All language subtitles for Tomorrows.World.Today.S04E03.Forestry.Management.720p.WEBRip.x264-KOMPOST_track3_[eng]

[narrator] Welcome on this
episode of Tomorrow's World Today.

We visit the world of production

to learn how one company is
helping to salvage trees after wildfires.

And how forestry management
helps keep our forests healthy.

From Invention land
world headquarters,

here's our host, George Davison.

I love hearing about how
companies got their names.

You know, some businesses
are named after their founders.

And sometimes,
they're named after a place.

But no matter what, there's
always thought behind it

and always a good story to tell.

Even an ugly dog
like the one in this picture

could be the inspiration
for a company's name.

In the 1960s, Einar Vidgrén,

developed a load carrying
forest tractor

in a local village workshop.

The machine was made
entirely out of recycled parts

and to put it mildly, well,
it wasn't the most attractive

piece of machinery
that village had ever seen

but, boy, did it work.

And it reminded him of his
trusty hunting dog, Ponsse.

Now, this is the very first

drawing of a Ponsse machine.

You see, Ponsse's fur,
it was grey and dirty.

The dog just...
wasn't all that good looking.

But it was reliable,

and it never came back from
a hunting trip empty-handed

So it only made sense to
Einari, that he name his trusty

but ugly machine,

after his trusty but ugly dog.

And that's how Ponsse was born.

Ponsse has gone on to become
one of the largest

most reliable forest machinery
vehicle manufacturers

in the world.

And it's the reliability
of their harvester

and their forester

that help to process trees after
the 2020 wild fires out in Oregon.

Now, let's go join David,
who's out in Oregon

right now, to learn more about
this operation.

[David] I'm in Eugene,
Oregon, at the site

where the wild fires
began last year.

This fire lasted for weeks.

But the biggest loss,
in a short amount of time

was when 1.2 million acres
burned

in just 72 hours.

And as you can see,
I'm surrounded by burnt trees.

Most people would see the
remnants of the fire and think...

"This wood is ruined" But that's
where they would be wrong.

After a wild fire, a massive
cleanup has to take place.

Post-fire salvage not only let's us
collect and use wood that was burned

but also helps lower
the risk of an accidental fire

happening in the area again.

Converting dead trees
into products

Can reduce the amount
of carbon dioxide in the air.

Which in turn, can help
with climate change.

Ponsse is working here to
reclaim the wood that was burned

when the fires happened
in the summer of 2020.

They don't have a lot of time,
just six months

to process as much wood as they
can before it's no longer usable.

I'm meeting Pekka Ruuskanen, President
and CEO of Ponsse, North America,

to learn more about the process.

You must be Pekka.

- Oh, Hi David.
- Hi, Pekka, you're a man of your word

you said you'd be here
and here you are.

Well, I'm always here I was
born in the woods.

Heh, I tell you,
it's good see you

and I'm glad we could
have this conversation.

It was devastating to hear about
the 4,000 homes that were destroyed.

And then I get here
and I see these trees

and I don't know how any
of this is salvageable.

So how does something that
has been burned get used again?

Would you like to see them
in action?

- I would absolutely love to see them in action.
- Let's go and look.

Hey, David, this is Matthew.
He's gonna take care of you.

I have to go and take care of some
other business but see you guys later.

- See ya.
- See ya, Pekka.

- Matt, it's great to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, David.

So I'm really excited to learn all I can
about these amazing machines you have

and my guess is,
this is the harvester.

You are correct. As a matter
of fact, this is a Ponsse Ergo.

This machine has 32 feet of reach
from the center line of the machine,

where then it takes
this harvesting head

wraps it around the tree, a
saw bar comes out underneath,

cuts the tree down,
then these 3 feed wheels,

pull the tree through the
harvesting head where these knives

then take the limbs
off the tree,

this wheel in the center measures
the length and then a saw bar

comes out again
and bucks the tree into logs.

Okay, and now, per tree, how
many lengths are you looking for?

It depends on the job.

But overall we're trying to maximize
the total value out of the tree.

But this machine also works with
another machine called a Forwarder.

Let's go take a look.

[Matthew] And this is the other half
of that team. This is the Forwarder.

Wow! These tracks are massive,
what's going on with them?

[Matthew] These tracks are a traction aide,
they help the machine disperse it's weight

and protect the soil
and climb the hill.

When we have extreme slopes we use this
traction aide wench underneath as well,

we tie it off to a stump and it
helps the machine get to the road.

- I have some operators, let's go see this machine in action.
- All right, let's go.

[narrator] There are so many
benefits to post-fire salvage

when it comes to keeping
our forests healthy.

Not only does it support
local timber industries,

but also promotes future
forest development

and reduces the chances
of fires happening again.

[Matthew] So now we're
out on a harvest unit.

Kyle, our harvester operator
has set up his machine.

He has his wench strapped off
on a stump

and the cable's tight and he's preparing
to start opening up a new corridor.

And what this means is,
he's gonna go down,

and reach out 32 feet
either side of his machine,

cut trees, process them and
lay the logs out to the side.

