Logging the Sugarbush

[ennismaple]

Another problem with leaving the woods clean is that there is little regeneration. New seedlings need physical protection to survive. A healthy woods has brush covering the ground. In the spaces among the brush where new growth seedlings sprout, far more survive because the deer and other critters don't eat as many. Once a young tree reaches a certain height, the critters generally don't eat the tops, but rather the tender tips off limbs. This allows the trees to grow up above hungry deer and such. A forest with little or no regrowth is an unhealthy woods. Those "clean" jobs are not good for the future of the forest.

Agreed. My father used to burn the tops (in an open field in the winter) but we now limb them where they fall to create habitat for the critters and to put some nutrients back into the soil. It's a PITA when you walk over one of the snow covered brush piles in the winter and sink up to your waist in snow!

[GeneralStark]

We just had some logging done in our woods. We had several loggers look at it, and in the end went with a guy with a bit more experience, a tractor, and a good reputation. We primarily had a bunch of sawlogs taken out, but also had him do some thinning of some of our sugarwoods. It generally turned out well, but there was a bit more residual stand damage than we had hoped for. Probably about 10-15% of the maple crop trees have some basal scarring from skidding. We know some was to be expected, as those areas were quite tight, but there were several trees he could have easily avoided.

We will do more thinning ourselves in the future, but I think this was the last time we will have a logger come in. Mainly because are woods are young and just need time to grow, but there is certainly some risk in having someone else log your woods.

[unc23win]

I have been doing some thinning myself basically cutting out trees for firewood mostly ash before installing lines. I have scarred a few maples in the process it is one those easier said than done things. Obviously I am taking it slower than a logger would be which helps, but all it takes in one to fall a little off or bounce around while skidding.

I look at trees as I do people some die young and some die old. There are some you think are healthier because you try to take better care of them and something else gets them and then the ones you don't think are doing good are better off than you thought.

[n8hutch]

I look at trees as I do people some die young and some die old. There are some you think are healthier because you try to take better care of them and something else gets them and then the ones you don't think are doing good are better off than you thought.

That is A great way to look at things!! I have been thining tree's around my place the last few years, mostly hardwood, but I have cut A few Hemlock, I have a Bunch of big Hemlocks that need to go, but I'm not real keen on felling them myself, they are about 2-3 feet at the stump & probably 75' Tall, there's just no good place to put them, funny thing is I actually work for A company that has A big logging division, the Boss said he would take them down with A buncher sometime when he is near by , I am starting to loose patience however & am A little worried about my maples rute systems.

[VT_K9]

This year we expanded to a new area and prior to running wire and tubing we cut several hemlocks. We planned to use many of them for saw logs and the rest of the trees I will cut for firewood in my outdoor furnace. We had one large hemlock left and wouldn't you know it, the tree fell just a shade off from the planned direction. The top of the hemlock became lodged in a high crotch of a 15" Maple. I used the logging winch to pull the hemlock and the mapl followed it to the ground. It was too bad to loose a nice maple, but it will give me some good harwood and if it came down that easy, it would probably get blown down in a storm.

The 3 pt logging winch has helped a lot with minimizing damage in the sugar orchard, but things happen.

Mike

[maple flats]

