[Carl Russell]

I have been managing my own mailing/contact list from NEAPFD. I have over 1000 names and contacts and just bought File Maker 10 which is an awesome data base manager, but that has been distracting me from submitting my contacts. I will soon.

I also have e-mail access to every registered member on DAP, so that I can send out mass e-mails to everyone at once.

Should we create an open forum on DAP and use the title of the association? We could post the mission and goals and entertain some discussions with the broader community. I will do that at the drop of a hat!

As far as a Web site, I will be as accommodating as I can be within the construct of this discussion forum.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I still see most of what we are doing as preliminary.

As Jason says, WHEN we decide to do something we are going to have to find a way to fund it, but at this point I think we need to be thinking about actions that will solidify the group.

Obviously before we move forward we will have to first work out the membership/funding issue.

I don’t think we should be thinking about how to sell this group to potential members. Alternatively the approach should be to invite folks to support this initiative to create an international connection around our mission. If we go into this thinking people need something from us then we will doom the organization to constantly chasing our tails to be everything to everybody.

My sense is that we can provide a lot to people in the form of networking and contact. As we have said, a newsletter could be the best way for members to share information. As important as marketing, apprenticeship, or insurance programs are to all of us, I just don’t see us doing much about them until we have a critical mass of interested people, supporting the effort. Setting some long term goals such as those mentioned could be good membership values, but first and foremost for me would be to devise a strategy to pull together a physical representation of this international network.

It could simply be an appeal for people to get us their contact info, along with donations to support the development of a newsletter/web site, and to broaden the core group into a more international representation. Getting the newsletter off the ground will be no simple feat, but it will probably be the best way for us to grow the membership.

So I suggest that the first thing we do is to create an invitation of support for DAPFI, as a way to get some cash on hand and as a way to establish our presence, to get the basic message out there, outlining some long term objectives, and building a true international network.

At the same time if there are some subgroups of this forum who want to be fleshing out some strategies for newsletter, insurance, or marketing, then that can be going on at the same time.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Another method that I have used is what I call a bunk cart. I apologize that I don’t have any photos, but I did scan in a sketch. I built mine out of an old truck rear end. I haven’t used it in years, so it has pretty much decayed, but I did use it one year on really big white pine cabin logs. See if you can understand my cave drawings.
[ATTACH]743.jpg” />
Sorry. I scanned it in and rotated it. The jpeg is oriented correctly on my computer, but comes through sideways in this application. If you click on the image a second time you can zoom in and get a better view. Just turn yur computer on its edge.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I was moved by the post in another thread

http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?t=2469&page=2

by Andy McEvoy to consider how an organization could facilitate woodland apprenticeships. Would there be a way for us to address this issue, perhaps regionally, perhaps in partnership with another org?

Carl

[Carl Russell]

You can measure the steer’s neck using two carpenters squares. Hold the long arms together and slide one of the short arms out to fit the neck between them and snug them up against the shoulder at the base of the neck. That should be just about the correct size.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Travois sleds are like you say, double bunked. I think they work great, just not as easy to maneuver, such as turning on a dime, and or backing in beside a log. I have never had one, but have seen them used to good advantage.

I would be concerned about using one with such long logs. I think the front sled would probably in the air most of the time. You may be able to detach the rear bunk and move it back like a pole trailer. Also it is a lot easier to roll the big logs onto one bunk.

I have only seen a couple of double bunk sleds that were built heavy for logging, like my single bob. Be sure that the travois you use can take the abuse.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Just until there are more recent ones posted.
Carl

[Carl Russell]

Geoff, Red spruce overstory slows down and is taken over by more rapid growing understory hardwoods. The spruce is in decline, losing value due to mortality from the competition for nutrients and sunlight as it has limited vitality due to age, yet at the same time it holds back the hardwoods through competition, although losing the battle, but in the process the hardwoods tend to get narrow crowns and small root systems both of which will work against them when they are released if the condition persists too much longer.

Forest Improvement Processes to improve the forest’s ability to meet long range objectives. T.S.I., or timber stand improvement typically is non-commercial thinning to remove low quality and poorly performing trees, improving the potential for growth of the best trees. Crop Tree Release is the practice of selecting the trees with the highest potential to meet long range objectives, and releasing them by removing direct competition. This can be done by harvest, or non-commercially by means of girdling, or cleaning and weeding by cutting unwanted stems.

