brushing & thinning operations

[robotguy]

questions on brushing & thinning of forest plots ( forest service b.l.m. private lots ect )  is there anyone on the forum  in this type of business  that i can ask some questions of,  i am in the southern oregon (oregon/california border) area and would like to talk with some one who does this type of work, i am specificly interested in the thinning of and fuels reduction work area,  also anyone using a small farm tractor and or a.t.v. in this field i would like to talk to them also, thanks in advance   robotguy.    

[Tillaway]

I have been involved with fuels reduction to some extent and know a few of contractors.  I have done a few smaller ones.

[robotguy]

 new question,  visualize a thinning & release operation where a juvenile tree  ( 6" ) is thinned out and on the ground  i want to take a sholder strap held clearing saw / trimmer with a cicular blade on it and  trim, skim the limbs off the *side facing up * of it so that basicly one side is de-limbed and three sides still have limbs for about the first 14 feet more or less on a 25 footer. the average limb is about 3/4  to 1 inch thick, i have opted for a clearing saw/ trimmer for operator coveniance &  speed . went and visited the local saw shop and saw several types of trimmers and trimming saw and the sale guy recommended a special cicular saw blade with chainsaw teeth attached to it spaced about 3 inches apart , again as the limbs are average 3/4 to 1 inch thick i am looking for speed and performance of cutting here. what i need to find out is how effecient this is vrs using a chainsaw with a 20 inch blade in a production thinning operation and any specific trimmers, clearing saws that stand out in this type of work. anyone with words of wisdom on this ?? again thanks for the info   robotguy.      

[Tillaway]

I have a Husky 165 clearing saw.  The biggest made at 65cc's, it will turn a 16" carbide blade but works better with a 14".  A 12" works well but you are limited to tree size a bit more.  These larger blades are not available at your local saw shop.  They are custom made for these things by an outfit in Eugene I think.

Shindiawa or was it Solo made a back pack one where you just held the shaft.  I haven't seen one in years but it would turn a 12" blade.

It looks like you want to lop the brush, I have used both chainsaw and clearing saw doing what you want to do.  The clearing saw is much faster but when it comes to limbing and lopping they suck.  Also if you need directional control there is a bit of a learning curve with the clearing saw.  You will learn after the first one lands on your head. ;D

The chainsaw cutters attached to the round blade cut rough and slow.  The blades that you can sharpen with a round file without the chainsaw cutters work better but you have to sharpen every time you hit a rock or every tank of gas.  Also you need to use the file guide that clamps to the file to sharpen.  If you don't you will file in a big hook.  The carbides work much better and cost around $100 a blade last time I checked.  You have to send them out to sharpen but if you keep it out of the rocks they will last all week between sharpenings.

If you are cutting for fuel breaks and are dealing with the slash by piling or chipping, do not limb anything unless you really have to.  Limbing just creates a bigger mess.  A big chipper will eat the entire tree and is much easer to feed one big long bushy piece than trying to shove a pile of limbs through.

Get a set of those hand tongs from that scandanavian forestry supply place in Idaho.  They are well worth the money and make life much easier.