The loggers are still working during the day and look to be done on the end closest to my property. I've got a few hours in this week in the evening after it cooled off, the temp has been very comfortable since Wednesday. I apologize for the low quality pics but it's a product of poor light and using my old phone, for some unknown reason my newer (S5) wont download pics to my laptop or to this site. I'm cutting some of the old dead hardwoods 1st mostly red oak but I've cut some fresh cut white and red oak tops and a little hickory.The 1st pic is looking into the valley as I walk into the property, the wood to the right is junk sycamore and poplar. The 2nd pic is looking back northwest towards my property, mostly white oak tops that I've been cutting. Pic 3 is looking se into the valley mainly to show what was once a full canopy woods. Pic 4 is near the sw edge of the valley showing a dead red oak log about 16" diameter and maybe 16' long. I bucked it after taking the picture. Pic 5 is looking east with the 16" red oak in the left foreground. Pic 6 is the beginning of the hill on the south side of the valley. Most of the tops in 3, 4 and 5 are red oak and what I've shown is just a small fraction of the hardwood tops on the ground.
As a conservationist it's sad to see the mess but as a wood hoarder it's a mecca. There is a roadway from end to end and to keep the roads open they had to stack the tops next to the road. Fortunately most of the piles are either hardwood or junk so it's not as bad as it looks in the photos
Critters will love the habitat if some of the mess stays behind. Brush piles are like rabbit motels up here. Two go in, a dozen come out!
Not many rabbits around here but the brush piles might help. We are overrun with coyotes, horned owls and red tailed hawks, not a good environment for rabbits.
