Francesco Alfare and Kambiz del Canto - User opinion

Welcome to the heart of the Carnic Alps, a place of endless forests and the worksite of Francesco and Kambiz. This year, they are facing the consequences of major bark beetle and windstorm inflicted damages. Being on a mission to help restore the forest to its natural state, they are using a professional forestry winch with a constant pulling force. But the difficult terrain often demands the use of the Cobra Skyline system that allows even more sustainable log handling.

Driven by True Passion for Forestry Work

When Kambiz and Francesco discuss their work, their eyes light up, revealing their affection for the forest. For them, it’s not just a job, but a life mission, and their passion for work is what drives them forward in reaching new milestones professionally and privately.

Italian foresters are currently confronted with damages, caused by natural forces. Perfectly healthy trees start drying due to the bark beetle invasion. Foresters in a wide area of Central Europe are now facing this challenge and the only cure is to remove infected trees by cutting them down and moving them out of the area to protect the healthy ones.

Their current location – Forni Avoltri in Friuli-Venezia Giulia – was affected by the windstorm in 2018, that tore down branches and trunks, making the area even more susceptible to fatal diseases. The main goal is to clean the forest thoroughly while keeping the rest of the ecosystem (undergrowth and smaller trees) undisturbed. This can only be done by selective harvesting, meaning the main machines in use are Forestry winches and a Skyline system that allow foresters to extract logs while causing minimal damage to the forest ground. As our interviewees said themselves: “After finishing on this work site, we will plant small trees trying to recreate the pre-damage state of the forest.”

Proper Equipment Choice is Crucial for the Demanding Worksite Terrain

With their machinery worth hundreds of thousands of euros, Kambiz and Francesco are not only log harvesting, but managing the forests in a way that creates conditions for the forest to return to its natural state. This is especially important in situations when nature decides to act in a damaging way.

The 70GK professional winch and the Cobra Skyline system represent their first choice to do so, along with their forestry tractor, an excavator with a processor head and a forestry truck. Not only is their Uniforest machinery very effective, strong and durable, but the skidding winch can also be used on steep slopes and a skyline system is the best choice for terrains that cannot be accessed with other equipment.

The first Uniforest winch used by this Italian forestry team, was the 85Hpro. Using the winch for over 10 years and getting to know the production by visiting us at our Headquarters in Slovenia, they were convinced by the high quality of materials, user-oriented development and supreme product design. They continued investing into their machines consulting with Mr. Gino Boscet from Sicmatremea and Uniforest Sales Engineers.

They chose the Cobra Skyline system over their previous tower yarder because of the simplicity of use and assembly, as well as the automatic driving function. The Cobra tower is mounted and carried on the rear three-point linkage of the tractor and allows for over 400 meters of operative length. Their Skyline System consists of the tower, a light carriage, designed for smooth movement through the branches, anchors, top and bottom station, and middle stations (if needed). The system is equipped with two remote controls, one for the upstream operator and one for the downstream operator, who can communicate easily even if out of sight of each other. Another advantage that helps cover a wider area, is the rotation capability of 180-degrees.

About 30% of Kambiz’ and Francesco’s work is carried out with the 70GK winch. They are very satisfied with the constant pulling force, reliability and safety of the machine. It offers functions, such as Auto Stop, a hydraulically hinged plate, and on top of that an extensive overview of the winch is provided with the Uniforest Connect App.

What They Love Most About Their Work

“For us, this is certainly a job that we do out of passion for the conservation of our forests and our environment. It's a job like any other with the key difference that we're always outdoors, in the natural environment. Working in the woods is done out of passion, for the upkeep of the forests, the land that surrounds us and for their protection. It takes a lot of effort, but we do it with passion.” Francesco Alfare and Kambiz del Canto, F.K. Legnami s.r.l., Italy

In the video below, see what they think about the Cobra skyline system and the 70GK professional forestry winch.