# COOL article on Mt St Helens Logger



## STEVEGODSEYJR (Apr 5, 2011)

Timing of eruption saved a lot of loggers' lives


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## forestryworks (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for sharing.


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## dancan (Apr 5, 2011)

Good article , thanks !


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## coastalfaller (Apr 6, 2011)

I went to Mount St Helens a few years back. Found a book in the gift shop, I believe it was called "Blast Zone". Fictional characters, but based on the actual story about the loggers on Mt St Helens just prior to the eruption. Great little read. Worth picking up. 

I have a friend from the States who falls up here now. At the time of the eruption, he was falling in that area too. He says the same thing, thank god it blew on the Sunday. They were planning on working that weekend and for whatever reason, didn't end up going out.


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## Joe46 (Apr 6, 2011)

Wallace Bowers was a good friend. His uncle and my Dad logged together out of Onalaska in the 30's. I have great childhood memories of spending time on his folks farm outside of Winlock. To add to the tragedy, Wally's wife died later that summer from cancer. Wally was a faller for Weyerhauser. He was taught the trade by his Dad who also fell for Weyerhauser, and was killed by a widow maker in the late 60's. Hope it's OK to share some personal memories.


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## nw axe man (Apr 11, 2011)

Great article!
I live 21 air miles from St Helens. The day before it blew my father and I went up to Ghost Lake to fish. We got to Bear Meadows and just beyond when we came up to a gate. I remember looking at the mountain and saying to my father: that mountain will never blow. Imagine my surprise the next morning when I heard thunder and went outside in my shorts to find rocks and limbs coming down on us. That was the beginning of hard times in this area. They shut down the whole forest. No one could get in without a pass. After that was just plain hard work in the woods around here. My father and I had a contracting business at the time and cut the first Forest Service sale in 1981. I'm glad those days are over. It was an experience that makes for a lot of stories though. I also had friends that died. I also had one friend that was one of 3 that actually went through the blast and survived. He got burned pretty bad. He was salmon fishing on the Green river when hit them. There were three of them. Just 2 of them made it out. They never found the other guy. He hated the navy, however, the training he received from them save his life. They jumped into the river and pulled their shirts over their heads to keep the oxygen from the river in and the gases out. Burned their feet hiking out as the ash was so hot. Tough story.


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## nw axe man (Apr 18, 2011)

Anyone out there ever cut in the blast area?


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## nw axe man (May 2, 2011)

coastalfaller said:


> I went to Mount St Helens a few years back. Found a book in the gift shop, I believe it was called "Blast Zone". Fictional characters, but based on the actual story about the loggers on Mt St Helens just prior to the eruption. Great little read. Worth picking up.
> 
> I have a friend from the States who falls up here now. At the time of the eruption, he was falling in that area too. He says the same thing, thank god it blew on the Sunday. They were planning on working that weekend and for whatever reason, didn't end up going out.


There's two ways to visit Mt St Helens. Up the 504 in the Toutle River Valley or through the Gifford Pinchot Forest either through Randle or Woodland. Do you remember which way you had taken?


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## coastalfaller (May 2, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> There's two ways to visit Mt St Helens. Up the 504 in the Toutle River Valley or through the Gifford Pinchot Forest either through Randle or Woodland. Do you remember which way you had taken?


 
It was the 504. Up to the Johnson Ridge Observatory. Very cool trip! Good book too!


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## nw axe man (May 3, 2011)

If you looked across the plain to the east from Johnson ridge you might have seen the parking lot of the Windy ridge viewing site. All of that country is my back yard. From there could actually see the first forest service sale they laid out. We also cut a lot of timber down the Toutle River. I've cut a lot of timber up that way. We used to have to drive clear down 12, cut across Toledo to the 504 and up the Toutle. On the South Toutle was the finest timber I've ever cut. One of the jobs we had was 9 million feet of fir that was beyond comparison. The whole sale was a "pull" sale. Every tree had to be pulled and quartered up the hill. There was 6 men to a set. We had a cat skinner, a line man, a climber, a faller and two buckers. I volunteered for the climbing job. I'd climb about 35 trees a day. I had three 60' chokers that I'd climbe 80-90'. Then I'd sling the choker around the tree, set it and climb down, pull up the bull line and scoot down the rest of the way. By that time my dad would have the undercut in the tree and either be waiting for me or getting the next one ready to go. I had no trouble sleeping back then. Here's a pic when I was a squirrel. Yeah, I think I was a little nuts back then.


