Forest Road Consulting
Road cost reduction while maintaining a quality built road may seem like a lofty goal in today’s inflationary environment. There are many variables to deal with (weather, terrain, equipment suitability/condition, operator knowledge, etc.), making management of an effective program challenging. Like most problems, the best solution usually means focusing on the major variables and finding practical and effective solutions.
At ABL Timber we have broken-down road construction management into three main areas of focus:
- Knowledgeable Planning and Road Location
- Proper Road Equipment Configuration
- Planner, Supervisor and Operator/Contractor training and support
We can provide you with insight into the management of these three elements, tailored to your unique situation. We are committed to building on what you have and not wasting your time and resources reinventing the wheel.
Our goal is to identify opportunities that will provide you with the following minimal results:
- An immediate 5-10% annual savings, as you better manage what you have by attacking low-hanging fruit
- An additional 10% annual cost reduction within 5 years, as you better manage strategic level opportunities such as road equipment configuration
- Building better quality roads, reducing maintenance costs and providing your harvesting/trucking contractors with roads that can support their activities
Remember these gains are annual, which compound quickly over time and are realized at a time when forest road construction cost are generally rising.
Take a small step with ABL by scheduling a simple, on the ground, road efficiency audit which compares your operations to the best practices in the industry and can identify Opportunities for Improvement (OFI’s) that will lower your $/m costs and increase your road quality.
If you feel good about your program, the audit can also serve as a second opinion to confirm this. The cost of the audit is insignificant, but the potential for new insight and future cost savings are great.
From a small one-machine operation, to the larger 100+ kilometres per year program, regardless of size, ABL Timber can help you optimize your road program.
For additional information and samples of our work, browse our photo galleries.