Had a Good Day in the Woods

Fergienewbee · Oct 13, 2014

I've had the top of a tree hung up and blocking my old woods road. I finally got it cleaned up today. Tried pulling it but just plowed a very short furough. Finally ended cutting it off in sections until I got to some smaller limbs. Got it all cut up, split and stacked. Little $70.00 trailer works well. May take the trunk down or leave it for the woodpeckers and squirrels.

Larry

Dave H (MI) · Oct 16, 2014

Larry, I have well over 100 big dead ash trees to deal with. Most are on the ground already thankfully but some are leaning and some are standing. I try to leave at least one standing trunk per acre...more if I can. I cut the tops off or the trunk will not stay standing long. Total height about 8-10 feet. The birds that drill nests in those dead trees eat a lot of the insects that can harm the living trees. If you look in older books on woodlot management they would actually girdle a few living trees to provide habitat. Don't have to do that anymore with all the new diseases/pests.

Fergienewbee · Oct 16, 2014

I leave a lot of dead standing trees and most that have been on the ground for a while. Salamanders and earthworms are just a few of the critters that call them home. I have enough deformed/diseased trees to thin to keep me in wood for as long as I'll be around.

Larry

Brendon-KS · Oct 16, 2014

That's fun kind of work - I enjoy cutting wood in the fall. I like it best when it's clear, calm, and just cold enough so the ground is frozen and not muddy. Hopefully it will be a while until it gets that cold around here, though. A lot of beans and milo in our area need another few weeks of nice weather to finish off.

Fergienewbee · Oct 16, 2014

Brendon;

You guys have trees? LOL! Had a friend in Larned. Sure saw some gorgeous rises and sunsets. When the sun sets here, it makes the woods look like it's on fire. Nearly froze my a** off out there hunting pheasants. No one wanted to be a blocker; it was warmer to do the walking.

Larry

Brendon-KS · Oct 16, 2014

There are some here but as you experienced they get thin as you go west. Around us there are a lot of osage orange trees (we just call them "hedge") bordering many fields and along creek bottoms. Makes wonderful firewood; a few chunks put on in the evening are still a pile of glowing coals in the morning. Just gotta make sure the huge sparks don't burn too many holes in the carpet.

When I was in college here in Kansas my roommate was from Pennsylvania and this was as far west as he had ever been. At Thanksgiving he came with me to my parent's place in southeast Colorado and he was in shock by the treeless landscape of western KS and eastern CO. He thought there were no trees here in the Hesston area but this is a forest compared to farther west.

You mentioned the cold, too. This is why a prerequisite to me enjoying late fall/winter woodcutting is "calm". A single line of trees along the field edge doesn't do much to block the wind!

larry@stinescorner · Oct 19, 2014

thats great!You will get a lot of use out of the trailer,they are handy to have around,and small ones are easier for us old guys to handle

Fergienewbee · Oct 19, 2014

Larry;

I HAVE gotten a lot of use out of my trailer already and I've only used it for hauling wood. I load all the gas, oil, saw, cant hook and axe and head for the woods. The thing I like is it's light enough to be able to maneuver by hand if necessary, but strong enough to haul a good load. I think I can load a rick or 1/3 cord at a time or close to it. I need to extend the sides a bit. Sure beats the 1/3 rick I get in my carry all. My wife and I are going to get a skid that is 12 foot x 5'-6" topped with wolmanized deck boards today so I can use a couple of those.

Larry

Had a Good Day in the Woods

Fergienewbee

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Dave H (MI)

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Fergienewbee

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Brendon-KS

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Fergienewbee

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Brendon-KS

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larry@stinescorner

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Fergienewbee

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