Went to the Game of Logging training

[oakiemac]

Just got back from the GOL training in Detroit. The location had to be one of the strangest places to hold a logging training class. I felt like a fish out of water in that area. I hate big cities and Detroit is at the top of my list but that is a whole other story. We did have plenty of dead Ash to cut in a park.

The class was great. Taught by Ken Lamott who really knows his stuff. I learned a lot in the first two days. We have 2 more to go next month. If anybody gets the chance to go to one of these I would recommend it. Especially if you have never been trained and just go out in the woods and cut. That is the way I used to do it but with the high danger level I thought some officail training was in order. This Gol is a good way to get that training.
Many thanks to Jessica Simmonds for setting up the class and the US Forest service for picking up most of the tab! 8) 8)

[Kevin]

It's amazing to discover what you don't know when you take the time and make the effort to get a little instruction.
I thought I knew everything about chain saws, after all I owned one for several years ... two minutes into the course I realized I knew very little.

[nyforester]

The Game of Logging is required by several mills here in NY State if you want to sell them any wood. It is very informative and could even save your life. I have taken 4 of the classes myself. I have a logger working for me that is 68 years old. He has been in the woods since he was 7. He was negative about going to the classes at first, but really enjoys it now. He says even old dogs can learn new tricks !!
[img width=350 --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/y166/nyforester/game2.jpg[/img]
[img width=350 --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/y166/nyforester/game3.jpg[/img]

[bitternut]

Okiemac it sounds like you guys were cutting dead trees. When I hosted the classes they wanted live wood. The guy that set it up said that cutting dead wood was a different animal. I wonder what the difference in the instructions would be. Glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself in spite of being in Detroit. The classes must have been really good to offset the location.

Nyforester is that Bill Lindloff in the pictures. He was the instructor we had and I think he lives down your way. If it is you sure had a good instructor. He made things look so easy.

I noticed the hollow butt in that dropped tree in the background of the second picture. We learned how to safely drop them in our class and that is one of the types of trees that I always stayed away from. I no longer have any reservations about dropping one of my hollow beech trees. The forester that marked my woods for TSI put an X on all the dangerous trees ( hollow butts ) as a warning to anyone who might try to fell one. Piece of cake now.

[nyforester]

Hi Bitternut
Yes that is Bill L. He is a very good teacher and takes it very serious.

[Kevin]

How does he instruct on cutting a spring pole?

[bitternut]

Kevin they teach you to imagine the vertex of a vertical line and a horizontal tangent to the spring pole. Then you imagine a line from that vertex down 45 degrees to the spring pole. You then shave the underside of the spring pole with your saw until the spring pole collapses. You can then finish cutting with the saw in a normal fashion to sever the remaining wood. If you did it right both cut ends of the spring pole will remain real close together. If you were off one way or the other it will move in the direction of your error. Its pretty neat the way they just kind of collapse once you thin out the underside. By using the edge of the chain the wood will not get a chance to pinch the bar. Works with any size pole. Thick ones just take a little longer.

[OneWithWood]

How do you safely fell a hollow tree.  That was not covered in the classes I took. (or mebbee I was yackin', but usually there is a demo)

[oakiemac]

Bitternut, we did cut some live trees but most were dead but still solid. The instructor said that if they were too powdery then the plan will change.

[Kevin]

This is how I was instructed to remove tension from a spring pole, several small cuts on the tension side being sure to stand on the side away from the tension.

[bitternut]

Kevin I will have to give that method a try to see if it works better than shaving the bottom side. I have my doubts that it will but we will see.

OneWithWood you can safely fell hollow trees by cutting them real low where the root swell is. You figure your hinge width at 80% of DBH and  the hinge thickness at 10% of DBH. Since the root swell or butt swell is larger than your DBH you have quite a bit more wood to get a hinge and you do not have to go as deep into the tree to make your notch. Since you are coming down with your angle cut first and your second notch cut is horizontal you can get the notch real close to the ground where there is more solid wood. Then you do a bore cut to establish your notch thickness. If the hinge thickness is OK you can then widen the bore cut enough for wedges if needed. Check things to make sure everything is good to go and cut the holding wood. Move away at least 15' at a 45 deg angle and watch your tree fall to the ground. Those hinge numbers are minimums and can vary with species of wood.

Several of the trees we cut were hollow beeches and leaners also. When you do your bore cut you can tell right away what kind of wood is in the stump. If your chips are black or punky you know that the tree is hollow or rotten in the middle. I went out and cut a couple more of the hollow beeches with X's on them the following week just to practice and I was able to drop them easily and real close to my target.

