fellerbunchers

A feller-buncher is a type of heavy logging machine used in the initial phase of timber harvest. It fells standing trees and places the felled trunks into piles, or bunches, which reduces handling and transport needs.

The machine is typically mounted on tracks or wheels and fitted with a hydraulic felling head that combines a saw or shear with a grappling mechanism. The operator positions the head around a tree, cuts the trunk, then uses the grapple to grab and lift the trunk, placing it on the ground as part of a multiple-tree bunch. Some models can handle several trees in a single pass to form a larger bunch. The bunches are later moved to a landing by skidding or forwarding equipment.

Feller-bunchers differ from harvesters, which can perform the complete on-site processing of trees, including delimbing and bucking. Feller-bunchers are optimized for rapid felling and bunch formation, leaving processing duties to other machines or operators.

Operators face demanding conditions, including steep terrain, rough ground, and changing weather. Advantages include reduced time and labor, improved safety by keeping workers out of the tree line, and better efficiency in certain stand types. Limitations include higher equipment cost, maintenance needs, fuel consumption, and potential soil disturbance on sensitive sites.

Variants exist in wheeled and tracked configurations. Feller-bunchers are part of modern mechanized forestry, often used alongside skidders, forwarders, or cable yarding systems to move timber from the stand to a mill or landing.