chainsaws rule

[OnTheRoad]

In this area there were only two kinds of industry, lumber and fishing, we did what we could to support our families and build up our towns. The last large scale OG Redwood logging ended in the 1990s, pretty much the close of the of OG Redwood lumber era, which started in the 1860s. Of the 6% remaining, 1% of in private hands, that is still a s hitload of timber, come see for yourself.

Thanks for your reply, Randy. I didn't mean to question why you or other workers did their job. It's sad to me that 94% (if I understand you) of these great trees were harvested. It's pretty hard to replace a tree that's thousands of years old.

What were the Redwoods used for?

 

[MustangMike]

Among other things, the trim on my house.

 

[2dogs]

Nearly my entire house.

 

[RandyMac]

The need for building material drove the industry and it wasn't just the West Coast. The East Coast, South, Great Lakes area, anywhere there was timber, was pretty much stripped clean. The thing about Coast Redwoods is the type of regeneration, they sprout vigorously from the stumps, sometimes within weeks of being cut. Heck, I have seen cold decks covered in shaggy green. As for the environmental damage, those old guys with their oxen made a good mess, but the advent of steam raised the level of overall destruction a hundred fold. Nothing matched the bustass era of modern logging, from 1950 through the '60s, saw some real production. Was it all bad, no, some companies evolved, select cutting, watershed protection and sustained harvest plans. They should have still been in business. What went wrong? Hostile takeovers and the U.S Government. The Redwood National Park was a complete disaster, Congress played with the maps, refusing to set the boundaries, made ludacris offers and made off with the bucks. The landowners afraid their land would be just taken, kicked into high gear and while Congress was swapping thumbs from their butts and mouths, the timber companies gave the Redwood Creek Basin a Brazilian. Yep, 7 days a week, 24/7. The result was absolute carnage. Research the final chapter of Palco, Horowitz will burn in Hell.

Me with my brother and sister, cat and dog, Scotia in 1959.

 

[MCW]

I love your stories and photos Randy.

Heck, I'd near turn for ya.

 

[Gologit]

The house I grew up in was built from old growth Redwood. My grandparent's house was, too. The barn we used, the fence posts and the corral boards..all Redwood. Those buildings were old when I was a boy. Most of them are still standing. The lumber was from old growth Redwood trees cut on our property and milled right there.
It's what we had and it's what we used. No apology.

 

[RandyMac]

My last OG Redwood, felled in a State Park during a fire, used a 10-10 with a 28". The stump has been burned over twice.

 

[Nate66n1]

Someday I'll take a vacation to the west coast. I think it would be neat as hell just to see the remaining old growth trees in person.

 

[OnTheRoad]

My last OG Redwood, felled in a State Park during a fire, used a 10-10 with a 28". The stump has been burned over twice.

What became of the tree after you cut it?

Great pics and stories Randy. It's very interesting to read both a historical and personal point of view from the same person.

Thanks for sharing.

I knew we had decimated the Redwoods out west but hadn't thought to ask why. I'll do some reading on the subject some day soon.

 

[MustangMike]

It is for the same reason the Catskills are now mostly hardwood instead of Hemlock, greed and lack of vision. Hemlock can also grow very large (no, not Redwood large) but they grow very slowly, so it is rare to see a very large one, but there are some left in the Adirondacks.

Most of the barns in upstate NY have Hemlock siding, it will often last over 100 years w/o any stain or treatment.

But what really devastated the Catskill Hemlock was that they used the Tannic Acid under the bark to tan leather, and during the Civil War they basically clear cut the mountains to do it. Hardwoods then grew in their place.

 

[MustangMike]

Hemlocks can live to be over 500 yrs old and attain a diameter of 6'.

 

[RandyMac]

What became of the tree after you cut it?

Great pics and stories Randy. It's very interesting to read both a historical and personal point of view from the same person.

Thanks for sharing.

I knew we had decimated the Redwoods out west but hadn't thought to ask why. I'll do some reading on the subject some day soon.

What became of the tree after you cut it?

That tree was split in rails and such for use in the park. One of my forestry projects was making split stuff for the Park, I had a crew of five, we worked all winter splitting rails, they were used at Prairie Creek by the Elk meadow. The logs we used were salvaged from Bull Creek and the Eel River, after being dislodged during the '64 flood. The park lost over 200 big trees when the streams cut the banks.

decimated=1 from ten

 

[jdhacker]

Bump for a great thread

 

[imagineero]

I've got an axe for sale if anyone's interested. It's only been used 786 times on one branch.

 

[MCW]

I've got an axe for sale if anyone's interested. It's only been used 786 times on one branch.

You're a big boy with a bit of muscle. Must have been a big branch or you were using the wrong side

 

[imagineero]

You're a big boy with a bit of muscle. Must have been a big branch or you were using the wrong side

When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

 

[Gologit]

When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

A few years ago my son wanted to see what it was like to fall a tree like our ancestors did. I found an old misery whip, had it sharpened and set, put a keen edge on a couple of axes, and we attacked a good sized cottonwood.
Our cottonwood here is gummy and while it chops well, it's a bear to pull a saw through. I rigged up an oil bottle with a spout like I'd seen in pictures. It took us about an hour to fall a tree that a power saw would have cut in 10 minutes.
I was proud of my son...he stuck with it until we got the tree on the ground...never complained and never shirked. He never again asked to "cut a tree like Grandpa did", though.
We bucked it with a 660.

 

[imagineero]

I really admire that!
Someone gave me an old misery whip but not a big one. I've never used one, got it sitting out in the shed there, been meaning for a while to get to it. I want to fall a small tree with it, something in the 12-18" range and hopefully not wear myself out too much ;-)

Did you cut the pie with an axe, or use the saw? Any tips for e first timer?

 

[Gologit]

I really admire that!
Someone gave me an old misery whip but not a big one. I've never used one, got it sitting out in the shed there, been meaning for a while to get to it. I want to fall a small tree with it, something in the 12-18" range and hopefully not wear myself out too much ;-)

Did you cut the pie with an axe, or use the saw? Any tips for e first timer?

LOL...the only tip I can think of is to get the saw sharpened and the teeth set by a professional. It really makes a difference. I tried the saw before we started but took it to an old guy in town who still practices the art. The saw cut about 200% better when he got through with it.

We did the gunning cut with the saw a little at a time, chopping out the face with the axes as we went along. The cottonwood was too gummy and grabby to cut a complete gunning cut all at once. Somebody that really knew what they were doing might have done better but we were making it up as we went along. Saw a little, chop a little, saw a little more, chop...you get the picture. In different wood you could probably do the whole gun at once, just not in this case. It sure didn't look like those smooth-planed undercuts you see in the old pictures...more like it had been attacked by a gang of angry beavers.

The back cut was all saw with lots of wedges. We hand-cut oak wedges the day before and I was glad we had plenty. Lots of oil on the saw blade, too.
The tree was almost 48" dbh and I really wished we'd picked something smaller. If I had to do it again..and I hope I never do...I'd pick a higher working height for the cuts. Out of habit I cut a low stump and we spent our time bent over like Quasimodo. It would have been a lot easier to pull the saw while standing upright.

Getting the rhythm right between the two guys on the saw takes some time too. By the time we worked out how to pull the saw and not "ride" when the other guy was pulling we left some sweat on the ground. I remember watching my Grandfather and Uncles use a misery whip cutting Redwood when I was a kid. I wish I'd paid more attention.
The only thing I know for sure is that it's not nearly as easy as those guys made it look.