Hey..All you northwest guys!!!!

[Timberhauler]

I've been seeing pictures of some of the trees over there in things like the Bailey's catalog,pics on here and I have a ground guy that works for me that used to work for a logging outfit up in Oregon,there are also countless pictures at one of the sawmills we deal with of some of the trees out there.Here is what I am curious about.
The guy mentioned above always talks of the huge evergreen trees,I have rarely ever heard him mention anything about hardwoods.
Are there some patches of hardwoods out there as big as some of the evergreen trees I've seen?If so what kind of wood?..I ask this for a reason.
I regularly take down some of the biggest hardwoods in this area,I've taken down some as big as eight feet in diameter...24 to 36 inches is about average,we move trees like that week in and week out...And when using a long bar and full skip chain on some of these trees when I have to fall the whole tree there are certain kinds of trees that I cannot cut fast enough with this set-up before they start falling and cracking.This is usually the case when the tree has a lean in the direction of fall...If we're pulling it doesn't matter,then I can cut it like I want..
So instead of using a bar as big or bigger than the trunk of the tree,usually I use either a 28 or a 32 and full comp. chain..Then I bore cut and cut my way around the tree,well,I'm sure ya'll know the trick..The saws always seem to cut faster and more effective this way in hardwood,This way I can most always fall these monsters without ant splitting..This would include water oaks,live oaks,white oaks,red oaks,locust and poplar and occasionally a big Elm or sycamore tree..
So for some of you vet loggers out there,what types of big hardwoods do you have,and what set-up do you normally use to cut them?

 

[Timberhauler]

...C'mon Jeff,Gary,Randy or whoever else,surely someone can answer this.

 

[TimberPig]

Most of the western part of North America is predominantly conifers. Very few broadleaved (hardwood) species, with the main ones being aspen, birch, arbutus (madrone), some oak, and smaller amounts of others like willow etc. While individual specimens of these may get quite large, they are normally few and far between. The odds of running into large areas of very big hardwoods out here is pretty low. Lots of areas of big trees, but they are almost exclusively conifers.

 

[luckycutter]

In Oregon I have cut some maple around 5' at the base and a few oak trees around 4'. There are a few of these around, but rarely do they get that big. Most are in the 2'-4' range. I was not able to fall these trees as they were left after the soft woods were harvested and I was given the opportunity to cut them for firewood. My stock husky 272 ansd 32" bar was no speed demon, but did the job just fine. I am not that young, or dumb/desperate anymore so now I stick with the smaller and easier to work with trees for firewood. I have watched as some fallers had some hairy moments falling maples as they can easily split.

 

[Timberhauler]

I have watched as some fallers had some hairy moments falling maples as they can easily split.

And maple is one of the softer hardwoods.It doesn't even compare to white oak,red oak or water oak..I'm assuming they must have been big trees...I once went to fall a red oak that had a hard lean down a fairly steep hill..I had a 24 inch bar and was using a 371 husky.The tree had at least a 42 inch trunk and was well over 100 feet tall.I priced the job fairly cheap because I was planning to fetch over a grand for the wood..There was over 1000 Bd.Ft. of premium saw timber,and Red Oak pays the most of anything around here..I made sure my saw was as sharp as could be,and cut my rakers down to increase cutting speed.I cut my wedge and started into my back-cut,and had made my way about 3/4 of the way around the tree when it decided it wanted to go...It barber chaired about twenty feet up,and I ran out of the way as fast as I could leaving my brand new 371 behind..The thing slammed right back down onto the stump,my saw was still hung there and it literally tore it in half....This is when I decided to start using the biggest saws that one could buy..Had I gone another five to six inches with the cut,I would have been OK...This in particular and a few other occurances are why I brought this up.

 

[Frank Boyer]

Nothern and Central CA have a lot of Oak and Madrone. Once in a while an oak will get to 6-7 feet . Most oaks are in the 2-4 ' range.

 

[ValleyO'Giants]

I've seen a few big oaks round my parts...
Laying on the ground after our last wind storm.
I think the ground is too wet (Rain) and soft to support a big hardwood here in the Oregon coast range.
I have seen a few maples, thought not too big.

 

[Cedarkerf]

Big maple most common around here Ive taken some 5-6ft but not really the rule. As you go south into Oregon you see more Oak but not giants by any standard. As stated earlier lots of evergreens. Washington the evergreen state is our official motto.Quite a bit of Madrone but usually not all that big.

 

[Timberhauler]

I've seen a few big oaks round my parts...
Laying on the ground after our last wind storm.
I think the ground is too wet (Rain) and soft to support a big hardwood here in the Oregon coast range.
I have seen a few maples, thought not too big.

That is another thing,as I have seen perfectly healthy oak trees around here just up-root and fall over if we have a wet spell that last long enough.

