People Protest

QuintonAlame · January 14, 2011, 10:02:19 AM

I landed a contract to clear 100 acres of tember. But the problem is people protesting to save the trees I cant start the job cause of people threatning me and my crew. I have police and conservation dp there to help me remove protesters but at this rate I cant get started. Would it be a good idea to start dropping tember anyway my crew says start dropping trees they will move when the trees start to fall is this a good idea.

Bill Gaiche · January 14, 2011, 10:27:34 AM

When you have a legal right to remove trees it has to be frustrating when people interupt. If you do start make certain that no one from outside of your work crew gets hurt. If that was to happen it could cost you dearly in some rediculous lawsuit. Let the appropriate law do there job to remove people to insure that there are no injuries. There are people that are lawsuit happy, bg

Bill Gaiche · January 14, 2011, 10:33:59 AM

Can you say why the people are protesting? How does the cutting effect them? bg

QuintonAlame · January 14, 2011, 10:38:05 AM

You right the law is doing all they can but why people do that i have no clue like u said how is it going to hurt them. Me and my crew just want to go to work

SwampDonkey · January 14, 2011, 11:51:16 AM

It's obvious, they are looking for a job. ;)

Autocar · January 14, 2011, 12:40:34 PM

One thing for sure you better not let any equipment set there over night unless you hire a security guard. I had someone pour Mountain Dew in a fuel tank and I made it about half way down the skid trail and she stopped. I pulled the carburator off twice, pluse took the tank off and dumped it. Now we know why all equipment now a days you can pretty well lock up tight.

jim king · January 14, 2011, 12:49:41 PM

The way that problem would be taken care of here probably would not be considered politicly correct up there.

Bobus2003 · January 14, 2011, 01:00:48 PM

Quote from: Autocar on January 14, 2011, 12:40:34 PM
One thing for sure you better not let any equipment set there over night unless you hire a security guard. I had someone pour Mountain Dew in a fuel tank and I made it about half way down the skid trail and she stopped. I pulled the carburator off twice, pluse took the tank off and dumped it. Now we know why all equipment now a days you can pretty well lock up tight.

Definatly lock up equipment if you can.. My dad had someone dump sand into the oil orf our skidder and skid steer because they wernt "happy" with the thinning the landowner was doing.. Cost us a pair of engines and learned a helluva leasson.. Pad locks on everything.. Now the Dipsticks even have padlocks on our equipment

QuintonAlame · January 14, 2011, 01:06:31 PM

I just hope the media dont get involved in shure that would be bad for busness >:(

Kansas · January 14, 2011, 01:18:55 PM

You have one thing going for you. Missouri is a timber state, with logging being a normal activity. If the national media is not involved, then don't worry about it. And,they can't protest if the trees are on the ground.

Start dropping.

Mark K · January 14, 2011, 01:30:58 PM

I had a problem with people messing with my equipment. Working alongside a gas well site that neighbors didn't approve of. There equipment was back off the road behind mine. I skidded around there site to the road. Had hydraulic fittings knocked off, hoses cut, and screwdriver holes through the radiator. No matter how much I kept stuff locked down I got messed with. Finally bought a big tarp for the skidder and set my game camera up. Was never really messed with after that. Wish I could of caught it on film. Other time I cut along side a college, moved in and started cutting on a Friday. Came back Monday morning, got into the woods and found a dozen or so tree's that were marked had faces painted on them with tears and blood drops. Thought it was kinda funny but they didnt mess with my equipment.

SwampDonkey · January 14, 2011, 04:28:58 PM

Makes ya wonder who breeds this stuff. :

Never see that garbage going on around here. Oh, there might be the odd mischief maker but they are just as likely to come steal from your barn or burn down a camp. More under the influence of substances than a grievance.

SPIKER · January 14, 2011, 04:57:53 PM

Start tracking hours that they are impeding your progress for every man waiting there & send them a bill!! Have it signed by you and when the sheriff is there to remove them have them served with it at the same time! Dam sure they wont be back twice when they get billed for 5 or 6 man crew setting idle at your companies going rate per hr!

MARK

BCtimber · January 14, 2011, 05:38:59 PM

That is annoying for sure. I always thought the names of these protesters should be investigated and their welfare be revoked.

