part 1 - On the Road Through Ecuador
Article published in Forest Machine Journal (July 1999)

In January 1994 an innovative pilot project, the Awa Sustainable Management Project, was launched to promote sustainable community-based forest management in the San Lorenzo region of Esmeraldas, northwest Ecuador. The project was designed to develop the capacity of forest owning communities to increase their income by managing, harvesting, milling and selling their timber resources.

One of the project's objectives was to supervise and fund the construction of a ‘summer' road - one with only a natural surface and no quarried materials - to the community of El Pan. The constrictions on this type of road are immense. In the rainy season, limited, if any, use can be made of the road. The speed at which the material dries is dependent on the various types of soil. The road was to follow an old used logging road that had been built ten years previously, and which had a mixture of very porous soil near to the community, and good clay situated further away. Some bridges were still standing which were damaged but repairable.

Two machines were used - a D5 Caterpillar for the bulk of the work, with a Gallion 450 grader finishing off. The bulldozer was a forestry specification machine with all over protection and a 35 ton winch with logging arch. This had been bought second hand and overhauled. The machine was 9 years old and had previously been used very hard. However, but for one unfortunate breakdown, the machine worked faultlessly. The Gallion 450 was a Canadian made machine with a 20 ton payload. Some repair work was required before the machine entered the forest, but once there it performed well in difficult conditions.

Project leader Mark Brewer (second left) talking to Patrocinio Obando, driver of the Cat D5B, visible on the back of which, over the winch is a Fleco logging arch with fairleads.