Logging with a Farm Tractor - Permanent Access Trails in the Family Forest Offer Many Benefits

This colorful tour through much of Bombadil Tree Farm is designed to encourage other woodlot owners to reap the multiple benefits that only good access trails can provide.

[@LostCaper]

I worked in the woods with my father since I was 14 so I look at your achievement with great fondness and recognize the pride you had taken. Hats off to you.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

It is good to hear from you again and thanks for the kind words. Coming from a kindred woodsmen makes them especially pleasing. Vince

[@thelogfather5002]

Thnaks so much for sharing your wisdom, I own almost 100 acres and plan to leave it better than I found it for my kids and grandchildren. I’ve been binge watching your channel! Blessings, Jeff

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Jeff, thank you so much for your comment. The wisdom that I clearly lack and that you might possess is how to reliably know if anyone's kids or grandchildren share the same ethic. Sadly, I see many older people donating woodlots that they have loved and nourished to impersonal land trusts, land trusts that boast noble motives that they fail to live up to, because their children and grandchildren have no interest or, worse, are pretty much guaranteed to pillage the woodlot for cash to spend on frivolous materialistic pursuits. If you have that wisdom, please share it. Vince

[@thelogfather5002]

@@bombadiltreefarms314 hi Vince, my son certainly shares my passion for being a good steward of the land, my grandson is only 2! So time will tell! My daughter is indifferent to it all... thanks again for the educational videos!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

@@thelogfather5002 Jeff, you are obviously a blessed man to have such a son and, between the two of you, I'm sure that your grandson will grow up with the same ethic embedded in his heart. Of course, nothing negative intended towards your daughter. She no doubt has a different calling. Vince

[@stevehardwick1578]

I have 375 acres in Eagle Lake that I primarily am managing as a maple sugarbush.I'm expanding every year and love the woods and making trails, etc. There are several areas with large firs and other species mixed in with the maples and I'm working at harvesting them to open up the woods for the maple canopies to expand. Some people think I'm crazy for spending so much time in the woods, but I just love the forest, always have.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Steve, those people who think you are crazy are absolutely, undeniably, 100% wrong! It is that clear and simple! End of story! If the Eagle Lake that you are talking about is the one between me in Ashland and Fort Kent, we must get together. I invite you to email me at [e-mail] and, if you are comfy with it, include a phone number in your email and I will call you. I often go a week or more between opportunities to check my email, so please be patient if you don't hear back from me for a few days. Looking forward to it! Vince

[@ripdinecola4755]

Man how have I just discovered this awesome channel! Its got all my favorite things tractors, chainsaws, and forest! Keep up the good work!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Rip. "Better late than never." Isn't that the way the saying goes? I am honored to have you viewing my channel. Be safe in the woods! Vince

[@cal1764]

Great series of videos Vincent. You've given me some insights toward more intensive management of my 190 acres of mixed growth Central Maine family forest. After 40+ years running ships around the world, improving my woodlots is exactly where I want to be.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Cal. A mariner returns home from the sea! I congratulate you and wish you the best on dry land. Perhaps we might meet someday. You may or may not be familiar with Maine Woodland Owners, formerly the Small Woodland Owners of Maine, and their annual field day to celebrate Maine's Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. This year the field day will be in you area, in Unity, on 07 September. More info will become available as the date gets closer at mainewoodlandowners.org/Home.aspx. Hope to see you there! Vince

[@LostCaper]

Awesome video. I do some small scale logging myself. You have a beautiful peace of property. You are a great steward of this property.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Thank you! It has been a 42-year labor of love, but the effort has been worth it. Thanks again! Vince

[@richardjulian9263]

I love your videos and learn a lot from them. I am a deer hunter and one of my biggest problems is when I hunt my own property I find myself more focused on the condition of my trees and what work still needs to be done. At least when I go for my annual week-long hunting trip to Maine, I can't just stop hunting and jump on the tractor with my saw, but I still find myself looking at the trees more than I do for deer more often than I should!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Yes, Richard, you know what I mean and share the same affliction! I gave up deer hunting several years ago in part for this reason. Grouse hunting does well with folks like you and me, and I am still able to bag some birds despite my eyes always aimed into the treetops. Glad to meet a kindred spirit! Vince

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

Just like your previous videos, this one was awesome. I have lots of respect for the way you manage your woodlot and hope one day to have one of my own to manage following your advice. Cheers

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Yves, I'm confident that one day you will and that you will do an even better job with it. Be safe in the woods! Vince

[@ericlee204]

Again what an informative document. This has me convinced to continu to add trails to my woodlot for easy harvest of damaged trees. Thanks.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Eric, your words thrill me! I felt that my efforts would be rewarded if my video inspired even one woodlot owner to develop a good trail system. Vince

[@marknussbaum8394]

Awesome video. You are a superb tree farmer and a model representative of the Tree Farm system.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Mark, you are much too kind. Compared to so many American Tree Farm System Certified Tree Farmers that Kathi and I have met around the country, we are the underachievers. It is one terrific organization. Thank you, nonetheless, for your kind words. Vince

[@backinthewoods2022]

Love your videos keep them coming👍

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Thanks! Vince

[@ryanbrowne4374]

Thanks for another great video Vincent!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Motown, you are very welcome! Vince

[@jean-francoisblouin3886]

Very high quality video. Thanks

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

You are very welcome! Vince

[@marksparkplug7758]

Very good Vincent! I have been managing 20 acres and have 4 trails, I need to put in one more to properly maintain the full area, I sure need a 3 point winch set up on my Kabota, I'm still feeling and skidding standing dead Ash, I hate to see this. I do have a good variety of species everything but spruce. Again sir great video and you and your wife take care.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Mark. Yes, a 3-point hitch logging winch is very hard to beat. Have you been checking Craigslist or other online listings? Used ones come available periodically at decent prices, and those old Farmi winches are virtually indestructible. The one I used in Maine for thirty years is now in Georgia still in use. Vince

[@marksparkplug7758]

@@bombadiltreefarms314 I have been watching Vince, I have enjoyed your videos take care.