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## coastalfaller (May 3, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> If you looked across the plain to the east from Johnson ridge you might have seen the parking lot of the Windy ridge viewing site. All of that country is my back yard. From there could actually see the first forest service sale they laid out. We also cut a lot of timber down the Toutle River. I've cut a lot of timber up that way. We used to have to drive clear down 12, cut across Toledo to the 504 and up the Toutle. On the South Toutle was the finest timber I've ever cut. One of the jobs we had was 9 million feet of fir that was beyond comparison. The whole sale was a "pull" sale. Every tree had to be pulled and quartered up the hill. There was 6 men to a set. We had a cat skinner, a line man, a climber, a faller and two buckers. I volunteered for the climbing job. I'd climb about 35 trees a day. I had three 60' chokers that I'd climbe 80-90'. Then I'd sling the choker around the tree, set it and climb down, pull up the bull line and scoot down the rest of the way. By that time my dad would have the undercut in the tree and either be waiting for me or getting the next one ready to go. I had no trouble sleeping back then. Here's a pic when I was a squirrel. Yeah, I think I was a little nuts back then.


 
When we were there it was during that period when it was pretty active, I want to say around 04? Murphy's Law though, the day we went up it was socked right in! lol Couldn't see much! I definitely want to get back there in the near future though, along with another trip down the coast!

I hear you on the driving, seems like all I do these days! Man that sale sounded like a lot of work. Definitely must have been nice fir!


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## nw axe man (May 3, 2011)

Yeah, the driving was brutal. Six hours total driving time to get in 6 cutting. To top it off it was one of the windiest winters you can imagine. We would typically drive 7 days a week to get in 4. You don't mess around in that kind of timber with the wind. To give you an idea of the type of timber, we cut one that was 8 1/2 feet. We measured out the tree to the break at 16". There was a total of 288 feet in the tree. No forks either. Tree after tree 250'. Yes it was nice timber and well worth the drive.


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## coastalfaller (May 3, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Yeah, the driving was brutal. Six hours total driving time to get in 6 cutting. To top it off it was one of the windiest winters you can imagine. We would typically drive 7 days a week to get in 4. You don't mess around in that kind of timber with the wind. To give you an idea of the type of timber, we cut one that was 8 1/2 feet. We measured out the tree to the break at 16". There was a total of 288 feet in the tree. No forks either. Tree after tree 250'. Yes it was nice timber and well worth the drive.


 
Man, no kidding that was worth the drive! Phenomenal timber! We've got some areas with beautiful sitka spruce still, not likely that we'll get to cut it though.


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## nw axe man (May 3, 2011)

coastalfaller said:


> Man, no kidding that was worth the drive! Phenomenal timber! We've got some areas with beautiful sitka spruce still, not likely that we'll get to cut it though.


 I've only cut a few Sitka Spruce and that was over on the Quinalt Res. Sure cuts nice. 
I took home some seedlings and planted them by the creek that runs by my place. They're doing well. I was told at the time that they only grow on the coast up to 12(?) miles inland. I think those are the ones that the Japanese bought and sent back to us in the form of Zeros during WWII.


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## coastalfaller (May 3, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> I've only cut a few Sitka Spruce and that was over on the Quinalt Res. Sure cuts nice.
> I took home some seedlings and planted them by the creek that runs by my place. They're doing well. I was told at the time that they only grow on the coast up to 12(?) miles inland. I think those are the ones that the Japanese bought and sent back to us in the form of Zeros during WWII.


