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Lastly, we spread the cutoff branches over the cleared area, taking care to put most of them on the steepest slope of the land. We do this to prevent erosion that may result from the removal of the trees and their water absorbing roots.
The pine beetle usually attack a cluster of 5 to 8 trees in close proximity to one another although we have had clusters consisting of as many as 16 trees. Jack and I can cut down, limb, cut up, and stack 5 to 8 trees a day. Some of the larger tree clusters have taken us 5 days to finish.
Freshly cut, moisture laden wood is surprisingly heavy; this is another reason we cut the trees into 48 inch lengths. I can carry a 48 inch log that has a diameter up to about 8 inches. Jack, being much stronger, can carry a 48 inch log with a diameter up to about 24 inches. If we have logs with a diameter greater then that (such as the logs from the 33 inch diameter tree we cut down in 2000), Jack uses our tractor to move and stack the logs.
Cutting down trees and stacking the logs into neat piles is hard work. After such an exhausting day, we find there is nothing better then relaxing in our hot tub with a pina colada as this photograph shows. A fine reward! |
