Thorn from my side, relief in sight

first we had a wood burner, then it was coal furnace and now we do wood pellets. we just got propane so we have a propane furnace (which does hot water and a stove). i remember them days when you had to get wood, which was all the time!!! only the living room had heat. 

my hat is off to you, sir!!!

When I was out on July 1 for a load there were some folks camping by a creek that runs where I am getting wood. I stopped to talk to them to let them know what I was up to and to be sure they didn't have any kids or dogs running about that could be hurt by the trees I had to fell. There were a few men that seemed to understand but one gal seemed to think I was trying to run them off and was quite adamant about them being there first and not leaving. I assured them that my stop was only to warn them of nearby danger and to keep them safe. And so it went without incident.
God has always blessed me with a situational awareness something inherent in hunters and I couldn't help noticing that these folks had planted their camper right in the middle of a ring of 100+ foot tall dead trees that are ready to fall on their own with a little nudge from the wind. They told me they would be there until the 4th so I didn't go back until the 5th.
I told Tina the night of the 1st what I saw and that I felt they were in danger but I didn't say anything because I thought the gal would again think I was trying to get them to leave.
On my next trip back on the 5th the night before we had quite a wind and rain storm. When I got to the wood site I saw right away that a tree had blown down and had aligned itself directly with where the camper was. It was fortunate for them that only the very top branches of the tree reached the spot where the camper was. They were already gone when I got there so don't know if any damage was done but I bet if it happened in the night the bed sheets needed changed.
On my most recent trip back I found that another large tree had fallen right in the same area. These trees are from a bug kill that started about 10 years ago so are now all dead at the roots and falling. This makes good dry firewood but is far more dangerous than working with green wood. For directional falling green wood holds the stump until the tree is fully committed to the direction of its fall but with dead wood the wood is brittle and will break of the stump before the tree is committed to its intended direction. Dead tops are also a problem in that sometimes when the tree begins to fall the top will snap and come cartwheeling backwards. If someone does not know to watch for it it could become a fatal mistake. I am fortunate to have been a professional timber faller and know the how's and whys of this business. I am able to fall trees in a favorable direction that other folks wont attempt. Isn't it amazing that God knows what we need before we need it and that he is constantly grooming us for our and his needs. God made me a woodsman for me but maybe just maybe for someone else too. He works in mysterious way !

Morning Mike
Cold toes are a normal winter occurrence we just don't want it spreading to more important parts. Lord willing I will bring a camera on the next trip and get a few pictures of the area I am drawing wood from. Some of the area was devastated by the beetle kill and looks to be about a 70 to 80% kill. Certain areas appear to be all dead for very large tracts of timber. It is interesting to witness the normal life cycle o a forest. If not harvested a forest renews itself after a normal life span. A virgin forest can look rough due to the different stages of individual trees but a forest that has been harvested and allowed to re grow is a vibrantly healthy uniform forest. A new growth forest is giving off oxygen but an old growth forest in various stages o decay is at least partly consuming oxygen due to oxidation in the process of rotting.
I have seen 60 year old (at the time) new growth forest that was harvested for WW-2 building projects that was mistaken by gov. officials as old growth and then true old growth mistaken by the same people as logging devastation. There is a time for everything but folks that don't live a woodsy life don't see or know how it works but are the ones crying foul when a forest is allowed to be harvested. Living my entire life as a woodsman I see and understand the proper management and controlled harvest is the best way to maintain a healthy forest. Managed so the a sustainable volume is harvested continuously so the for the life span of a forest about a century the first parcels that were harvested a century ago are now ready again. This is a way to keep forest healthy and in various stages of maturity. At the point near the end o the life cycle its time to harvest again. This is what I am seeing where I am getting wood a forest at the end o its life cycle and falling down.
Sorry for the rambling! Its been such a big part of my life as a timber faller dealing with the forest and its ways and also dealing with the bureaucracy that controls it.