Open Woods Day in Va.

[Gabe Ayers]

I don’t have any photos of this event on this computer as they were downloaded into the other HHFF computer which is on the way to the techno geek for a cleaning today. I will try to post a photo when I get it back.

We had three teams (Suffolk) on site and got out about 40 logs in addition to what the sawyer milled for us. We sawed Cherry and Black Locust (puesdo acacia). It was a success in that the weather was lovely and we had about 60 visitors to the site. It did lead to several landowners wanting our services and a couple of aspiring horse loggers coming to see the work to further inform their interests.

We did four up a big red oak that was 28 inches on the small end of a 12 foot log. Our team handled the log fine and could have gotten it out in time, it was just a long slightly uphill skid so we put a team out front and walked it to the landing.

This will be the last public event of the year for us and we are so thankful for all that attended our events in 2009. We will keep everyone on DAP posted on what we do next.

We do feel that this event was about community. The majority of the visitors were local or from within 50 miles of the site.

There will be an article coming out in Rural Heritage about SDAD and we have one coming out in DHJ spring issue about that event also.

I will write an article about our open woods day for RH also. Have to get the old computer back first to have some photos.

Thanks for all that each of you are doing to bring animal powered culture into the future.

Let us know if we can help in any way. Call in the evenings, about dark thirty or so – if you want to chat about anything related to this work and culture.

Sincerely,

[Scott G]

Glad it went well, Jason. Thanks for continuing to keep it in the public eye.

-Scott

[matt wny]

jason, i saw the article in the new RH about SDAD it sounded like you guys put on a very nice demonstration.maybe next year i can make the trip down to see how you guys do it.

[Gabe Ayers]

Matt,

Thanks for that comment sir. For us down here in Appalachia – the third world of America,the Rural Heritage Magzine hasn’t made it here yet. I know Joe put allot of time into this coverage and that he never spoke to or filmed me personally which I am very happy about. This group and our efforts are about much more than me, I just happen to be the oldest horse in this herd or one of, because I am not as old as Jimmy Brown or Mike Barrick. I would follow those old hands just about anywhere.

I look forward to seeing the pub.

Sincerely,

[Gabe Ayers]

Well, we have the old computer back on line so to speak and here is attached a photo of the landing at lunchtime. We were skidding out of a wooded section on a north face and were bringing logs across the face and down the edge the photographer was standing on. It was a one day deal and set up this way for the ease of the visitors. This piece of bottom ground is to wet to have enough access to be a full time landing or processing site.
We sawed about 1500 board feet of Cherry and harvested about 40 logs otherwise. We had three teams on site and mostly talked and visited with visitors. We did do a hillbilly four up on a 12 foot red oak butt log that was 28 inches on the little end… We just can’t get the truck in there to move it to the market in the current wet conditions.

We had around 50 – 60 folks throughout the course of the day, very good public attendance from our perspective. It lead to several more private forestland owners that wanted our services and at least two seriously interested potential practitioners.

I am currently writing an article about this event for RH. This is something each of the folks that are practicing restorative/improvement and therefore sustainable forestry could do if they want to find the best sites in their communities to work. It is about educating the landowners that they can have their cake and eat it to. They may manage their forests without destroying it, generate income while protecting aesthetic natural beauty. Maybe the LO’s get more involved in the management themselves by learning about special forest products and possible doing some of the TSI work themselves, harvest firewood for themselves and just generally enjoy their woods. We have reopened two old roads into a couple of woodlots on the property. These roads are just being used as skid trails at this point. Since this our winter worksite we will skid further to be sure to get the wood to the improved roadside and markets regardless of weather. You know what that means – within reason – if the weather gets so bad everything else shuts down so will we…

You may notice that the one team has the tongue on the ground, that’s the one without the d-ring harness…not ours…

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