Tillaway · January 14, 2011, 06:04:51 PM

I read the enviro leaflets and news letters whenever I find them, they can be quite entertaining particularly the ones not met for general consumption. So far Spiker has come pretty close to using something that does concern them. Arrests are a badge of honor for these folks, they know they will be let out after booking and serve some probation time or whatever. Civil law suites filed against individual protesters arrested on site scares them half to death. This was done successfully in Montana probably 15 years ago. You as the contractor must keep detailed records of time lost, overhead costs and any other cost you can think of as well as detailed photos and any other evidence you can think of. Set them up for a fall, don't get mad get even. Sue a sub group of those arrested, and pin every cost you can on them. They might not be able to pay but having a large civil judgement against just one of them sends a message better than the hand cuffs. They would like to be able to buy houses and cars and get credit in the future.

red oaks lumber · January 14, 2011, 06:12:32 PM

i have yet seen any of these protesters stopping people from mowing their lawns or stopping farmers from harvesting corn or hay, these are crops just like forests are.

CX3 · January 14, 2011, 10:32:29 PM

Quinton where are you at in SW MO? I heard a local logger here around me just got "TREE KILLER" spray painted on the side of his pickup. I guess he left his truck parked at his sawmill over night and they got it. I havent had any problems yet, for the sake of others I hope I dont. I really dont know how I would handle such a deal. Like John Wayne said "you'd better step aside partner"

Dan_Shade · January 14, 2011, 11:13:30 PM

If I were to plan an all out assault on this type of infringement, I would demand that they all be arrested, then I would sue them for impacting my business.

you gotta hit their wallets

D Hagens · January 15, 2011, 01:31:43 AM

Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 14, 2011, 11:13:30 PM
If I were to plan an all out assault on this type of infringement, I would demand that they all be arrested, then I would sue them for impacting my business.

you gotta hit their wallets

The problem is that most of these tree huggers don't have wallets.
Protesting is one thing but vandalizing private property is another. I never can understand how they say they love the land and have the hippie attitude towards one another but they will jeopardize a hard working guys life by destroying his machinery.
They should be arrested and instead of a fine and a few days in jail the judges should make them take some courses so they can better understand forest management.

WildDog · January 15, 2011, 03:34:16 AM

We have had these ratbags frequently chain themselves to dozers, skidders and trees to stop the harvesting. Where my dad is the protesters were nailing bridging spikes into the trees to shatter the saws when they went through the mill >:(

thecfarm · January 15, 2011, 08:42:38 AM

We had a incident at Mt Blue State Park a few years back.Seems like a big sawmill company gave the state of Maine,Mt Blue State Park,like 100 acres of land,I maybe be wrong on the acres.But they kept the right to log the land in when ever they wanted too,a one shot cut.So 30-50 years go by and here comes the skidders. You would think they was going to clear cut the acres this company gave the state all those years back.People was saying no wood cutting should be allowed on state back land.Would not of been state park land if the state would not of gave them to log rights on the land.Was only this once that it could be done.The protesters came,even burned a skidder. I got into it from some city guy at work about it.
Those protesters don't have a life.No way it could be done,but too bad we could not send them back to where they live and take away all of the wood products that they use in 5 years. Make them live with no wood products for 5 years.That would bring them around real quick.

timberfaller390 · January 15, 2011, 09:01:45 AM

I don't know how it is in MO, but in GA. a 12 gauge stoked with rock salt would disperse them real quick.

SwampDonkey · January 15, 2011, 09:05:32 AM

I can't say too much about Maine, except from what I read in the forestry literature there is getting to be a lot of land tied up as no touch. There is also a lot of swapping for development properties that were once held by towns. I guess some towns need cash in hard times. And some towns want to acquire township land and want to keep old township lands granted to them way back. They could manage the timber and sell some wood if they needed to for budgeting purposes. Once it's eaten up with these outfits it may or may not get swapped in the future who knows. But, my guess is it will. Some "do gooder" will still want his return on investment in cash form. You can bet the farm on that.

Rocky_Ranger · January 15, 2011, 10:59:20 AM

Protest in SW Missouri? Tell us more, folks in Missouri are generally considered "normal" (with a few exceptions), must be a heck of an undertaking to have Missourians up in arms over timber harvest. What are their concerns; cutting trees or cutting those trees? Are there ways to mitigate the effects?

barbender · January 15, 2011, 11:49:59 AM

I've heard a story- I can't verify it but it's a good one, and I hope it really did happen. Story goes that there was an old logger in Finland, running a Ponsse harvester. Some enviro-wack came out and chained himself to a tree, so the old fellow grabbed the tree about 7 feet up and cut it off like nobody was there. I imagine the enviro had some "biohazard" in his shorts :D Man, if I caught somebody messing with my equipment I don't think I'd handle it well. In this situation, I would probably get mad enought to just start cutting. They have to be really devoted to not get out of the way ;) If I was behaving more rationally, I'd probably go the civil penalty route.