Timber stand improvement or sport tree felling?

Granted it's a matter of number and statistics with accidents.

However I am beginning to believe the more experienced one is at felling and knowing ones limitations, the safer it is. Felling is probably not a wise idea for a novice who runs a saw once a year. The probability of mishap goes up exponentially with problems trees.

 

The way this wood is you can't just cut them willy nilly or you would have a huge mess with cut ones hung up in live ones that may or may not have to come down. Lanes have to be made to facilitate getting them all down. It's kind of like a puzzle. Even though there is a skids steer with a grapple on it and chain, I worked by myself away from everyone else. I am more comfortable like that and didn't have to use the skid steer once.

 

Yesterday I was talking to an old timer who is very conservation minded. (He was at my house helping me set up blue bird house, he is an expert)

I digress, anyway he said the woods I am describing were pastured at one time and then left fallow. The trash trees take advantage of this and get established before any hardwoods have a chance. He said this is exactly what happens without a forestry plan and proper timber management.

 

Yup if you value your woodland & want to see any kind of future from it (even just firewood and/or some fenceposts etc) the best thing you can do is keep livestock outta there....Not much nutritional value for cattle from acorns.hickory nuts,black walnuts,wild cherries,mulberries etc.But they're good for wild turkeys,squirrels,raccoons,song birds,rabbits,chipmunks & the like obviously.

 

The neighbor ran cows in the woods behind my house for many years. They kept the brush down but didn't over graze it so there really wasn't that much impact on the woods and the hardwoods did great. Now the cows have been gone 10 years and woods look like a jungle.

 

I was down doing more TSI work today. Put in 5 hours but was kind of tired and quit early. The wind was fierce today, had to pay attention.

Ran the ported NE 346XP and this 357XP that I bought as a project. It was in a box and looked like this the day I got it.





Put in new bearings, seals and a piston. Not a shelf queen but runs great. Started on 2nd pull today.