single tree selection

[Donn Hewes]

Yesterday I took down a large Sugar Maple that had lost half it’s top. It was about 24 ” at the butt and about 65 years old. It also had a bit of rot at the base due to an early sucker that it rapped around. I am still pretty new to the open face, hinge, and latch method of falling, but the tree came down right were I wanted it to. It was still standing vertical when I was done cutting. I think my hinge was a tiny bit too wide in spots, and my plunge cuts did not match perfectly. After adding another wedge and hitting them I just touched it with the saw in front of the hinge and it started to come down. Here are a few pictures of felling the tree.

Hopefully in the next few days I will skid one saw log and a couple fire wood logs out. I guess we have a little weather on the way! On another note my friends are all scrounging up cones to practice for the great log skidding contest. My strategy is to just keep skidding firewood. I plan to take my little mare with a for sale sign on her.. and win some ribbons!

[Carl Russell]

So funny. I kept reading to find out the process you go through to select the right single-tree for skidding wood. Oh yeah I’m a forester too.

Carl

[Tim Harrigan]

I was hoping to see it leaving under that new arch.

[Donn Hewes]

I wanted photos too; unfortunately I just pulled them up the hill through heavy wet snow with no one to take a picture. The arch is really working good now. I can still see little tweaks, but it was easier to hook and unhook today and the bead in the center of the runner worked great. The arch is 4″ taller and I made it so the arch doesn’t tip over backward but may be just an inch past vertical. I made it so it only tips forward to about 45 degrees. Still need to put a seat on it. The butt log I cut was 16′. I probably pulled it close to a half mile, but I stopped three times.

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