Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[BackRoad]

My understanding is to girdle a tree, one cuts through the bark layer all the way around, effectively killing the tree over time.

So when you say girdling, were you selectively thinning the stand 60 years ago?

 

[shooterdon]

Maybe pictures tomorrow but too tired today. Two cords of wood processed in six hours.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Maybe pictures tomorrow but too tired today. Two cords of wood processed in six hours.

I know the feeling

gg

 

[fruitcakesa]

My understanding is to girdle a tree, one cuts through the bark layer all the way around, effectively killing the tree over time.

So when you say girdling, were you selectively thinning the stand 60 years ago?

You could say that it was selective thinning. The trees were small poles back then; much too small to harvest at that time.

 

[WinterDeere]

You could say that it was selective thinning. The trees were small poles back then; much too small to harvest at that time.

I have the same questions, so I'll try to rephrase what I think BackRoad was asking...

Usually, girdling a tree will kill it, as the standard process is to cut thru not only the bark, but also the sapwood. At least that's how I've always seen the term used, and this leaves standing dead stalks, after 1 - 3 years. But you said these trees were girdled decades ago, which at least around here, would mean they'd be rotting on the ground by now.

So I suspect "girdling" might mean different things to different folks. How was this used to produce that nice firewood, in your case?

 

[Gordon Gould]

Don't insult him calling it firewood. Those are nice pine sawlogs he has piled up. Thinning by gridling the lesser quality trees - like he said to give the leave trees room to grow and he also kept the lower branches on the leave trees trimmed to produce more clear wood in the butt logs 60 years later.

gg

 

[ning]

Don't insult him calling it firewood. Those are nice pine sawlogs he has piled up. Thinning by gridling the lesser quality trees - like he said to give the leave trees room to grow and he also kept the lower branches on the leave trees trimmed to produce more clear wood in the butt logs 60 years later.

gg

My guess is that it's a way to stop/kill the trees and let nature handle cleanup at its leisure, rather than dropping everything and making it hard to walk around or require immediate cleanup?

 

[cholland]

Different areas have different practices and sometimes for good reason. But from experience of having to work in and around girdling projects a year or two down the road, they are extremely dangerous conditions left behind. This coming from a west coast pine forest. Not just the fire hazard, snags can kill. There are benefits to wildlife and such when its just a few per acre, but when it gets to be a large number, no one wants to work under it.

 

[fruitcakesa]

gg and Ning’s posts pretty much sum it up. And yes the danger from falling dead trees is real. In this case most of the girdled trees have fallen years ago. Plenty of dead non-girdled trees are still standing which also present a potential hazard. First rule of logging and any woods work is “look up”!

 

[Loaderman22]

How about Trucks & Wood instead today? Took the log to the mill yesterday. I figured I'll keep you up on progress, for those that are interested.