I absolutely love this thread. What you have done and are doing mirrors my efforts in my woods. I have used many govt programs to pay for chemical and labor to keep my woods healthy. As a result in 2022 we are going to have a substantial timber sale. It is nice to see fruits of all your labor in a good harvest. Remember, one doesn’t own a woods-it owns you!
OK, attaching the prospectus as a PDF... I've deleted some of the personal identifying information and a couple of maps. One map showed how the property sat within the part of town we live in. The second map showed property boundaries of us and all the adjoining properties, had an aerial photo as the base, showed some of the logging roads and the streams. The purpose of the prospectus is to allow us or the forester to shop this job around to various logging companies and get bids. That happened today, within the same company, which isn't typical but not an issue for us. The head of the logging division walked the property with the forester, discussing access issues and possible landing locations. They emailed me a map this afternoon with possible landings marked, and indicated there will be a more formal communication soon. Note that the prospectus has quite a bit of language in it to protect us and to make things are clear as possible to the logger. They have to read it, of course, but having this detail in writing is a lot better than a casual conversation at the tailgate of a pickup truck. I am expecting to get a contract from the logger that we'll negotiate and then sign.
Some deer activity, above. This is my one small grove of young Red Spruce. It will be left alone for diversity and just because. Below are 3 pics of the same Red Oak. This is the gravy ( on the next harvest). With less competition on the sides it will hopefully increase its growth rate and become that much nicer.
I’ve cut essential no Red Oak for firewood on this property because almost all of it is sawlog quality. Sitting here, there were 8 nice oaks plus that big leaner, all being left to grow some more. I’m really getting excited to see the woods with the lower quality trees gone. This Red Oak, below, was just behind me as I took the pic above. It is marked to be cut. I’ll have some nice tops for firewood out of trees like this.
Wonderful thread. From the flatlands of NW Indiana, I chuckled when you called that rise a "hill". That's a mountain in my book! Have had a couple horses I would try on it, most are to stumble footed. Based on your avatar, you have a team of oxen?
This Red Maple is one of the few trees marked with a blue X. That means the tree dies but it is the logger’s call whether to market this as firewood or leave it to rot. You would like buying firewood from these guys, as they don’t sell gnarly, rotted trees.
Pasture pine (weeviled White Pine). We have a lot. It is all getting cut. Very low value, and not simple to drop and limb.
It is named Mt Flamstead, but we call it the hill. It gets pretty steep - my dad climbed it before I did, while we were considering buying the place, and he described it as going from steep to ridiculous. The oxen were my grandmother’s team. I was too young to have seen her working them, but a couple of older cousins are in the cart in that pic. Some day I might be able to have a team, but couldn’t do them justice right now.
I just love this stuff. I am a tree geek. We have used an EQIP cost share in the past to manage our three past timber harvests since we have owned the property. My Dad always said if you manage your woods the right way, there should be a timber harvest every 8 years. That’s what the old timers told him maybe modern practices are different. We have had three timber harvests since 1982 and the next one is scheduled for 2022,,,, People need to realize trees (saw logs) are a renewable resource and a darn good money maker if done right,,,,
The Lidar mapping is incredibly cool. Thanks for showing it. I found what looks to be a foundation on our property that I have never stumbled upon before. The old farm roads that were abandoned by 1830 are clear along with more recent logging/skidding trails. Too cool. We've done many of the things that you talk about for our land too. Forester, use value, TSI, logging, walking the land with the county forester and state game biologists etc. 10 years ago we got a grant to do an 'Enhanced Plan'. We need to get it redone next year. We are looking at a grant now to do some erosion control on some of those old roads. In some locations they are pretty deep ruts in the hillside.
Well, considerable time has passed, and nothing harvested, but momentum has been regained, and the equipment is beginning to arrive. First up is a log truck road. We hope to mine the gravel for the road from our property.
I have more than I can use of those here as well. I was slowly removing a few until we had some bad storms with pine blow downs. I don't mind burning some pine but I'll never be able to burn it all. If I had a chipper I'd chip as much as I could .
The chipping company came and looked at the job. If we build a road and a landing for them beside the pines ( in a wet area), and then pay them $1500 per acre, they will do the job. No dice. So we will market as much as we can as saw logs, probably leave some standing, and might cut some for the town to come get for their boiler. New Hampshire had been subsidizing plants that burned chips for electricity, but no more, and the market for chips is pretty poor.
Today I stripped out a bunch of electric fences and waterlines so they can build the turnaround for the semi’s and the roadway. I’m hoping we have enough grass to keep the cattle on the other half of the pastures throughout the logging. I also cut some of the roadways a bit wider (apple trees and birch that were leaning out to get sunlight).
