Falling pics 11/25/09

[Metals406]

North, Just got out of the Corps. Officially a civilian Monday at 0001

So yer good at kill'n, blowing **** up, & observation and reporting.

All valuable skills in the timber industry as well. ;0)

Maine is covered in trees. Try and break-in as a groundy with a local tree company.

Another option is a contractor that clears right-of-way. The ones here get in a little bit of everything. Bucket work, straight falling, climbing.

Fires can be hit and miss on your side of the Mississippi. I've worked with shot crews that migrate this way during peak season. One crew was out if Michigan I believe.

 

[treeslayer2003]

Maine. Hasn't been big timber here in along time. Ever if you go by PNW srandards

agreed.

thank you for your service.
it would be hard to start on your own from scratch, buying timber on your name almost demands prior generations for referance. like northy said, keep on the phone.

 

[Wannabe123]

So yer good at kill'n, blowing **** up, & observation and reporting.

Yeah, I'll cop to that. Quite good if I do say so myself.

Thanks guys, sincerely. I have only been home less than a month, so it's not like I've had time to grow discouraged. It's very good ol' boy up here braking into ANY industry, but since I have been here I have already met more than a few willing to help, even if it's only to inadvertently teach me that I know a lot less than I thought Besides, I know some good ol' boys. I'm certainly not snubbing residential work, I just wonder how good I'd be at it. Oh well, 31 ain't dead, no time like the present to find my other true calling.

 

[treeslayer2003]

you will find that there is good folks every where if ya just look for um.

 

[HuskStihl]

Oh and yes these pros on here are fantastic and so generous with their time and knowledge. We are bloody lucky to have em to learn from.

As always, you're welcome!

 

[KiwiBro]

As always, you're welcome!

Thankfully there is more than one village on AS.

 

[northmanlogging]

civilian groundie crew may not pay the best buy you will get a chance to show werk ethic and learn saw work.

Seems most of the folks I know coming back from the sandlot end up in menial labor, shovel jockeys I.E. Manwell labor, or sticking part A into slot B... Logging isn't really menial, too much **** going on to have dummies wandering around.

Any way best of luck to ya, and its a pain to get on out here, especially in the winter, but there have been a few outfits hiring, usually for rigging crew stuff (choker setter, rigging slinger, and chaser) setter and chaser being fairly bottom rung stuff. But if you want to be a respected PNW faller ya pretty much have to start at the bottom and go up, wages where live able by the way. Of course you would have to pack up and move across country...

 

[KiwiBro]

Makes sense.



[emoji14]

15 mins or part thereof. Handy for the 2 min wonders. 30 of them an hr and the pimp wasn't the only one rolling in it.

But seriously, when it starts feeling like white-collar prostitution, there's no point in having a full bank account but an empty soul. Fortunately, I saw enough of those empty, walking, rich corporate cadavers to seek better balance before slipping passed the point of no return.

Easy to say it shouldn't be about the money but much harder to actually live with when taking an average 75% pay cut for three years. So many things have to change, but I guess that was the whole point in the first place. Another few years and the pain of the transition will be forgotten and a much more balanced life, more connected to nature, meeting some genuinely clever bastards (not paint by numbers concrete jungle educated) will be worth every cent of the pay drop, hopefully.

 

[BeatCJ]

The Interagency Hand Crews (Hotshot) are hard to get on without fire experience, but are one of the places where military service is respected. Right now is the time to start watching and applying for federal fire jobs, if that's what you want to do. Staying in the east will limit you, too. I have attached a couple of links below. The easiest way to get in is with an engine crew. Have you gone and talked to any of your local National Forests, BLM, BIA, National Parks? They may be able to point you to something more local. In the west, there are a lot of contractors, too. Some are looked down on, but it can be a place to start. And in truth, there isn't a whole lot of difference between a contractor crew and Hotshot Crew that just a little discipline and leadership couldn't fix.

https://www.nifc.gov/aboutNIFC/about_faq.html
http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/people/hotshots/IHC_index.html
http://www.blm.gov/nifc/st/en/prog/fire/fireops/people_in_fire/hotshots/recruitment.html
https://fsoutreach.gdcii.com/Outreach

 

[1270d]

North, Just got out of the Corps. Officially a civilian Monday at 0001

Thanks for serving. You want to work mechanized, or sawing? Or do you not care as long as its woods work?