Back in '78 (or was it '79) I had my sugarbush land logged, long before I ever thought of getting into sugaring. Unfortunately I was to young and inexperienced to know anything (during the planning stage) but what money I was going to get out of it and found out too late that a written contract should have been in place. It was done on a handshake. After the logging was done I decided I'd do all my own from then on. The logger skidder driver drove over anything in his way, even if an easy alternative was near by, and he left ruts up to 30" deep. While I liked the check at the end I had learned a valuable lesson.
While I do all my own now with either a 36 HP tractor and a 3 ph log arch along with an excavator, there is a better way to get a logger to do a cut. First get a forester up front to mark the trees, generate the contract and supervise the contract, boots in the woods. He will address the issues I had problems with in my case. Even then you will get some damage, but the forester will plan the log roads and likely the skid trails.
Since I started doing all of my own, I have never damaged a crop tree, but have skinned some trash trees. I skid with the tractor and log arch when conditions allow and drag with the excavator the rest of the time. (I also have not used a wedge to drop a tree since getting the excavator, I just raise the bucket up high and put pressure on the tree as soon as I've cut the notch, it has never failed to fall the way I intended it to go with that method. I find an excavator to be an excellent skidder. I just hook the log chain to a hook on the back of the bucket. With that I can steer the log anywhere I want by just swinging the bucket (and/or cab) left or right as needed. The tracks on the excavator don't tear up the woods like the tires on a tractor do either, when on fragile ground, and as the rolling ground keeps going up and down I can always hold the log as high as I want. In most cases I just limb the whole tree and pull tree length if the needed path allows.
While few have an excavator, a tractor works fine too, just be super careful and don't pull the load from too high. When I pull with the tractor, if the load is heavy, I use an extra chain. When I lift the log with the log arch I place a nearby log limb under the lifted log and set it back down. I then hook a second chain under the log to the lift chain and short couple it to the low drawbar on the tractor. My tractor is a hydro drive and the final step I take is to just push on the edge of the hydro pedal to go, if anything catches my foot is ready to slip off the pedal and the tractor stops instantly. Then I lit the log again and tow. Now the log is up but the pull is from down low. The other alternative is to just drive rather slow. It only takes a fraction of a second to flip a tractor if the towed log gets caught on a rock, stump or something else. The instant it stops the tractor flips up and over on top of the operator.

[Tom_saw]

We just our woods logged . We used a consulting forester on a percentage basis of the contract. Definitely make sure that you check out out both the logger and forester's jobs and reputation .20150204_143612.jpg This is not what you want your Maples looking like .

[maple flats]

Tom_saw, if that picture repeats throughout the woods it is bad, if that is the worst damage it is good.

[tuckermtn]

was the tree that is uprooted bumped/pushed or was it wind-throw? hard to tell...

[Northwoodsforester]

Hey Folks!
I am a forester and syrup maker with 30 years experience in Northern Wisconsin. I highly recommend that you first check the Forest Stewards Guild roster (https://www.forestguild.org) to find a forester in your area. Forest Stewards Guild members are highly ethical, the best in the field and will protect your sugarbush and long term interests. Most important: log only during frozen conditions (October up until or before Spring breakup begins), and especially do not begin operations until after bark has fully tightened up in the fall. You can do real damage in your sugarbush if you Spring or Summer log. Most of the damage (bark slippage on roots) is underground and can not be seen. Summer logging (and root damage) will introduce disease and heart rot into your trees. By the way, a good logger (look for certified "Master Loggers") should be able to thin your sugarbush with less than 1% damage to residual trees. More than this is unacceptable. Aim for smaller machines with high floatation/low ground pressure tracks or independent wheel suspension. I prefer a feller/buncher with a processor head on a excavator with tracks (these allow excellent control at grasping and directionally felling trees with a minimum of damage to residual trees), and articulated "forwarders" for minimum damage when removing wood (see photos below). Avoid cable or any grapple skidders if at all possible (unless you are in very hilly terrain where it may be your only option). Even horse loggers can do irreparable damage to your woods if cutting is done during the wrong time of year or when ground conditions are saturated (wet). Trees should be marked by a forester and removed based on "Risk & Vigor" marking rules (removing diseased tree first), with no upper diameter limit. Keep in mind that sugarbush management has its own science & techniques and has very different objectives than managing for timber. Negotiate your timber sale contract and stumpage prices with the logger so he can take his time and afford to shut down if ground conditions change. DO NOT BID YOUR JOB OUT TO THE LOWEST BIDDER! Bottom line: if you breakeven economically but leave your sugarbush in a healthier condition you will be way ahead long term. Good luck!
feller:buncher with processing head.jpgforwarder.jpg
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2017 is our 30th year producing in Land O Lakes, WI
1987-2001 - 1200 taps commercial, all 16 quart pail operation, single horse (Shires, Clydes, & Norwegian Fiords) sled & wagon, all hand collection woods operation.
2001-present - 250 taps, hobby only
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