The logging process begins.

[j-bird]

Chummer - I support the war on beech, but I would ask you at least consider hinging the smaller ones. They hold their leaves really late and thus make great screen trees for hinge cuts. They also make great stand trees as the leaves help break up your outline while on stand. The large ones - I agree cut'em, cut'em all! Beech are very shade tolerant and create a lot of shade as well. So does hard maple - but hard maple can make you some money!

Glad to hear your not cutting everything over 14" - that just seemed like an easy way out for someone that wasn't interested in the health of the timber.

We are talking American Beech - correct?

 

[chummer]

Chummer - I support the war on beech, but I would ask you at least consider hinging the smaller ones. They hold their leaves really late and thus make great screen trees for hinge cuts. They also make great stand trees as the leaves help break up your outline while on stand. The large ones - I agree cut'em, cut'em all! Beech are very shade tolerant and create a lot of shade as well. So does hard maple - but hard maple can make you some money!

Glad to hear your not cutting everything over 14" - that just seemed like an easy way out for someone that wasn't interested in the health of the timber.

We are talking American Beech - correct?

I think American Beech, I only know one Beech. Luckily there aren't that many but the ones there are giant. Nothing I would want to deal with. They probably won't touch the 12-14" ones. I do like to leave the smaller ones near plots because they hold their leaves till the end of season.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Chummer - Yellow birch also has value for making cabinets, as well as the flooring Whip was talking about. I thought from your earlier description your yellow birch was all small understory stuff. If you have bigger and it has value, cash in !! Whip has a good thought on the hemlock, because of the adelgid insects, you may want to stick with pines, spruce or balsam. From what I've read, the adelgids mainly attack older mature hemlocks, so you may get some years of cover out of hemlock until they are older. Check with your forester on that one. Around our hunting area, the young hemlocks don't have any problems. In fact - they're thick. The big older ones - some are getting hit w/ the insects. Just my observation.

You said you don't know what to do with your stumps ?? You may want to check around. There are some specialty wood vendors that slice and dice those stumps and sell them for BIG $$$. There is such a place near me here outside of Reading Pa. He even goes to Europe for wood most of us would not give a 2nd glance. He deals in logs, of course, but saws stumps and burls for accent pieces and high-dollar trim. Shoot me a pm if you want contact info. I'm sure he's not the only one around - but if he goes to Europe, I'm sure he'd travel to upstate N.Y.

 

[chummer]

Chummer - Yellow birch also has value for making cabinets, as well as the flooring Whip was talking about. I thought from your earlier description your yellow birch was all small understory stuff. If you have bigger and it has value, cash in !! Whip has a good thought on the hemlock, because of the adelgid insects, you may want to stick with pines, spruce or balsam. From what I've read, the adelgids mainly attack older mature hemlocks, so you may get some years of cover out of hemlock until they are older. Check with your forester on that one. Around our hunting area, the young hemlocks don't have any problems. In fact - they're thick. The big older ones - some are getting hit w/ the insects. Just my observation.

You said you don't know what to do with your stumps ?? You may want to check around. There are some specialty wood vendors that slice and dice those stumps and sell them for BIG $$$. There is such a place near me here outside of Reading Pa. He even goes to Europe for wood most of us would not give a 2nd glance. He deals in logs, of course, but saws stumps and burls for accent pieces and high-dollar trim. Shoot me a pm if you want contact info. I'm sure he's not the only one around - but if he goes to Europe, I'm sure he'd travel to upstate N.Y.

YB is the main understory tree but there are a good amount of big ones and a few really big. My guess is last time it was cut they left all the birch and beech. Hemlock is my favorite tree but I have horrible luck growing them. They seem to be the deer's favorite food around here. I was happy to see a bunch of smaller size ones (6-8') spread through out the property. Funny you mention burls, we had a talk about them as we saw a few on some big cherry trees. I will check with forester about the stumps and see if he knows anything about it or if it is something I can pursue after. The stump problem is how to remove them. Forester said it would cost me around $600 to have them doze all the plots clean. My concern is the topsoil I would have left. I have a backhoe I could dig them out but on 2-3 acres that would take awhile with the number of stumps.

 

[tooln]

I had a guy come in with an excavator to dig my stumps out. He'd done this a time or 2 and knew what he was doing. He'd tip them out, lift them up and shake the dirt off then throw into a pile. Once the pile was big enough he went over to it picked and shook again and then threw them where I wanted them. He throw them 20-25 feet and landed right on the edge of the plot where I wanted them. I lined the border of the plot with stumps and hinge cuts. Limiting the access points.

 

[chummer]

I had a guy come in with an excavator to dig my stumps out. He'd done this a time or 2 and knew what he was doing. He'd tip them out, lift them up and shake the dirt off then throw into a pile. Once the pile was big enough he went over to it picked and shook again and then threw them where I wanted them. He throw them 20-25 feet and landed right on the edge of the plot where I wanted them. I lined the border of the plot with stumps and hinge cuts. Limiting the access points.

I think that is the way I am leaning.

 

[Jim Timber]

How big of an excavator did he have? I'm going to be renting a mini from Ziegler when I install my culverts in the swamp road, and thought I'd give it a try for digging out stumps while I have it.

 

[j-bird]

Some

I think American Beech, I only know one Beech. Luckily there aren't that many but the ones there are giant. Nothing I would want to deal with. They probably won't touch the 12-14" ones. I do like to leave the smaller ones near plots because they hold their leaves till the end of season.

folks call ironwood - blue beech sometimes and they are TOTALLY different. That was all I was trying to confirm. Once they get large they need to become firewood - it makes good firewood.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'm glad to hear you have some big YB to turn into $$. Burls on big cherry sounds like good $$$ !! Tooln's idea of limiting access w/ the stumps is a good one. Old - time farmers used to " fence " pastures with stumps after they cleared land to farm. Up in the mtns. of Pa. old stump-fences can still be found in spots. They'll def. pin-point your access spots.

 

[tooln]

How big of an excavator did he have? I'm going to be renting a mini from Ziegler when I install my culverts in the swamp road, and thought I'd give it a try for digging out stumps while I have it.

A big en. The pic is deceiving for size the semi trailer he brought it on it hung over both sides about a foot. I'd guess the bucket was 3.5' wide.

 

[Jim Timber]

Yeah, that's a good size machine alright!

 

[j-bird]

You can really "F" some stuff up with something like that! You can't do what you want with that.....you shouldn't be doing it!

 

[chummer]

How did he prep the ground or level it for you after he pulled the stumps? I pulled a bunch with a backhoe but then used the bucket to level things out. Wondering how he did it with that machine. I just accepted a job selling those, I hope there is an employee use clause! I sign the papers on Wednesday.

 

[tooln]

How did he prep the ground or level it for you after he pulled the stumps? I pulled a bunch with a backhoe but then used the bucket to level things out. Wondering how he did it with that machine. I just accepted a job selling those, I hope there is an employee use clause! I sign the papers on Wednesday.

He rolled the bucket and just swept it back and forth. The dude knew how to operate it for sure.