How'd it go today?

Well that wouldn't work for me .The damned stuff makes me think I have to drink the whole bottle,stupid like . I can't hack it any more so most likely that nearly a gallon of BV will sit on the self for who knows how long .Slow learner it only took me 40 years to figure it out .;)
 
Our new apprentice, Martin, got to try his hand on some nice sized timber for the first time today.
Big day for him and I must say he did real well. He showed that he can set a facecut true in first try, which is uncommon.
Most rookies have to re-cut it a few times on their first big trees in order to get it to aim true.

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I never cease to be amazed by the flatness and openess of the ground you guys get to log. Not alot of highleading over there I'm guessing. I'm jealous, it often looks like very enjoyable places to work. Except for your creek cleaning gig, that I could pass on. Lol.
 
It is flat, alrigth.
As for the openness, I selected todays Martin-trees to make sure they had nice open lays.
No reason to break the kids spirit by starting him up on stuff that'll get hung up in other trees.
The doug firs in that stand have been thinned hard and have an understory of smaller beech ( they thrive in shade). So it is not so much a question of being able to get the doug firs on the ground, but of not smashing the beech trees while doing so.

Anyway, I have always tried to make sure that the first time my apprentices set saw into bigger stuff turns out well for them and becomes a treasured memory.

Justin, I'd trade you some of that flatness for some of your mountains anyday. Flat is great to work, but boring to live in.
 
By openess I just mean the underbrush to have to walk through not other trees. I've produced many large openings, clearcut is the name of the game here. But our woods are more often than not extremely difficult just to walk around in due to the underbrush/vegetation. Espescially on the coast, which is why I live in the interior.
 
We have places like that here, but i don't take pictures of us logging them, simply because it is too difficult to get a clear view of the tree being felled.

But no argument, our type of terrain is way easier to log than the PNW, that is for sure.
 
started the day off with a cup of blueberry tea then a 3 hours conference call / internet media conference for a national certification program I am involved in. Now time to find some lunch and maybe dig out a DVD movie or something to chill. A couple hours work on the books tomorrow then mostly full days thursday and friday.
 
Butch... do you snore?


Super-stoked... my new genny finally arrived!

Now the power will never go out again. :roll:
 
Dad decided he wanted his two large Maples down and he couldn't wait another day for the climber yesterday. We worked on it, him and his buddy working off a ladder, scary stuff.
The climber was going to be there today, he called me last night, he needed a ride as his truck got repoed yesterday. I go to get him this am, I learned more than I cared to about his life with the stripper (he's divorced now, signed his kids over to his wife so he didn't have to go to jail for back child support and is starting a DUI................ etc...........).
TWICE, he failed to make an undercut on a heavy drop and the bark tore out pulling the first wrap out letting me try and control an out of control load.
TWICE he not only botched the notch but couldn't line up the back cut to match it on the stupid angle he'd made it on, even when I told him to make a scarf cut on the second one!
The first wasn't terrible, heavy lean where we wanted it, just had to put in a pull line to pull it off, even cut all the way through! Yeah, it was ugly!
The second one was another story! Back lean with a heavy side lean and LOTS of targets to hit! I'd told him to chunk it down while he was up on the spar, but I guess was feeling too lazy. So a pull line we get. This is 30" wood and he's using a ladder 8' up? He wont use my 046 with the 32" bar, tried the 5100 with the 20", but didn't really seem to know how to run it, then reverted back to his 14" on a 192t? I'm in my truck pulling like Hell and he came off the ladder at least eight times, the last he was ready to go home? I go back and look and all but die! I really should have taken pics of this Shit, but I needed to get it on the damn ground before someone got killed!
He'd made TWO back cuts, one well below the face, the other well above the face, IDIOT!! I grab a sledge and wedges then start pounding, I get it to lift, but can't get the hinge to break. He then tells me to reach in with a saw an cut the hinge. "Wait a min. Bitch! YOU are getting paid for this, I'm here helping you and them out, do your damn job!"
Finally got it over and on the ground and he called it a day.
I guess he's coming back in the am, if I can walk I'll go try and baby sit him, but I will NEVER use or recommend him again! He's always been good on pruning, but methinks he hasn't a clue in large wood!
Really scary stuff!
 
Andy dude.. sorry man.. but you really need to learn when to walk away from shat like that. JMO.

Stig and Squish kept thinking about you both today for the very subject you discussed about the brush. We have been working on this property off and on for about 3 years. Trees horribly crowded and covered with poison oak. We are almost done with phase one. Clearing all the under brush and PO out of the way so that we can really start selective thinning the trees. During the first phase we will drop some of the obvious trees but leave quite a bit of over story as the winter storms will break probably 20-30 percent of the trees once the understory and some thinning is done.
Next year it will be mostly thinning stands of live oak, oracle oak, valley oak and blue oaks. First we will eliminate the horse chestnut and gray pine the customer wants gone. The rest will still be somewhat crowded, but will be taken a little at a time for cord wood for the HO to heat with. Probably 3-5 cord a year. Exception will be a small corner of the property that will be opened up for a view from the house.
If you dare fall a tree into the brush we are working in on this place, it will take you twice as long to buck and brush out than as if you just brushed it out and then felled the tree to begin with. The slope just adds to the challenge to maintain footing :lol:
 
Had a decent day. First job got up into the tree to chase about 24 hangers. Got up there and decided it was way to dangerous for me and to big of a risk for the house underneath to be climbing through these hangers hanging on by a thread. Next job half mile away, knocked that out. Did a job for an annoying guy after that, small Maple and a messy brush pile. Started raining. Dropped off my chipper and pruned a small Jap. Maple at the next job for tomorrow/thurs. Greg helped me after work moving some heat pipes at the house. Got the system bled, the new furnace fired up, and heated up the joint! Just got home, shower/bed time.
 
You should have your own thread called 'Where is Willie?' :) What is the weather like there this time a year? Have fun at the conference.
 
I think it is time to go make the doughnuts. I am subbing for a buddy and we have something like 15 or 20 trees to hazard prune today and a big oak I flopped yesterday to clean up.
 
You should have your own thread called 'Where is Willie?' :) What is the weather like there this time a year? Have fun at the conference.

Would I have to wear a red and white striped shirt with a funny hat?
 
Oh those rotten bastards doubled me back to a 12 hour off shift yesterday.28 hours with no sleep but I hung in there --plus got paid very well for my efforts . A little 4 hour power nap this morning and I'm good to go .
 
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