 
There was quite the boom on "airplane spruce" during the war. I didn't realize the Japanese also got in on that! I thought it was just the allies! They do cut nice though! Pretty much my favorite.


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## nw axe man (May 4, 2011)

coastalfaller said:


> There was quite the boom on "airplane spruce" during the war. I didn't realize the Japanese also got in on that! I thought it was just the allies! They do cut nice though! Pretty much my favorite.


Yeah, they bought up a ton of it.
Have you ever cut any noble fir? Talk about nice cutting. The wood is soft and cuts like butter when you get a Ginsu chain on. The bark is bluish purple and the first limbs are up about 130 ft. Clear as a bell. You've really got to watch it, though. If it even looks like you're going to nick a stump you'd better cut it off. It'll slab like you can't believe and leave the brightest tell tale white wood shining like a babys butt. These pics were taken for some silvey tree jack advertisements. This was some real nice wood.


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## madhatte (May 4, 2011)

Only Noble I ever cut was blowdown across roads in Kapowsin country, but it was easily the nicest wood to cut ever. Never had any trouble with slabbing. Maybe it's a temperature thing?


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## coastalfaller (May 4, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Yeah, they bought up a ton of it.
> Have you ever cut any noble fir? Talk about nice cutting. The wood is soft and cuts like butter when you get a Ginsu chain on. The bark is bluish purple and the first limbs are up about 130 ft. Clear as a bell. You've really got to watch it, though. If it even looks like you're going to nick a stump you'd better cut it off. It'll slab like you can't believe and leave the brightest tell tale white wood shining like a babys butt. These pics were taken for some silvey tree jack advertisements. This was some real nice wood.


 
More great pics! Thanks for sharing! 

I can't say that I have cut noble fir, no. Worked with an old timer years ago, top notch professional. He was working in a nice big spruce patch. Well he proceeded to lay a 7ft spruce over another big stump, you want to talk about slabbing! He was so upset with himself I thought he might have to be put on suicide watch! Poor guys embarassment was magnified too...........it was literally right along side the mainline! Now this guy was a total professional, just had a brain fart. He took ALOT of ribbing over this as it was definitely not the norm.


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## nw axe man (May 4, 2011)

madhatte said:


> Only Noble I ever cut was blowdown across roads in Kapowsin country, but it was easily the nicest wood to cut ever. Never had any trouble with slabbing. Maybe it's a temperature thing?


All I remember is that is you even got close to a stump or rock it would slab real easily. Very soft wood that the Japanese used to buy for their wall separations in their homes as it made such fine veneer. On the stump it was a lot like cottonwood as it's so soft, wet and heavy. You had to be careful when jacking or wedging leaners to make sure you had your ducks in a row. Once they set down you'd really lose the water trying to gain back ground you lost.


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## nw axe man (May 4, 2011)

coastalfaller said:


> More great pics! Thanks for sharing!
> 
> I can't say that I have cut noble fir, no. Worked with an old timer years ago, top notch professional. He was working in a nice big spruce patch. Well he proceeded to lay a 7ft spruce over another big stump, you want to talk about slabbing! He was so upset with himself I thought he might have to be put on suicide watch! Poor guys embarassment was magnified too...........it was literally right along side the mainline! Now this guy was a total professional, just had a brain fart. He took ALOT of ribbing over this as it was definitely not the norm.


I remember when I was bucking for my dad when I was first starting out cutting. He had fallen a nice 4-5' fir alongside the road. It had fallen over a little ravine, one that I had to reach up to cut. The top bind was pretty severe and apparently I had not cut down from the top enough. They were logging in the same unit and trucks were hauling down the road as well as the logging crews. I promptly ripped that log about 20-30' down each side. My dad just gave me that "you dumb s#(% " look and took a big piece of fir and stuck it in that ripped log. "There" he said. "Now that alligator won't have to go hungry". Talk about humiliated. I took special pains after that to make sure I didn't rip any more logs. I guess that stuff only happens right next to the roads.


