Winter logging updates

[deadeye]

I will use this thread to time post updates on how the logging is or is not progressing.  Most of you know 5 years ago we started working on getting some parts of our woods logged but for one reason or another, it either didn't happen or was delayed. It now looks like the current company intends to log it this winter.  I will repost some older posts here to bring everyone up to date as to what has happened over the past 5 years. Mostly nothing.   

The pictures have nothing to do with logging but were taken in 2015 when we started working on the logging project which started with having a Forester update our Forest Stewardship Plan.  The buck picture has nothing to do with logging but I know some of you have short attention spans and the pictures help you focus. 

I have to give the Forester credit for me getting this buck back in 2015.  Because he scheduled an on site visit at 9:00 AM during the rifle season, I decided to go to a close stand so I could be back when he arrived. I may have been a tad late because I had to deal with this buck. The Forester still takes credit for this buck.  He may well be right.

[Steve-o]

The buck picture has nothing to do with logging but I know some of you have short attention spans and the pictures help you focus. 

If its our attention spans y'er worried about, maybe you ought to post some of HD's "fishing" pichurs.   

[Outdoors Junkie]

The buck picture has nothing to do with logging but I know some of you have short attention spans and the pictures help you focus. 

If its our attention spans y'er worried about, maybe you ought to post some of HD's "fishing" pichurs.   

Then a lot of us wouldn't read any of the update(s) that Deadeye posts. 

[deadeye]

Being it's the last day of the seasons, I went to my property to do some grouse and possibly deer hunting.  I ran into a couple guys making a swamp crossing that will be required for logging.  Looks like it might just happen this year. Or, should I say next year.  2021. 
Yesterday he broke through the ice with a skid steer and they brought a second one to get the stuck one out. 

After scraping off the snow and grass, water flooded the area and froze. Strange for sure.










The made this road from the field to the swamp edge.


End of road. I didn't have the nerve to drive out where he was working with the skid steer.

[LPS]

Nice road!  Those guys know how to do it!

[Leech~~]

Being it's the last day of the seasons, I went to my property to do some grouse and possibly deer hunting.  I ran into a couple guys making a swamp crossing that will be required for logging.  Looks like it might just happen this year. Or, should I say next year.  2021. 
Yesterday he broke through the ice with a skid steer and they brought a second one to get the stuck one out. 

After scraping off the snow and grass, water flooded the area and froze. Strange for sure.




The made this road from the field to the swamp edge.


End of road. I didn't have the nerve to drive out where he was working with the skid steer.

So is all this mess for Deer habitat improvement? 

[deadeye]

Leech'',
Yes it is primarily for habitat improvement. It is well known that the best habitat should consist of different age class forest.  A lot of the land I own was basically clear cut over 30 years ago. Now we need to cut some of the areas that were not cut back then.  These are mature aspen stands that are starting to deteriorate. The overstory shades out the brush and soft mast that should grow on the forest floor.  Believe me if there was another way to accomplish this I would do it. When we started this process about 5 years ago I told the forester that I am more interested in the habitat improvement than the few bucks I will get from selling the wood.  As such I ask him to find a logger that will leave the least foot print on the land.  I know there will be a big mess where it's logged. I'm not too concerned about the stumps and slash as they will rot over time. My biggest concern is rutting. I have seen the damage done to property during the logging process and do not want that to happen with this logging project.  Yesterday I again expressed this concern with the logger.  Time will tell.
Yesterday I walked through some of the area that will be logged because I wanted to remember what it looks like before it's logged.  I know there will be a huge difference but that's to be expected.  If nothing else the deer will have a feast for the next 4-5 years.  I watched the forest recover after the 1989 logging.  It's an amazing thing to experience.   

[Leech~~]

I hunted the Paul Bunyon for 30+ years so pretty familiar with logging, mainly clear cut logging. We had been chased around that forest from one end to another. I know over time it's suppose to help but it sure suks.  When's it's your own land and it's planned. The pain may not hurt as much as having all your hunting parties stands wiped out every few years. 

[deadeye]

There shouldn't be too much of an impact to our hunting.  I'm have around 20 acres cut and my brother in law is logging about 30 acres.  The areas will not be clear cut as they are taking aspen and birch.  They will leave all the red, white and burr oaks and also to avoid regrowth areas.  It doesn't make sense to plow through 50 feet of young growth to get a couple mature aspen.  On my land only 4 stands will be impacted and only bear hunted a couple times from one of them.  The biggest impact may be to some of our trails.  I have discussed this and they plan to work around them and not block them off.  We will see.  Maybe they will make better trails and we can abandon some of our crappy ones.   

[deadeye]

This morning just as I was about to start a WEB training for IRS Tax certification I got a call from the forester saying they started logging my land this morning. So much for the contract that states they must give me 3 days notice.  I finished the training at 1 PM and headed up to my land not sure of just what I would find.  Good news is they were on my land. 
I was surprised at how much they had cut by the time I got there.  Two Skidders were dragging trees that the Feller Buncher had cut to the Delimber.  After that they dragged the logs to the Slasher where they were cut to lengths and piled for the trucks.  It was fun to watch. 

Here are some pictures I took today. It gives you a bit of an idea what the process looks like. I will take some more when and area is done.
Pictures are worth many words.  So far I'm ok with what and how they are doing the logging.
   

[fishwidow]

I’ve watched logging crews in the Chippewa work on some pretty big sites. Pretty impressive machinery and it’s surprising how quickly they can clear out a good sized area. Fun to watch.

[glenn57]

I’ve watched logging crews in the Chippewa work on some pretty big sites. Pretty impressive machinery and it’s surprising how quickly they can clear out a good sized area. Fun to watch.

the cabin is in the chippewa........do they leave the same absolute mess they do by us. 

