Felling Douglas Fir Timber Small Scale Logging

Congratulations, you get to watch these Douglas fir trees crash to the ground. Then watch a tractor with a Farmi tractor winch yard them to the road, then load them onto a flatbed trailer.  This is how it goes with my small scale logging operation.  I am logging dying Douglas fir trees off my forest land to take to my Woodmizer LT15 sawmill. I will mill them into lumber to be used to build a small off grid cabin on this off grid property.

[@mrMacGoover]

Hey, I spotted a native trail marker tree.

[@Wheelloader__]

Masterfully done. Trees down and nobody’s hurt. Don’t forget your jacket 😁🪵

[@WilsonForestLands]

Thank you I did remember the jacket.

[@DanielAtkinsFirewood]

I would say don't forget your jacket but 3 others beat me to it..😁👍

[@aquatecpoolservice4547]

Surgical tree cutting. This guy knows what he's doing. 😊

[@WilsonForestLands]

Thank you for the comment. Kind of you to say.

[@KevinsDisobedience]

You make great videos. I hope folks appreciate how much work it is for you to move the camera to get all those shots to tell the story.

[@stefflus08]

I'm sceptical to what the forester said. We get beetles even in dry firewood and materials. Wood with bark needs to be debarked or kept soaking wet.

[@littlebrookreader949]

Dangerous stuff, and well done. You know so much about trees and their pests, about how to protect them and keep them healthy. When you laid your jacket down, I wondered how you protect yourself from ticks and such? And wildlife? Love your channel!

[@WilsonForestLands]

This place doesn’t have many ticks. I have learned what crawling ticks feel like. I usually feel them before they ever bite. Otherwise the only wildlife I’ve ever had a problem with is wasps and yellow jackets. I have learned to keep an eye out for them during the time of year they are active. Rattlesnakes are rare here but I keep a watch for them. Large animals, I have never known anyone to be attacked by them in this area.

[@paulchristensen6722]

Amazing the pulling power these winches have.

[@Dustin_the_wind]

It is Armageddon, M.W. Just more nuanced than we expected. Freakin' justice league needs to get their rear in gear; lex luthor and the legion of doom are getting out of hand.

[@edwardlautsch8539]

Looked like a nice day. Dragging logs over the soil does get it into the bark. Chipping bark away saves filing the chain. Nice work!

[@WilsonForestLands]

Yep it’s a bit of work to clean up the log before cutting but less work than having to file the saw.

[@Bushman9]

Well I learned something new today. Tree gurgling. Thanks.

[@MsdMakingSawDust]

First time I ever herd of girdling , interesting …. Chainsaw blades and mud And I thought you was going to get stuck in the mud loading the logs. Thanks for sharing. Good job !!

[@bluethunder1951]

This is the second show I’ve watched, I’m on an old growth forest acreage, lots of big trees, huge eastern white pine, beech, sugar maple, apple trees, spruce, fir, birch, larch, just about every species of tree out there, except hickory 😢, I’m wondering if your technique of grazing will work on fir? I have so many with root rot, would be nice to have them die off and fall naturally.

[@WilsonForestLands]

If you mean girdling, it works on these Douglas fir. It works on any other tree species around here, I imagine it would work on true firs as well. You just have to make sure you go past the bark and cambium all the way around, if you miss a spot it can heal over. You might ask a local forester if there would be a danger of breeding bark beetles or other tree killing insects in your area by having a bunch of dying trees.

[@traildust5977]

It's a pleasure watching you, you do make it look easy!

[@dialecticcoma]

nice didn't realise your step ladder/hammer could chop wood 😅

[@mikehughes2026]

Flat-headed Fir borer, don’t like the sound of that! Always a pleasure watching you do some business in the woods🇺🇸

[@WilsonForestLands]

They are not good bugs, that is if you like fir trees being alive.

[@michaelsinclair8279]

He forgot his jacket!! The Madrones(?) are they good for anything?

[@WilsonForestLands]

I did remember the jacket. Madrone makes some of the best firewood there is. It makes very beautiful and very hard lumber. But commercially it’s not worth much. Most people don’t want to deal with milling the lumber because it’s so difficult to get it to dry straight and without cracking. For me I just like to have them as trees in the forest in places like the one in the video that aren’t suitable for growing timber very well. They are a beautiful tree and their berries are good for wildlife.

[@ColdFlame23]

@@WilsonForestLands An added benefit is that deciduous trees are also very helpful in preventing forest fires a lot of the time. I do what I can to protect my deciduous on my 33 acre property which is a mix of Doug Fir, Hemlock, Cedar, Larch, Ponderosa, and a few other coniferous species. Unfortunately, most of our birch are dying out. I'm just North of the Idaho border in Canada and we have similar challenges with the beetles/bugs getting in and doing damage. I went out to clean my water intake on the creek the other day and it looked like someone had been running a wood chipper in the immediate area. It took me a minute to realize that the woodpeckers had decimated what had previously looked like a healthy cedar to get at the ants within it. Holes everywhere, and huge wood chips. Unbelievable animals.

[@andyc1955]

Nice work, but you could have sniped the end and choked up with the choker too.

[@jamiethomas2155]

Beautifully done my friend. Your not only a master at what you do your very knowledgeable. I didn’t know about cutting the rings on trees. Great video. Oh! Don’t forget your jacket.

[@WilsonForestLands]

Thank you I did remember the jacket.