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## coastalfaller (May 4, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> I remember when I was bucking for my dad when I was first starting out cutting. He had fallen a nice 4-5' fir alongside the road. It had fallen over a little ravine, one that I had to reach up to cut. The top bind was pretty severe and apparently I had not cut down from the top enough. They were logging in the same unit and trucks were hauling down the road as well as the logging crews. I promptly ripped that log about 20-30' down each side. My dad just gave me that "you dumb s#(% " look and took a big piece of fir and stuck it in that ripped log. "There" he said. "Now that alligator won't have to go hungry". Talk about humiliated. I took special pains after that to make sure I didn't rip any more logs. I guess that stuff only happens right next to the roads.


 
Hahaha! Yeah, I think that's mandatory that it only happens in plain view! Something about a law and some guy named Murphy!


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## nw axe man (May 5, 2011)

Here's one that was a lightening strike. The guy who called me up said that it was about 72" so I packed up a 66 with a 36" bar thinking that that would be plenty to get it on the ground. Turns out it was 8 1/2' through. Good thing it was punky on the butt. This was just below a clearcut that was cut about 1967 by my dad. Just up the hill was a 10 footer that he had cut that an article had been written in the local paper with a picture of it. This was some nice timber in here.
I did get a lot of coals down my back on this one as it was on fire at the top of it. I think I posted another pic in another thread of this one.


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## madhatte (May 5, 2011)

Wood on fire is spooky stuff. I have almost always been surprised by how falling burning timber turns out. Keeps me on my toes, for sure. That big 'un would be a handful. Don't know that I'd have the cojones to commit to it.


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## nw axe man (May 6, 2011)

Yeah, it can be spooky but it does make you more aware. My trees on fire are limited to slop overs and lightening strikes. I've never been on a project fire. I was always too busy.
I'm sure you've got what it takes to fall something like that. Most of it is experience. That's a hard thing to get anymore on bigger trees. The last one I fell was an 11' fir full length tree. I knew it was going to be the last one I'd probably ever fall so I had two video cameras on it and one guy that shot about 450 still shots. As mentioned before if they ever opened up the old growth there'd hardly be anyone that knows how to properly take care of it.


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## OregonSawyer (May 6, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Yeah, it can be spooky but it does make you more aware. My trees on fire are limited to slop overs and lightening strikes. I've never been on a project fire. I was always too busy.
> I'm sure you've got what it takes to fall something like that. Most of it is experience. That's a hard thing to get anymore on bigger trees. The last one I fell was an 11' fir full length tree. I knew it was going to be the last one I'd probably ever fall so I had two video cameras on it and one guy that shot about 450 still shots. As mentioned before if they ever opened up the old growth there'd hardly be anyone that knows how to properly take care of it.


 
You know we're all anxiously awaiting those vids, right? :msp_thumbup:


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## nw axe man (May 6, 2011)

OregonSawyer said:


> You know we're all anxiously awaiting those vids, right? :msp_thumbup:


Yeah, the problem is that I'm dumber than a stump when it comes to getting pics/videos on this site. The cameras that were used were about 10 mgpxls and there's too much info on them to put here. Jameson said to put them on Youtube but I'm lost there too. If it had anything to do with a chain, bar, axe, wedges, saw, etc., I'd have no problem. They're kind of long too. Especially of the 11 footer. Had to wait for traffic and such.


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## 056 kid (May 6, 2011)

If you have the pics on your pc already, just open them with paint and re-size them with the "resize/skew" deal under "image" and save.


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## nw axe man (May 6, 2011)

056 kid said:


> If you have the pics on your pc already, just open them with paint and re-size them with the "resize/skew" deal under "image" and save.


When I try to put them on it says that there's too much information to upload. It takes 300x300 mgpxls apparently and no more. I just went into Image like you said and see what you're talking about but I don't think that's the problem.


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## 056 kid (May 6, 2011)

So when you brought down the picture to a reasonable size on paint it still would not let you? Might try a few times, it usually takes me a few tries to get things right. I am not good at all with TV lookie typie boxes haha.


