• Help Support TNDeer:

Logging

Bushape said:
How many acres will that cover and how long will it take you to set those out?
Click to expand...
I ended up getting 4,000 seedlings. At an 8' x 8' spacing, you will need around 680 seedlings per acre. At a 10' x 10' spacing, you will need about 430 seedlings per acre.

With four old guys planting on very rough terrain, we got around 3,000 planted in 3 days. I did the last 1,000 by myself and it took about 4 days.
 
These logs were bumping right up against what the mill can take for sawtimber at 26" and what the cutter could handle at 28". Best I can count rings from the pic this loblolly is between 43-48yrs old.

1687477699918.jpeg
 
Interesting.

I had some 32" Red Oaks cut that I aged at 62 years old. Had a couple 40" White Oaks cut that I aged at just over 80 years.
 
I stopped to snap a pic while spraying and really liking how things are shaping up. This block is natural regen so spacing a little more tricky but will start on the planted pine this week. 3rd row thin should go a little faster…right up the row then operator select in between.

1687715009651.jpeg
 
Are they able to sell pine of that size? I ask because I've got clients with 20-30 year-old pine that can't sell the stuff. They would love to cut or thin them, but mills won't take them.
 
BSK said:
Are they able to sell pine of that size?
Click to expand...
Yes. Location, location, location. I've got mills close by to take everything from pulpwood to chip'n saw, to sawlogs…both pine and hardwood. A new mill opened in Corinth earlier this year and the PCA mill in Counce is a big mouth to feed when they're running wide open. There's some wood pellet mills popping up so that's another market maybe your clients can look into.
 
Boll Weevil said:
Yes. Location, location, location. I've got mills close by to take everything from pulpwood to chip'n saw, to sawlogs…both pine and hardwood. A new mill opened in Corinth earlier this year and the PCA mill in Counce is a big mouth to feed when they're running wide open. There's some wood pellet mills popping up so that's another market maybe your clients can look into.
Click to expand...
Very interesting. Thanks much.
 
Boll Weevil said:
I was reading the "What's everyone doing" thread and noticed quite a few folks have some logging planned for 2021...add me to that list.

I thought it might be good to start a thread we could share thoughts and experiences related to our logging projects as they progress. With hardwood prices being like they are I plan on picking through some mature hardwood removing some of the lower value timber, getting some sunlight on the ground, and starting the regeneration process. I'm also doing a 1st thin on a stand of planted pines and thinning several stands of natural regen pine so really looking forward to that. Right now we're tidying up roads, marking/flagging as needed, and chomping at the bit to get going.

Here's a few "before" pics...I'll update as we move along.

View attachment 65519

View attachment 65520

View attachment 65521
Click to expand...
We thinned our pines in what they call a Savannah Cut. We finished in early 2023. A straight line wind storm came through Humphreys county after our logger was finished and blew down probably 6-700 pine trees that left and our place is a mess. Logger had to be on another contract job so cannot get him or any other logger to come get the downed trees. Once a pine is uprooted and falls, there is a 4-5 month shelf life to be processed. We are just gonna have to live with the mess and do a controlled burn in a couple years. Probably $50-75 k worth of wood laying on ground. Luckily we have large hardwood stands. All in all, it will be great deer and Turkey habitat but hate seeing money wasted.
 
Dang, that's a piece of machinery right there!

If I had used one of those on my log loading deck food plots, I would have pulled up rocks the size of VW Bugs!
 
All the roads and all but one of the log decks is cleaned up and planted. Even a good logging job with a solid crew is gonna make a mess, but as I assured my mom (worry wart who's grown to love a well kept timber stand), this is the worst this place will look for the next 30 years.

Note to anyone planning a logging operation: it's a lot of work. We're nearly 6mo in, about to finish, and I've pretty much got my fill of "tractor therapy" for a good long while.

1697545534675.png


1697545790017.png
 
Boll Weevil said:
All the roads and all but one of the log decks is cleaned up and planted. Even a good logging job with a solid crew is gonna make a mess, but as I assured my mom (worry wart who's grown to love a well kept timber stand), this is the worst this place will look for the next 30 years.

Note to anyone planning a logging operation: it's a lot of work. We're nearly 6mo in, about to finish, and I've pretty much got my fill of "tractor therapy" for a good long while.

View attachment 199245

View attachment 199246
Click to expand...
Amen

We had a 2 year operation on our place and got done late last summer. Was a lot of work, but it completely transformed the whole farm. Much nicer now
 
Boll Weevil said:
Note to anyone planning a logging operation: it's a lot of work. We're nearly 6mo in, about to finish, and I've pretty much got my fill of "tractor therapy" for a good long while.
Click to expand...
As I tell landowners who have forested land all the time, no logging is a bad thing. Yes, it can be ugly for a while afterwards, but mature timber supports very few deer. Too much logging can be a bad thing too. Never cut or thin the timber on an entire property at once. This just creates the same habitat everywhere, which will be very hard to hunt. Some logging, in patches, is a GREAT thing. Creating diversity of habitat, early-stage regrowth, and cover in patches is the answer to a productive and fun to hunt property.
 
Boll Weevil said:
All the roads and all but one of the log decks is cleaned up and planted. Even a good logging job with a solid crew is gonna make a mess, but as I assured my mom (worry wart who's grown to love a well kept timber stand), this is the worst this place will look for the next 30 years.

Note to anyone planning a logging operation: it's a lot of work. We're nearly 6mo in, about to finish, and I've pretty much got my fill of "tractor therapy" for a good long while.

View attachment 199245

View attachment 199246
Click to expand...
Looking good! And some very rewarding work!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top