[@Averagewhiteguy4980]

Nice cuts

[@larrymajorana9269]

If you happen to see a flat head fir borer can you show it to us. I think we may have the same problem.

[@WilsonForestLands]

I have never seen one in the adult stage. As adults they are usually in the top of the trees eating needles. I only see their larva under or in the bark. I will try to remember to show one on video when I run into one. A likely sign that you have them is the woodpecker holes all over the trees that start before the needles even turn color. When the needles do turn color, instead of turning a pretty red they tend to be more of a dull brown.

[@larrymajorana9269]

@@WilsonForestLands thanks for your reply. Your methods and expertise are incredibly valuable that make this an important and certainly unique channel on KZbin.

[@chaswarren7239]

Nice handling ! I hate mud and chainsaw blades, like your technique to get around it.

[@WilsonForestLands]

I’m not a big fan of mud in general. It’s still on the rest of the log so I will have to clean them up before milling them.

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

Another great video.............................. Where's your coat?

[@WilsonForestLands]

Thank you Dave. I got my coat.

[@Mattytube18]

Nice buck. Is this the coastal property? Looked a little foggy. Really been enjoying your content. Been watching nonstop the last two weeks. I’m a new sub. I’ve been living in San Francisco the last 25 yrs. I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I used to go for wood with my dad. He worked for the forest service when he was young before us children. My dad would cut down big 36” dead ponderosas and I would buck after he fell it. I started when I was 11. Being a city slicker for so many yrs, I yearn to be in the woods full time. At least I stayed in the Sierras and the mountains of norther New Mexico hunting and fishing. Last weekend I bought a 562xp mk2. I shipped it to Santa Fe and I’ll be there the beginning of next week. It’ll be the first time going for wood since I was about 18, 47 now. I’m super excited. Also, I’ll be doing a timber framing class in November in Maine. It’s a 3 week long course. I can’t wait to be telling my own Timbers and milking them myself. Thnx for the grand content you pump out. It’s been incredibly inspiring to me. Enjoy your weekend. ~A happy sub

[@Mattytube18]

P.S. If you ever wanted a helping hand I’d be delighted. Bonus points; I was a fine art photographer for two decades. I could help you with your vids.

[@glenbobnick4192]

Have you looked into a solar kiln?

[@WilsonForestLands]

I have looked at them in the past. I don’t know if you saw my video showing my wood fired kiln. I built it for a decorative branch product I was exporting. Right now I don’t have much use for a kiln. If I do decide I need one again I might look into that. We definitely have a good climate here for it in the summer.

[@glenbobnick4192]

@@WilsonForestLands now a wood fired kiln is interesting… not like I don’t have an excess of thin firewood piled near my mill. Will check it out. Thanks

[@VIVA4EVER2001]

I just found your channel & love it. I grew up on a farm, was an agricultural engineer but I know nothing about forestry ( well only how to repair chainsaws) Is it hard to make a living as a forester in the USA ? Thanks for sharing your awsome videos.

[@WilsonForestLands]

That depends on what you are doing as a forester. If you are a forester for the government or a timber company, you can make a good living. But that’s different than someone logging or creating forest products. If you are in the business of producing or selling forest products. It all depends on what you’re doing and what your market is. I have made a good living at times through forest products. But I had to get creative. There are a lot of people trying to make a living with wood and they have to work hard and don’t make much money. Much of my adult life has also been focused on other business in between. If you want to make a good living, I don’t know that forestry is the best choice.

[@VIVA4EVER2001]

Many thanks for the reply, its much appreciated. What you say makes perfect sense. Back in the mid 80's I had a Husky 266 saw and did a few days work in a forest near here (Dorset, England) I never worked so hard for so little pay ! Over here what little forestry there is, is pretty well all comercial now, one big machine clearing huge areas in a short time. There is some money to be made as a tree surgeon though. Thanks again, I learn so much watching your brilliant videos. @@WilsonForestLands

[@joeyrector1015]

I just love logs and rounds that doesn't act right and rolls away. Oh don't forget about your jacket

[@WilsonForestLands]

Fortunately that log didn’t have far to go and it was rolling in the right direction where I needed it to go. thanks, I did remember the jacket.

[@joeyrector1015]

@@WilsonForestLands still. I hate when logs and rounds decided to take off. Like they know you are going to do something with them. Like they're trying to get out of it lol

[@geezerindawoods]

I can remember when Boom Boom was a good thing! Cool Beans!!

[@terrymott8093]

What is madrone wood used for.

[@aquatecpoolservice4547]

It's a hardwood sort of like Myrtle.

[@WilsonForestLands]

Mostly firewood. It makes some of the best firewood. But it has very little commercial value. It does make beautiful hard lumber but most people don’t mill it because it’s so hard to dry without it severely warping and cracking.

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Nice clean work there.

[@southernadirondackoutdoors]

Slipping and sliding in mud sure does complicate things!

[@WilsonForestLands]

It does and eventually it will make it impossible to get around over there. That’s why I’m getting these out now.

[@stephendickinson9929]

More like a fluff instead of a boom on the last one. Thanks for the forestarian explanations.

[@WilsonForestLands]

Yes probably more of a fluff. And the big one was only a borderline boom. It had some fluff tendencies as well.

[@edwinlikeshistractor8521]

Girdling a tree kind of feels like hunting and not eating or using the skin of the animal. I know, weird.