URUS Skyline Yarders have been successfully introduced in some developing 
countries such as South Africa and are now dominant in Chile with over 90 machines sold there. The Austrian URUS manufacturer, Hinterregger S.A., has opened a service centre in Chile to meet the demand for their machines. These yarders have tower heights of 6 m to 12 m with yarding distance capability of up to 600 m. Daily productivity rates between 60 m3 in thinning and 120 m3 in clearcut have been seen. In Chile they are typically used to clearcut harvest radiata pine plantations. Yarding is normally uphill only and most contractors are using a non-slackpulling Stuefer automatic carriage. These machines are being introduced to North America by Global Forest Equipment Ltd., British Columbia, Canada, see www.forestind.com/globalforestequip.
Pruning by bicycle? 
It looks like a tiny-wheeled bicycle climbing an aluminium pole. Designed to allow pruning of trees up to a height of 10 m, the total apparatus weighs about 26 kg. The manufacturer says this device is more efficient than other methods of pruning using ladders or polesaws. For more information contact Future Forestry Products Inc. at: www.futureforestryprod.com.
Clearwood price premiums? A recent study (Waggener and Fight 1999) analysed the real price premiums paid for appearance grades of lumber. They found that clearwood quality softwood lumber can demand a substantial price premium, on the order of US$500/m3. These real price premiums were quite stable during a widely fluctuating softwood lumber market (1/1989-10/1995) and there was little to suggest that these premiums can be expected to decline. See page eight for the complete citation.
Desarrollo de un carro de arrime: manual para trocería 
by Arturo Acevedo (Ortiz 1997, see page eight). La razón para el desarrollo del carro de arrime en México fue la necesidad de facilitar la cosecha de madera en las regiones forestales y mejorar la productividad del trabajador de bajos recursos económicos y sin impactar el ambiente. El carro de arrime puede ser fabricado localmente. Su uso puede generar oportunidades de trabajo en zonas rurales. Es recomendable en los lugares en vía de desarrollo.
