The $100,000 OoPs

[Jeff]

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is cutting down all the ash trees in a 10-kilometre deep swath near Chatham-Kent to stop the spread of the emerald ash borer.

Contractors mistook 70 black walnut trees on Ivison's farm for ash and chopped them down. She estimates the wood was worth more than $100,000.

Read the entire Story here.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2004/02/11/343127.html

[shopteacher]

Glad I'm not the one holding that chainsaw.

[Ianab]

Homer Simpson has changed careers to forestry now, D'Oh. :D

[Ron Wenrich]

We had one of our "forestry consultants" make a mistake similar to that one.  This happened a good 25 years ago.

He went out and bought a stand of walnut.  He then contracted a logger to go and cut the walnut for him.  The loggers got on site and couldn't find any walnut, only sassafras.  I guess he didn't know his sassafras from a hole in the ground.   :D

[J_T]

Sounds like they got them one of them schooled young tree boys :D Here I know a man has a master logger liscense paid his 50 bucks did his little school wouldn't know a wallnut from a sweet gum . Been doing this off on 35 years ever get me 50 bucks going to get me one them schoolings ;D

[OneWithWood]

I certainly hope she can 'reach an understanding' with that logging company ???

[IndyIan]

I can see how it could happen.  I've been a stand of mixed Ash and Walnut in the late afternoon in the winter and after a while I couldn't tell which was which.  Having no leaves and all the twigs 40' above your head made it a challange to tell just by the shape and pattern of the branches.  The bark is very similar as well.  
That said, no ones paying me to tell the difference and I wasn't cutting them down!
Also, wouldn't the colour of the wood from the first cut tip you off that they weren't ash?

[J_T]

Never saw any nuts on a ash tree. Maybe thev grow diffrent thare. :D :D

[beenthere]

All the nuts were on the ground  ;D ;D

[Jeff]

If your walnuts stay on the trees after October, then yes they do grow different up here.

[Minnesota_boy]

All the nuts were on the ground  ;D ;D

With chainsaws!  :D :D

[Ron Scott]

It sounds like they entered the landowner's property and just started cutting. Informing and checking with the landowner first might have prevented a "royal screw-up".

[SwampDonkey]

Ron:

That's what was going through my head also. Then there is also the odd contractor that may seize the oppertunity to make a buck, and know his tree species quite well.

$$ Well look what we got here   $$

[Frickman]

In these parts most of the utility right-of-way contractors send out an experienced advance man to avoid troubles like the ones above. Any tree slated for complete removal is usually painted and numbered, and they make sure that fellow with the can of paint knows what he is doing.

[Sawyerfortyish]

I might be able to understand cutting one walnut tree by mistake. But that many and not be able to tell the differance between a brown ash and a black walnut when cut down :-/. If that were my place and they just started cutting without my knowing it they had better be able to duck bullets  

[Sawyerfortyish]

On second thought just what did you say the name of this company is? I have some real nice straight grain brown ash No no scratch that I mean Black walnut I could let go cheap ;)

[AtLast]

I spoke with Ms Iveson and cant believe the " goings on" in her area. The complete distruction od wood lots ....oaks, walnuts, hard maples hickory and other " good trees" are being removed as well. This " fire line" is also completely destroying natural habitat and the area wildlife is being found in back yards, middle of roads and NO consideration for their habitat is being looked into. Both Ms Iveson and her brother Robert are beside themself along with neighboring landowners who are being told that IF they keep the wood they will be liable for any spred of the EAB. The Canadian gov has also " passed the buck" onto the land owner and in this case feel tey hold NO responsibility in regard to the walnut trees that were unnecessarly cut down. I still say Soylent Green should be viewed and the current methods be rethought.

[Sawyerfortyish]

You know complete Distruction of one spieces of tree to get rid of an insect is kind of backwards oldtime thinking and sounds pretty stupid. Just like the gypsy moth spraying of the forest was not the answer. Natural predators has been able to control outbreaks. Now I don't know what the laws are in Canada But it sounds to me like you need to work on cutting down some politicians not trees. If this were happening on land that belonged to someone of inportance you would see a differant outcome.

