Question about cutting trees for firewood.

[eugene kirkvold]

I goofed when I said if you leave the hinge on the right it will fall to the right and vice versa the right way is if you leave the hinge on the right side it wil fall to the right and left side it will fall to the left I admit I goofed on my first post but I would but I would rather correct myself than have someone get hurt sorry for the mistake on writing the first post on this matter

 

[slowp]

DON'T take advice from a newbie to this forum!

Let me see, when cutting live trees, what is the desired outcome of the patch of trees you are working in? It can't be profit yet, or else the trees would be sold for lumber. What does the owner want?

A quickie lesson on thinning. There is thinning from below, which is what you do to keep the good trees growing. Cut the smaller, slower growing, deformed, or damaged trees. Be careful not to damage the leave trees--the ones left to grow to the final crop. Damage causes defect which will lessen the value of the tree when a commercial cut is done.

There is thinning from above, where you cut the tallest, biggest trees and hope the smaller ones will take off growing with the extra light and moisture available after the dominant trees are cut.

Then we get into thinning for a basal area volume, and that requires a bit more thinking, so I won't go into it.

Use wedges!! You'll have to do directional falling to minimize damage to the leave trees. Start on the edge, or next to an opening and aim your trees to that opening so they aren't falling through clumps of leave trees and hanging up. Then work your way into the area, aiming trees to the more open area.

It helps to get some flagging and figure out where your skidding trails (where you will be driving your tractor) will be so you can also fall trees towards that. More directional falling--more wedging, and less damage done during skidding.

I thought that the fallers here would hate thinnings. Nope. The good ones say they like thinning work. It takes more skill to get the trees on the ground without damaging the leave trees. It makes it more "interesting".

Time for a picture. This is my doing, I am not a faller, the stump is too high, but since it was a firewood tree, I gunned it towards the most open part, cut the stump high, and then cut the stump lower after falling. Most of the trees hung up as it was a tight place to fall trees, and they were limblocked. We pulled those down with a long chain and tractor.


This is a professional job.

During skidding--professional job.


This last photo makes me think of something else. In this part of the country, we risk losing more trees to blowdown for a few years after thinning, or until the crowns close up more. We usually luck out, but that's something else to consider.

 

[madhatte]

Always like seeing that second pic. Those guys did a great job. Nice skips and gaps, little damage to the residual stand, consistent lead. Can't ask for much more.

 

[Nuzzy]

one word of advice from an experienced logger when I fell a tree I hardly ever use a wedge.Why because I flat cut them and have more control over derection
of fall. when you flat cut you only go about 1 inch obove higher on the back cut than the front cut. . .

Out of curiosity, when you say, "hardly ever use a wedge," do you mean you rarely pound plastic wedges to redistribute weight or that you avoid cutting a wedge for a face cut and instead opt to make two flat felling cuts (one horizontal for a face and one horizontal 1 inch higher for a backcut)?

 

[Gologit]

one word of advice from an experienced logger when I fell a tree I hardly ever use a wedge.Why because I flat cut them and have more control over derection
.

Wedges work. Most "experienced loggers" know that. Maybe the trees you cut are different...maybe they're little bitty trees that a wedge wouldn't fit in... but I've always had good results in directional falling with wedges. Most people with real experience use them when it's called for.

 

[Gologit]

Out of curiosity, when you say, "hardly ever use a wedge," do you mean you rarely pound plastic wedges to redistribute weight or that you avoid cutting a wedge for a face cut and instead opt to make two flat felling cuts (one horizontal for a face and one horizontal 1 inch higher for a backcut)?

Good question. I didn't read your post until after I'd typed mine. If he's stump jumping his trees I hope they're about the size of chop-sticks. If he's cutting anything bigger than that with farmer cuts he's a very lucky man indeed to have lived as long as he has.

 

[Nuzzy]

Good question. I didn't read your post until after I'd typed mine. If he's stump jumping his trees I hope they're about the size of chop-sticks. If he's cutting anything bigger than that with farmer cuts he's a very lucky man indeed to have lived as long as he has.

His post read a bit ambiguously, so I figured I should clarify. Either way, it's... But just how much...

 

[greendohn]

Lots and lots of blow downs so rarely drop trees, as mentioned before, clean up the blowdowns 1st.
Clean up the brush and make tight brush piles for the critters, if you can.
Avoid encouraging erosion with your equipment or dragging tree if you're dragging them.
Don't bomb other tree when you do fell one, as mentioned.

Be safe!!

 

[Trx250r180]

Wedges work. Most "experienced loggers" know that. Maybe the trees you cut are different...maybe they're little bitty trees that a wedge wouldn't fit in... but I've always had good results in directional falling with wedges. Most people with real experience use them when it's called for.

Now you tell me ..............stupid wind

 

[slowp]

Always like seeing that second pic. Those guys did a great job. Nice skips and gaps, little damage to the residual stand, consistent lead. Can't ask for much more.

