winter logging (pics)(merged thread)

Coon · February 04, 2007, 02:39:11 PM

Sounds like some wonderfull country up there. What is the largest diameter of spruce you have seen and cut around there? Our little piece of land is all old growth as well but it is hard to get in there. Same type of thing as you. We can only log in the winter due to the swampy muskeg land. It is not uncommon to find peatbogs in the neighborhood of 5 and 6 feet deep where a tree once grew. The largest diameter I have taken out of there was 54 inch across the butt. However there is quite a pile more in there larger than that but the access to it is very poor even in winter as there is natural springs in there all over the place. When it warms up I will take a wander out there and take some pics to show the forum even if the snow is waste deep in places.

thecfarm · February 04, 2007, 03:38:32 PM

My Father used oxen and horses in the woods.He would use bunks like you do.He only had to get it out by the woods road for the truck to come pick it up,be it logs or pulp.I have heard of people hauling out white birch bolts out on a car hood with a snow mobile years ago.This was when snowmobile were slow and heavy.I have burned alot of dead wood when I had my furnace in my other house.Had to stay on top of it,not many coals from dead pine and spruce.What is crown land?Goverment land that anyone can cut on with a premit?I take it this is not your land.How far is 13klm in miles?I should of paid more atttention in 5th grade.Seems like 1 klm is alittle longer-shorter than a mile.What do you call that thing that you haul your logs out on?How are you getting your logs onto what I would call a sled?I see you only have about 8 logs on at a time.I suppose this is all you can haul at one time.How long does it take you to make a round trip? I have a bog that I have to cross to get to the back lot.This never really freezes over.I have rocked a road across.This is the only place that I would dare cross with a wheel tractor,summer or winter.The ground goes up and down behind me when I cross this bog.Now a dozer or a snow machine would do fine with no load.Make a road and than it will freeze up.Than you could haul a load across.I'm relly interested in the way you log.Keep the pictures coming.How long can you log like this until it thaws out?

Coon · February 04, 2007, 08:55:28 PM

1 kilometer is .62 miles. ;D

SwampDonkey · February 04, 2007, 09:08:12 PM

Here's some math to through ya on a loop ;D

Ok, so 0.62 miles = 1 km

100 km divide 1.62 = 61.72 miles ok? ;D

so.... lets see what 80 km divide by 1.62 is hmmm = 49.38 miles ...well ok...
80 km times 0.62 = 49.6 miles

but 1 mile divide by 0.62 is 1.61 ;)

:D :D :D :D :D

isawlogs · February 04, 2007, 10:03:23 PM

Swamp .. thats why they put the third digit on gas pumps ... do you side line for the gas compapnie . ???

SwampDonkey · February 04, 2007, 10:47:19 PM

No, but sometimes I side step a little. ;D ;)

Samuel · February 04, 2007, 11:56:54 PM

Them foresters always have too much time on their hands... pc_smiley

Quebecnewf · February 05, 2007, 03:18:31 PM

Swampdonkey

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/travel/canada/quebec/duplessis.htm

the pic above is taken from the wharf in the center of the village. The blue boat stern on in the pic at the small dock in the cove is my boat. My house is the blue and white one in front of the church. A klm is 6/10th of a mile .

We load the sleighs by hand. It takes 1/2 hour approx coming out loaded and about 1/2 that to go back empty aproxx. This varys greatly with snow conditions. The amount you can haul depends on snow conditions and the condition of the land you pass over more hills less logs per load etc.
Sleds are homebuilt as are the komiticks

Quebecnewf

Quebecnewf · February 09, 2007, 08:06:46 PM

Here a few more pics from our day hauling logs -23C this morning but no wind so not to bad

Here we are hauling a few log up to the plain before loading for the trip to the mill

Here is another load this about the most we can get per load . The path from the woods to the plain is so so .Have to make more trips but it beats getting stuck

Here we are unloading on the rack at the mill 13 kl later

Supposed to be good tomorrow, so back to cutting again.

Quebecnewf

SwampDonkey · February 09, 2007, 08:22:34 PM

With the cold weather that sled path should harden up like a road. ;)

Kevin · February 09, 2007, 08:24:30 PM

How's the slush on the lake?
Looks like a lot of traffic on the ice, are there others hauling logs as well?

SwampDonkey · February 09, 2007, 09:03:09 PM

You folks are dedicated to this logging thing. ;D Now I know how ya keep warm up there. Ya jog back behind the log sled. ;)

Nice whack of wood newf. Some of us might call it a puckle. ;) What you going to build? Hope ya get a good price from the surplus lumber. ;D

SwampDonkey · February 09, 2007, 09:07:30 PM

Geesh, I forgot to ask. What's the age on some of that wood? Just so's ya can brag about how long it takes to grow a tree on the tundra. ;) What a lot of folks down here don't realize is that is a vast area for a little small village to harvest from. You think it's making much of a dent in the AAC for the region? ;)

tonich · February 10, 2007, 04:13:31 AM

Hey Quebecnewf,

That load looks very nice! I’m sure it is heavy, because the wood is dense. It couldn’t be better for this conditions.
Nice pictures.
Thanks!

Quebecnewf · February 10, 2007, 06:18:45 AM

Swampdonkey

Path is quite hard now .No slush on the sea ice yet. If we get a large dump of snow and the ice settles we then get water on top of the ice under the snow. This can be a problem and you can't see it untill its too late.

I am planning to build a new woodworking shop 26x32 sort of a modified timberframe structure. I am cutting some long 17' spruce for the rafters 3x6's and I need 6 pcs of 8x8x16' for the foundation. This size is harder to come by in the woods we are in now. These larger timbers were usually cut along by the river but that area is destroyed by the looper. I have 4 of these cut so far and as I work back into the woods further I hope to find 2 more.

We are now cutting woods along by a brook so these type of woods yeild smaller and shorter trees.

In the coming years if HQ developes the Mecatina River Hydro project we should gain acess to some bigger timber with the roads they put in. The project is huge 1500 MW

Most people in the region of the Lower North Shore do very little logging. Most heat their homes with wood and electricity so everyone cuts a bit of firewood but they do not make a dent in the forest overall. Most of our woods would be 35 to 40 year old trees to yeild 2x6. Older than that you may get some to produce 2x8's. Of course the big spruce further up the river are much older than that and a whole lot bigger. and the fir around them is taller and larger also.

Well time to get on the skidoo and head in its coming light and -15 so not too bad a day coming

Quebecnewf

SwampDonkey · February 10, 2007, 07:09:41 AM

Well I was going to ask if there was fir in there because of was seeing bark covered in those blotches of grey lichens. ;D

Quebecnewf · February 17, 2007, 06:50:59 PM

Well we had a big Snowstorm here on Thurs. Snow conditions have become very soft and lots of slush under the snow on the sea ice . I took some pics today and will post tomorrow. I guess in the coming week or so I will concentrate on cutting and making new paths in the woods untill hauling conditions improve.
Work with the weather not try to fight it.