 

[Spotted Owl]

Wannabe. First and above all. Thanks

Second in the word of Horace Greeley. Go west young man. I don't know about places other than out here, but there seems to be a resurgence happening. Lots of work. We're fighting the same epidemic as the rest of the country though. Not enough people willing to start who are actually willing to work. I can think of 5 outfits off the top of my head that are looking for strapping young lads willing to work. If for some reason one place doesn't work out there are others around looking.

If you want to work in the woods, follow North's advise. Maybe take it a notch above though. Show up at the shops looking for work, instead of "another" phone caller. Stake'em out a bit, find out when guys start showing up at the shops and what days. Be there BEFORE they are. Meet them at the door and be ready to start that day as soon as you talk to them. It may take some time, but it will work. Especially if they see that you are able to be up running and ready when the work starts, that will answer a big question for them without having to ask.

I didn't want my boy in this work. I'll tell you the same thing I told him, and most anyone else that asks me about it.

IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH, YOU'LL FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Ya gotta want it. When you get it, listen to your gut, you won't have enough experience to listen to or look for much else as far as problems to avoid or be ready for. Your gut will talk to you, you better listen.



Owl

 

[northmanlogging]

From what I hear the big yarder crews have trouble finding enough warm bodies that want to show up every day, hard to keep production up when every warm body has a job to do... only takes 1 or 2 guys staying home to shut down a side.

 

[KiwiBro]

From what I hear the big yarder crews have trouble finding enough warm bodies that want to show up every day, hard to keep production up when every warm body has a job to do... only takes 1 or 2 guys staying home to shut down a side.

Wouldn't want to be chasing payments on gear and being held hostage by no-show staff. Talk about frustrating.

 

[Wannabe123]

Whew! I stirred up a hornets nest! To answer a few questions:
I'm applying with the BLM right now, entry level, low pay, 6 month gig, but experience
West I'd like to do, but I gotta make a little cake first here. Can't leave the squaw and pups completely in the cold while I go seek my fortune Then again, I am NE mainah through and through, so it'll be tough to leave.
Owl, I definitely appreciate the comments, and agree. If I start railing against outrageous fortune instead of getting up and doing something I'll be screwed for sure, and I like to think I can do what I choose (for the time being) in this country.
I'd prefer to cut wood with my brains and a saw, but around here "falling" isn't usually it's own category, you just log and do whatever ya gotta do to get wood to market. Lots of paper companies do the bulk of the logging on large scale. If I'm in the woods, I'm happy, and I'd rather cut than be a Warden. Those dudes get shot a lot, and otherwise just sit on their rumps (northwoods law is pretty much BS)
I have also made some contacts on here in the residential field who are in my neck of the woods (goodfellers, great guy) who have offered some help.

Either way, you guys are cool.

OH! PS! My father in law has been dropping trees for a coons age, and he has about 2 acres he wants cleared of a good mix of pines/oak/maple/scrub which we should be tackling together in the spring (not for money, why do it in the cold?), and my old man's neighbor wants to clear about 3 come spring as well. So I'll at least get to go play, and most of the wood will be mine! Nothing gigundus, but a few 20" plus that'll give me a chance to test you guys' hair brained theories! Anywho, I'll get to take some pics and play logger for a while, should be fun. I'll pt em up for you experts to critique (probably in a thread for noob wannabes though. This thread has dudes dropping redwoods. I know when I'm out of my weight class )

 

[treeslayer2003]

just remember, the fudementals are the same no mater what size timber your cutting. in other words, cut a 20" the same as you would a 40". bad habbits are hard to break.

 

[RandyMac]

I love my bad habits

 

[northmanlogging]

meh have you seen my stumps... not exactly the greatest stuff around...

these hairbrained ideas work, and work well. They may make fun of ya for making humboldts but the benifts out weigh the cons.

 

[Spotted Owl]

Wait til you're out there and stir up a real hornets nest. Just wait, you will. Do you guys have them bald face hornets over there? Those are the best.

Just remember. Not every ugly stump has an ugly story to it. I had a couple today that look like a hack job at best, but them suckers sure pulled around where I needed them to go. Got one to go almost 90 to a big lean, broke off perfect on an old stump and saved out better than I had hoped for. That is one twisted nasty looking stump.

Just remember, hard lessons are still lessons learned. Sometimes they stick with ya better too. So long as there not to hard.



Owl

 

[Wannabe123]

I love my bad habits

I'm starting to think that I'd be well served to get my fundamentals well sorted before taking your advice. No offense, but I'm not good enough to take your advice and survive it

 

[Gologit]

just remember, the fudementals are the same no mater what size timber your cutting. in other words, cut a 20" the same as you would a 40". bad habbits are hard to break.

Yup.