Fall is fir bough season! Every year, helicopter crews contract with companies that harvest boughs from fir and cedar trees for use in holiday decorations. Our helicopters use long lines (50′ – 100′) and remote hooks to hook onto and lift bough slings out of the forest to a landing where they can be loaded on a truck and delivered to various nurseries. Elevations range from 3000 to 5000 feet above sea level where the best quality boughs are. This type of flying requires the pilot to be highly experienced in vertical reference and production flying, as well as being able to keep an eye open for inclement weather sneaking up from behind the mountain! The USDA Forest Service usually issues special use permits for companies to cut and harvest this product on their land.
Below is a link to more detailed information on fir bough harvesting and other forest products:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/rogue-siskiyou/passes-permits/forestproducts/?cid=stelprdb5327567
Go visit our external load services page to gain an insight into our capabilities as a helicopter company when it comes to this type of flying.