Another UP property

[Burlkraft]

So...What about this property...... ??? ??? ???

Is it secret..... ??? ??? :D :D

[Dave Shepard]

Where is the  first post? Am I missing something?


Dave

[Corley5]

In June of 1973 just after I turned 4 my parents bought 40 acres on the Adams Trail 7 miles west of M-77 in Alger Co.  At the time and until the late 80s it was the only private land with road frontage between 77 and Melstrand.  The majority of the land was then owned by Cleveland Cliffs Iron Corp.  In the early eighties Mom and Dad bought 30 acres on Nevins Lake 7 miles farther west and we built a new cabin there.  Eventually they sold the two log cabins on what was about 5 acres of land on the north side of the road.  The 35 acres to the south was kept.  Little has been done to the land over the years.  We cut some of the smaller white pine to build the new place.  To load some of them we had to pick up one end at a time.  We also cut a few hemlock to build the deck and a dock.

I've never spent much time on the property and there are places we've never been.  Next spring before the bugs come out Dad and I want to cut some four wheeler/Gator trails in.  In July of this summer we repainted the east and south lines and a short portion of the west line before until the deer flies ran us out    We finished the west line a couple weeks ago. 


This white pine is +-38" DBH


One in the 30"range


30" plus


And really tall  8)

We haven't done an inventory on these trees but figure that 100 is a conservative estimate of these super canopy white pine with a DBH of 28" and greater  8)  There are hemlock that are even bigger but most have frost cracks and without a doubt are shakey.  We're been looking into logging out the hardwoods.  There is some pretty nice soft maple in places and its well past it's prime in others.  If we can find a good enough market there we'll do it ourselves.  We'll take the Mule north for a season  ;)  Most of the timber is 2nd growth.  The virgin timber was cut around the turn of the century.  From the history we've gotten there was a timber theft on the south end in the early 60s that involved some very big spruce.  Other than that and what we've cut it's just about as original as it gets. 

[beenthere]

I think THAT is the secret... :D :D :D

[Corley5]

The victim of a p*** poor Alltel cellluar internet connection >:( :

[Burlkraft]

That sounds like a great chunk of land there Greg.... ;) ;) ;) ;)

Those whites are pretty DanG nice. That's one of those places that when your boy is 35 he'll be tellin' his kids all about how it's still like it was when he was a boy.... ;D ;D ;D

[Jeff]

Merged by cellphone and a U.P. hermit  in a lazyboy.

[Corley5]

You've got a better signal up there than I've got here currently.  I've got some more pics to post but the connection isn't stable  >:( >:(

[Corley5]

A pic of one of the old log cabins.  This is the main cabin.  There's another smaller one on the otherside of the horseshoe drive.  From the history we've gathered the main cabin was built sometime in the 30s and the the other one in the forties.  I hated to see my parents sell them but it would have been something else to maintain.


Dad and a small pine of only 20" DBH  ;)

[Dave Shepard]

Thanks for posting pics, I am a sucker for those gun barrel pine. 8) You too, could be a UP hermit in one of those cabins. :D


Dave

[Corley5]

This kinda different.  It's a large white pine with an eastern hemlock sharing the same space  8)

[Corley5]

There's good regen of the soft maple


The older hardwoods are in decline and need to be harvested.  There are a couple snags evident in this shot.  There's also a spruce/balsam component that is going down hill.  We've met the local conservation district forester here for a tour and he's working on a management plan.  I know what I'd do, take out the mature hardwoods and spruce balsam and leave the white pine and hemlock.  The white pine isn't worth anything now anyway and isn't degrading at all and the hemlock is worth even less and provides good thermal cover for wildlife.  There is also good hemlock regen.

[SwampDonkey]

Nice spot Corley. Didn't find it (post) BC. My white pine have a long way to go yet, only 5-7 years old.  ;D I did find a couple hemlock seedlings, birds must've carried the seed I suppose. I want to plant some hemlock, never enough time.  : It's unfortunate you have to less the camps go, can be good or bad depending on how you assess the situation. Selling a plot off your land to someone can invite all kinds of trouble or not at all. Keeping the camp means up keep and possible trouble from trespassers. Hard decisions. If it were mine, and being a relatively small woodlot, I'd cut for my needs and let nature roam. Everyone has their own goals and objectives for their piece of earth they rein over.  ;)

[WDH]

The circle will close again, and those white pines will be very valuable future.