I also started to address this in another thread….
http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?t=2190
including some photos.

I don’t use a photo portfolio, as I think it is too difficult to show the details, not to mention that I just can’t keep a camera with me on the job, but I have plenty of opportunity to show examples using the forest at hand when I walk their woodlots with them.

I will attach the first two pages of my standard management plan..

PREFACE

This forest management plan is written with the primary intent of long term, constructive, multiple-use of present and potential resources available on this property. Multiple-use indicates that there are many ways to use forestland. Timber production, wildlife habitat, wetlands protection and ground water recharge, recreation, and aesthetics are all uses that can be important considerations. Trees not only provide the saleable products that help to afford these uses, they are the major components of the forest and they define the value of the many uses of forestland.

For planning purposes, this forestland has been separated into different management areas, or stands. A stand generally constitutes an area of forest where a particular tree species, or group of species grows, making it different from other areas. The age of the predominant species, the density of the stand, and geological factors may be considered in the process of delineation.

The description of each stand includes the number of acres, the growth potential, landscape, wildlife use, and history of forestry activity. Species composition indicates the types of tree that grow in the stand. The average size of trees, stocking levels, and the health and quality of the growing stock help to determine the need for improvement work.

Long range objectives for the production of forest products are defined for each stand. These are based on the potential of a particular site to produce trees capable of growing into resources of wood products of particular quality. These objectives are formed with consideration of the other priorities that may play an important part in the use of an area. From this information a plan for scheduled treatments is created. Scheduled treatments are used over time to cultivate the forest so that long-term objectives can be realized.

This plan has been written to conform to the standards required for the State of Vermont Use Value Appraisal taxation program. The basic requirements of the program are to describe forestland as a timber resource, and to create a management schedule based on timber harvest. The information presented in this plan conforms to those guidelines.

Landowners should be concerned with the information describing each stand, potential products and preferred uses, and scheduled treatments. Many of the decisions about when the work should be done, how it should be done, and even which trees should be grown or harvested, can be made by the landowners themselves.

This plan is only one step in an educational process. Russell Forestry Services can provide the plan, and conduct forest improvement and harvesting operations, but not without landowner involvement. The purpose for creating this management plan for your forestland is to promote your use of the land to enjoy the benefits that it can provide.

Carl B. Russell

INDEX OF TERMINOLOGY

Site Class Indicates the level of forest productivity within each stand, I = high–IV= low. It is determined from soils information, or from the Site Index of a certain indicator tree species.

Site Index Represents the height, at 50 years of age, of a typical tree of particular species growing on this site. It is used to evaluate site quality by determining the rate of tree growth. Determined from field observation, or from soils information.

D.B.H. Diameter Breast Height. This number represents tree diameter, measured at 4.5 feet above the ground. Mean stand diameter expresses the diameter of the average sized tree in a stand.

Stocking Indicates stand density in terms of the ability of the stand to sustain growth of timber resources; low, adequate, full, or overstocked.

Basal Area The measurement used to determine stocking levels. It is the sum of the cross-sectional areas of trees in a stand, at 4.5 feet above the ground. It is expressed in square feet per acre.

Acceptable B.A. The basal area representing trees with the potential to produce at least one twelve foot sawlog, or two non-contiguous eight foot sawlogs.

Rotation Age Refers to the age of trees, beyond which the production of quality sawtimber is reduced. Used for even aged management to indicate when the overstory will be harvested to prepare for the next rotation of timber growth. Optimum Crop Tree Harvest Age is the age when crop trees will reach their best potential to meet objectives for sawtimber production, used with crop tree management.

Forest Improvement Processes to improve the forest’s ability to meet long range objectives. T.S.I., or timber stand improvement typically is non-commercial thinning to remove low quality and poorly performing trees, improving the potential for growth of the best trees. Crop Tree Release is the practice of selecting the trees with the highest potential to meet long range objectives, and releasing them by removing direct competition. This can be done by harvest, or non-commercially by means of girdling, or cleaning and weeding by cutting unwanted stems.

Scale The ratio used to relate map distances to real distances. Ratio 1:5000 is approximately equal to 1″ (inch) = 417′ (feet).

