1.
SV Tree felling machine moves into position
0.11

2.
CU Sawing mechanism cutting tree and trees falling and being lifted onto carrier
0.35

3.
SV & CU Tree being felled, lifted and placed in carrier (2 shots)
0.48

4.
SV Trees being felled (3 shots)
1.01

5.
SV PAN.. FROM onlookers TO tree having its branches stripped by machine
1.14



Initials ES. 1726 ES. 1745



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Finland, which depends on timber products for more than half of its exports, recently displayed two new tools that will greatly increase the speed and efficiency of lumbering operations.

The first tool, called a "feller-skidder", clamps itself around the base of a tree, saws through it, fells it, and lifts it onto a carrier in a single operation. The other tool can strip all the branches from a tree in a matter of seconds, easing transportation and handling problems in moving the felled tree to the mill.

SYNOPSIS: Almost three-quarters of Finland is covered with woodlands. And, the lumber industry accounts for more than half of the country's exports. To increase the efficiency of their lumber industry, the Finns have developed specialised equipment. This machine is called a "feller-skidder". It cuts and loads trees in a single operation. The machine is mobile. It can drive to any location, cut down a group of trees, and then drag them out of the forest on an attached trailer.

These machines make axes and saws obsolete. Not only do they work with greater sped, but they give protection to the operator during Finland's extremely cold winter weather.

Most of Finland's logging operations take place in winter, when farmers move from their frozen fields to take jobs in the wood processing industry.

After the trees are felled, a processor strips off the branches for sassier handling. It is this type of ingenuity in equipment design that has given Finland the most modern pulp industry in Europe.