Dennis was asking if I got any wood in yet, Got in 2 loads. so far, Lotos of rain, but it'll quit soon & turn to snow Area has been picked over , but was able to get about 1-1/2 cords so far. Gonna try again if , a couple days of now rain in forecast. Some pics od first trip.
2nd trip, almost got a full load. Days getting shorter, under 11 daylight hours now . Need to load up in ibuprofen now. Rained since this load. May set up some tarps & split some if it don't quit raining so I can get another load. No fun cutting in the rain.
Thanks would like to get a few more loads before "freeze up" . Some decent weather in forecast, hope to be able to go. I tried cutting frozen birch one winter, not good, hinge snaps off, tree goes where it wants.
Yes Close to the road has Been picked over. Probably have to get a few loads when they open a new area, maybe next Spring.
Can you / do you camp out at the cutting area so you don't have to haul the gear back and forth as much ?
Yes, one of the old cutting areas I used to moose hunt, camp a few days. but what to do with the trailer load of wood, gotta get it home so can reload it.. Camping at 20° is not that much fun anymore. +++ Old bones like a nice warm bed to sleep in. Have thought about going up & just felling & bucking for a day then start hauling, ...but either way , the same amount of work needs to be done. Nice to have a break between tasks, ... limbing is the toughest on my back. ... I did leave about an atv trailer load there for next trip, hoping no one else takes it. miserable weather since , but have a 3 day window coming up. Hope the rounds are still there, ... To have a helper to haul, I could stay & cut & have someone haul & off load at home. but...it's just me.
Went to AK forestry today in Palmer 10 miles east. (still raining) Past some areas that had snow on the ground . Hoping the road to the cutting area is still navigable with my trailer. (Up to 36° now. misty rain.) >>> They had a closer area open to cutting , no information online until you buy a permit. Found its for"beetle-kill" spruce only. Only cut dead spruce trees. Called "Zero Lake personal use beetle-kill firewood area" But learned that the permit I got , can be used in any area, just have to follow the cutting area's rules. ( I have No plan to cut dead spruce ) ... Cant believe they want $10/cord for it, Would think it'd be "free" to motivate more cutting . ??? ... Forester wasn't there, left a message ,"the the willow cutting area has been picked over pretty good." Asked the will be opening a new area. (be fun to be first one in a new area, fell trees 5' off the road ) Sooo...Another trip or 2 to the current area. Then wait till Spring to buy another 3 cord permit, if a new area is gonna open.
A couple of the smaller state forests here they paid (licensed and insured) (they did bid it out) to guys to go in and drop dead standing oaks onto the ground so they'd be less of a fire hazard. They were allowed to haul trunks out if they could ( a lot was in very wet areas and that makes tractoring logs out tough) just was not part of the contract. But the politicians would prefer that the wood rot in the forest "naturally" . That the trees died to a pest that wasn't natural is not a consideration. I was able to pay to haul some of the trunks out but like 90% of it is rotting away. No one would haul out when the woods were wet because they weren't charging enough to pay for the breakdowns that happen when equipment gets stuck in the swampy muck. Most of the guys were using equipment purchased for cranberry bog maintenance. The first load of logs we got were right in the forest ( about 300 feet in where they had been loading the triaxles hauling logs out when the weather permitted) ) and a neighbor complained ( will forego the snowflake loons diatribe ) so we had to pay to have the logs hauled out onto private property down the street to cut it into rounds.
Yea Fire hazard is the main reason here too. they burn hot, fast & crowns sometimes blow, add wind & the fire spreads unbelievably fast. We had all the "right conditions "( hot, dry, low humidity, lots of prime fuel ) this summer, so lots of fires. Lots of companies doing personal property felling, power company doing lots of ROW work. Some are logging it , but the window for usable wood is narrow. local news article (I use the reader view option)
