Started planning this winter's cutting

[Steve NW WI]

I got the itch to go walk in the woods this afternoon, so I grabbed a can of bright yellow paint at the store and started marking this winter's victims, since I'm never quite sure how bad a tree is once the leaves are down.

I also looked them over real well and painted a big arrow on any "danger" trees, just in case I'm not paying full attention when I'm cutting.

In all, I probably marked 50 trees in about a 5 acre corner of my woods before I ran out of paint, lots of red oak and ironwood, some elm, and a couple maples and birches, pretty much my standard mix.

Right now, I'm, cleaning up all the blocks and such that are cluttering up the yard, and I'll hopefully be cutting earlier than usual this year. I normally start about 12-1, right after deer season, but if it snows before then, I'll "lose" a bunch of wood that's laying on the ground, so I'll start with that first, hopefully in mid-September, and have a real good start on some new trails and such before the snow flies and I start skidding the big stuff out.

Anyone have a different color of paint that they prefer? Yellow is OK, but doesn't stand out quite as well as I hoped. Of course my surface preparation left a bit to be desired!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Circle B MN]

I do the same and use the blaze orange surveyors paint. Seems to work rather well. I cut, split, and hauled out a cord Friday when it was cool, but it looks lke anything I do the rest of this week will be on a smaller scale because of the the temps.

 

[wdchuck]

Bright orange has worked well in the past.

The defect arrow is a good idea.

 

[beerman6]

I use caution tape,tie it around and leave a tail.

 

[Slick]

Blue stands out the best in the woods I think...not a coincidence that Husky uses blue and orange for clothing...got that tip from some felling/cutting book I read. The guy painted his ax and any tools he brought to the woods blue. He had a clip in the book from a swedish forestly report that tested and found that blue stands out best in the woods...makes sense, there is tons of yellow/red/orange in the woods in the fall...when is there ever blue??

 

[Woodcutteranon]

I have three rules when it comes to Elm Trees

1. Never cut down a live elm. Its bad enough what those darn Dutch did to them.

2. If you don't have to split the logs...bring them home

3. If you have to split the logs...don't bring them home

 

[chemist]

If you cutting in the winter, the yellow will stand out more when all the leaves are down and it is mostly contrasted against browns...

blaze orange is better for year round marking visibility, especially in the fall when there is more color variation in the leaves...

 

[Steve NW WI]

I have three rules when it comes to Elm Trees

1. Never cut down a live elm. Its bad enough what those darn Dutch did to them.

2. If you don't have to split the logs...bring them home

3. If you have to split the logs...don't bring them home

All the elms I will be cutting are victims of D E D. No trouble splitting with my splitter. My rule is if it dies, it burns. I shot another vid of some elm crotches getting resized yesterday, will try to get it onto youtube tonight after work.

 

[Beefie]

I have three rules when it comes to Elm Trees

1. Never cut down a live elm. Its bad enough what those darn Dutch did to them.

2. If you don't have to split the logs...bring them home

3. If you have to split the logs...don't bring them home

:agree2: with the first two but i disagree with the third. HAVE YOU SEEN STEVE'S SPlITER. Nothing is stoping that thing.

Beefie

 

[Woodcutteranon]

:agree2: with the first two but i disagree with the third. HAVE YOU SEEN STEVE'S SPlITER. Nothing is stoping that thing.

Beefie

I'm sure your right. I do most my splitting by hand and only borrow a splitter once a year.

Here is an entry to my blog on furnaces. It is about the elm tree. I haven't been active on this blog since Feb when I got the flu. I will fire this back up once the snow flies. Let me know what you think.



http://ohiowoodburnerowb.blogspot.com/2009/01/splitting-elm.html

Thanks

 

[Beefie]

I read your blog Woodcutteranon. I can see why you dislike large Elm rounds. Did you ever try noodling the rounds into smaller chunks. I had to do that on some 41" Elm rounds just to get them so I could lift them. They will go on the splitter this fall. I am a big fan of elm Most of the locale farmers let me cut on there fence lines to clean up all the dead elm. It sure burns nice.

Steve , I think that wood cutting season is going to start before deer season this year. According to the farmers almanac It sounds like more cold and snow. Make as many trails as you can to get out as much as you can before were up to are butts in snow.

Beefie

 

[YCSTEVE]

I did the same thing this weekend. It was cool in the morning so I went for a 4wheeler ride. I saw several nice trees that I will make in to firewood this winter. After first frost when the ticks are dead and the grass/weeds die out to where I can get down there I will cut them up and haul them out.

 

[Highbeam]

Blue paint is great in the woods. Second only to orange. All flourescent/safety/ bright colors of course.

 

[wdchuck]

The logging companies around here use blue.

