The circle of life.

[customsawyer]

I called one of my regular loggers to get a load of logs. He starts describing the tract that he is cutting on and will bring me a couple of loads off of. Well I planted this tract of timber 27 years ago. Part of it is kind of a neat/cool feeling and the other part is the "DanG I'm getting old" feeling. Guess I will have to sit a couple of the logs to the side and use them to build something here at the house with.

[longtime lurker]

I cut a stand couple years back, last logging there was done by my grandad and his brothers before I was born.   I had some really good logs come out of it... 60 years of growth on last times too small made for some handy size stems.  I left a nice balanced stand behind me for the next guy...I'd like to think someone else will be in there in the future and do the same. It's supposed to be sustainable.

Time flies when you're having fun 

[SwampDonkey]

I've been cutting wood off ground I planted 30 years ago, then thinned 15 years later. I never planted 100% of the trees, but probably 1/3 of the trees. I'm cutting some of the planted trees, but mostly the other species that grow way faster, the aspen and fir I retained when I thinned it. Thinning the second time. You don't cover the ground as fast when they become merchantable trees unless you have big harvest equipment. 

[teakwood]

I planted my teaktrees when i was 22, now i'm 42 and already sawing this wood since 4 years, only thinnings. My 20year old plantation is already considered "old/mature" because nobody wants to wait more than 15-20 years to get a return on teak. 

I hope i see my plantation when i'm 60

[Don P]

The white pines we've been harvesting in the front yard were babies when we moved here, naturals somewhere between 5-14 years old, the amount of time the place sat abandoned. They are now really nice trees, well, its been almost 40 more years, time does fly. I mentioned to a retired forester in his 80's that it was kind of neat to harvest what I had watched grow. He said on some land here they are harvesting the 3rd generation of his trees.

 One of the neighboring properties was a land grant and the last generation of that family "let a good farm grow up". When he passed it sold for the first time. I rode around with the new neighbors and he asked what was going on, a bunch of trees like locust, dogwood and cherry were in bad shape and he didn't understand the "problem". I pointed to the grass in the woods and the young hardwoods coming in. We were standing in old fields, another circle of life is going on, the early pasture colonizer trees are fading as the tolerant trees are starting to take hold. Another name for loblolly is oldfield pine and we planted a lot in old fields down east.

[Magicman]

That is neat Jake to get to benefit from some of the fruits of your former labors. 



When I look at your age and see that you are one year younger than Marty (our youngest) then it makes my "circle of life" seem a bit smaller.  I just noticed that today is Saturday and Monday was only yesterday. 

[caveman]

What I think about nearly daily is that most of the land in our area that used to be forested, cattle pastures, crop fields or citrus groves is mostly subdivisions, shopping centers or retention ponds.  My children and grandchildren will not get to see the rural Polk County Florida that I grew up in.  The demographics of the area have changed as much as the landscape.  There are more folks from somewhere else than from here.  

It is cool to plant trees and see them mature.  We built our house in '94-95.  I dug up and planted several live oak trees in the yard that were less than an inch in diameter.  Now, many of them are close to 30", provide a lot of shade, leave and pollen.  

Making something special out of your pines is a good idea, Jake.

[Resonator]

I walked through my family woods yesterday and looked how much growth has come up since we had it logged going on 10 years ago. There was a stand of 50 or more red pine planted in rows that my dad and uncles put in in the 1950's that was cut, and was almost good enough for telephone poles. (They were cut before I bought my mill in 2017, oh if I had I known).
There were a few random ones the logger didn't cut that I later sawed into lumber, they are the 2x's stacked behind my guitar in my profile pic. Some of those went on to projects for my cousin, who's dad helped plant them.
I hope someday to bring a dozer in, and plant more red pine seedlings and keep the circle going.

[TroyC]

9 years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire 100 acres of land I had hunted on since the late '80's. About 35 acres of it had just been planted in the early 80's. Those trees were harvested a year and a half ago. It was not 'clearcut'. Lots of 35 yr natural growth was left and a lot of oaks/cherry that feed the wildlife remain. In addition, I just replanted 5000 loblolly on that 35 acres. It was a difficult decision to do that harvest because it was such a beautiful forest but after consulting a couple foresters and a valued member of this forum, I decided to do the harvest.

There was a hayfield of about 17 acres that was planted in pines in 2000. That 17 acres was thinned during the harvest and is looking nice now. Every time I ride thru those pines I remember the hayfield.

There are many old trees (I consider 60-70 yr old pines old) left on the property and occasionally one will fall. I had to take down one such tree about 5 years ago to protect an old barn on the property. Decided to have it milled so I could repair the old barn. Took it to Jake. Thank you CustomSawyer for milling the old tree and stoking my interest in sawmills!

[customsawyer]

Troy that made me smile. I'm starting to get a good sized stack of favors you're going to owe me some day.
Troy it's actually just down the road from your place. At the corner of Middle ground CH. rd. and hwy 126

[TroyC]

Well, get the favors lined up and I'll try to settle up some day .
Yep, that intersection is on my may to town. Maybe 3 miles by the way the crow flies.

[Wlmedley]

That ugly spruce log I milled today and posted on the what's you sawing thread was a Christmas tree in our living room approximately 30 years ago. I plan to mark the boards and hopefully use them for something special. I didn't really know what kind of tree it was until I posted a picture on here awhile back and folks identified it as a Colorado Blue Spruce.Probably the only one I'll ever get to saw.

[YellowHammer]

That's pretty cool, ought to cut one up for something special at the project.  

[Stephen1]

Good idea YH. There has to be a project for the project.
When my dad bought my property in 1978, I planted a bunch of EWP seedlings. 
Fast forward to 2021 
I had to clear this lot for my septic and new build. The EWP were pushed over by the excavator and I got home just in time to save those logs. There were all about 12-16" . Well they are now the 8x8 posts for my front porch.

[jpassardi]

That is neat Jake.
When my Father, Cousin and I built my house, we sided it with white pine that we cut off my Parent's property which my Great Grandparents used as pasture. One of the pines had 121 growth rings as I recall.

[TimW]

Dad and I hunted paper company land for years.  It was half planted in SYP saplings, about 10 foot high, when we started leasing.  Over the years, they harvested the older half and crushed the remains, then a year or two later they replanted SYP.  Those crushers are HUGE.  I need to drive buy one day and see how big the pine are now.