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Writer's pictureForteck Enviro Inc.

The many uses of helicopters in the Forestry Industry

Updated: Aug 26, 2021

In this article, we go through the importance of helicopters for our field of work, helicopter safety and more!


 

Did you know helicopters are regularly used in the forestry industry as modes of transportation to access remote areas during block layout? Our foresters, tree planters, and tree seedlings are loaded up and flown out the remote job sites. When heading out to a remote job location where a quad is needed, crew members secure the machine in a "sling" for safe transportation to the remote areas. (see photo below)


Helicopters are also used to survey areas to assess the condition of the forest. For example, when assessing the damage of Mountain Pine Beetles & scouting smoke for wildfires. During wildfires, helicopters are used to map out the fire direction and travel. Helicopters carry water buckets to accurately drop on hotspots or trees that are "torching". Post-fire, aerial surveys are created to prescribe areas needing reforestation. Forteck just completed one of these programs yesterday!

We also use helicopters to create post-harvest silviculture prescriptions to monitor. Along with that, aerial her


bicides are applied to suppress leafy vegetation that often suppresses conifer crop trees. 



Helicopter Safety

  • Always make sure to have a safety briefing from the pilot if you have not been in a helicopter recently.

  • Always make sure to make eye contact and to get approval from the pilot to approach the helicopter.

  • Never walk behind the side doors of the machine near the tail rotor or below the tail boom while the machine is operational. 

  • Do not open the door when in the helicopter

  • Always transport bear spray and paint cans in the back storage container. Do not transport those items inside the helicopter cabin. 

  • Always wear your headset equipped with a microphone to communicate with the pilot

  • When landing, only when the pilot requests, keep an eye out for trees and debris that may interfere with landing 

  • Always be aware of the fire extinguisher location in the event of emergency. 


Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand


THE CONTENT IN OUR WEEKLY EMAIL IS CURATED BY FORESTERS FOR FORESTERS. Curated information is derived from a combination of Forteck crew members with first-hand experience and verified online sources or government sites. We work very hard to provide quality educational information relevant to the forestry industry to promote forestry and the great things foresters can do. Please let us know if you find any misinformation and we will correct it immediately. It takes a village to educate! Thank you for reading and working together in further teaching people about forestry. #forestryproud

 




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