Thinning Timber - Operator Select or Marked Trees ?

[Gologit]

Did you know that the faller is responsible for the outcome of purchaser mark sales? So, if you are doing that and notice that the marking is not getting the correct trees cut, you'd best stop and get things fixed. Or cut the correct trees.

Yup. And being color-blind isn't an acceptable excuse for going over the line. We used to work every year on a selective sale that had three different agencies regulating it. There were also representatives from other "interested agencies"...mostly 'ologists of many different kinds. The three main agencies argued with each other a lot about paint colors, marking techniques, skid trails, and anything else they could think of.
I tried everything I could think of just to get them to talk to each other, and talk to me too, so I'd know what they wanted.
We solved the confusion by going out with the marking crew when they did the actual marking and then cutting quick before they changed their minds.

MY BIL, who was also my falling partner, summed it up pretty good..."Hell, those people would argue about oatmeal mush".

 

[slowp]

Those people are the planners. Another reason to retire.

When told real life prob...ooops "challenges" with their proposal, one usually gets a blank start, a pause, and then they continue planning as if no information was given.

If it can't be cut and pasted from another timber sale plan, it won't be added to the document.

I'm being rather cruel, I was not perfect and tended to lose my cool in such meetings. No more.

 

[Gologit]

Those people are the planners. Another reason to retire.

When told real life prob...ooops "challenges" with their proposal, one usually gets a blank start, a pause, and then they continue planning as if no information was given.

If it can't be cut and pasted from another timber sale plan, it won't be added to the document.

I'm being rather cruel, I was not perfect and tended to lose my cool in such meetings. No more.

Planners are good at planning. They're also good at defining goals and objectives. What they're not good at is applying logic and common sense to a situation that isn't covered in one of their many manuals and training films. Their standard answer to any question that takes them outside their rather small comfort zone is "NO". To really rile them up, when they say NO, ask them WHY NOT.

Don't get me wrong, there are some extremely bright and well educated young people in a lot of the agencies that I deal with. They just don't really know how to do anything beyond the scope of their training and job description. They don't seem too interested in finding out, either.

 

[SCForester]

As a consulting forester as far as operator thinning it can work very well with with proper supervision. My thin contracts are written to thin to a specific basal area say 80 square feet per acre. which is easy to check with a 10 BAF prism and also worded that the smallest and worse trees are the the priory removal trees outside the clear-cut row, usually every 5th. I check the site nearly every day and if thing are not right can adjust the cutting before much more is cut. I also only bid to thinners I know and trust. If you have a thinner unsure of an option is just mark a few acres to set the tone then check every day as mentioned. Yes I can mark timber better then an operator on a cutter machine can pick and cut but the difference if properly supervised is not worth it to me. Thinnings especially the first one are not really profitable at a 10% commission. My state forestry commission charges $5 a cord just to mark the trees. That is like a 20-25% commission at local pulpwood prices and I have to do the bid prospectus, write the contract, inspect the logging with a lot of driving and fuel costs so add in the days of marking and the paint cost its not worth it. Marking is a very difficult job prone to injuries due to looking up a lot while walking in the woods and some of my worse injuries in the woods were while marking. I have marked thousands of acres but at age 67 I am done with it unless its saw-timber marking possibly.