Remnant Old Growth

[Altissimus]

.....love the way the Old Timers built trestles , really used the resource

 

[gf beranek]

There lies a dichotomy in my experience of logging the old-growth in the day. In so much as I loved the experience and pondered the ramifications of it at the same time.

 

[cory]

There lies a dichotomy in my experience of logging the old-growth in the day. In so much as I loved the experience and pondered the ramifications of it at the same time.

Exactly same here, Gerr, when I worked in Oregon.

 

[kevin bingham]

Blows me away that michigan looked looked like that not that long ago. Look how small those horses are in comparison to the logs.

 

[kevin bingham]

There are cedars in michigan.

 

[kevin bingham]

Very close to Wisconsin in the UP

 

[cory]

I would never have guessed that was MI, would have sworn it was PNW

 

[kevin bingham]

The whole east had trees like that!

 

[Altissimus]

There lies a dichotomy in my experience of logging the old-growth in the day. In so much as I loved the experience and pondered the ramifications of it at the same time.

....Once after I fell a huge old Sugar Maple ... customer actually asked how it "feels" .... I told her , like I just shot an Elephant

 

[pantheraba]

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[gf beranek]

What species, Kevin? The ones in the pic are some fine specimens, indeed.

 

[Tarzan]

There lies a dichotomy in my experience of logging the old-growth in the day. In so much as I loved the experience and pondered the ramifications of it at the same time.

I feel the same way Jer. As for that pic, it sure looks like west coast old growth...could it be whoever was writing that article was mistaken?

 

[gf beranek]

Sure could, Cody. It happens all the time on the wed.

 

[kevin bingham]

What species, Kevin? The ones in the pic are some fine specimens, indeed.

White cedar is what they call them. There are some pretty nice looking specimens still in the porcupine mountains not far from where this picture was supposedly taken along with hemlocks and a lone 160 foot white pine still standing.

 

[Tarzan]

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I just caught that Gary I think I told you that Johny Weismuler and I share birthdays?

 

[kevin bingham]

I paddle through the swamps and creeks here and see the remnants of cypress stumps that boggle my mind and have to wonder what it was like. I also have to wonder how they got that giant timber out of some of these remote places with very limited machinery. The only old growth cypress left here are hollow or broken off. It's also amazing that they found and cut every one of them, they left no stone unturned, even in the most inaccessible spots.

I read that they built tracks out across the stumps of felled cypress stump to stump to stump and winched in the others as they crossed the swamps. Pretty incredible engineering really. Cypress from North Carolina, all the way around Florida, to Texas we're clear cut in this fashion.

 

[Tarzan]

White cedar is what they call them. There are some pretty nice looking specimens still in the porcupine mountains not far from where this picture was supposedly taken along with hemlocks and a line 160 foot white pine still standing.

That's some nice timber, no doubt.

 

[kevin bingham]

Having a sides milling business it is impossible for me to look at a tree like that and not try to calculate the board feet.

 

[Tarzan]

I read that they built tracks out across the stumps of felled cypress stump to stump to stump and winched in the others as they crossed the swamps. Pretty incredible engineering really. Cypress from North Carolina, all the way around Florida, to Texas we're clear cut in this fashion.

During my short, timber falling tenure in Northern Florida, I had a huge cypress, about 10' dbh, that was in my strip, that I wanted to cut, even though I knew it was a cull. The bullbuck wouldn't let me, and probably for the better, as it stunk like hell, and unbeknownst to me, the stench came from a ball of water moccasins that were hibernating in it. I am glad I didn't cut it...at the time because I probably would have died, but now, that it would have been wanton waste, and, even though it was a cull, it was a cool tree to look at. I guess that is part of growing up...

 

[Tarzan]

I never milled, but cut by the thousand (busheled), and I could never help guessing how many bushel was in a big tree....like in the redwood parks

 

[cory]

I guess that is part of growing up...

 

[Cobleskill]

There are still plenty of small to middlin cypress trees Sean, they are regenerating, it just takes several hundred years for them to reach their potential. There are also a few areas where they are still being cut on private land and turned into lumber and mulch but it's mainly pond cypress. The big boys were bald cypress. There is one that was missed in central Florida that's estimated to be over 3,000 years old.

I was down around Perry (Greenville) where my bud owned a place. We went out into the swamps and pulled out cypress logs that were down. I saw stumps that they climbed up with springboards and cut them up where the diameter was smaller. The local said a lot had been cut back in the Civil War.

It seemed odd that the "Pecky" cypress with it patterns of rot is worth more than sound wood. It is some cool wood. Tight rings and a pleasant aroma to it. Kind of an oily or waxy feel to it.