HARVESTING THE SMALL FOREST

ARTHUR M. SOWDER.

Harvesting the woodland crop, or logging, is the last stage in the production of the crop. It is like the final step in producing potatoes or doing farm chores, such as milking. A farmer does not sell his potatoes while they are in the ground or the milk while it is in the cow. By doing his own harvesting or chores, he is selling his services.

In the South, for instance, about one-half the value of some harvested forest products, such as sawlogs, is represented by the standing tree hence one-half comes about through logging and hauling. In other words, harvesting doubles the sawlog returns from the woodlands.

Owners of small woods who do their own logging are apt to practice good forestry. When one does his own logging according to a sound plan, he will exercise more care to get better utilization, avoid damage to future crop trees, leave the area in better shape for forthcoming operations, and more than likely protect his woodland from fire, insects, and diseases.

Logging generally can be done in slack seasons. Often it is a welcome change from other farm work. It can fit in nicely with a balanced farm program. Usually winter is the best season for the woods work: Snow, frost, and frozen ground facilitate skidding and hauling, although they increase the accident rate and, for products that must be peeled, cold is a handicap.

Logging is hard work, but it is surprising how some jobs can be made easier by planning, how quickly experience makes one more efficient in the use of tools and equipment, and how much effort is saved by keeping tools sharp. In fact, farmers often say that after a day or two in the woods they enjoy the work. The hardest part is to get started and, after starting, to remember that experienced woods workers usually take breathers, or rest periods, equal to 5 percent of the workday.

Before he starts his tree harvest, the owner should know the outlets for the crop. If they are to be marketed, the products should be contracted for by written agreement. It is worth while to inquire about the products in demand, and study the logging of those products as to quantity and quality, with the equipment available. Also, before starting, it is well to mark the trees to be cut with paint, crayon, or lime spots. In marking, the owner should bear in mind that it usually costs more per cord or per thousand board feet to log small trees than it does large ones, but in time the owner will learn which are the profitable tree sizes and species and how long it takes trees to grow to a profitable logging size. It is a good idea likewise to consult a local forester or the county agent. They will know local conditions and markets and be able to advise on the practicability of doing the logging one's self or letting it out on contract. If any help is to be hired, they can give good advice on the going wages, the phases of the work that have been declared too hazardous for under-age workers, and the workmen's compensation requirements.

Mechanical equipment, such as power saws, wood splitters, and tree planters, has helped make some of the work easier.

As with other types of farm work, scarcity of help has led to increased mechanization in woodland operations in order to maintain production. In logging, however, mechanization has not materially lowered the production costs on the smaller operations.

Many small operators have abandoned the use of the power chain saw, because they have found it more expensive than hand tools. The two-man gas saw is too costly to use on intermittent, low-production jobs in the small timber. To be economical, it requires enough timber to keep a crew of three to five men busy. One-man power chain saws, now on the market, promise to be better suited to use on small jobs in small timber. If one owner of a small woodland cannot afford to buy mechanized equipment, he might go in with other owners and purchase it jointly. Or, equipment is available sometimes on a custom basis, the same as threshing machines and corn pickers. Another possibility is to trade labor or arrange through a service type of logging ring, operated on a fee basis not unlike the spray rings employed in horticulture, for some of the work.

But even with ordinary tools, the work is made easier by using one's head, keeping the tools sharp and in safe working condition, planning the logging work and lay-out, and taking advantage of gravity.

Three steps are involved in logging, but the ways of doing the work in the suggested steps will vary according to the woodland and the product harvested. The steps are:

1. Felling (or falling) the tree and preparing the products, which includes :

a. Limbing the tree;

b. Bucking it into product size;

c. Peeling, splitting, and hewing the products, when required;

d. Slash disposal, if necessary. The essential tools and equipment for this step are:

Fiberboard safety helmet.

Ax.

Saw.

Wedge.

Hammer.

Measuring stick.

Coal oil.

Saw file.

Whetstone.

The optional tools are:

Peavey, or cant hook.

Log jack.

Pulp hook.

Peeling tools.

Tie-making tools.

Wood sputters.

2. Skidding products from stump to skidway, landing, or assembly point.

The essential tools and equipment are:

Skidding chain.

Peavey.

Power ( animal or machine). Rigging.

Ax.

The optional tools and equipment are:

Tongs or grapple hooks.

Skid sled.

Skid pan, etc.

Extra rigging.

Wagon.

Log cart.

3. Loading the products on wagon or truck ( and perhaps unloading at the destination).

The essential tools and equipment arc:

Peavey, or cant hook.

Cross-haul line.

Pole skids.

Power (animal or machine). Rigging.

Wagon or truck or sled.

The optional tools and equipment are:

Loader or jammer.

Pulp hook.

Block and tackle.

One should be careful, so as to avoid accidents. The most common accidents in the woods are due to axes, saws, suspended broken branches, and being on the downhill side of rolling logs. Even in lifting there is a right and wrong way. Properly done, the arms and back are kept straight and the legs bent, so that the lifting is done with the leg muscles. Wherever possible, direct lifting should be avoided and use made of a peavey or pole. A fiberboard safety helmet, a part of the essential equipment, protects the head from falling limbs, or, in woods language, the widow makers.

THE AX is probably the most important of all logging tools. It is in use about one-half of the woodsman's working time. For that reason, if any choice is possible, one should give careful consideration to its selection to fit the ax to the work contemplated.

Of a hundred patterns and sizes, a few pointers to consider are :

The wider blades are better suited for softwoods ( the evergreens) and the narrower blades for hardwoods.

The handle should be of straight grain, smooth, free of defects, and lined up in the same plane as the cutting edge of the head, with the head well down on the shoulder. Rough handles raise blisters.

The weight, single or double bit, and hang will vary according to preference and use. An ax weighing from 3 to 4 pounds is about the right weight.

Properly forged and tempered steel axheads are usually found in the better axes.

For productive and safe work, the ax should be kept sharp. The user must have good footing with a firm grip on the handle. Room is needed to swing the ax. The most common obstructions, low limbs and brush, should be removed.

The ax should be carried at one's side, with the hand just behind the axhead. One-fourth of the accidents in the woods are attributed to ax cuts. A single-bitted ax is somewhat less dangerous to use than a double-bitted one.

The ax should be kept in a safe place when not in use such as standing against a tree or stump, with the handle up. It is unwise to use the side of an ax for a sledge hammer in wedging; a sledge hammer or mall should be used for wedging.