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## nw axe man (May 6, 2011)

Yeah, I tried. I'm not good with those either. I have a friend that's pretty sharp with puters. I'll have to call him up.


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## Gologit (May 6, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Yeah, I tried. I'm not good with those either. I have a friend that's pretty sharp with puters. I'll have to call him up.


 
I'm a cave man when it comes to computers but PhotoBucket was easy enough for even me to figure out.

If I can do it you can do it.


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## RandyMac (May 6, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Yeah, it can be spooky but it does make you more aware. My trees on fire are limited to slop overs and lightening strikes. I've never been on a project fire. I was always too busy.
> I'm sure you've got what it takes to fall something like that. Most of it is experience. That's a hard thing to get anymore on bigger trees. The last one I fell was an 11' fir full length tree. I knew it was going to be the last one I'd probably ever fall so I had two video cameras on it and one guy that shot about 450 still shots. *As mentioned before if they ever opened up the old growth there'd hardly be anyone that knows how to properly take care of it.*



There is a good supply of old gimps to handle to big stuff, just need a lad to pack the gear.


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## atvguns (May 6, 2011)

subscribed


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## slowp (May 7, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Here's one that was a lightening strike. The guy who called me up said that it was about 72" so I packed up a 66 with a 36" bar thinking that that would be plenty to get it on the ground. Turns out it was 8 1/2' through. Good thing it was punky on the butt. This was just below a clearcut that was cut about 1967 by my dad. Just up the hill was a 10 footer that he had cut that an article had been written in the local paper with a picture of it. This was some nice timber in here.
> I did get a lot of coals down my back on this one as it was on fire at the top of it. I think I posted another pic in another thread of this one.


 
The diameter estimator had probably listened when we were being chewed out for our under running timber sales. :msp_biggrin:


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## nw axe man (May 7, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> There is a good supply of old gimps to handle to big stuff, just need a lad to pack the gear.


Now isn' that the truth.
I have a son who loves to pack anything for me as long as he gets to cut a little and just be out there with me. Most fortunate one am I.


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## nw axe man (May 7, 2011)

slowp said:


> The diameter estimator had probably listened when we were being chewed out for our under running timber sales. :msp_biggrin:


Yeah, it was Gary. Every time I see him he brings it up. I just chuckle.
How's that retirement thing going for you?


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## slowp (May 7, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> Yeah, it was Gary. Every time I see him he brings it up. I just chuckle.
> How's that retirement thing going for you?



You may have heard my imaginary jake brake today as I went by your house with a load of wet hemlock for the winter after the upcoming winter firewood supply.


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## nw axe man (May 8, 2011)

slowp said:


> You may have heard my imaginary jake brake today as I went by your house with a load of wet hemlock for the winter after the upcoming winter firewood supply.


Yeah, even I was out getting next years wood cut. I have a pile of nice fir logs that I let sit too long for milling that I'm cutting up. I got about a dozen nice ones last weekend so am rotating the inventory. Last one I cut had a piece of wire or something in it that I hit. All of a sudden I started cutting in a circle. Looked at the teeth and found one side had been knocked off. Makes for cranky cutting.


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## slowp (May 8, 2011)

I have next winter's wood mostly in the woodshed. Now I'm working on the 2012-13 winter wood, I think. 

For some reason my saw cut straight. I'll have to fix that. Everything is on a slope here. :msp_smile:


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## nw axe man (May 8, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> There is a good supply of old gimps to handle to big stuff, just need a lad to pack the gear.


I wouldn't mind being one of those old gimps. I hate to think of the immediate cost of getting into that kind of shape again. Talk about sucking air!
I guess I'll just have to stick with taking down the bad ones once in a while. At least it makes me feel alive again.


