sawdust pile from 1920s- 1930s

[Tam-i-am]

While vacationing in Milo, ME; I looked out across Schoodic Lake to see what I thought was a beautiful sandy beach.  I was quickly told, "that's no beach, it's a sawdust pile."



 



  




 


There's 3 views: from the water, on top of the pile and then where the pile drops off into the woods. 

Curious about the pile I found a book to tell me a little about it.  The portable sawmill that created this pile in 20's and 30's was cutting white birch into four foot long "bars" for the Merrick Thread Company for spools.

Walking on it is almost like walking on a beach maybe a little bit more spongy and the texture is not as smooth. Here's a handful.



 

What I don't understand is why it hasn't composted after all these years.

Next time I go to Milo, I am going to hike on the other side to see if I can find any remains of the contractors camps and the mill.

[Al_Smith]

FWIW I've seen the residue of sawdust piles in the high mountains of Colorado in the mid 80's from mills set up in the 30's . How or why they didn't totally degrade I have no clue .

[Don K]

If I had to hazard a guess I would say that the sawdust is mostly carbon based such as the browns in composting and without nitrogen or greens in huge amounts to aid in the breakdown it will be there for many more years. I bet if you could get to the bottom where it is in contact with the original forest floor you might find something different. I was always told not to climb on old sawdust piles because they were smouldering in the middle and if I fell in I would burn up. It worked because I climbed on one as a adult and I was worried it would cave on me. :D

Don

[muddstopper]

My guess as to the slow decomposeing would be the low oxygen anerobic enviroment. The sawdust is most likely packed and doesnt allow much moisture or air to penetrate thru it. This would be similar to finding a big log at the bottom of a lake. It can lay there for hundreds of years and not rot, but throw it onto the dry bank and it will decompose in notime. My uncle was telling me the other day of finding a hemlock while core drilling about 1500ft underground. No telling how long this tree had been buried, millons of years possibly, but the core sample was as good as if it had been buried yesterday. He said the core sample of the tree was on display somewhere in Tn and came from the old Tennessee Copper company mines in Copperhill Tenn.

On another note, I have my eye on a very large pile of old wood bark that has been laying piled up for no telling how long. Several acres and piled pretty high.The sawmill is still in operation and now loads their bark onto rail cars to be sold for mulch. I think one could possibly purchase this material for a easy composting operation and maybe make some pretty good dough. The inital investment for screens and baggers would be pretty high, but the market is just right for another organic product.

[Ironwood]

We have a few on mountain (ridge roads) here in western Pa. too.

Ironwood

[thecfarm]

I'm surprized at the color. The few old piles I have seen are a deep rust color. And old I mean as probaly less then 5-10 years old.

[snowstorm]

a couple years back i was talking to a guy in the trucking biz from mi. he could sell all the sawdust he could fine to miricle grow. the older it was the better. seems like he said over 75% was sawdust in there product