Mature Oil Palm Trees

Oil Palm Trees require replanting every  20  to 25 years.  At this stage the average height  ranges from 7 to 10 meters, average diameter ranges from 450 to 650 mm. 

Land Clearing during Replanting

Current practice is to to fell the tree, debole the trunk, detach fronds from crown, then "chip and stack" the entire remaining trunk. The "chip and stack" practice has following disadvantages to the plantation:-

• Time and Cost incurred for "chip and stack" of trunks.
• Chipped material becomes breeding ground for pests.
• Ganoderma infected tissues remains ​  within field.
• More skilled labour needed to keep chip thickness below 4 inches.
• More wear and tear to excavator from hammering action when chipping.

Removing Oil Palm Trunks

With the TrunkbusterTM machine, plantations now can overcome problems caused by "chip and stack" practice. Removing the trunk section from fields has following advantages to the plantation:-

• Reduced Time and Cost if no "chip and stack".
• No chipping reduces pest breeding   ground, reduces pest control costs.
• Infected Ganoderma tissue completely removed out of field.
• Less skilled labour required for land clearing.
• Less wear and tear to excavator reduces maintenance downtime, increasing productivity of excavators in field.

​Removed trunks can be pulverized in a factory for further down stream processing.