[@torbjonn]

Thanks for the great videos! I have learned alot from these, and used many of your tips during harvest and thinning in my family woodlands. Did I see the Husqvarna 572 chainsaw at the beginning? If so, what are your opinons about it? Keep up the good work! Greetings from Norway.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

You are very welcome, but the real thanks go to your Swedish neighbors who developed the logging system that my video tutorial illustrates. My tips are almost all theirs. My chainsaw is a Husqvarna 562. I have two, one with electrically heated handles and one without. I have run Husqvarnas for over 40 years and have loved every one that I ever owned. The 562 is beyond perfect for the timber and weather conditions I encounter. However, it is absolutely essential to follow the brief paragraph in the Operator's Manual that details how to start it when cold and how to start it when already warm. Its "auto-tune" technology demands a particular starting sequence that is simple and easy. However, if you ignore those instructions you will pull the starter cord all day and it will never start. I have encountered several people who criticize the "auto-tune" technology. In every case they proudly informed me that they never read Operator's Manuals, and in every case when they had the saw nearby, their eyes nearly popped out when I easily started their saws. My tire chains are Trygg, made in Norway. If there are any better chains in the world, I have not found them. Be safe! Vince

[@jessmoose]

Nice!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Jessica! Great to get a comment not only from another SWOAM and ATFS member, but from another member of that long lineage of great researchers and educators of the University of Maine School of Forestry. Vince

[@toddyuill3924]

After watching your videos yesterday I started laying out some new trails today so you have inspired 2 people now good job sir .the paper that you quote all the time in your videos do you believe them if you join the main woodcut Association I was thinking of going even though live in canada

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

It warms my heart to know that another woodland owner will now establish the access needed to enjoy the many benefits of their forest. The Maine Woodland Owners, formerly the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine, does not restrict membership to actual property owners within the state. Membership is offered to anyone interested in the organization's activities and efforts, and its website is www.mainewoodlandowners.org/ Check it out. Vince

[@12vsawmillstuff]

Thank you for the great video. Do you have any advice on buying land with the primary goal of farming trees? What to look for and how the long term costs associated with buying, managing, and harvesting your wood lot add up to? Merci S

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Pat, I recommend two resources that will take some time and study but will help direct any further efforts on your part. First, exhaust what the American Tree Farm System website offers. Second, download the best home study course I have ever seen. It is available for free from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. It covers everything including the economics of private forest management. The link is woodlot.novascotia.ca/ Take a tip from the forest and be patient and persistent in your study. Vince

[@backinthewoods2022]

Any thoughts on the Hudson logging winch I see it is about $1000 less than the others and I think your the man to ask

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

I wish I could help you with your question but, unfortunately, I can't. Hud-Son has been around for many years and manufactures a very broad range of forestry equipment for small operators, but I have never owned any of their products nor have I known anybody who has. Assuming that you would be purchasing a winch using US dollars, the price advantage that you mention surprises me, especially since the US dollar is currently strong against the Canadian dollar. Both Wallenstein winches and Payeur/Metavic winches are manufactured in Canadian and qualify under NAFTA for import duty and even sales tax free (both Canadian HST and individual state sales tax in the US) if you buy directly from the Canadian distributor. I have done this with three different pieces of equipment over recent years and came out far ahead of what I would have had to pay buying the identical items through retail distributors in the US. I can personally attest to the quality of Payeur/Metavic products and know more than one person using Wallenstein winches under very demanding conditions without anything but praise for their quality. I don't want to talk you away from a Hud-Son. It's just that I'm not the guy that can comment on them. I do suggest, however, that you contact Payeur and Wallenstein regarding direct purchase prices with them arranging duty free delivery. You cannot just jump across the border to buy or pick-up your winch. To qualify for favored NAFTA import treatment, you have to use a certified/registered importer. Payeur is certified/registered and I would be surprised if Wallenstein is not. Once you have your price quotes, the Hud-Son may or may not still offer a price advantage. By the way, don't shy away from calling Payeur because of its province of Quebec location. Although the telephone receptionist answers in beautiful French, she is bilingual and so are Payeur's salesmen. My first winch was a Farmi that I still use after more than three decades without any adjustments or replaced parts. I am confident that it would survive ground-zero of a nuclear blast. Farmis are made in Finland and, as I suspect but cannot confirm, probably remain more costly than winches of North American manufacture. Tajfun, made in Slovenia, are highly praised and highly priced. If you came across second-hand winches of either brand, I would recommend giving them a good look. I also suggest that you look at various comments on selecting tractor mounted logging winches posted on forestryforum.com. Let me know what you discover. Vince

[@backinthewoods2022]

Bombadil Tree Farms thank you very much I will definitely take your advice and make some calls this week I will let you know what the outcome is Thanks again

[@backinthewoods2022]

I ended up getting the Farmi 351P this weekend about $600 more in the end but I will have it for a long time and wanted to go with the tried and true product like you said 👍 I did a video on my channel this weekend using it for the first time Thanks for the advice

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

@@backinthewoods2022 Thanks for the update, and I will check out your video. You can't go wrong with a Farmi. Merry Christmas and be safe in the woods! Vince