Eco Terrorism

[Banjo picker]

There is another group that needs to be mentioned in this thread.  The landowners.  Sometimes, they are the problem.  Whats a logger supposed to do, say "I just won't cut your timber if you want it done that way.  I'll just stay home and starve."

The logger could be getting blamed for bad decisions made by someone else.

Sometimes it might be possible to just walk away, and maybe best to do so, but what if its  all there is to do?

[thompsontimber]

You make a good point Banjo picker.  Often times landowners go into management decisions with preconceived notions of what is right or what they want to accomplish without any education about what the true results will be.  Around here, that is most often evident in a couple of areas:  1) High grading their stands-often landowners have been told by loggers or have used their own logic in looking at their timber to determine that they can cut all the big money trees out and leave the little ones to grow, but what they get in the end is a massacred stand that is left with scattered suppressed stems that will never grow and most will blow over in the next big wind. Some landowners are going to insist on this type of harvest, but I find that probably 95% + of landowners can be talked out of that approach simply by explaining to them why that is not the best approach for the long term management of their forests.  The bigger issue there is that not many loggers are willing to talk a landowner who seems interested in taking out the best timber into reversing course and having them remove pulpwood instead. 2) Reforestation following a clearcut- I have had less success in this area, probably closer to 60-70%, and I think that relates to the fact that it costs the landowner directly out of his pocket.  When a landowner has a site that is particularly well suited to regeneration by planting, it is important to explain the benefits of doing so, help them acquire available cost share money, etc.  No matter your efforts though, some are going simply allow nature to take its course, and in time they will still have a forest. I learned early on not to judge my competition or their competence based solely on what one of their harvests might look like from a sound forestry perspective.  Its easy to drive by and say "dang, look at that awful high grade, I wonder what crook did that to the landowner." However, that isn't fair, because you don't know what the landowner's role really was in that end result.  If he insisted on a high grade, you have to give him what he wants, he is the boss. Ultimately, we are responsible for meeting landowner objectives.  That's not always based on sound practice, but you can always be an educator and attempt to persuade landowners to do the right thing.  If you try your best to help them, and yet they insist on doing the wrong thing, you have nothing to lose sleep about.  Again, my caution would be in failing to provide them with reasons to do it the right way. Worse yet are those that encourage landowners to do it the wrong way because it is more financially beneficial to the logger. 

[SwampDonkey]

On the silviculture side, I have found the rare landowner that actually knows the benefits and because they are preoccupied with their job have no time to carry out any treatments. And one step beyond that, even when it costs nothing to have a contractor do the work they will not participate because someone else is making a living off their ground (government subsidy). It is a rare case, but I have run across a couple instances. Some folks are dead against government getting their claw into any activities on their land.

[snowman]

Banjo pickers right on. A neighbor of mine had his land logged, raped I mean :D. Anyway other neighbors complained about it and this guy said, those dang loggers, it's their fault. Just so happens I knew the guys that did the logging, they went to landowner 3 times and said they were done. Land owner said what about those trees over there, get them too. Loggers are often used as the scapegoat.As far as eco terrorist, Iv'e seen my share. I have worked in every state in the west from AZ to AK. Seen equipment run over cliffs, engines ruined, tires shot, etc etc etc. Few years back me and my fallin partner showed and  up to a job, crew wasnt there yet, we were getting a strip opened,and this guy was chained to the gate. Dead of winter, 10 degrees. I got a 5 gallon bucket, filled it up in the icy creek and poured it over him. Then we went home. Next morning he wasn't there,never saw him again.

[thompsontimber]

I can understand that mentality SD. Here we have property tax deferment programs that cost the landowner nothing but reduce his tax burden as an incentive to maintain his land in forest and practice sound forest management.  We also have cost sharing programs that pay a high percentage of the cost of reforestation and site preparation costs as an incentive for long term forest management.  However, many landowners will express no interest in such opportunities because they have a government tie.  They have been made so paranoid about government being out to hurt them rather than help them, that the incentive isn't of much importance if it requires signing a government document to get it. 

[SwampDonkey]

On every instance I can remember, those folks have totally flattened all their timber land. Sure got nothing to do with lining their pocket. Our silviculture program doesn't require any signatures, just a yes sir, go ahead. Contractors however have to have the credentials and insurances and written land owner permission, but only required by the marketing board.

[Dale Hatfield]

Been on the receiving end of a few Vandal  acts. One burnt loader truck cab, One hot wired skidder that was down for repairs Missing water pump. Used to beat the dozer into submission ,then plunged into the lake untill the motor sucked ina fateful drink. The first one Ill call Anti logging. The skidder dozer I call plan vandal acts from some unruly teenagers.The second job was through the local hippy work force as an acid mine drainage clean up, surely they didnt pay me to wreck me

[Ron Scott]

Its happened here a few times to various degrees, a shears burned up, a skidder started and rolled over down a hillside, sand or sugar in the few tanks, and hoses cut or reversed, etc.

Most loggers don't leave any of their equipment out where it is easily seen or found when left unattended. It's usually hidden back in the woods or left in the landowners surveillance area.

[Phorester]

Speaking of leaving things out, a few years ago a local logger told me of leaving half a dozen 16" diameter red oak logs on the deck over the weekend.  Monday morning they were gone.  All that was left were little piles of sawdust 18" apart.  Some homeowner got a cheap, easy, and bountiful load of firewood over the weekend.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, that has happened also. An easy source of weekend firewood. ;)

One of my loggers also had a truck load of veener logs take from the landing over a weekend. The disturbing part of it was that the theives used the logger's forwarder to load them. We had to put a locked gate on that job.

[WH_Conley]

Local mill had a truck load of tie logs stole off the lot, they used his loader to load them. :(

[stonebroke]

Thats why it is nice to log for farmers, We keep track of stuff.

Stonebroke

[thompsontimber]

Had a logger once that was cutting a tract about a mile from a truck stop, and they were loading out trailers and dropping them at the truck stop to haul in wet weather.  They had been doing this the whole job without incident, but then one morning they headed into work only to notice that someone had been kind enough to haul a load for them.  Hooked up to it right there in the public truck stop and brought the trailer back and dropped it.  There was at least some surveilance footage to help track down the culprit.