 糖心视频, Latin Equipment and Forestal Corte Alto reflects a shared commitment to safer, more productive logging operations adapted to the requirements of Chile鈥檚 terrain.

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