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Walking my hunting land, sick feeling

Started by maple flats, November 19, 2005, 08:25:52 PM

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maple flats

As I walked my hunting land today I remembered something that made me sick feeling. About 10-12 years ago a logger was working some of the woods and noticed a really beautiful stand of prime cherry trees, with a few other species intermixed. He checked to find the owner and made what is reported to be a very large sum for about 6 acres of real nice trees. There were some cherries in there that were between 30 and 40" DBH and many others over 24". Most were straight and the logger proposed doing an improvement cutting but also take all over 30". The landowner did not want any logging on his land. Then in Sept., 1998 we had a huge storm on labor day. I discovered the next hunting season that ALL of the large trees on this piece were blown over. I notified the landowner but he still didn't want any salvage logging either. Now the whole 6 acres is rotting cherries , a hickory and several ash. Just overgrown into a jungle and worthless. It just makes me sick to see such waste. There had to be several hundred thousand dollars if not a million or more, all went to waste. Now the landowner has died and his widow is having a hard time keeping up with the bills and the land is listed as being behind on taxes. A real sad thing.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

HARLEYRIDER

man...thats too bad. I'm a floor finisher, and my favotive wood by far is american cherry.
98...that was the big ice storm, right?
Greenwoods Timberworks

maple flats

No, this was on Labor day, real high winds but in a very narrow path, (on my street which is about 3 miles away, we had several trees broken , big limbs down and one about 7-8" blew over the house across the street and landed on their car but 1 block in either direction and much less damage. It must have had bands because these woods are about 3 miles due north from my street) see little damage elsewhere in these woods, but this little 6 acre was a totally different character from the rest of the surrounding woods, most is low elevation with several swamps but the good spot was about 10-15 ft above the swamp level and higher than any other spot in the vicinity. The rest has little cherry, and most is poor with crooks and poor condition, the good spot was a little oasis of good. Most grew too close together but most seemed to be straight and real tall, going a long ways up before the first branch except the ones on the edge of the good spot. Many of them went about 35-40' to the first branch. I wonder if someone had taken good care of them many years ago or if this happened by itself. My guess, someone did it, but probably will never know. By the way, my woods where I manage the "forest is about 2-300 yards SE of the good spot and I have some nice cherry, but not as good as he had. My land in the higher spots is about 6-8' above the low spots and the cherry and sugar maple do well there but very few good cheries in the rest of the whole area and almost no sugar maple except on my place.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

chet

Maple Flats,
I'm willing to bet, if you took a chainsaw and cut into one of them downed trees you would still find some very good wood yet. Cherry heart wood is fairly rot resistant.
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

Furby

Might be worth getting ahold of the property for. ;)

Max sawdust

That is a sad story,
Ya maybe you can help the widow out get her a little money by trying to salvage some of those trees.  In the process earning her trust.  If you like the land start saving now maybe she will sell it to you some day. Good land that buts up to yours.  That would be my goal at least.  Then I would take care of that little prime piece and plant some Cherries and take care of them and then maybe in a couple hundered years someone will note how nice of trees they are and wonder if someone took care of them.
max
True Timbers
Cedar Products-Log & Timber Frame Building-Milling-Positive Impact Forestscaping-Cut to Order Lumber

mike_van

A real honest to goodness tornado went accross Connecticut in the '80's, took down what was called the "Cathedral Pines" in  Cornwall -  Massive  3 & 4 ft. dia. White Pines, 100+ footers - The decision was made [by tree huggers, no doubt]  to do NO CLEANUP !  When I see that twisted up mess with white birch, honeysuckle & wild rose covering it, makes me as sad as you, mapleflats -  What a waste - There were volunteers to clean up & replant w/ pine,  nothing doing, "we'll let nature take its course"   Morons  >:(
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

Billy_Bob

His name didn't happen to be "Uncle Sam" did it?

SwampDonkey

I've run across the occassional woodlot owner who would be in the same boat. Even ran into one old lady that was practically living in a shack and her doughter got a logger to cut some of the woodlot so she could have a new house and car. Her mother didn't even know it was cut until later. The whole mess went to court. Didn't matter about managing the timber she wanted the $$. Not uncommon around here. I have a cousin who wouldn't cut a stick even if she needed the money. The old man told her never to cut any wood and that was 50 years ago. Her brothers have cut some poplar on the edge of the field for their stoves, but she was very grudged.  ::) I'm afraid when the old gal passes on there's going to be a frenzie and it's all about $$ again, not management.  The older softwood has all fallen down and growd back thick again. I remember as a kid walking over her lot and the deadfall fir was all cross piled. The best remaining wood is down in the brook and gullies.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

maple flats

This land doesn't butt up to mine, there are 2 other parcels between, but on the back side it does butt up to my brother's land. All I need is some capital. She won't let anyone cut it because her now deceased husband told her not to. Hope I can swing it when the land does go. I do know that there is still a lot of good lumber to be had and enough firewood to keep my sugarhouse going for a long time. My brother would let me access it across his but I would need to build a road thru a swamp about 150' wide to get there. In the middle the water during the wet season is about 4' deep in spots but averages much less. In the summer the water is not there but would still need a road or it would turn muddy real quick as the water is only a few inches underground. I'll see if I can work it out somehow. If I can buy the house and everything I could do it without a road thru swamp but would still need to build about a half mile of roadway with a few low spots. This might be more than I can swing, we'll see.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Furby

Hard to say this, but if it's listed as being behind on taxes, you may wanna look into the tax sales angle.
At least get your name in the mix so that it doesn't get snatched up before it has a chance to make it to market.

maple flats

I do keep an eye on the tax sales and have bought a few that way in the past. We are not allowed to reserve an interest in tax delinquint property. The widow will not talk to anyone
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Deadwood

Very sad indeed. I had a neighbor like that, but he had 3000 acres. He was even worse though. He liked to have fun with loggers. He would string them along for months thinking they were going to cut his woodlot, but he told me that would never happen.

Then the ice storm of 98 came through and creamed everyone's woodlot, not just his. He let it rot, then last year decided to sell the whole thing to a large corporation. They did what we call Stump and Dump. Buy the land, clear cut it, and turn around and sell the land for what they bought it for.

The only good that came out of it, was that I don't have to mark my boundaries anymore. Where the trees stop, that is where the property line is. Sad, very sad.

SwampDonkey

Quote from: Deadwood on November 22, 2005, 02:07:53 PM
They did what we call Stump and Dump. Buy the land, clear cut it, and turn around and sell the land for what they bought it for.

Also, called 'Slash and Dash', when the woodlot owner doesn't have any idea it's going on.  >:(

In all seriousness though, the woodlot owner has the right to do nothing with his woodlot if he wishes. The only thing is sometimes it becomes a target to theft or if the old fella has to go to the home before he has distributed his assets to his children, the government seizes it for payment. Then it's usually clearcut.  >:(
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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