From the Theory of Constraints
You Might Be Losing 30% More Production Without Realizing It
Most logging crews don’t have an effort problem. They have a system problem. This book shows you exactly where to look—and what to do about it.
Most logging crews don’t have an effort problem. They have a system problem. This book shows you exactly where to look—and what to do about it.
You’re running machines all day—but output isn’t increasing.
You’re working longer hours—but the bottom line barely moves.
You’re “busy” from dawn to dark—but still leaving money on the table.
Your entire operation is limited by one bottleneck—and fixing it can unlock massive gains.
If you’re like most operators, you’ve thought: “We just need better equipment” or “We need to push harder.”
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: you might already have everything you need—and still be underperforming. Because your production is only as strong as the weakest step in your system.
Your skidder is slow… everything slows.
Your landing is overloaded… everything backs up.
One operator underperforms… the whole system suffers.
You don’t need more effort.
You need alignment.
A proven optimization system adapted from Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints and applied directly to logging operations.
Pinpoint the one constraint controlling your entire system’s output. If you fix it and production increases, you found it. If not, keep looking.
Use the bottleneck to its absolute full capacity. Schedule maintenance to minimize downtime. Put your best operator on it. Every lost minute of bottleneck time is lost production for the entire crew.
Subordinate all other activities to the constraint. Train backup operators. Reroute resources. The entire crew must know what the bottleneck is and protect it.
Only after you’ve squeezed every bit of output from the existing constraint should you consider investing to expand it. Now the capital decision is backed by data, not guesswork.
Every solved bottleneck reveals the next one. That’s why this is continuous. Return to step one. The operation improves every cycle.
The book reveals ideas that feel wrong at first—but can save thousands in wasted fuel, labor, and machine wear.
Full utilization of a non-bottleneck resource is a waste. More activity does not mean more output. It means more cost with no return.
Speeding up a non-bottleneck doesn’t increase system throughput by a single load. The constraint dictates the pace.
A crew that moves 3 loads smoothly through the system beats a crew that starts 5 and finishes 2. Alignment beats raw horsepower.
The Theory of Constraints in plain language. How it applies to logging. The five-step focusing process and Goldratt’s rules for optimizing production.
Throughput accounting adapted for logging. Measure profit and ROI on individual harvesting jobs. Includes a worked example with real numbers.
Common interfering and controlling bottlenecks in whole-tree, cut-to-length, and tree-length systems. Diagnosis methods and real-world Northeast examples.
Measuring effort with productive machine hours. Site productivity assessment. Stem size, basal area, and loads-per-acre tables for practical planning.
What to change, what to change to, and how to cause the change. Concrete first steps including setting up throughput accounting with the PATH spreadsheet.
Extensive reference tables for whole-tree, cut-to-length, and tree-length systems. Feller-buncher, grapple skidder, forwarder, and harvesting productivity indices.
A single book
Thousands per year
None
If you implement even one concept from this book, it pays for itself. A 5–10% productivity increase translates to thousands annually. At 30%, potentially tens of thousands.
Get the book. Find your bottleneck. Make more with what you already have.
Buy from the Northeastern Loggers’ Association