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I’ll say yes, Carl

[Carl Russell]

So to follow this up, I has a visit yesterday with a potential client. They are aging hippies that have owned the land for 30ish years, and only cut timber to build the home. Their environmental creed had them let the forest go on its own. Now they are concerned because some of the very large pines are splitting, and falling over. They want me because they know me through family, the horses, and my environmental views.

Well as we walked, I got the sense that they didn’t want a “big” job. What was pertinent to this discussion was, as I began to talk about releasing understory and “improving” the forest, they got real shy. They just wanted me to take the big trees. There the environmental creed had led to no management, which led them to considering high-grading.

They were trapped in a series of “myths” that circulate around our communities based on well-intentioned ideas, but supported by misinformation. By staying out of the woods they let them progress naturally, which is great, but they also didn’t pay attention to the conditions that ended up being important to them, the size and health of their trees. Now that they are falling over they don’t want them to go to waste. But they are so afraid of logging that their solution is to only cut the big trees. Basically undermining their true objectives to have a healthy productive forest.

Rest easy, I made it clear that I had more to offer than that, and I think I educated them some, at least enough so that now they are willing to see us address the large pine problem, at the same time that we will remove red spruce overstory that is being out-competed by coming hardwoods, and crop tree release fuelwood harvest in pole-sized hardwood.

You should have seen the light-bulb go on when I explained that finding and releasing crop trees, and thinning overstory will create a stand of higher quality trees that will be easier to manage for future harvest, at the same time minimizing the impact through surgical application of draft animals.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Here are a few more pics of logs on bobsleds.

This shows some of the chain attachment that I was describing in the last post. [ATTACH]736.jpg” />

This I included because it shows the load of cabin logs going around a bit of a curve, and shows how easily the cattle are working. it also shows how much of the log is actually off of the ground. The biggest diameter log was a 42 footer.
[ATTACH]737.jpg” />
Carl

[Carl Russell]

Bobsled is my weapon of choice. Takes a bit of ingenuity to roll them on, but usually you can pull the sled along side the log, and with a skid/rail against the sled, wrap a long chain around the log and roll them on with the team. This takes time, but the resulting mobility is well worth the effort.

These were 32 foot cabin logs on a single bunk sled. I actually rolled these on by hand.[ATTACH]732.jpg” />

Here is an example of rolling a large pine log on a scoot with the single horse. Chain goes over and around log, then back to the bunk on the sled. A single animal can have excellent advantage over a very big log like this because they are only rolling it.[ATTACH]733.jpg” />

These trees were pretty big, 5-7 trees/truck load.[ATTACH]734.jpg” />

This was a ridge pole for a log cabin, 45 feet long, 14″ top end, scaled about 450 BF. Granted the skid was all downhill, the maneuverability of the sled under the log allows easy turning around pretty extreme corners, as long as the log can follow without binding on bumper trees. Also with the sled the front of the long log is high enough off the ground to make it easily over humps and hollows where the draft can get so far behind the horses that they can’t get any advantage over the weight. [ATTACH]735.jpg” />

To chain down individual logs, the chain is wrapped around the bunk in two places (one chain) so that the ends of the chain extend on each side of where the log will be placed (center of the bunk). When the log is centered, then the ends are joined over the top of the log, and tightened with a binder. This allows the log to pivot on the center of the bunk, while preventing it from rolling from side to side. Also the butt of the log should be on the bunk, and extend well up over the evener, but not so close as to contact the animals.

The sled will also give great advantage on the uphill skid as almost all of the friction will be eliminated by transfer onto toe narrow runners of the sled.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Sounds really good Bill.

I can’t say my business would float you, but I miss the days of walking into a little harness shop and getting exactly what you are looking for.

I have been playing with the idea of setting up enough equipment to I have is pretty rudimentary.

At the very least I would definitely call on you for some work, and probably want to get some of your knowledge and skill to rub off on me.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I meant nothing different, just that because they sell a lot of harness does not make them a good or knowledgeable source for harnesses.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Oh by the way Jen, I know you mean “Front Trace”.

And I know everybody has their right to a preference, but in my mind horse harnesses are made out of leather. I just can’t imagine the point in having anything but a leather harness. Do you have biothane saddles?

Carl

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