UMN small scale logging research

[Norwiscutter]

Here is a link to some research on small scale logging that I think some of you guys might find interesting.

http://www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/publications/staffpapers/Staffpaper143.pdf

[farmerdoug]

Norwiscutter,

Thanks for the link to the staff paper.  It is real interesting.

Farmerdoug

[OneWithWood]

A good read with food for thought.

Here is another link to info on small wood.  I do not remember where I got this so it may have been posted before.  Somehow I think Beenthere may have psoted it before.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu/index.html

[farmerdoug]

OWW,  That is a great link too.  I will be reading there for a while.

Farmerdoug

[Stephen Alford]

This seems to be an appropiate place to give the forum a couple of strokes with my paddle. 87% of pei is privately owned with 98% of timber harvested coming from this land base.  The present situation  is not good as elsewhere.  It has not always been that way . Forest management  and sector growth kicked into high gear about 1980 . Forest inventory ,management plans ,site enhancement, reforestation ,small contractors, processors , contractors associations ,sawmill organization, landowner affiliates.2007 pretty much done.  The post-mortum is over an I am not one to waste your time with pointing and winning.  From a provincial point of view the focus is producing new policy with water quality the primary driveshaft. Whats next ???????   The construction of the confederation (9mile) bridge over the Northumberland Strait  allowing the rest of Canada to join PEI allows for goods and services to move much more freely than in the past ! Downsizing and survival  are the goals for most remaining participants in the private sector.  In my particular case  its a farmtractor skidder operation. Being an owner operator the fun part is you get to do it all.  The paper at the beginning of this thread, be it 7 years old is pretty much on the money still.

[slowzuki]

Stephen, have you looked in to all the biomass work going on in PEI?  Bruce Macallum is president of the association and they are pushing chip and pellet tech locally on the island to try to got for energy independance.

[Stephen Alford]

M r. Slowzuki how are you? This biomass initative is in the planning phase. It has been attempted in the past with some sucess. This time it is with a granderscheme in mind.  I would like to say that I do not have absolute answers to  our many and complicated issues and anthing I have to say are my opinions only. The debate on this one starts with removing biomass from harvest sites and its effects on nutrient balance+ or - on the site. Generally speaking the voting puplic thinks that the Island has been overharvested. At this point the debate shotguns ,everybody grabs thier respective flags and there off  !!! . Whats interesting with PEI is the farming background so its basicly a question of when to harvest. To a certain degree forestry has been driven by farming disasters, pvyn ,falling pig prices ,mad cow etc. At this point land ownership and the rights of the land owner come on the radar. There are a lot of good people working on all of this but it will take some time. As a side line  to this an Island firm has started production of turbines for domectic and commercial applications. The plan is to have the power added to the grid then you will be credited for that.  My personal involment has been with smaller contractors (the smaller the better),and landowners. This is where education is needed the most. It provides an opportunity for people to do an apprenticeship where its one on one wether its a forestry person or landowner sometimes there one and the same.  There may be room for involment in these projects I would like to hope so but the jury is still out. Every day we learn something new for example never start a conversation to a scaler wether they be male or female with NOW LISTEN HERE MISSIE  !!  because some day your truck may be stuck in the mud. The easiest way to get it out is to have said scaler come and scale it  , pulling it then is a piece of cake !!

[slowzuki]

I'm more interesting in small scale biomass use than the large scale ambitions in the prov.  In NB pulp prices are so low right now it seems like power production from pulp would be a better option.