Winter logging

[slowzuki]

Pulling a 12" dbh spruce out of a mixed stand. There are white spruce, eastern (northern) white cedar, eastern white pine, tamarack, fir and other mixed hardwoods.

There is a snowblower on the back of the tractor so I have to back out with the loader. The skid distance is about 300 m so I pull to a cleared area about 100 m then hitch 4 or 5 of these logs to finish up the trip.

I am making a road around the edge of our property so we can pick which trees we want for building our shop.

The deer are stripping the cedar slash each night after I cut.

 

[Boondox]

Nice! I didn't get enough wood harvested last fall, so will need to resume harvesting soon otherwise I'll have to wait for mud season to end...and that seriously reduces my drying time! Plus, skidding logs in the snow would protect the grass in our meadow. But boy do I worry about getting stuck! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Pete

 

[slowzuki]

My gf doesn't sympathize with the rush to beat spring! I'm crossing a swamp area and the work will have to end in late March, enough wood or not!
Ken

 

[Youare]

That picture makes me want to get out into the woods again but there is too much snow and ice right now for the equipment I have. We had a cover of snow before the cold weather got here so there is not much frost in the ground in the woods.

I was talking to a local logger last week and he figures there is only 3 more weeks of winter logging left then mud season begins. I did harvest a few trees along the road last week while doing a little timber stand improvement.

That looks like a nice straight stem you got there. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Randy

 

[slowzuki]

Makes me want to be out there too! Staring out a window right now from my desk, I'd rather 2 days in the office and 5 days of hard work any day!

The snow is about knee deep but the tractor compacts it quickly. Near the top of our property the snow is drifting to about shoulder deep. Had to cut it open with the blower.

My biggest worry is slashing open a tire in the snow on something. I already put a 1/4" deep gouge on a rear tire. Not my tractor and tires are 800$ a pop!

Ken

 

[Knight9]

Ken,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The snow is about knee deep )</font>

Only knee deep? Does that mean NB didn't get hit as hard as NS with that snow storm the other day? News said some areas got up to 95cm of snow! Unreal.

Kevin

 

[slowzuki]

We got 2 cm in Fredericton /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Moncton (about 1.25 hr drive away) got what is in the attached pic plus another foot!

This is a coworkers house. The garage had disappeared in another 2 hrs!

 

[Knight9]

Man, and it's been +5 or so for two weeks here!! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Our snow is going fast!!! Why can't we get some of that!!!

Kevin

 

[Egon]

It wasn't unreal Kevin. Just darned deep and heavy.

Egon

 

[Boondox]

With no new snow in the forecast for the next several days, and thanks to this thread, I'm sorely tempted to ask for time off from work and to use the long weekend to clear a path to a few maples earmarked for the firewood pile! Let's see...clear snow on Friday, switch to the logging winch and start harvesting trees Saturday and Sunday. I can think of plenty of worse ways to spend a weekend!

Pete