Richwood Timber LLC offers consulting for small woodlot owners seeking to manage their acres and "do the right thing". Guidance available on how to take the next steps towards management plans, tax advantages, and how to return diversity and vigor to small woodlots. It's not easy--work is involved. But the result is an informed legacy and woodlot that continues beyond your years.
We got started in mid-December. A few days of warm air moved in making everything foggy. You can see Dad standing by one of the nicer maples we've ever harvested. Since we are "taking the worst first", the log quality is generally very poor. As long as local mill buyers can use the wood for some purpose--railroad ties or pallet lumber--then we have about a break-even return on all the effort to fell and haul the poor trees to the landing.
Logging continued well into February. Most years we are done by Feb 15th. This year the weather would allow logging a bit later but, fortunately, we completed the harvest on the stand we were working. Snow was deeper than most years. Here are some pictures from Feb 8-9, 2008:
There are many threats to a new plantation. Grubs eat their tender roots. Mice and voles nibble the bark on their tender stems. Young seedlings can succumb to drought during just part of a summer. But the most profound threat to young seedlings are Deer via nibbling (primarily) but also from rubbing trauma. Click here for more complete details about the Tree Tubes we are using on a portion of the plantation.
Many mature woodlots that have seen heavy pasturing in their history have unnaturally heavy densities of Ironwood (Ostrya) Click here to read the full article describing our control efforts. You can gain control on your acres, too, after reading the article and following the steps.
We mow our former fields once per year and enjoy the prairie and wildflowers. But it was time to return just some of the acreage to forest. Click here for more complete details about the Plantation.
Richwood Timber LLC loves Pferd Chainsharps for keeping our chainsaws at peak sharpness. As Pferd says of the Chainsharp on their website: "PFERD's unique chain sharp tool sharpens the tooth and adjusts the height of the depth gauge in direct relation to tooth wear in one easy, hand-held operation. Both the round file and the flat file are replaceable. The Chainsharp by PFERD offers an easy solution to chain maintenance without the necessity of removing the chain from the saw. For safety, maintain a sharp chain at all times. Adjust the raker each time you sharpen the chain. Do both at once with CHAINSHARP!
Click here to see expanded justification and photos of how Richwood Timber uses Chainsharps daily.
From the Pferd website:
Chainsaw Files & Accessories written guide
PFERD Chain Sharp® Video Nine minute video
Richwood Timber LLC uses products from LogRite Tools such as cant hooks, peaveys, and especially their logging arches. Arches--Tractor arches, ATV arches, Junior arches, and Fetching arches--help you move logs easily while minimizing impact on the land and preserving the quality of your logs. These arches were developed by Mark Havel and previously available from his company Future Forestry Products. LogRite now is the producer and source of these fine arches.
You can get LogRite tools and arches directly from the factory. The LogRite website shows dealers throughout the country where you can look the items over first. In Wisconsin, our local dealer is Three Rivers Forestry.
We find the following links important:
We find some of the following links helpful for Forest Management:
Three Rivers Forestry--Talk to Jeff Smaby about equipment to help you.
Jim Birkemeier's Timbergreen Forestry--He seems to have it right.
Kickapoo Woods Co-op Site
Bailey's Chainsaw and Logging Supply
Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance--home of great training!
Game of Logging
Richwood Timber LLC
richwoodtimberllc (at) w9fz.com