Portable skidder bridges built by NCCC student available for rent

NEWPORT –Portable skidder bridges are available to rent in Orleans County by landowners and loggers.

The bridges are rented for a nominal fee by the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District (OCNRCD) in Newport.

They are designed and intended for use as temporary structures for crossing streams during logging operations, and are easy to transport, install and remove. 

When properly utilized, portable skidder bridges allow loggers to meet the “acceptable management practices” for timber harvesting.

The bridges help decrease the negative impacts to waterways by minimizing streambank and stream bed disturbances and by reducing sediment and debris from entering streams.

Phosphorus is bound onto sediments, and the transport of sediment to streams can directly harm fish habitats and diminish water quality.

The use of portable skidder bridges are increasingly popular with loggers and landowners, who realize the environmental and economic benefits. 

The Orleans County Portable Skidder Bridge Rental Program was started in 2009.

The bridge, built by students at the North Country Career Center in Newport, is 20 feet long by 12 feet wide and 10 inches thick, consisting of three 4’ x 20’ panels with weight limits.

It is stored at the Goodridge Lumber Yard in Albany.

Technical assistance on placement and use is available from the staff at the VT Forest Parks and Recreation.

Interested loggers and landowners should visit the Orleans County Conservation District office at 59 Waterfront Plaza in Newport, to discuss specific site conditions and needs.

You can also call the staff at 802-334-6090 x7008.

To rent the bridge, interested parties need to sign a renter’s agreement and pay a $100.00 deposit, refunded at the time of return.

A payment of $100.00 per month rental fee will be charged.