Cruised some timber for an oil exploration company, land owner was, and may still, holding them up on value of the timber. Here is a shot to make those Georgia foresters know what real timber looks like. ::)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10007/bigun.jpg)
My Technician beside one of some 75 of the same.
Nice tree, TR, but that was a low blow ::). UGA has some land in central GA with some loblollies that would make a logger from the Pacific Northwest drool. The tallest tree I measured there was about 145', but the average was a mere 130'. Diameters ranged from 18-48". Oh, and did I mention that the trees are only 80 years old? ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/tom-jeff-loblolly-group2.jpg)
It looks a bit like the loblollys in my N. Florida swamp.
And the Louisiana piney woods.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12284/lobstatechamp.jpg)
That was only a 38 inch, have a cookie at my office from a 42 that was 80.
Tom, your tree is hard to tell anything about, ya got bigger wide bodies around it. 8)
Dodgy Loner, that was a shot at Dannie, I know the stuff he has been looking at. Not a state champ, but one in several hundred acres of the same.
Quote from: Texas Ranger on July 10, 2007, 10:36:26 PM
Dodgy Loner, that was a shot at Dannie, I know the stuff he has been looking at. Not a state champ, but one in several hundred acres of the same.
Yeah, that's what I figured. He told me about meeting you, but you know we Georgia foresters have to stick up for each other ;).
I am still learning the vagaries of East Texas :). I will have to say that there are some big loblolly pines in that country. That is a very nice one. They must figure that before the pine belt runs out just to the west, they had better grow big ;D. There is a tract on our property there in Polk County that has a some big ones like that. I will have to take you over there sometime, TR. However, the reason they are there is that it is not logging-friendly ground......
I am planning to raft in next week, maybe have breakfast with you Thursday morning ???. I am trying to sell some timber too :).
When I leased my land for drilling, I put in a clause that they had to pay fair market value for the timber. But I got to cut the timber and keep it to do as I wished. I wanted it to be expensive for them to go through my good woods when they could avoid most of it.
WDH, yeah, I am familiar with that logger unfriendly dirt we got around here, this is from some flat land stuff east of me. It does show the potential, on some sites, and this one is one of the best in the area.
Cruising?
I thought I was gonna see a picture of a '57 "Shivvy" convertible in front of a Tastee Freeze.
Quote from: Phorester on July 11, 2007, 01:19:07 PM
Cruising?
I thought I was gonna see a picture of a '57 "Shivvy" convertible in front of a Tastee Freeze.
That is not how they cruise in Texas ??? ??? smiley_huh2 smiley_huh2 smiley_huh2 smiley_lips smiley_love cone_1 pepsi_smiley
I think when it comes to loblolly pines (or for any southern yellow pines) we all have to bow to those in Congaree Swamp, SC. They have a virgin forest with many, many loblollies 4-5 feet in diameter and 160 to 170 feet tall. This is the national champion, ie the largest loblolly pine known to exist in the United States. It's 56 inches in diameter and 167 feet tall. There are some that are fatter, and some that are taller, but none that are bigger!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/loblolly%20pine.jpg)
Been there and they are BIG!
Another fun loblolly thread: Mr. Tommy's one-tree house (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=344.msg3466#msg3466)
Tom, what a great way to give the old champion another useful life. Thanks for sharing.
Neat place, Tom, but where's the picture of the tree ??? Inquiring minds want to see ;)
I saw the tree before it got sick. Mr. Raulerson had a sign on it telling folks to care for it. To my knowledge there was never a picture taken of it.
I think I might have some pictures of the logs. I do have some pictures of the boards. The light was wrong and I didn't get any good ones. Lordy! That was a long time ago. :D
I looked through all 400-some pictures in your gallery, but saw neither hide nor hair of the big tree. Maybe I overlooked some pictures of the boards, though ???
The Picture is probably in an Archive. I did find one on my website under Tom's Customers on page 24. I'm amazed that it is as good as it is. I don't know if the logs on the ramp were the largest butt cuts or if the big ones were on the ground to the right where the tractor left the trailer. I just remember there being a lot of wood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10026/Charlton_Cnty_biggest_pine-ff.jpg)
That sure is a big log on the ground in the background. Looks like that Baker did the job ;D.
The Baker isn't much afraid of big logs. That's the beauty of having the main engine driving the hydraulics that do the log handling. I'll have to admit that sometimes a little help is needed with a canthook, but those 38 horses driving the hydraulic pump take a lot of the strain out of the job.
I favor smaller logs, but have to cut these big ones regularly. It has always seemed that the customers think that the bigger the log, the better the lumber. Baker has put a wide throat on the mill and allows for trimming a log down to size with minimal chainsaw work.
As a matter of fact, the new mill has a added height in the throat which will make the job even easier.
That sure is big wood for 80 years. ;D
I had an 18" fir blow over this fall that was 45 years on the stump and chalk white. If balsam was a long lived tree, couldn't imagine how big they'd get around here. ;D
I think the record is 26" and 116'. Seen quite a few 18-22" and close to 80' in the natural forest on the best sites. Also on some sites the diameter is there, but they are only around 65 feet. I think they are younger trees. Pretty sure it isn't site in the instance I'm thinking of because it was logged off 25 years ago and likely 20 year old saplings were left standing. It's a really good site as well. Seems the last few years of their life is spent in height growth with very narrow diameter growth.
I wonder if Dodgy has cruised in a stand of Sitka spruce. 230-250 footers, 7'-9' DBH and 450-500 cords/acre? ;D 8)
Properties of Sitka Spruce (http://www.coastforest.org/species_pdf/sitka_spruce.pdf)
I gawked at some like that in the Queets River Valley on the Olympic Peninsula.