Steep ground harvest of large cherry, poplar, beech

[DirtForester]

Working by the hour does not remove conflict of interest issues..  Who is tracking the hours?.  Is the forester there more than he really needs to be?  Etc.  You know where I am going here?  It is the forester's charecter, not his pricing structure, that you have to be wary of.  IMHO.   

[Horselog]

You're right, by-the-hour can be conflicting too.  But lump sum pricing would get rid of any possible conflict in relation to money on most jobs.  And ultimately you do want a forester with good character for other reasons too.

[240b]

Why not just find a contractor with a good reputation and is willing to work with you. They are out there you just need to look. these aren't the guys driving the flashly trucks and running the fancy equipment.

[Horselog]

My understanding is that we're talking about foresters, not loggers.

[chevytaHOE5674]

A forester who is paid on a percentage of what is harvested is more apt to harvest more of the larger trees and perform a High grade. This is not always the case but can happen.

A forester paid by the hour can cheat you on the hours but he will not benefit from a degradation of the timber and the land, so your timber should get treated better.


Find a reputable forester with reference and let him do the work. Equipment used will be reflected by who is bidding on the sale. Guys who are interested in the sale will have the equipment to handle the slopes.

As for horse logging "channels" I will bet he means from the butts of the logs digging into the dirt as they go. This could be alleviated with the use of some sort of an arch to keep the butts of the logs off the ground.

[Ron Scott]

If you are going to hire a forester, you need to have faith and trust in the person you select. Certified foresters must follow a code of ethics among their peers just like most professions or they don't stay in business very long. If they are practicing good forestry in an ethical manner, it shouldn't matter as to what the payment method is.

I've also seen the trenches caused by horse logging when the butt of the log is left to drag and tear into the soil while being skidded. The trenches can become excessive and remain for some time and be cause for eroision of fragile soils if not handled properly. I recall one landowner having to go back with his farm tractor behind the horse logger and level out the horse skidding trenches. In this case a rubber tired forwarder would have been much less impact. 

[Horselog]

It is precisely because of situations like the log butts digging in that I refer to what I do as "Modern, low-impact horse logging".  I use an arch or other means to lift the butt up and it negates anything like a "channel".  The word "modern" refers to, among other things, the fact that I use an front end suspension.  "Low-impact" refers to the fact that post-harvest site condition is more important than production and other considerations.  The idea that using horses doesn't guarantee you a quality harvest.

[Ron Scott]

 Well said, and that's the way to do it for low impact.