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## nw axe man (May 8, 2011)

slowp said:


> I have next winter's wood mostly in the woodshed. Now I'm working on the 2012-13 winter wood, I think.
> 
> For some reason my saw cut straight. I'll have to fix that. Everything is on a slope here. :msp_smile:


It's all the extensive training you got from uncle Sam I'll bet. I find that hemlock burns quite well if it's dried enough. I'm going to try something different this year. On the back piece of the property uncle Sam gave me a 3' cottonwood over the fenceline. I talked to a guy that said that he burns cottonwood all the time. I've never burned it as I've always been a fir man myself. I'm going to split and stack it in the back 40 where it can dry this summer and give it a whirl. It's supposed to give out more BTUs than fir but I'm sure when it's dry it'll burn up fast. Never done it before but I'll try anything once.


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## Joe46 (May 8, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> It's all the extensive training you got from uncle Sam I'll bet. I find that hemlock burns quite well if it's dried enough. I'm going to try something different this year. On the back piece of the property uncle Sam gave me a 3' cottonwood over the fenceline. I talked to a guy that said that he burns cottonwood all the time. I've never burned it as I've always been a fir man myself. I'm going to split and stack it in the back 40 where it can dry this summer and give it a whirl. It's supposed to give out more BTUs than fir but I'm sure when it's dry it'll burn up fast. Never done it before but I'll try anything once.


 
Several years ago I got a chunk of cottonwood about the same size. It almost had a maple look to it and didn't have that pissy odor that the young cottowoods have. It burned really good. Hope you have the same results.


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## nw axe man (May 14, 2011)

Joe46 said:


> Several years ago I got a chunk of cottonwood about the same size. It almost had a maple look to it and didn't have that pissy odor that the young cottowoods have. It burned really good. Hope you have the same results.


 
Yeah, I hope so too. That's a lot of work for poor wood.


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## paccity (May 14, 2011)

we are taking some good large cottonwoods now that there useing it for horse areanas and stalls. horses wont cribb on the wood because it's bitter. and some for trailer beds. stuff still stinks.


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## nw axe man (May 14, 2011)

paccity said:


> we are taking some good large cottonwoods now that there useing it for horse areanas and stalls. horses wont cribb on the wood because it's bitter. and some for trailer beds. stuff still stinks.


From what I understand it's the best wood to use on the beds of lowboys. I guess it's pretty tough when compressed and spun on with equipment. I know it's pretty fibrous stuff. I'd never heard about horses not cribbing on it. I'm in the process of making some makeshift stalls for my horses. I've got a few that really like to crib on cedar fence posts. I'll have to give that a try. You can get all the cottonwood you want right now up here.


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## slowp (May 14, 2011)

I have burned it. I found it best to put it on top of the kindling. Cottonwood will take off and burn fast when dry. Then the slower burning chunks would go on. 

I still have a pile of willow and cottonwood. It doesn't take much to heat this house and I can't keep a fire going or it turns into a sauna house. 

The hemlock is from a tree that went down on a friend's shed. I just cut a bit on each side, and when I couldn't reach it anymore, it was small enough for them to remove with their little tractor. The shed is toast.


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## nw axe man (May 15, 2011)

slowp said:


> I have burned it. I found it best to put it on top of the kindling. Cottonwood will take off and burn fast when dry. Then the slower burning chunks would go on.
> 
> I still have a pile of willow and cottonwood. It doesn't take much to heat this house and I can't keep a fire going or it turns into a sauna house.
> 
> The hemlock is from a tree that went down on a friend's shed. I just cut a bit on each side, and when I couldn't reach it anymore, it was small enough for them to remove with their little tractor. The shed is toast.


Hey, Patty.
With all of this rain the ground might get soaked enough to put down some more hemlocks. I see the creek is rising fast and there's water standing all over.
I'm going to give the cottonwood a try. I've heard it burns pretty fast but puts out more BTUs than fir when dry. I'm cutting up some logs that I had for milling but left too long as I couldn't find the time to get them milled. Good fir. Yesterday I cut the sapwood off some of the bigger ones for fire wood and milled the heart wood into some of the nicest full 1x12s x 12'. I'm going to use them for some trim I have to get done on the house. I just got 12 nice 16' logs for some rafters I'm going to use on my mill shelter. It'd be nice to have it up today.


