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well, OK , here we are a month later. In last month's diary I talked about finishing Guest Bath II. But since then a whole new thing came out on the horizon.
I got my property logged last month since I wrote that diary. This is something Ive been waiting to do, hoping to do for years. Finally the opportunity presented itself.
let me start by explaining---I'm a tree farmer. I didn't set out to be, it came with the land. I have 10 acres, about half forested. I live in a HUGE privately owned forest, about 50 square miles worth. My land is an "island" in this forest but I have complete use of this forest. Cascade Timber owns or controls most of the timber around here but they're kind of faceless bureaucrats. I usually don't see them. We own my mile long driveway together
To keep my land in "forest reserve" tax status I have to run it as a tree farm. This means harvesting and replanting. It was overgrown when we bought it.
Prices for logs are as high now as they've ever been---- a sure sign the economy is coming back. Theyre logging all over Oregon now to time for the market in the spring.
When they were logging a patch below me last month they accidently knocked down the power line. shorted out about 2 dozen people. I went down to see what happened and got talking to the logging contractor. I told him my land needed logging off too and that I was looking for someone to do it.
Long story shorter: he came up later and we made an agreement to do it.
Wow what an experience that was---huge trees crashing down. My lot hadn't been replanted, it was natural growth, meaning there were trees of many sizes.
here's how the system operates. I had to go to the state forester and get a permit----this was free. Then arrangements are made for the mills to buy the wood. The logs were taken to 3 different places: mills in Sweet Home, Waterloo and Crabtree.(this is all in Oregon)
The first is for the most expensive: fir above 24", the 2d below for less than 24" and the last one for the scrap wood that gets chipped up and sent to Toledo to make paper
I contract with the logging contractor to cut the wood, he gets it to the mill. He's like a general contractor, lining up the subs, like the truck drivers.
The mills pay me directly after taking the loggers cut out (pun intended). I had to have no money down to get this started.
So they started a week ago last Tuesday. First they bring down the huge tree cutter machine---it grabs the trees, cuts them off at the bottom, then lays them down. This works up to 24" diameter---thicker than that they had to cut individually by chainsaw.
Then comes the yarder. this is another huge machine that drags the logs to the landing---a rock road they put down where they load the trucks. (they'd sink into mud. ) they had to put down a lot of rock, including gravel.
yarder
At the landing there's another huge machine called the processor---this strips the logs and cuts them to length, then stacks them in different piles, according to type.
processor
As the trucks are being loaded there's a 3d huge machine going around, pulling all the scrap into piles for burning later in the year. They leave some scattered around to cover the land These piles are huge, 15' tall, there's about a dozen of them. they come back later in the year and burn them.
After that its replanting: I'll be planting more trees than they took out. When I say I, I mean I pay $800 acre to get it done. There will be 6 acres replanted. It has to be replanted within 2 years. I'm going to get it done this year to maximize tax advantages (Did I say I talked to a CPA first about this?)
So my forest is gone and all I'm left with is a Killer 35 mile view and a much improved road. I used to look out the window and see trees---now I look out the window and see.....trees!! they're just farther away than before. I use to live in a forest, now I live in a clearing in a forest, which cuts down the threat of forest fire considerably. this has always been my biggest worry. we left many trees though, mostly unsaleable ones like oak and cedar which are fine to look at anyway.
The road into our land has been fixed now. we have a beautiful view from all our windows, its like moving into a new house.
Plus I'll have $40 grand in my pocket I didn't have before. mrs exlrrp is already starting to spend this.
here's the Before View
Basically the same view the upper photo is to the left, the lower one looks to the right. You can line up the tree, in the photo above, its about an inch above the left side of the hot tub cover the dogs are sitting on.Put the lower photo to the right of the upper one and you'll get the panorama, but only part of it. Its a magnificent view, about 180 degrees
So what are you working on?