And after he's done with that
corridor, then the other machine,

the Forwarder will come by
and pick up the logs.

But this is first phase in a
multi-step process.

I've noticed a lot of the
trees have green tops still so,

how do you know
which ones you have to process

and which ones
you just leave alone?

[Matthew] Excellent question. In
this situation, it's a salvage operation,

most of these trees are
already dead and don't know it

or there's a few that
might be okay

but they're probably gonna
either blow over or die shortly so...

we're taking all the trees
in this situation

and then it'll be reforested.

How about we give Kyle
a green light, let him go?

- Sounds great to me.
- Okay.

Kyle, let go.

[water splashing]

[truck idling]

[water splashing]

[upbeat music playing]

[David] So, Matt, I see this teamwork
we were talking about earlier taking place.

Could you tell me exactly what's
gonna happen during this dance.

So what's gonna happen here is
Kyle is opening up this new corridor,

cutting his way down the hill.

In the meantime,
Chewy on the next corridor

is picking up the logs that Kyle had
previously cut, putting them in his bunk,

so when he gets it up the hill
and he's got all the logs picked up

he'll unhook his cable,
drive to the roadside,

unload the logs, make a nice clean
pile in preparation for the log truck.

[truck idling]

So, David, we've seen what the
machines have done to salvage

as much of the burned
timber as possible.

These logs are ready to go
to the town, to the sawmill,

to be turned into two-by-fours or
two-by-sixes and, eventually, people's homes.

But let me show you what's
next in this regenerative process.

- I look forward to it, I'll follow you.
- Let's check it out.

[narrator] After a forest fire,
there is a short window of time

to collect burnt trees
and use them for lumber.

Now that all the wood is
collected, it heads over to a mill.

Believe it or not,
sawmills actually operate

the same way they have
for hundreds of years.

The process may not have
changed much,

but the efficiency of milling
definitely has.

First, wood has to be debarked.

The bark can be saved,
or can be sold as mulch

or even used to fuel the kilns
at a sawmill.

Next, each log will go through
metal detection.

Making sure they get rid
of things like nails, fencing,

Or other metals
that could be in the logs.

After that, you really start to see
the technological advancements

that have happened
in the milling industry.

Lasers can help maximize the
amount of lumber from every log.

So there are no unnecessary
cuts being made.

The log is cut
into the appropriate sizes

and then it is graded and dried.

Either with a kiln, or good
old fashioned air drying.

Finally, once it's dry,
it's ready to be sold.

[David] So, Matt,
what are we looking at here?

[Matthew] What we're looking
at is a Ponsse Elephant King

with a water tank which makes it
into an initial attack super scheduling.

Machines like this are absolutely
valuable in fighting wildfire.

Initial attack is a great opportunity
where we can knock down the flames

and help prevent the fire
from becoming catastrophic.

[David] How much water can that
carry and how long will that last?

2,600 gallons of water, but that
machine can pump that out in ten minutes.

[David] So what's the process
to kind of, keep that in action.

How do you refill it, keep it
going, while fighting a fire?

[Matthew] Good question. So the
machine has a couple of ways to do this.

We can either fill it up
off another machine,

or it has an internal pump
that can be placed

in a water source and it can suck
the water up and put it in its tank.

What do you say we turn around
and watch it in action?

All right.

[water splashing]

[narrator] We've seen what happens
to wood once it's been cleared

But we're not done yet.

Let's head back to the clearing

to see the next steps
for the forest.

[Matthew] So, David, now
we're walking through the area,

that's been harvested,
and just in the past few days

this area was planted with,

that 9-month-old Douglas
Fir seedlings.

So I've read that it takes 35
years for a forest to truly regenerate.

What can we do in the future to prevent a
forest fire like this from happening again?

[Matthew]
Active forest management.

Letting foresters work with
the land to control the vegetation

to prevent catastrophic
wildfires.

Now, I've also noticed down
here there's a tree line

and there's a lot of green
strings around those trees.

What makes those trees special?

[Matthew] Those trees there
are for a very specific purpose.

And that is,
to help protect that stream.

Even when the fire came
through here,

those trees are gonna fall in the
stream and become habitat for fish.

Because we want to re-establish
wildlife and fish populations

back into this area that
is burnt.

[Matthew]
But let's go take a look

at what this is gonna look
like in the future.

I do not know
where we're at Matt.

I can't see the forest for
the trees, nor could Bigfoot.

What I will say,
it's dark in here and dense.

[Matthew] It is. And that's
because this is 27 year old

untinned Douglas Fir Forest.

- But let me show you what active management looks like.
- Sounds great.

[footsteps approaching]

[Matthew] Here we are in a thinned
27-year-old Douglas Fir Forest.

We thinned this forest last
fall, removed half the trees.

They went to town to become forest
products where we sequestered the carbon,

reduced our fire hazard and improved
wildlife habitat. I call that a win.

-Hey, that sounds great. Let's go find Bigfoot.
-Okay.

[blows]

Wow, Matt. You have
a slice of heaven out here.