You can ask for one more thing, which they did, and that is, when something is questionable or doesn't seem quite right, stop cutting and get "the forester" (where's that coffee cup emoticon?) out on the ground. They did, and saved themselves down time and fines and all the unpleasant stuff. In other words, they were good to work with.

 

[Gologit]

Now you tell me ..............stupid wind View attachment 353424

Tell 'em you did that on purpose 'cause you needed a springboard.

 

[mdavlee]

Dang you guys. Someone dug up a 4 year old thread. Wedges is what you eat with your hot dog. Duh

 

[Gologit]

Dang you guys. Someone dug up a 4 year old thread. Wedges is what you eat with your hot dog. Duh

Or you can carry a few in your back pocket...just to look salty.

 

[treeslayer2003]

one word of advice from an experienced logger when I fell a tree I hardly ever use a wedge.Why because I flat cut them and have more control over derection
of fall. when you flat cut you only go about 1 inch obove higher on the back cut than the front cut. if you leave a hinge on the right side the tree will fall to the left and vice a versa. Felling tree is dangerous work even for an experienced person like me be carefull out there and falling trees is no place to be in a hurry im 65 now and don't like to do any more than I have to because I cant move away as fast as I used to but have falled thousands of trees in the past did I ever get hurt yes I did and was layed up for 3 wks as I was felling a tree and a suddon gust of wind came up unexpectedly and pushed the tree into a croch of an other tree the butt of the tree I was felling came off the ground and caught me under my belly and rode the but of that tree 20 feet backwards luckily there were no trees behind me or would have been crushed It didn't break any bones but I screwed up my knee and it still bothers me today 24 yrs later so be carefull out there and if you deside to use my way of felling do some small trees first until you get the hang of it and catch on and I assume no responsibility for my advice you do it at your own risk this method has worked for me for yrs but dont continue if you are uncomfortable with it.Every one has their own way of doing things so do whats best for you. have a nice day God bless happy felling.

hello and welcome to the forum.
there are alot of fallers and loggers here, so ya might want to think about what your saying before you type. sounds like you do alot of slick stumping, there is two or three here that do that but please be very carfull about telling folks about it as you never know how much expieriance the reader has.
tell us some about yourself.........you are a logger? from where? i bet ya southern. what do ya cut alot of? how are your markets?
ya may want to look around the logging section and start a thread there.
don't mind the PNW folks, they are surely nice folks but they will call ya on bad advice. look around and chat a bit, youll find a place here.

 

[Hedgerow]

Dang you guys. Someone dug up a 4 year old thread. Wedges is what you eat with your hot dog. Duh

Most of the garbage I gotta cut ain't got room for a face, a bar, and a wedge...
Pick any 2...
Besides, wedges are bland... And just cause they may be blue, don't mean they're blueberry flavored...

 

[mdavlee]

I learned a nice trick of boring through the back to make room for a wedge after you face cut the small stuff and then nip the sides. You can back cut first if need be.

 

[slowp]

I learned a nice trick of boring through the back to make room for a wedge after you face cut the small stuff and then nip the sides. You can back cut first if need be.

This is true.

 

[northmanlogging]

one word of advice from an experienced logger when I fell a tree I hardly ever use a wedge.Why because I flat cut them and have more control over derection
of fall. when you flat cut you only go about 1 inch obove higher on the back cut than the front cut. if you leave a hinge on the right side the tree will fall to the left and vice a versa. Felling tree is dangerous work even for an experienced person like me be carefull out there and falling trees is no place to be in a hurry im 65 now and don't like to do any more than I have to because I cant move away as fast as I used to but have falled thousands of trees in the past did I ever get hurt yes I did and was layed up for 3 wks as I was felling a tree and a suddon gust of wind came up unexpectedly and pushed the tree into a croch of an other tree the butt of the tree I was felling came off the ground and caught me under my belly and rode the but of that tree 20 feet backwards luckily there were no trees behind me or would have been crushed It didn't break any bones but I screwed up my knee and it still bothers me today 24 yrs later so be carefull out there and if you deside to use my way of felling do some small trees first until you get the hang of it and catch on and I assume no responsibility for my advice you do it at your own risk this method has worked for me for yrs but dont continue if you are uncomfortable with it.Every one has their own way of doing things so do whats best for you. have a nice day God bless happy felling.

Notice the bit about the wind... and not using wedges, do the math, one wedge would have kept you out of the hospital...

Wedges are there to be used, they work and they work well, refusing to use them out of stubborn pride is just ignorance hiding behind bravado.

 

[Hedgerow]

I'd suggest for any firewood gathering, to go after low hanging fruit...
Anything already down or laying over..
If you got 15 acres of woods, there's a couple years worth of burning just begging to be cleaned up...
Next in line would be the standing dead.. But those come with their own set of hazards...
Be a good steward first, then actively manage the lot..

 

[Gologit]

I'd suggest for any firewood gathering, to go after low hanging fruit...
Anything already down or laying over..
If you got 15 acres of woods, there's a couple years worth of burning just begging to be cleaned up...
Next in line would be the standing dead.. But those come with their own set of hazards...
Be a good steward first, then actively manage the lot..

Exactly right.