Ranger Helps Step Up Production in the Ukraine

When the Ranger shows up on a work site, the wood starts to move fast. That's especially so when the loggers have never seen a beast anywhere near the size of the Ranger H67.

The Ukraine was once a part of the old USSR, but now is an independent country, with its capital in Kiev. It is sandwiched between Russia to the east and Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania to the west. The Carpathian Mountains form the western border, and it's here that the Ranger picks up the pace.

The forest stands in this part of Europe are vast, but underutilized. In the Soviet era, it was difficult to bring in American technology. But now that the Ukraine is open for business, an entrepreneurial bunch of Austrians is making progress in modernizing their forestry practices.

Wolf System, Ranger dealer for Austria, working through a daughter company Wolf Zakarpattja, has recently imported the first American skidder into this area, a Ranger H67 cable model. Wolf's director for Ukraine, Vitali Kondratenko, reports that the foresters are totally thrilled with the capacity of the Ranger, and it's opening their thinking to even greater possibilities.
The forests consist of 70 percent spruce, 5 percent fir, and 25 percent beech. There are plans for working in 100 percent beech in the future. Logs are mostly 26 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches) in diameter.

Slopes are steep in the Carpathians, and in some places cable yarding is required. Where the Ranger can skid directly from the harvesting site to the landing, the skidding distance is around 1 to 1.5 miles. Daily production is 40 to 60 cubic meters (11 to 17 cords). When working with the cable yarder, the Ranger skids about 150 meters (500 feet), with a daily production of 45 to 100 cubic meters (13 to 28 cords).

The Ranger is destined to play a part in environmentally sensitive logging practices as well. As a result of a catastrophic flood in November 1998, the local government has imposed a moratorium on clear-cut logging in the Carpathian region. Only selective cutting will be allowed on slopes that exceed 21 degrees. Beginning in 2005, only cable yarding, horse logging, and rubber-tired equipment will be allowed in these sensitive areas. The H67, with its large capacity and light ground pressure, will be well positioned to help build Ukraine's forestry industry.