I knew this might happen sooner or later.(UPDATED 5/5/5)

[TexasTimbers]

But I didn't figure it would be sooner, and certainly not so close to home.
My neighbors across the road and down a little are clearing 40 acres for a new arena, a home site, and because "we want a view from the new house".
They start dozing in 3 weeks and I can have all I want. It's not forest land (but close to it in some areas) but the 40 acres is mostly all covered and there's lots and lots of oaks, osage, cedar, some walnut, and the usual suspects of mixed species.
Of course I am floored to have this boon but I don't know how to manage this much wood given to me all at once. It's not like I can harvest it when I can get to it. They are willing to let me pull out any and all I can handle but
I don't even know what questions to ask on how to manage this much wood. I don't think I can get it all. I have a little 40HP Ford tractor, a skid steer loader, plenty of trailers, and can hire some laborers but still this is alot of trees that will be pushed up all at once.
All I can see is get what I can and seal the ends till I can saw it and get the kiln built.
For you who have faced this scenario before, what mistakes can you help me avoid?
I'd hate to do alot of work only to make a stupid mistake that wipes out all my effort!
KJ

UPDATE as of 5/5/05
I found a guy to start cutting the trees and another neighbor said I could fill his pools with as many logs as I wish. I just LOVE my neighbors! I do still have to get permission from the landowner to cut them before the dozer dude arrives but I know she'll agree to let me. I will take some pics and try to learn how to post the DanG things!
Thanks for all the advice fellas.
I shore gotta go see ARKY now and let him edumicate me on how to cut the blasted thangs 8)

[beenthere]

First, I would ask to cut down the trees first. I know they like to have the tree to push on, but it's a bear to sort through trees and root balls pushed into a big pile, and horrible on chain saws and saw blades with all the dirt. Very time consumming, to say the least.

At least go through and knock them down, and then pull them out of the piles if you can't snake them out before the dozer hits them.

Get all you can out in three weeks before they start. If they want a high stump, give it to them.

Just my thoughts, as I 'chummed' about 20,000 bd ft of high grade n. red oak that had been bulldozed.  It was worth it for 60% all clear 8' boards, but you may not get that much high grade and it won't be worth it in the end.

A 40 hp tractor with 3pt will pull out a lot of logs if you have a 3pt attachment that will take a logging tong and chains.

[sigidi]

Kev terrific news!!

my best advice after being in a similar situation but on a smaller scale and with a busy developer...

put your life on hold and go for it like crazy 8)

get as much of it home as you can, if you will be short on time attack the higher value ones first,then go down the scale as time permits.

It's great you have 3 weeks before the machines turn up!! I got to mine while the excavator was pushing them into heaps :(

Seriously though none of us have come across this often and I am DanG sure it will become even more rare in the future. Once you have em out, they are saved, if you do't get to using them, then you can find someone who will.

Make sure you do seal up the ends though, and if you can work it that way seal 'em as you cut 'em

Good luck with it all and keep us posted

[Tom]

We fill our ponds with logs in North Florida and Georgia.  It keeps them fresh for a long time.   If you can't do that,  stack them and put sprinklers on them to kep them wet.  It will help keep bugs off and fungus stain down.  They must be kept wet all of the time until you saw them up.   I am speaking of SYP and Cypress.  You will have to get confirmation on the hardwoods.   I'll bet it will work though.  Preservation is of the upmost importance.  You'll never saw as fast as you can haul.

[HORSELOGGER]

Could you find a logger to cut and skid the trees you want tree length ? If you walk through and mark the ones you want, a well oiled logging crew with skidder will get em out way faster than a guy who doesnt normaly do that sort of work and a farm tractor. Might be worth it and safer than trying to get the logs out while feeling "pressured" with a timeline.

[Buzz-sawyer]

Its great that you are saving them from the inevitable burn pile dozer operators seem to have a fetish for.............
Go nuts,And get bussy
cut em long as you can safely pull drop em and get anotyher it goes faster than you might think.
Use sealer on the ends and forget about em till you get done.,

Most hardwoods will be fine in 1-2 years..if it takes that long....mainly the sap wood will be no good.

cut the hickory and gum first , they go down hill fast the white oak red oak cherry osage locust will hold up.


