A Landowner's Guide to Managing Your Woods: How to Maintain a Small Acreage for Long-Term Health, Biodiversity, and High-Quality Timber Production by Hansen & Severson & Waterman

Author:Hansen & Severson & Waterman [Hansen & Severson & Waterman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Technology & Engineering, Agriculture, Forestry, Nature, Plants, Trees, House & Home, Outdoor & Recreational Areas
ISBN: 9781603427302
Google: Md54EAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Storey
Published: 2011-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

A log jack handily rolls the end of a log up into the air, so that it can be sawn without (too much) risk of running the chainsaw blade into the dirt at the end of the cut. The peavey and cant hook are two other traditional and handy tools for rolling logs around.

A lot of woody invasive species can be pulled out, roots and all, with a brush-busting tool such as a Weed Wrench (see the resources section). The jaws of the tool grab the trunk, and then you pull back on the handle to torque the offending plant out of the ground. Or you can get jaws on a chain so you can clamp onto the bush and pull it out with an ATV or tractor.

Having a supply of flagging tape, flags on bendable wire stalks, or some forestry paint is handy for marking trail layouts or marking the trees you want to take down for firewood next fall. If you are interested in learning more about measuring trees, then be sure to look over the cruising sticks, log scales, diameter tapes, tree calipers, and other nifty forester tools available from forestry-supply companies.

If you plan on using a chain saw, especially for making firewood, you’ll need some plastic wedges to hold cuts open, and it’s a good idea to have a peavey or a cant hook to roll logs over. These devices have a wooden handle with a hinged metal hook that opens away from the straight metal end so you can grab a log to roll it. The peavey has a steel spike to pry with, and the cant hook a claw to grab with. A variation of these tools — the log jack — is a cant hook with a rocker on the back of the claw, so you can roll the log and rest it several inches above the ground for easy cutting.

A splitting maul is used, obviously, for splitting wood, and the trick is to not buy the biggest one on the rack. If you plan on doing any serious splitting, you’ll be grateful for a lighter maul after the first hour or so. There’s a real trick to swinging a maul efficiently and accurately, and though with practice most people will eventually figure it out, having someone show you saves a lot of time and sore muscles.

A wide assortment of the tools and gear discussed above, plus quite a bit more, is available through forestry-supply companies online (see the resources section). Your farm store or chainsaw dealer should have a selection of woods-related equipment as well.

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