To thin or not to thin

[smstonypoint]

Just curious. Are you going to be able to market any of the thinned pines as pulpwood? If not, how are you going to handle the felled trees?

Steve

 

[Silvic]

Sounds like he (the forester) gave you good advice. I went back through the posts quickly. Did not see a dbh on your trees.
Poster smstonypoint asked about pulp. Good question but suspect from your description that they are thin and matchstick in style being that crowded and have not enough dbh to be marketable. If they are not then mulching them back into the forest floor is always healthy for the forest.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Don't know what I am going to do with the trees. I have a couple larger ones that are in the way that i would like to cut into boards and make a bench just to say i did it. Bother in law has horizontal band saw. Other than that have not gotten that far. Mulching would be the best but finding some one in this area to do it? Another 100 miles north maybe. The shear will be the next project, in between the pole building and the larger powder coat oven. I won't build anything unless it gets powder coated anymore. Thanks for your help, soon as figure out what I am going to do with the wood I'll up date the post.

 

[hslogger]

In thinning a forest, the real thing to remember is not what you take out, but what you leave, and the condition it is left in.Machine harvest has come a long way in the past twenty years. Often it can be done to a landowners' silvercultural and asthetic standards. Buggered up leave trees are a no no and a competent and recommend operator should be able to meet the criteria.

If you do it yourself remember the most dangerous piece of equipment in the forest is a farm tractor. Maybe there are some horse loggers in your area that have a stellar reputation.

 

[MossRoad]

Don't know what I am going to do with the trees. I have a couple larger ones that are in the way that i would like to cut into boards and make a bench just to say i did it. Bother in law has horizontal band saw. Other than that have not gotten that far. Mulching would be the best but finding some one in this area to do it? Another 100 miles north maybe. The shear will be the next project, in between the pole building and the larger powder coat oven. I won't build anything unless it gets powder coated anymore. Thanks for your help, soon as figure out what I am going to do with the wood I'll up date the post.

You've mentioned a shear..... what diameter trees are you talking about here? Just curious.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

12" and I am leaning towards making a shear that would go in the middle of a grapple bucket. Then I would like to make it so you can slide it out then install the two center bucket tines. I'm in the early planning stages. The issue I have is the forces of the two are different. With the shear it is lateral. Once I add that bracing to the grapple bucket, I end up filling in two much of the bucket defeating its purpose.

 

[MossRoad]

If you have a bobcat with a quick attach, why complicate it? You can shear a tree, drop a tree, and when if falls, pick up the end and drag a tree, all with the shear, I'd think. Then go back with the grapple to clean up the branches and leftovers.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

If you have a bobcat with a quick attach, why complicate it? You can shear a tree, drop a tree, and when if falls, pick up the end and drag a tree, all with the shear, I'd think. Then go back with the grapple to clean up the branches and leftovers.

Agree

 

[MossRoad]

However, I guess I should say, if you want to build something, by all means, build something. Not trying to put a damper on that. Just being practical, that's all. If no one ever built anything different, there wouldn't be any cool stuff!

 

[smstonypoint]

You've mentioned a shear..... what diameter trees are you talking about here? Just curious.

12"

Is that the diameter at breast height?

Steve