Cut and Carry

I blew the four wheel drive in my Kubota tractor so I hooked the ole Wallenstein up to my dozer to get out some Spruce Logs. I was surprised, but it did amazingly well.

To date I have only done 8 foot hardwood, but wanted to see too how the loader would do swinging around bigger, longer logs. There was no issue there I assure you. It is amazing how easy such a smaller size loader handles those heavy logs.

The log trailer is also only designed to haul 8 foot logs, but you know how farmers are; we get a lot out of a little. So I overhung the logs, making sure I put the butt ends on the front to concentrate weight there. This was an issue with the tractor causing it to break traction, because as you hit bumps, the tail end would go down, the 3 point hitch would rear up and the 2 wheel drive tractor would get stuck. But there was no way the load was going to rear up the rear end of that bulldozer, in fact the dozer did not even know it had logs on behind it. At least I never spun!

So I am pleased. One of my goals with the Wallenstein was to get wood out of the woods, but take some of the stress off the final drives on the bulldozer. Towing wood on wheels does just that.

 

BTW: This is a clear cut and why there is little concern for regeneration. I am clearing this forest and converting it into farm in case you were wondering why it was cut so hard. At some point every tree is being hauled out.

 

Oh don't let that stop you. I split wood at a Christian Camp here in Maine with a whole group of guys that come up from Gap, PA every year. Great bunch of guys.

 

Cool pics
So what species pine? and when ya gonna mill it all!?

 

So how can a "retired" tree farmer be so busy farming trees?

 

I would say 90% of it is Red Spruce with a few White Spruce mixed in. As for milling it, I'll probably sell this.

For the first time in 150 years, Maine has no market for spruce pulp. I asked for a price on hemlock pulp two weeks ago and they told me $10 a cord. Spruce pulp might fetch $30 where as 3 years ago it was $120 a cord! So I'll sell the logs and cut them right down to the limit at 8" on the small end, then what is left, instead of selling at such a low rate, I'll mill for my own lumber. I will only get a few 2x4's and 2x6's out of each log, but its better than leaving the tops in the woods to rot.

So yesterday was a good day, close to $500 for the logs I hauled out and a few tops that I'll convert to lumber for myself.

 

I struggle with this too, sometimes having to remind myself that I am not a logger. I love cutting wood, am a certified logger, am part of the American Tree Farm System and am certified under the Sustainable Forest Council; BUT I am clearing this to make more agricultural land.

We got some of the best soil in the state, and it is silly to have so much woods when it now has no value. The paper mills here are not just shut down; they are being torn down and with environmental policy in Maine (and the USA) I do not see them coming back. Alternatively I watched Maine's shoe industry, dairy industry, and chicken industry all collapse and feel down right stupid for never seeing that the forest industry would collapse as well.

All this means my farm, that was valued so high because of its growing timber was devalued over night. For instance 3 paper mills shut down and went to the scrap yard in 1 week alone...3 mills!! Forest land went from a value of $1500 a acre to $300 if you had any amount of wood on it. Once the conversion from forest to tillable field is done, that same acreage will be worth $3600 per acre which is more valuable right now than house lots.

Words can not explain at how it saddens me to cut the wood lot off I have always worked so hard nurturing, but such is a man's lot in life.

 

Well, as long as you aren't planning on selling the property, then that is good for you as far as property taxes are concerned (if you have them there)

Wow, that's way cheap compared to here. We have a bit of an unusual situation in my neighborhood due to some large (one very large) farms nearby, but the last farm land auction brought almost $12k per acre...and it wasn't anything special either.

 

Oh we do!! Its about $21 an acre right now, but would be about half that if we did not have the darn school. About 3/4 of what we pay goes to that place, but its also the biggest employer in town so when there is a budget meeting, us taxpayers are out-voted and so that is why our taxes are so high.