Getting my 25 acre wood lot timbered this winter

[xraydaniel]

This is a second home in a rural area so not there all the time. What makes me more incensed is being 99% sure who stole the logs, but according to the police, "no eye witness, no case". Keeps me awake at night sometimes.

There is the eye for eye option with a covert operation of course.

 

[xraydaniel]

Sorry guys I’ve been busy! Landing pics you saw from Thanksgiving and first cut started 2 Fridays ago. Oaks are about 70 y/o with a rough ring count. Cordwood pile next to the oak and across it is the ewp. This is just the first slow week’s cut. My logger will be there until March at least.

 

[xraydaniel]

Apparently the ewp has alot of beetle damage.

 

[xraydaniel]

My logger with his Clark skidder. He’s got an ASV too and will bring in the fellerbuncher soon. It’s still a selective cut with pretty spaced out timber. I marked a few extra high grade oak on top of the mostly low grade cuts.

 

[Brufab]

Sweet pics! Looks like a good time over there.

 

[slowp]

Reminds me of how much I hate the big landings needed because self loader flatbed log trucks, get used instead of piggyback log trucks. I tried, but I could not convert the loggers there to our PNW ways of doing things... Piggy back trucks, loaders (or frequent self loader trips) and small landings make for more growing ground for trees.,,

I'm a fan of small landings.

 

[xraydaniel]

Reminds me of how much I hate the big landings needed because self loader flatbed log trucks, get used instead of piggyback log trucks. I tried, but I could not convert the loggers there to our PNW ways of doing things... Piggy back trucks, loaders (or frequent self loader trips) and small landings make for more growing ground for trees.,,

I'm a fan of small landings.

Would you call that a small or large landing? I have no clue.

 

[northmanlogging]

Would you call that a small or large landing? I have no clue.

for a self loader west coast truck, thats a massive landing. (which isn't necessarilly a bad thing... beats loading next to a house and over the neighbors cars...)

for a typical east coast hay rack truck, its pretty small.

for a normal west coast truck its still on the big side, but not terribly so.

 

[SweetMK]

I did the EXACT opposite of what the OP is doing,,
I clear cut 30 acres, and select cut about 3 acres.

I started by putting the timber out for bids, and I learned much,,
I was in no rush, it took 2 years for me to get my required price the the wood.

I made a deal with a forester, you have so many months to sell, or the deal is off.
He failed to get within 2/3 of my set minimum. So, I said no sale,, to him.

Then, out of the blue, 2 years later (2016) a company drove up my driveway with a blank check,, on a Saturday morning.
He asked me what he was to write on the check,, I told him the #,, he wrote the check.
No lawyer, no forester, just a handshake,, and a check,,
I cashed it (deposited) first thing Monday morning,,
By 10:00 A.M, the equipment was coming up the driveway.

Two different state foresters had told me, and showed me that the forest was mature
the best approach was clear cut.

I could write a best seller on what we went through to sell the timber.
It was fun, I was retired, did not need to sell, and waited for a golden opportunity.
It came,,
They took 160 loads of wood, we took a pic of each and every load,,

The logger had a D7 there, and he left me MANY new ATV trails, that I had not ever dreamed of.
My grandchildren love to come ride the trails.

If you are REALLY bored, you can watch the video we used to sell the timber,,
I do not think a video had been used before, many of the guys bidding told me they enjoyed it,,

 

[slowp]

A yarder landing. This is downhill yarding and is not usually done because downhill yarding is slow--production can be cut in half, more dangerous, and requires a good yarder engineer. This is a good landing--fairly small, yet meets safety standards. For downhill yarding, it is best that the ground flattens out before hitting the landing or chances are the yarder will take a beating as well as it not being too safe. This landing is just a turnout in the road. The logtruck turns around somewhere down the road, backs in, and the loader takes the trailer off and it is hooked up on the landing. Ideally, we don't make landings for decking logs, we make them just big enough to be safe and get logs on trucks.

 

[slowp]

A landing on a busy, for there, road. See the log truck waiting while the one is getting loaded.

 

[xraydaniel]

The cut is still on but the window for cordage and a wetland crossing has closed due to missing the 2 week freeze. The cutting plan is good until 1/2024 so we will have another go next year. That stand was not very valuable anyways. One load was taken end of last week. Still about 15 acres to work through.

 

[Brufab]

I feel ya we have 40 acres with a river that splits the property were getting some logged out in the future, trouble is alot is bottomland and floods, they said they would lay a flatbed trailer over the river. River goes from about 20-25' wide 3' deep to 180' wide and 12' deep. When flooded the water is above the footbridge. The river is between the two cement piers.

 

[xraydaniel]

I feel ya we have 40 acres with a river that splits the property were getting some logged out in the future, trouble is alot is bottomland and floods, they said they would lay a flatbed trailer over the river. River goes from about 20-25' wide 3' deep to 180' wide and 12' deep. When flooded the water is above the footbridge. The river is between the two cement piers. View attachment 965029View attachment 965028

Wetlands can be a pain in the butt when there’s one lone fairy shrimp or plant found there deeming it a vernal pool or otherwise. This was going to be one of the crossings but a certified vernal pool is in right behind that pallet. Now instead of that crossing the DCR forester wants the slid path to cross about 3 large wetlands with about 3ft deep muck making a much more difficult path. Smh

That’s false green hellebore also known as Indian poke.

 

[Brufab]

The only thing the forester guy said is if they fell a tree in the river that's big trouble for them. He walked the property with us and explained everything. But I have heard stories that it only takes one place or something to mess things up.

 

[xraydaniel]

New skid path being cut onto the ridge.

 

[Brufab]

Nice! reminds me of the one me and my dad cut into his 2.5 are build site we logged. If you look closely you can see the birch tree on the right is still there. Not a 25 acre operation but we felt pretty proud ourselves from the start to finish on 2.5 acres.

 

[xraydaniel]

Nice! reminds me of the one me and my dad cut into his 2.5 are build site we logged. If you look closely you can see the birch tree on the right is still there. Not a 25 acre operation but we felt pretty proud ourselves from the start to finish on 2.5 acres.View attachment 966338View attachment 966339

Did you chip it all or burn the slash?

 

[Brufab]

Burnt most of it. Saved some for firewood, and had a pro logger come in and take some monster oaks and some real straight popple trees which paid for the 30' culvert pipe and driveway entrance and some driveway gravel. Probly had about 30 monster brushpiles and burnt alot of firewood maybe 15 cords I'm guessing. We picked the lot clean of all sticks and dead fall and flush cut anything 10" and under. The excavator guys never seen something so clean before after we were done. They dug a hole and put all the big stumps in it and got about 20-30 yards of fill dirt

 

[xraydaniel]

Last loads for the season. Next winter we may address another stand beyond a wetland crossing.