Waving goodbye to a piece of Americana — the lumberjack

It's OK to be a hugger. Have her hug some from your stacks in to the stove.

 

My Pepere was a Canadian lumberjack in the 30's - came down from Quebec after the hurricane of '38 to help clear the downed timber and that's why I'm American. Hearing his stories of what real work was like in those days was always humbling - most folks don't know what real work is like anymore. One of his jobs was breaking up logs on the river as they'd start to freeze up - wet and freezing cold for hours an hours on the logs in the river. Not many folks I know now could do that for an hour, never mind as a job. Cheers!

 

All my mom's side of the family is from Quebec, Memere and Pepere here as well. My step dad was paid a dollar a day to open roads just wide enough for a car to get get through with a crosscut saw after that storm in '38. You are right, most folks don't know real work anymore.

 

NH mountain man I get it city I grew up in was so french Mass was given in french. Wife is dual citizen me mere lives in trios riveres, Quebec

I had a definite disadvantage in french class as most of my classmates spoke french at Grand parents

 

There are probably still enough people up here who have friends or family who's livelihood was tied to the forest products industry... But demographics certainly change. Good to hear about the kids... I kind of wish I could have worked in forestry (which I studied in college) but I got sidetracked the last 20 years.. My kids will grow up with an appreciation of the outdoors and appreciate a more utilitarian view of things as opposed to a preservation view... I also agree on a way forward.. Education..

 

I also went to school for forestry in a agricultural school. But at that time, and now as well, you can make ten bucks if you're willing to spend eleven. I went to work in a paper mill right out of high school, that's where the money was. But that's all gone now, they tore the mill down ten years ago. Sad, lot's of good jobs gone forever.

 

Our families meat stuffing recipe from Quebec, is what I live for, and everyone else in the family as well.

 

Great thread stuckinthemuck ... here's a pretty good vid that I imagine is close to how a lot of us would love to get our firewood... but never will because of endless reasons...

 

Great post! Thanks, Stinny .:stacke:

 

I am a tree hugger. We all should be tree huggers. Yes, I will cut trees and I will burn wood to keep warm. It is estimated that 43 million trees could died due to the drought in California. That is a lot of trees that won't be taking in CO2 and putting out O2.

 

The issue that many have with logging is clear cutting. Just about all, and I say just about even though I have not seen otherwise, logging in my area is clear cutting. Clear cutting should be outlawed because of the damage it does to the environment and ecosystems. There is no reason not to stage logging over a period of time and still get the lumber and forest products we need.

 

Great video Stinny. I went to one horse logging job when I was in school... Was so different from the mechanical jobs.. Too bad it's going away too.

The Last of His Kind? This Logger Does Things the Old-Fashioned Way - With a Horse

 

That film reminds me of logging I was doing with my grandfather back in the early 60s. I was a teenager from the city so my job became limbing with an axe. The adults involved were running the McCullough and similar chain saws for felling and bucking while the team stood around with blankets over them waiting for logs they could pull. The weather the day I remember was about -20ºF and we were working in flannel shirt sleeves. The heavy coats were hanging around waiting for each time we took a break. Even a heavy coat was not really enough when we were not working. We were only working about 100 yards from the landing site where logs would be placed onto a wagon to go to the saw mill. I doubt we moved more than about 10 large pines at maybe 16 inches dbh all day that day, but it is a strong and satisfying memory for me from my youth. I was a young teenager at the time. The horses had it easy. They were asked to haul a log section now and then while I worked beside my cousins trying to get all of the small branches out of the way using an axe and the adults worked hard to fell and then buck the trees to sawmill lengths with those old and inefficient chain saws.

 

Here's my view: I love my forest! Have spent much time, effort and money trying to make it better. I have many roads/paths through it that are rigorously maintained, have cut many thousands of grapevines, killed a couple hundred ailanthus trees, planted thousands of ginseng seeds, etc, etc. I CAN see the forest for the trees! BUT...I also don't have a problem with properly executed harvests. I can be a bit suspicious of loggers due to a couple of timber trespasses but I surely don't hate them. I have a high level of respect for the cutters who trudge up and down the valleys day in and day out. I wish I knew just the stuff they have forgotten about felling and bucking a tree. I doubt that the machines will be taking over anytime soon here as the slopes are a no go. Two choices: cable skidder or a a yarder. Not many clear cuts here, so that narrows it to the cable skidders. I feel confident that there will be need for hand cutting here for many years ahead.

 

Sounds like you are a true steward of the land you are on.

 

I take that as a high compliment. Thank You Sir. I am trying my best! I find it very rewarding. Imagine what we'd have if everyone felt this way! I hope to leave it better than I found it.

 

I think I prefer this version of the lumberjack song.
The Lumberjack Song - Monty Python's Flying Circus

 

personally my 12 acres were clear cut, sort of, 8 years ago, a straight line wind gust according to a meteorologist, came thru my back 12 acres. literally snapped tops off thousands of trees that were hung up in other broken trees. There were widow maker every where . I knew a professional had to fix it because every time I went out there tree tops were being blown down.. I met some loggers thru friends and saw how they left the woods. I wanted them. we chatted that brought state Forester and discussion was had. my point I wanted all broken and damaged trees down for safety reasons. Forester agreed, we left every hard wood that wasn't damaged.

At that point my neighbor a farmer wanted his cleaned. large land owners here can put their land in a current use program. Where land is only taxed at values it is being used at. So for example the farmers 100 acre cornfield as a cornfield only makes 10,000 dollars a year in crops so he is taxed on that value. whereas if it built condos on the rent of those would be 100,000 a year. So most farmers put their land in that program. the woods in that need a plan to harvest trees at maturity for profit, leaving seed trees and sunlight for new growth
I support and approve of this program of sustainable forrestry.

The meteorologist and I had a discussion of definition of straight micro bursts as trees were laying in every direction of a compass and my little corn crop looked like a all stalks were braided like a girl braids hair. in short it was a tornado.

I got left 10 cord firewood and started burning... trees are coming back logging trails are deer and rabbit runs and 4 wheeler and sled trails.

 

Man, that micro burst stuff is bad news. Had that here a few years ago. Power was out for 9 days. Lost some decent timber in the woods, and still have a few widowmakers hanging around. I took down what I was comfortable with and am leaving the rest to mother nature. This was for sure straight line wind. From the sandbar on the river you could look up the west bank and literally see where the winds blew everything out at the bottom of the valleys leading to the river. Spent entire 4th of july sweating and trying to plow a path through the stuff in the cabin yard. I'm actually still cleaning up stuff from it and while I lost some saw logs, I gained a ton of firewood that I didn't have to cut down...well, I guess I did just recently drop 4 red oaks that the tops were snapped out of. One of them is in my avatar.

I participate in CAUV. It's a good program, but the rates are due to be hiked to unreasonable levels soon in my county. I wouldn't be able to afford the taxes without it.