Just one dot on two sides, that's it, and it does stand out nicely yearround, and for more than two years.

Had some turqoise laying around, and it does well also.

Seafoam green, notsomuch.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Blue stands out the best in the woods I think...makes sense, there is tons of yellow/red/orange in the woods in the fall...when is there ever blue??

Blue seems popular, I'll give it a try also.

If you cutting in the winter, the yellow will stand out more when all the leaves are down and it is mostly contrasted against browns...

blaze orange is better for year round marking visibility, especially in the fall when there is more color variation in the leaves...

I'm gonna try a can of blaze orange as well, just an informal test. I have my wedge driving stub handled mall painted Chevy orange and it shows up well in the snow, not quite as good in a pile of leaves.

Steve , I think that wood cutting season is going to start before deer season this year. According to the farmers almanac It sounds like more cold and snow. Make as many trails as you can to get out as much as you can before were up to are butts in snow.

Let it snow, I need to get the rust off the tire chains for the tractors, haven't had them on in 3-4 years now, this part of the state has been way down the food chain snow-wise for the last few years, especially compared to the last couple winters southern WI has had. It does burn quite a bit of diesel plowing a 1/2 mile road to the woods and a landing with the loader, though.

I did the same thing this weekend. It was cool in the morning so I went for a 4wheeler ride.

I scout a bit on the ATV as well, but you will notice a lot more while walking. You don't have to pay nearly as much attention to where you're going, and you don't travel the same routes.

Blue paint is great in the woods. Second only to orange. All flourescent/safety/ bright colors of course.

A theme seems to be developing here...

The logging companies around here use blue.

Just one dot on two sides, that's it, and it does stand out nicely yearround, and for more than two years.

Had some turqoise laying around, and it does well also.

Seafoam green, notsomuch.

So I just HAVE to ask, what the heck are you doing with seafoam green paint???

 

[Steve NW WI]

http://ohiowoodburnerowb.blogspot.com/2009/01/splitting-elm.html

Thanks

You have a way with words, cutter. Keep us updated here when you add more. I enjoy good storytelling, and yours is decidedly that.

I drug up my old videos of splitting elm for you, and added anew one from this weekend. It's titled "How to Split Elm". I like elm for firewood, it gives me a bit of a challenge trying to make a decent looking split out of it, and some of the standing dead is nearly ready for the stove as soon as it hits the ground.

D E D came through here again recently, and there are thousands of standing dead around, but quite a few still healthy, so I think some have gained some immunity to it. They are a very nice shade tree, and I'll normally leave them grow on the fence lines, as the branches don't hang out and attack machinery like many species do.

 

[GrizzlyAdams86]

I've just been using a can of leftover yellow spray paint I had laying around to mark the trees. But all of the rainfall we've had around here has turned the land I usually cut on into soggy mess, especially on the trails. It's mostly bottom land along a creek and I don't want to lose woodcutting privledges there (it's my friend's land) so I haven't cut wood there for about 3 weeks.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Blue seems popular, I'll give it a try also.

There actually *is* a national timber marking paint code. I see it in use around here, not really sure how long it's been around but I reckon over time you'll see all foresters using it when they plan timber sales.

Just something to keep in mind if you're considering a timber sale in the next few years, or if there's a timber sale going on adjacent to you so there isn't color-confusion between the two.

Cut Trees: Blue, Yellow, Green
Leave Trees: Orange
Cultural Resources: White
Wildlife Reservation: White
Cutting Boundary: Orange
Cancel Prior Work: Black
Property Lines: Red

The foresters mark the tree at eye height, plus the base of the stump. Then they count up marked stumped after the harvest to make sure there was no cheating. Some of the cuts around here they just mark the boundaries and the loggers clear everything above a certain size not otherwise marked to keep.

(And yes, I am a Cliff Claven full of semi-useful trivia)

 

[ProMac1K]

This summer i've tested White, Gray, Silver, Yellow, Orange, Red, Medium Blue and Dark Blue. I think that's it. The first three i'd skip, as well as Dark Blue. Yellow was alright, with Red being better. Orange, and Medium Blue (like the WesSpur ad box above) took the cake and pretty much tied. I've even gone so far as to be fussy about brands. I could just go out and get the Rudd paint, but I didn't want to buy a case at a time. I found a brand that I had in orange, I liked the way it applied, and then bought some more of that and some blue. I like them both, followed by a gloss Red, then Hot Rod Yellow!

Heck, carry four colors. I've done that on a couple trees for testing, and you can't miss them. Unfortunately, I think I plan on leaving those trees now. At least i'll have reminder of all this.

 

[goof008]

I went out and marked all the live trees I want to take this fall/winter. I need to mark all the standing dead I didn't get too this summer so I can take them first.