[Ron Scott]

The environmental and resource damages being done seems to be more than the EAB. Evidently they didn't do an Environmental Analysis concerning their action. What's happening to all the commerical wood species other than ash without landowner's permission or compensation??

[Ron Wenrich]

I'd want to know a little about the spread of the insect before doing something as knee-jerk as cutting a 10 mile swath.  

The gypsy moth is a good point.  We thought that the Susquehanna river was going to be a stopping point for the moth.  It's over 1 mile wide and the moth was progressing into the wind.

The next year, it appeared on the other side of the river and continued to spread.

Also, motor homes were good vectors for the moth.  

As for natural predators, I don't know of EAB has any in this country.  For the moth, we had to develop our own.

[WV_hillbilly]

  I just can't beleive that someone can  destroy your personal property with out anyone being held accountable . >:(

[Sawyerfortyish]

If you cut the tree down does that kill the insect or is it able to move on to another ?

[rebocardo]

Whatever those trees are worth now, you can bet they would be worth a LOT more 15 years from now.

> also completely destroying natural habitat

Seventy trees no longer dropping nuts must have some effect on the squirrels at least and everything that eats the squirrels.

[etat]

I am releasing a press release now saying I know for an absolute fact that the nuts that cut the trees are in no way associated with the CFI Investment Group.  Our Investors are safe as always!!!!!!!  IF someone from our group had of made a OOPS like that we would have been left with no choice but to string him up from the nearest tree that was left standing, if there were any!!!!!!

[Bud Man]

Very few oposite branching hardwoods (Maples and Ashes)  and certainly not Walnuts, unexcusable in winter or any time of year. Sounds like Grand Theft to me !

[Ron Scott]

15 grade black cherry logs were stolen from the landing on one of my jobs (Flint timber harvest) yesterday or last night. The loggers were pretty upset this morning and hopefully the Sheriff or State Police will locate "the culprit" before they do.

To make matters worst, "the culprit", must have used their Iron Mule forwarder (shown in Timber Harvesting and Equipment Thread) to load them. The guys worked to hard for these logs to have someone "snitch" them.

[Tom]

I absolutely hate a thief

I don't know if I'm pulling for the police department or the loggers.  Scum bags that take what isn't theirs and impact someone's livelihood should have something happen to them other than a hand slap from the Justice of the Peace.  Grrrrrr.

Ron, you should make a separate post of this in General and give the address of a contact.  Maybe there will be more eyes looking for stolen cherry.

[Jeff]

Ron, where abouts is the property? Seems like with all the snow, there should be lots of clues, unless it snowed again... :-/

Sounds like an inside job to me.  We had a similar thing happen at the mill couple years ago. A whole semi truck load of aspen. We could tell by the prints in the snow. all the impressions of the pile, but no fork truck tire tracks, just log truck. Cops followed the tracks. Turned out it was OUR truck that took them. Never proved who it was but had a clear idea.

[rebocardo]

My opinion is if you steal from people that use chainsaws and axes and get caught, do not cry to me because you got a SHARP rebuke.

Like that idiot in the news that went to hold up a Italian restaurant (Papa Johns?) with a knife and he found out, before the police arrived, that guys that slice up sandwiches all day know about knifes too. One guy against four other guys with knifes behind the counter, not hard to see the outcome. Genetics at its best.

You have to wonder how many innocent trees have been taken down by mistake. This may be the first time they were caught.

Finally a case for a lawyer
 :

[SasquatchMan]

There was a case here about 15 yrs ago where a guy robbed a pharmacy, and the counterman who had owned the place for a million years said "Okay okay just don't hurt anyone" and gave up the till etc.  Then when the dude left, counterman pulls out a shotgun and blammo - shot the guy right in the back.  It just doesn't pay to fool with a man's livelihood.

BTW I'm rootin for the loggers in the above post.

[Ron Scott]

Jeff,

The job is just a few miles south of Cadillac off the Mackinaw Trail. The State Police investigated and have a potential suspect, but no proof yet.