Yes we do. This is my office.

Across the landscape here
we have a mosaic of ages.

The far hill over there, is
about 70-year-old Douglas Fir.

Right in the middle,
is a 30-year-old Douglas Fir

stand that
we thinned 2 years ago.

And we're currently standing in
a 6-year-old Douglas Fir forest.

How about we take
a look at some of these ages?

- I was thinking the same thing.
- Great.

[Matthew] So what we're looking
at here is a 6-year-old Douglas Fir.

[David] Okay, so, I see a Christmas
Tree. How do you know this is 6 years old?

I start at the top, I look at the
leader which is the top part of the tree

and the first cluster of branches is
called the whirl and I count down,

One, two, three, four,
five, six.

Six years in the field, maybe
a year or two in the nursery,

so foresters count it from the time it's
planted in the field, so 6-year-old tree.

How about we go look
at another age class?

- You lead the way.
- Okay.

[birds chirping]

[footsteps approaching]

So here, David, now we're looking
at trees that are roughly twice the age

and twice the size of the ones we just
look at. These trees are in their teens.

And now entering a rapid
growth phase in their life cycle

and are sequestering lots of carbon
and converting it to woody material.

I love the science going on. What do
you say we go find some 20 somethings.

- Let's do it, heh.
- All right.

[footsteps]

So now, we're walking through a
stand that's roughly 20 years old.

[David] Why are these
limbs missing needles?

[Matthew] Well, what we've
reached is a point at which

the trees are big enough
for the crowns are closing

and the limbs below are staring
to lose their needles and die off.

We are rapidly approaching a point at which
we need to perform some active management

- Would you like to go look at that site?
- You lead the way.

[footsteps approaching]

[David] Yeah, okay,
Matt. Now I get it.

Now I understand
the cycle you're speaking of.

I've seen them from saplings, now
they reach all the way to the sky.

It's beautiful, isn't it? First we
planted them, then we thinned them.

In the process we sequestered
carbon, improved wildlife habitat,

- it's a beautiful thing.
- It is a beautiful thing.

Now the next thing that
I think we need to do

is get you on a plane to Pittsburg to
meet with George at Invention land.

He'd love to learn more about
this life cycle that you're speaking of

and I think you should
bring something for him

because he'd love to put that
in his museum.

- [Matthew] I'd love to.
- [David] Great.

- Hey, Matt.
- Hi, George.

- What's this?
- It's an Ore' Spruce, a gift for you.

Thank you very much, Matt. I
know exactly what I'll do with this.

I'm gonna wrap a story around
it, put it outside Invention land

and we'll talking to kids
about it, the future of forestry.

- That's great.
- Super.

So how did David do out there in
Oregon when he went out to see you?

David did fantastic. We had a
great opportunity taking David

to the forest where he saw the
devastation from last year's wild fires.

And he saw what we're doing in
conjunction with the Ponsse machines,

to harvest that wood
before it goes bad,

and then heal the land
before replanting it.

Well, he also sent me this
image I was hoping you could

help me to understand this
a little more.

Could you go through the
process of what I'm looking at here.

So what we're looking at here is
a diagram of the forestry life cycle.

It starts out
with the planting of the trees

then the trees grow
and then at some point in time

foresters actively manage
the forest and re-engage

which will remove some trees,
make the forest healthy

because our end result is we're trying
to target growing a big healthy forest.

At some point in time,
that forest will be harvested,

those products will go to town
to benefit society

and the cycle will start
all over again.

Very nice. You know, it kind of
reminds me of a farmer, you know,

they clear their field, they plant
seed and then they put their crops in,

they harvest them, then they
start all over the next year.

They do. Foresters do the same
just on a much longer time horizon.

Speaking of the horizon,
what's on the horizon?

What's the future look like
for forest management?

Forest management
has a bright future,

it's gonna involve a few things

One will be active management,
the stage we talked about here

where foresters are actively
managing the forest

to help prevent
catastrophic wildfires.

And then utilizing data
and technologies

to make decisions about
what we do in the forest.

And we're gonna use
connectivity with the machines

- and with foresters in the field to make smart decisions.
- Interesting.

So does the connectivity
go all the way to the end user

so if we were to know what
the end users' needs were,

can those needs be
sent out to a forester

and then you're actually
harvesting, uh, logs to that need?

Exactly. So what's gonna
happen in the future

is when somebody places
an order to build a house

and they need a certain amount
of a certain sizes of lumber

that information will be
transmitted to the machines

which will be doing the
harvesting,

to cut and process logs

into the exact lengths needed
to build that house.

Well, that's exciting.

So, this process actually
looks like

we're gonna have less forest
fires in the future I hope.

- We should.
- All right, well, you know what I'm gonna do?

I'm gonna go plant a tree,
you've inspired me today, Matt.

Well, thanks George. I gotta get
back and check on the guys in Oregon

-So I'll see you later
-Safe travels.

Thanks.

[upbeat music playing]

[narrator] To learn more about
the content in today's episode,

visit us online at
www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com

or find us on social,
@twtexplore.