Back to the sawmill
repair has been made on The Sawmill now back to work
First Steps
If you are considering doing your own logging, follow these guidelines before cutting any trees:
• Have a market for your trees before you invest the time and money to harvest them. Talk to several
sawmill operators and have a detailed written contract before harvesting. Don’t cut the trees ahead
of time and get stuck with a product to sell without a buyer.
• Know your buyer’s specifications and requirements, including the board foot volume or number of
trees they will accept in a given time, and the species and quality required.
• Make sure you know your legal responsibilities for such things as workers' compensation, liability
insurance and government safety requirements. This is particularly important if you employ other
people to help you in the operation.
• Use the proper equipment. Many types of farm equipment are simply not designed for woods work.
This is especially true of field tractors that may easily tip over under the strain of moving heavy logs.
At a minimum, all tractors used in the woods should by equipped with roll-over protection. In
addition to the safety considerations, improperly designed farm equipment can be easily damaged
during logging operations.
• Observe all safety precautions and procedures. Woods work can be very dangerous and the risk of
injury greater than in other agricultural operations.
Choosing Trees To Harvest
Trees harvested for lumber should be a minimum of 18 inches in diameter or greater at the stump.
They should also have few major branches on the lower part of the tree and be free of evidence of rot. Decay
can be recognized by holes in the stem (especially where old branches broke off) or “punky” wood at the
base of the tree. Ideally, only the largest, most mature trees should be harvested, leaving good quality,
smaller trees to grow and increase in value. At the same time as crop trees are harvested, poor quality, low
value trees should also be cut down for use as firewood. Often, removing these poor trees opens enough
space in the woods to more easily cut trees intended for lumber.
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