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## slowp (May 15, 2011)

I didn't get my garden grade right. It is a puddle today. 

I think I'll go get some more hemlock. I cut a bunch of rounds up a few months ago, then it snowed so I couldn't get to it with my little toy pickup. 

We ought to have a bumper crop of moss this year.


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## nw axe man (May 15, 2011)

slowp said:


> I didn't get my garden grade right. It is a puddle today.
> 
> I think I'll go get some more hemlock. I cut a bunch of rounds up a few months ago, then it snowed so I couldn't get to it with my little toy pickup.
> 
> We ought to have a bumper crop of moss this year.


Yeah, mine has a lake in it. I was hoping to get it planted this weekend. I won't be able to plant it for at least another 2 weeks as I'll be in Prineville all next week. My last training session for the spring. Sure hope the weather changes for the better as we'll be camping on the Ochoco. I love that place.
Yeah, I think the moss will do well. Hopefully we'll get some sun this summer. Last year I got a ton of corn but it had no flavor or sweetness. Just not enough of Old Saul.


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## madhatte (May 15, 2011)

The "pond" in my back 40 was dry all week, and is half-full today. It must have rained a LOT overnight. I know it was nice to go to sleep to the sound of the heavy rain, though.


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## nw axe man (May 15, 2011)

madhatte said:


> The "pond" in my back 40 was dry all week, and is half-full today. It must have rained a LOT overnight. I know it was nice to go to sleep to the sound of the heavy rain, though.


There's nothing quite like a hard rain to help the sandman do his job. The Cowlitz has come up drastically since I crossed it at 9 this morning. The rain has finally let up some, though.


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## madhatte (May 15, 2011)

Probably means the Chehalis will be cresting soon, as well, so I can stop worrying about my folks' house in Centralia.


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## nw axe man (May 15, 2011)

madhatte said:


> Probably means the Chehalis will be cresting soon, as well, so I can stop worrying about my folks' house in Centralia.


Yeah, no one needs the Dec 4th, 07 type of thing again. That was a real mess. My oldest best friend lives out on the Bucoda hwy. He has an apartment complex on Woodland Ave that has never flooded before. That time it certainly did. We took a big crew down from our church and helped him muck it out. Of course, he didn't have flood insurance as it NEVER flooded there before. What a mess. No one even had time to take out their personal property. I hope your folks never have to go through that. Or, if they have, that they never have to go through it again.


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## T_F_E (May 15, 2011)

Fell a strip of red fir today, Im pretty sure that the bark had ash from mt. saint helens in it. Lots of chain to sharpen tonight...


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## madhatte (May 15, 2011)

nw axe man said:


> I hope your folks never have to go through that. Or, if they have, that they never have to go through it again.



In both '96 and '07 both ends of the street were underwater but their house stayed dry. Luck, that -- they live near the HS where the floodplain is everywhere and high spots few.


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## slowp (May 15, 2011)

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service: Seattle: Cowlitz River at Randle

I like this site during flood weather. However, their prediction for 07 was pretty scary. Luckily, it was off.


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## nw axe man (May 15, 2011)

T_F_E said:


> Fell a strip of red fir today, Im pretty sure that the bark had ash from mt. saint helens in it. Lots of chain to sharpen tonight...


 Yeah, if you're anywhere NE, E or SE of St Helens you got ash. I've found that it's a finer ash than what we have here 21 miles NE of the mtn. Here we got rocks and limbs coming down. As you can imagine, chains didn't hold up well for quite a while. Even now you have to shave the bark off old growth trees if you have to fall them. Otherwise if just drags the chain through the ash and into the wood.


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## nw axe man (May 15, 2011)

slowp said:


> Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service: Seattle: Cowlitz River at Randle
> 
> I like this site during flood weather. However, their prediction for 07 was pretty scary. Luckily, it was off.


That's a good site. Yes, I remember when the fire dept came around saying that it was going to be 28' of flood water. That would have beat 2006. As you said, thankfully they were very wrong. Still, better to be safe than sorry.


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