Logging Ends
So in less than 3 weeks, we’ve managed to sustainably harvest our property’s standing timber. We feel very pleased with the entire process. It was many months in the planning and was somewhat stressful, but the end result was a healthier forest, new roads and mobility across the land and some profit. We will follow some of our timber to the mill and see the various products that our land will produce. Some of the trees will be turned into furniture, tool handles and baseball bats. Some will be made into construction materials for cabinets and solid doors. Some ot it will be turned into pulp for paper and firewood.
So in less than 3 weeks, we’ve managed to sustainably harvest our property’s standing timber. We feel very pleased with the entire process. It was many months in the planning and was somewhat stressful, but the end result was a healthier forest, new roads and mobility across the land and some profit. We will follow some of our timber to the mill and see the various products that our land will produce. Some of the trees will be turned into furniture, tool handles and baseball bats. Some will be made into construction materials for cabinets and solid doors. Some ot it will be turned into pulp for paper and firewood.
Because our land was able to provide quite a variety of species, our trees will be suited for a wide array of products. Our beloved, but doomed white ashes (remember the invasive emerald ash borer from a previous post?) are preferred for tool handles and baseball bats, because the wood is light but very resilient and strong. Our hard maples are best suited for furniture and veneers. The hemlocks we harvested can be used for tannin for leather curing.
In all, we culled a few hundred mature trees which will yield about 38,000 board feet of finished wood products. The largest percentage of this was white ash, which we cut more heavily because of the emerald ash borer.
In all, we culled a few hundred mature trees which will yield about 38,000 board feet of finished wood products. The largest percentage of this was white ash, which we cut more heavily because of the emerald ash borer.
Samples of Ash, Maple, Cherry, Hemlock, Birch and Beech. Notice the different grains, colors and textures.
Within 20 years, the DEC told us, our ashes would probably have been wiped out). The next highest was hard maple and cherry. The remaining balance consisted of soft maple, birch, hemlock, basswood and beech.
Now our share of the work begins. Our new roads are basically bare earth, as the skidders swept them clear by dragging the trees to the landings. There are many stretches that will need to be seeded to prevent erosion. There are stray rocks and large branches that will need to be put to the side. We use our roads for atvs, snowmobiles and occasionally horses, so hitting a rock hidden by undergrowth or snow at speed, is not good!
Despite all the effort, our woods do not look much different than before the harvest. We did not do any clear cutting, so the forest canopy is intact and it is hard to tell that so many trees were taken. Which is the result we wanted.
Now our share of the work begins. Our new roads are basically bare earth, as the skidders swept them clear by dragging the trees to the landings. There are many stretches that will need to be seeded to prevent erosion. There are stray rocks and large branches that will need to be put to the side. We use our roads for atvs, snowmobiles and occasionally horses, so hitting a rock hidden by undergrowth or snow at speed, is not good!
Despite all the effort, our woods do not look much different than before the harvest. We did not do any clear cutting, so the forest canopy is intact and it is hard to tell that so many trees were taken. Which is the result we wanted.
RSS Feed