I don't think I gave any misinformation but if I did maybe okiemac or nyforester can correct me or add something that I may have left out.

[Kevin]

Are they boring every tree that is being felled?

[Frank_Pender]

I would really like to know the style of face that was taught.  Out here, OSHA requires the Humbolt face design as opposed the the Dutchman.

[bitternut]

Yes I am pretty sure every tree was bore cut. Here is a picture of our bore cut test. We had to do a bore cut on this block and stay between lines that the instructor put on the block. Also we were not to touch the slab that he held about an inch away from the back side. This was kind of tough to get everything right on.

[chet]

I have never heard anyone mention weather or not they taught anything in regards to notch placement. By this I mean in relation to rotten or punky wood, splits, seams, twist, hollows, trunk shape, or multiple stems. Just curious as I have never taken the course.

[bitternut]

Here is an example of the notch we were taught Frank. As far as notch placement we tried to get them as low as possible so stumps would be left low. Our class did not get into multiple stems, splits, etc. Level 3 was as far we covered and those were trees felled away from their natural lean, back lean and side lean. Quite a few were also hollow. We did not run into any that did not have enough wood for a hinge. I guess you would not mess with a tree that was so rotten or hollow that you could not get a proper hinge.

[Oregon Engineer]

The game of Logging is a part of the continuing education for most employees in some type of administration job (not directly manufacturing) so they all get to understand what our customers are doing EVERY DAY. It's a yearly event with about 25 different people every year. The VP of Marketing was in my class.

For most of the employees its the first time they've taken down a tree. In the patch of woods where we train, the trees are typically Douglas Firs that are 25" in diameter and about 150' tall. For a first timer I tell his/her (yes the ladies do the training also) buddies to get a picture of their face just as the tree starts to fall and they turn to RUN. Preciously funny looks of terror are usually on their face!!!!! Pictures that are worth saving for just the right time!

Awesome training!!!

[oakiemac]

We had several ladies in our class including Jessica who ocassionally post here on the Forum. Jessica knows her chain saws and I suspect that she can fell a tree or two!

I have only taken the first 2 levels and we haven't cut any hollow trees or spring poles yet. That stuff might be coming up next. I am going to practice in the next few weeks with some of my own trees then I should have some more questions for the instructor when we meet again in January.

[Max sawdust]

Thanks for the great pics.
I have been wanting to attend the class my self.  Our county fair last summer had a logging compition, in order to compete you had to attend the game of logging course.  That was a smart way to get people to take the course.
Max

[D Martin]

Does anyone know how to find out the next class in ones area? I have e mailed gol but heard no reply and would like to take a class or two. Do you need to take all the classes from the begining class or can you take just the ones you want?

[bitternut]

I am pretty sure that you have to take them in sequence but not sure. Since it appears you are in New Hampshire try this link. It will be well worth it to take the courses. There is nothing like getting the instructions from one of the masters that teach the courses and then putting the saw in your hands under their watchful eye.


http://www.loggertraining.com/

[Kevin]

Frank;
I think for felling most are teaching the open face notch, not the best for saving wood.
It's probably more to do with safety than conservation.

Boring is a useful technique but not one that I would use on every tree.

The best time to see what's inside the tree is when the face notch has been removed.
A hollow tree can still have  hinge wood but you will want to see if it's balanced or equal wood on both sides.

[Dale Hatfield]

  I happy that you were able to attend Kens training. He is a fun guy to work with.
GOL  training is based
On an open face notch 70 to 90 degrees.  In the outside third of the tree Back cut level to point of notch.
With a  even  hinge thickness . Based on D B H  for length.
Hinge is created with a bore cut. Unless tree is too small to bore.
Spring pole is removed by shaving  inside of  arch.  Caution  on other methods of removal, Spring poles have maimed and killed many .  a wrong cut from the outside of the pole will cause it to explode.
As far as  a saving wood  I have never lost a dime on a log by using an open face notch, saw log or peeler/slicer.
This method allows me to drive over stumps , and not  fear rolling over. I sell all I bought and not on the stump.

[oakiemac]

Kevin, when wouldn't you use the bore cut? I asked our instructor this and he said that he has 80 differnt methods of cutting trees but he didn't really answer my question. I guess that they teach the bore cut as the main stay then maybe in the advanced classes they teach the other types.

[Ed_K]

 D Martin, if the email don't work, Try a call to David Birdsall, @ (877)951-1223
Or pm me and I'll get John Addler's #.
GOL, Its the best way to stay alive and learn to work more productively.