Pictures of your trees on the hit list for the mill

[Walnut Beast]

A few pictures of plenty dead and down Black Gold of all sizes. Eager to get into the treasure chest. The one big dog blew over on the creek several years ago that’s half in the steep bank. Can’t measure the lower part but the smaller upper limb on the fork is 22” and really long. The tree still had some life growing like that

 

 

[mike_belben]

Those could grow well in my region but are pretty much extinct except in front yards.  Ive hardly ever seen walnut other than slabbed up in bar rooms. 

Pretty awesome that youve got mature ones

[Walnut Beast]

It’s time for some of these monsters to come down this one is way bigger up higher than the lower diameter. Notice the old time barb wire on the outside going in the knot

 

 

  

[IndiLina]

I like the idea of a thread for this.   
Walked around my tract in Virginia Saturday, trying to decide which trees to start with when my mill arrives.   
Think the timber could use a thinning, so will probably be taking some trees a bit smaller than the pros would be interested in.   
At least half the tract is red and white oaks. Black, scarlet, chestnut, and white.   



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Want to avoid high grading, but not sure what to do with the pines like these white pines, because I doubt they are financially worth hauling the 2 hours to my mill site, which already has a lot of Loblolly on site. 


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[Walnut Beast]

Looks  beautiful ! . Good idea to get the wheels turning on a game plan 👍

[mudfarmer]

Does it count if already down? This is what is left of a small pile of sale logs after "merchandising" and will go on my mill. There are a number of these piles that need to get moved to the mill yard before mud season. Anything that won't make at least a #2 log is not worth it for me to haul. I do not mind cutting 9" diameter or 4-6' long hardwood with the LT15. Also crotches, butts etc. that don't turn into firewood. These were cut off the side of a skid trail and had to be jump butted. Ash, cherry, hard maple



 

[TroyC]

Mine are already down. Took them out for my shed area. Plantation pines, 21 yr olds so don't expect quality wood. Might make another shooting shed or some siding boards. Hope to cut next week.

 

 

[mike_belben]

youre making a plantation look pretty good.  its not like i wont need some lumber in 20 years any less than i need it today. 

[woodman52]

I've been doing a lot of looking and marking, here are some from before the snow got deep. I have taken a number down over the winter. Some I will sell as logs, some I will mill. All have issues. The ones that have broken crotches or hollows I will mill what I can recover since the mills won't buy them. I will also save some of the nicer logs for myself.



 
This one is a cherry, 24+" dbh. Split right down crotch then half broke down about 18'up.



 

Easy to see what's going on here.



 

The two with the roots showing are candidates but also the two to the right look like they are not going to get any better with age, and are really close to the third one that looks good. Since I started managing these woods I have always tried to take the worst and leave the best.

[woodman52]

Here is my son working on one that is starting to hollow at the base.



 

[Walnut Beast]

Does it count if already down? This is what is left of a small pile of sale logs after "merchandising" and will go on my mill. There are a number of these piles that need to get moved to the mill yard before mud season. Anything that won't make at least a #2 log is not worth it for me to haul. I do not mind cutting 9" diameter or 4-6' long hardwood with the LT15. Also crotches, butts etc. that don't turn into firewood. These were cut off the side of a skid trail and had to be jump butted. Ash, cherry, hard maple


(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

You bet it counts 👍. 

[Walnut Beast]

I've been doing a lot of looking and marking, here are some from before the snow got deep. I have taken a number down over the winter. Some I will sell as logs, some I will mill. All have issues. The ones that have broken crotches or hollows I will mill what I can recover since the mills won't buy them. I will also save some of the nicer logs for myself.


(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)
 
This one is a cherry, 24+" dbh. Split right down crotch then half broke down about 18'up.


(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)
 

Easy to see what's going on here.


(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)
 

The two with the roots showing are candidates but also the two to the right look like they are not going to get any better with age, and are really close to the third one that looks good. Since I started managing these woods I have always tried to take the worst and leave the best.

Hopefully you will get some good stuff for the mill. Some of these storms can be nasty on the trees that were in good condition 

[woodman52]

Black cherry is notorious for splitting at a crotch. This is one of the things I look for when deciding what trees to cut. If the crotch is tight and the top is healthy it gets a pass. If the crotch is starting to split it goes on the short list, if the top is dying back it goes on the "someday when I get caught up" list. I also look at the butt for issues, that seems to be more of a hard maple issue than cherry but they all get looked at. As a cherry matures and gets heavier on the top the crotches get more susceptible. It seems like around 24" dbh is when you really have to start looking. If the crotch form is a V and not a U you have to start watching it when it get that big. I do have some that are 32" that are tight and sound so I don't go just by diameter. 

I look at the health of the tree, will it get bigger and better in the future, will it stay the same, will it get worse.
I look at nearby trees, will they be better off if this tree was gone.
I look at understory, what will happen if more light gets down to the ground. The understory is the future -- for my son.

I don't think I have cut down a tree just thinking - that will make some nice lumber. ---  Except some beech, they have little commercial value but I use them for building. So if I need some 20' beams I will look for beech trees that fit the bill. I have an overabundance of them.

[Walnut Beast]

I like that approach. Same here if the tree doesn’t have any issues it’s going to be left alone 👍

[Woodfarmer]

Black cherry is notorious for splitting at a crotch. This is one of the things I look for when deciding what trees to cut. If the crotch is tight and the top is healthy it gets a pass. If the crotch is starting to split it goes on the short list, if the top is dying back it goes on the "someday when I get caught up" list. I also look at the butt for issues, that seems to be more of a hard maple issue than cherry but they all get looked at. As a cherry matures and gets heavier on the top the crotches get more susceptible. It seems like around 24" dbh is when you really have to start looking. If the crotch form is a V and not a U you have to start watching it when it get that big. I do have some that are 32" that are tight and sound so I don't go just by diameter.

I look at the health of the tree, will it get bigger and better in the future, will it stay the same, will it get worse.
I look at nearby trees, will they be better off if this tree was gone.
I look at understory, what will happen if more light gets down to the ground. The understory is the future -- for my son.

I don't think I have cut down a tree just thinking - that will make some nice lumber. ---  Except some beech, they have little commercial value but I use them for building. So if I need some 20' beams I will look for beech trees that fit the bill. I have an overabundance of them.

How do you store the beech beams, inside or outside?

[Ed]

The top broke on this 36" Hickory last year, beginning of the end for it. With the top still stuck and not knowing the condition of the trunk (Hickories tend to hollow badly here), I decided there are better ways to die. Had an exc. contractor working across the road take it out stump and all with the trackhoe.
Suprisinly, its solid, sawmill here we come!

Ed



 

[nativewolf]

Here is my son working on one that is starting to hollow at the base.


(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

One can tell you've been culling from below.  Very nice looking woods!  it looks in the pics as if the save trees might be a bit overstocked.  Is that the case?

[Walnut Beast]

Nice picture Ed! The wind here this past summer busted the whole tops out on some smaller walnut trees

[g_man]

I am going to cut this one and bring it to a friend who has a mill and likes to open these things up.



 

gg

[Walnut Beast]

Cool! Look forward to the pictures later 👍