[fishwidow]

Lots of limbs and short logs, less than 6 feet are left behind.  Some if it dozed into big piles. Those are mostly near the access roads so they have a scraped bare area to get trucks in and loaded. The rest is pretty much left where it falls. It’s not cost effective to clean it all up. It’s good for scrounging firewood if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. Just need to be careful walking through it or you might wind up with a broken leg.

[LPS]

Nice DE. 

[Jerkbiat]

Looking good DE. I think all loggers leave the stuff laying on the ground.

[Gunner55]

 I agree JB, any done arouhd our place looks the same when they're done.

[Dotch]

Lots of limbs and short logs, less than 6 feet are left behind.  Some if it dozed into big piles. Those are mostly near the access roads so they have a scraped bare area to get trucks in and loaded. The rest is pretty much left where it falls. It’s not cost effective to clean it all up. It’s good for scrounging firewood if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. Just need to be careful walking through it or you might wind up with a broken leg.

We spend a fair amount of time fishing firewood out of those piles on our trips to Canada. Some popple but mostly nice maple and birch to fire the sauna and wood stove in the cabin. Hook up the trailer and haul it back to camp to split. We do this while we're still coherent and one of us can still call an ambulance. 

[glenn57]

Looking good DE. I think all loggers leave the stuff laying on the ground.

Yea I agree but it's useless after there done. A person can't reasonably walk through on it. Bigger critters like deer avoid it and will take years before they can.

[Jerkbiat]

I don't about that. Around here deer love them fresh cut areas. That new growth gives them a lot of browse thru the winter.

[glenn57]

I agree JB, but I've tried walking through some that specifically looking for tracks and didn't see much.

[Steve-o]

Yea I agree but it's useless after there done. A person can't reasonably walk through on it. Bigger critters like deer avoid it and will take years before they can.

I don't about that. Around here deer love them fresh cut areas. That new growth gives them a lot of browse thru the winter.

I think you are both right.  I used to hunt a spot that was heavily logged, but not clear cut.  I can't call them piles, but there were many low mounds of branches that were spread on the ground.  It was more like stepping thru them than over them.  Best to to walk around and avoid those ankle breakers.  But there weren't so many piles that kept the deer out and they did like the browse and cover.  They'd pick their way into the popple patches and lay down for a long afternoon's nap.

It all depends on what the loggers do and how they leave things.

[Leech~~]

On private land you can work with the logger to keep the downed trimmings in better piles. We hunted the Paul Bunyan for about 30 years which has been cut constantly forever for popple wood. On public land it's clear cut and go! Almost impossible to walk through for years. The deer will find any little trails they can to get through it and bed in it. We also heated our hunting shack ever year with downed wood from clear cuts. It was kind of sad to see so much good heating wood rot and some times whole stacked piles they never came back for. 

[glenn57]

Well I might of been acting illegally taking that wood. not that I've ever done it.

I know a while back you could NOT just go anywhere and get firewood. You where required to get a permit from the forestry dept and they directed you to what they called blow down areas  I guess the idea was to prevent morons from cutting live trees.

With all the downed trees easy to access and going to waste, it's such a waste. it's been a while since I've inquired about it so not sure what a person had to do now??

[Leech~~]

Well I might of been acting illegally taking that wood. not that I've ever done it.

I know a while back you could NOT just go anywhere and get firewood. You where required to get a permit from the forestry dept and they directed you to what they called blow down areas  I guess the idea was to prevent morons from cutting live trees.

With all the downed trees easy to access and going to waste, it's such a waste. it's been a while since I've inquired about it so not sure what a person had to do now??

You still need a cutting permit but lots of folks cut off logging piles. We did, why let it rot.    A few years ago a big storm hit up by Outing MN and my buddy who has a cabin up there and I, plus a few other folks we met in the woods hit the logging roads and "Helped clear" the roads of dead falls for Cass country! 

[glenn57]

Agree Leech!!!! Never said I was an angel!!

[deadeye]

More pictures from day two.  Most of the area cut still has some bunched trees so I don't have any pictures of what it looks like when they are done. 

They crossed this with the Feller Buncher but broke through the ice with a skidder pulling logs.












Should be a good view from this stand.

[dakids]

Impressive,   I love hunting logged off areas.  Deer magnets.  New edges.

I think you might need to put up a few more stands.

[fishwidow]

Glenn, you do need a permit to gather firewood in the National Forest. The permit is normally $20.00, good for one year, and up to 10 cords for personal use. The fee was waived because of COVID. You cannot cut live trees. You can get the permit at the Forest Service in Deer River, although the last time i was there it was locked up and I had to call them to get the permit. They also issue permits for spruce bough cutting and birch bark. There’s plenty of good firewood if you want to put in the time and effort. We burn wood for supplement heat, and normally scrounge up 1 1/2 — 2 cords.

DE, hope we didn’t hijack your thread. Keep posting those pictures and let us know how the project progresses.

[dakids]

Glenn, you do need a permit to gather firewood in the National Forest. The permit is normally $20.00, good for one year, and up to 10 cords for personal use. The fee was waived because of COVID. You cannot cut live trees. You can get the permit at the Forest Service in Deer River, although the last time i was there it was locked up and I had to call them to get the permit. They also issue permits for spruce bough cutting and birch bark. There’s plenty of good firewood if you want to put in the time and effort. We burn wood for supplement heat, and normally scrounge up 1 1/2 — 2 cords.

DE, hope we didn’t hijack your thread. Keep posting those pictures and let us know how the project progresses.

I thought we got our last permit in Walker.   Is there a different permit for federal, state, and county land?

[glenn57]

 Dakids pretty sure you can get them at the closest forestry office. I just happen to drive by the one in deer river everytime we go to the cabin.