 

[stihl 440]

trees

And maple is one of the softer hardwoods.It doesn't even compare to white oak,red oak or water oak..I'm assuming they must have been big trees...I once went to fall a red oak that had a hard lean down a fairly steep hill..I had a 24 inch bar and was using a 371 husky.The tree had at least a 42 inch trunk and was well over 100 feet tall.I priced the job fairly cheap because I was planning to fetch over a grand for the wood..There was over 1000 Bd.Ft. of premium saw timber,and Red Oak pays the most of anything around here..I made sure my saw was as sharp as could be,and cut my rakers down to increase cutting speed.I cut my wedge and started into my back-cut,and had made my way about 3/4 of the way around the tree when it decided it wanted to go...It barber chaired about twenty feet up,and I ran out of the way as fast as I could leaving my brand new 371 behind..The thing slammed right back down onto the stump,my saw was still hung there and it literally tore it in half....This is when I decided to start using the biggest saws that one could buy..Had I gone another five to six inches with the cut,I would have been OK...This in particular and a few other occurances are why I brought this up.

That's why trees like that I borecut then leave strap then cut strap after done finishing up the hingewood. And the biggest oaks up here red and white get from 5-7.5 ft across. Poplars also get this big up here too. I've heard rumor's of another logging company that cut a red oak that was old growth and 11ft dia. at base. But they had to leave it in the woods because their 170 couldn't pull it. I don't know if it was true or not, could be though. They said it was in state forest land and was 2 mile into the woods. Normal oaks get from 1.5-4ft at base. Biggest one I cut was a 5 foot red oak. I also have a 5 ft white oak on another job I am going to be doing. I'll have pics when I do it.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

I just cut hardwoods (white oak, black oak, live oak and madrones) just to get them out of the way - for safety reasons.
There is really not much of a market in N. Calif for hardwoods, Oregon is a different story though. Not sure about WA.

 

[Cedarkerf]

Used to send a lot of Alder out to the mills. That was a few years ago tho. Alder is a very soft hardwood

 

[Timberhauler]

That's why trees like that I borecut then leave strap then cut strap after done finishing up the hingewood. And the biggest oaks up here red and white get from 5-7.5 ft across. Poplars also get this big up here too. I've heard rumor's of another logging company that cut a red oak that was old growth and 11ft dia. at base. But they had to leave it in the woods because their 170 couldn't pull it. I don't know if it was true or not, could be though. They said it was in state forest land and was 2 mile into the woods. Normal oaks get from 1.5-4ft at base. Biggest one I cut was a 5 foot red oak. I also have a 5 ft white oak on another job I am going to be doing. I'll have pics when I do it.

I leave a strap like that when I cut big water oaks or white oaks especially.They seem the most prone to splitting....I've got a four foot diameter poplar to cut pretty soon that is nearly 200 feet tall,and the only option is to drop it between two houses because the top is so dead,all of us are afraid to climb it....I'm looking forward to that job.I'll be posting pics of it

 

[Gologit]

If we're doing a clear cut the hardwoods,usually oak, will almost always go to the chipper. Sometimes commercial firewood cutters will bid on a deck but it's usually so far back in the brush and in such steep country that they don't make out on it.

 

[Timberhauler]

If we're doing a clear cut the hardwoods,usually oak, will almost always go to the chipper. Sometimes commercial firewood cutters will bid on a deck but it's usually so far back in the brush and in such steep country that they don't make out on it.

Hmmm,thats a shame....Around here,hardwood = big money

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Hmmm,thats a shame....Around here,hardwood = big money

You guys get your fir from the west and we get our hardwood from the east.

 

[Timberhauler]

You guys get your fir from the west and we get our hardwood from the east.

I guess maybe I'm oblivious to certain things,but this is the first time I've ever heard this.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

I guess maybe I'm oblivious to certain things,but this is the first time I've ever heard this.

Probably because I was making a joke.

 

[Gologit]

Hmmm,thats a shame....Around here,hardwood = big money

:hmm3grin2orange: Around here hardwood=firewood. Softwood=almost enough money.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Maple is about all you'll really see here, and it's not usually ever "logged." A gypo buddy of mine used to deal in high grade hardwood from around here. Selectively falling/selling individual trees from amongst the timber. Timber in quantity is the name of the game around here-Fir, cedar, hemlock, did I mention fir? You'll see a truck of alder here and there if you want to call that "hardwood." It's got leaves at least. It's getting more popular.

There's madrona, but no one messes with it. Not worth anything beyond firewood, and too much hassle to stack/load/haul. We do have the state champion here in town though, and a perfectly straight, 4' dbh mandrona not a block away from it. Two cool trees. Beyond that, it's a nuciance.

Oh yeah, we've got cottonwood too, but can you say "absofrigginlutely worthless?"

Jeff