Photo report on forestry

The Landes de Gascogne has the largest pine forest in France. The Landes region has an economy based on logging and the exploitation of maritime pines, Biscay pines. This economic activity is one of the major occupations of this region and one of its main sources of income. Much of the wood production goes to the surrounding paper mill or sawmills.

Photographer specializing in forestry photography

During this report, I took pictures of the mechanical activity specific to logging. At first I followed a logging machine. Its driver must remove the logs and logs from the plots to transport them with his skidder to the roadside to be stored so that a transporter can come later to take delivery for the sawmill or other task. The timber carrier places the logs using his crane in his trailer and then empties it to the storage area at the edge of the plot. I was unable to photograph the action of a skidder or also known as a Skidder which tows long timber with a cable to the storage area.

Photographer specializing in photography of forestry professions

I later went to photograph the work of another forestry machine operator, the one who operates a harvester. This machine practices felling, delimbing and crosscutting. The operator operates a harvester head at the end of an articulated hydraulic arm that allows him to saw the tree and shape it, in this term delimbing and bucking to a specific length are grouped together. 

The harvester operator’s universe is made up of joysticks, buttons of all kinds, computer with control software, satellite view of the plot… 

Controlling a harvester involves making as many decisions per minute as a fighter pilot in full mission of war, it is to give you an idea of ​​the competence necessary for this position.