Cut all the straight round stuff of the better variety, then get every single bit even if you have to hire out....ask Kirk Allen if it isnt putting money in the BANK ;) :D :D

[Brucer]

...  They must be kept wet all of the time until you saw them up.   I am speaking of SYP and Cypress.  You will have to get confirmation on the hardwoods.  ...

It should work with any type of wood. All the big mills here in the west use sprinklers on their softwoods throughout the summer. The water keeps the logs cool and slows the rate of decay down to almost nothing. 'Course a pond is handier and cheaper than pumping water through a bunch of sprinlkers ;D.

[Ianab]

I'm with Buzz on this.

Just go for it for the next three weeks.   

If you can only get 1/2 the logs out... make sure it's the best 1/2

Also you can pick the species like Walnut, Oak and Cedar that will last many months in log form.

End coat them and stack them off the ground.

Then start sawing. Cut the logs that are likely to spoil first, others will still be good after 6 mounths.

Dont worry about a kiln yet.. saw it and stack it to air dry with a tarp or some old tin to cover the stacks.
Once it's air dry it's pretty safe and you can quickly finish it off in a kiln later.

Dont let too many good logs go to waste there  ;)

Cheers

Ian

[Swede]

 

40 acres of woods! : Don´t sit here and talk, go out and find some loggers with machines and get them logs to Your side of the road.
What makes a dozer not working?...........or can You pay the dozer man to not show up? ;D

Then come back and tell us more about Your neighbours, what do they do more than clearing with a dozer?  :D :D

Swede.

[Kirk_Allen]

KevJay:

BEN THERE DONE THIS more than once!

You already have some great advice but let me share what I did in a very similar situation.
This is the thread from the fisrt free log grab! 
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=4423.0

Like Buzz, said, cut them AS LONG as possible.  You should have no trouble pulling out 20' logs with the tractor.  I know I did at my grandparents place.  The kubota I used on that job was a 40 hp and I was able to skid about 30 logs a day.  Could have done more but from the woods to the road where I had to skid them was 1/4 mile. Now some of those logs were cut short becuase of size.  Lots of 30" logs that limited my pull power ;D

One thing I will caution is thinking every log must go all the way down to 8" diameter.  I FINALLY this week got all but three hickory logs cut from my last Gold Strike and in that pile was about 10 hikcory logs that measured between 6-10 inches.  Those are too small to give any good lumber and unless you looking for some designated table legs these are destined for firewood, which brings up the other side of such a find.  If you can drag out the log in full lenght then cut what you want into mill logs and save the rest in a pile for firewood. 

Currently I have a chicken barn that is NOW SLAM FULL of stacked wood of just about every hardwood species.  I did it part time, mostly weekends, and in the last two years lets just say I now have a pretty secure IRA account out in that barn ;D

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Forget sealing.  Forget any thing less then 12 inches.  Forget cutting low to the ground.  Forget doing much limbing.
Cut and drag the best first.   Get them out of the way of the dozer then worry about putting into ponds, shade, sealing, sawing or any thing else.  Just get while the getting is good.  Most of them you will have months to really worry about and if you leave the logs long as possible that means less sealing and you can re-clip the end of the log and seal later.   Leave the dozer guy some stump to hit.   Mark walnut stumps with orange gound paint and ask him not to put into the pile.  You can fetch them later.   If I could see daylight here I would come help.  :(
ARKANSAWYER

[dewwood]

What Arky said!  Get them out first worry about the rest later.  I have done this and let the dozer operator knock the trees down to satisfy him and then cut the logs out leaving only the stump and the top for them to push up into the pile.  If they are willing to do this it works well but you have to be there when they are working and keep things out of their way so you are not holding them up.  You might want to consider renting a loader or off road forklift to move and stack the logs then to load them to haul them once you are done cutting them.

Good luck!

Dewey