Who is cutting wood?

[bodywhomper]

Cutting and thinning right now during breaks from the day job, skiing, and parent duties. Fun times!

Widowmakers. What are the techniques? Dealt with a smaller one today. Saw it before I started cutting. Shook tree and it fell a little closer down, but thoroughly tangled in branches of the tree I wanted to cut and the adjacent tree. I'm thinning in a very dense area. I cut down the tree standing on the opposite side of the trunk than the loose branch (i.e. it wasn't overhead). The loose branch is still hung up in the other tree. I can now knock it down. Using a ladder and a long pole, if I wanted. It was no big deal today, but got me thinking....

[~mikey b]

Shotgun with a slug

[bodywhomper]

Banana slug? :P

[bodywhomper]

Today's post-work fun while I smoked some chickens

[highangle]

Close shave:





Full haircuts:

[highangle]

Today's post-work fun while I smoked some chickens

Smoke some chickens and watch this:

[bodywhomper]

Ha. One of them and a masticator, please!

[Cabinfever]

Getting a jump on next winter.

[SKIP IN7RO]

With the low snow year, FS is starting to open some roads around here for the summer. As CabinFever is doing, I am also going to get an early start on firewood. We have plenty of Beetle Kill, but I would like to hunt down some Douglas Fir. Do any of you have some tips for the best areas to look...aspect, elevation, etc?

[TacocaT]

where are you located?

[SKIP IN7RO]

where are you located?

SW Colorado

[TacocaT]

moister sites primarily rockier north facing aspects 6500ish to 9500 feet. Areas with a little shelter. It has been a few years since I lived in Colorado but I seem to remember some large patches killed off by tussock moths east Pagosa.

[SKIP IN7RO]

moister sites primarily rockier north facing aspects 6500ish to 9500 feet. Areas with a little shelter. It has been a few years since I lived in Colorado but I seem to remember some large patches killed off by tussock moths east Pagosa.

My normal spot is around 11k and southeast facing. I am going to explore the other side of the valley which is closer to what you recommend. Thanks.

[DougW]

This is the first year I burnt wood from not on property or pretty close by, which is pine 60%/aspen30%/spruce10%. This year burnt Doug fir (75%) and birch and even with fairly cool winter burnt a lot less. Usually burned about 4.5 cords in a normal year. But this year not quite 3 and a lot less ash ~ 50% less.

[bodywhomper]

Went through maybe 3 cords (95% pine) so far. It's hard for me to tell when a lot is in unmeasured piles. Will probably burn tonight.

I got some help today on the area that im thinning



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[DougW]

First forte other than a couple of wheel barrel loads , well 6, as a chainsaw warmup. Filled out trailer so should be close to 2 cords. Mostly D Fir with whatever spruce or sub alpine fir that is the way. Its a huge slash pile so I hardly made a dent in it.

[Meadow Skipper]

^Well, other than being dirty and dulling chains, that slash pile should make gathering easy.

[DougW]

Actually it was pretty clean. It was logged over the winter so not much in the way dirt. Did the two cords and didn't have to sharpen, was cutting fine at the end.

[bodywhomper]

More thinning after I cut out of work today. The below pict (doug fir), I was pretty proud. It was a little tangled in the adjacent oak, but felled right where I wanted with a little tug from the cord that I set up.

The next (smaller) Doug fir was a super PITA, was much more tangled (beyond what I could see in the canopy) in an adjacent oak, and it took me about an hour to get it onto the ground: involved pulling via cord in multiple directions, breaking most of my hinge, sledging the tree off the hinge/stump with the butt spearing into the ground, wedge cut, and pulling with cord via rope come along. It finally came down, safely, and in the intended direction. Cold dinner and no picts of that one. I almost threw in the towel.

My thinning is starting to be noticeable, which is nice.

[Meadow Skipper]

Actually it was pretty clean. It was logged over the winter so not much in the way dirt. Did the two cords and didn't have to sharpen, was cutting fine at the end.

Sweet!

[DougW]

Sweet!

all that dirt you see is actually bark bits and other tree stuff, it was driving on a foot of mulch to get to the pile

[Game Over]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm under the impression that it's easier and safer to pull the butt away from the stump rather than pull the top thru/out of whatever is hanging it up. But of course pulling the butt not always possible for a variety or reasons.

[bodywhomper]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm under the impression that it's easier and safer to pull the butt away from the stump rather than pull the top thru/out of whatever is hanging it up. But of course pulling the butt not always possible for a variety or reasons.

This is what I did in the end, after I broke my hinge and the butt was sitting on the ground. Most trees that I'm dealing with are a little tangled, but most are much smaller than the one I dealt with yesterday.

[bodywhomper]

Lol.

[Meadow Skipper]

Answer:

Lol.

Question:
What is a widowmaker?