When the yellow behemoth on mammoth tank treads rumbled, roared,and cracked through treesand underbrush into my W09ds,I seriously questioned whether I had made the right choice.
The process which eventually led to my timber sale began in the fall of 2003. Charly Ray,General Manager of the Living Forest Coop, came out and we toured my 63 acres of woodland north of Bayfield. After experiences with a commercial forester (focus on money) and the DNR forester
(focus on legal commitments) Charly talked about mini-ecosystems within my forest, its health, the pre-cutover forest, and possible goals I could have. Here was something I could understand and this was exciting. I wanted a responsible
management plan.
Winter came along with LFC contract forester Jason Bodine. I tromped behind him through deep snow as he began the meticulous process of mapping the stands. Next, Jason Fischbach developed my long term management plan. My
goals are compatible with LFC's vision but the plan needed to reflect my personal goals and needs. We took time for drafts,
discussions, and revisions. Primary to me is the health of the forest and habitat for wildlife, the aesthetics, being able to enjoy cross-country skiing and walking in the
woods, obtaining my winter firewood, and, within those parameters, have an income from the woods. The first step in the plan was a thinning of much of the forest which had not been managed on a large scale in
decades.
Summer came with both Jason and Mary Bodine. They
came fresh in the mornings, loaded their knapsacks with
cans of orange spray marking paint, pink, orange, blue, and
green surveyor's tape, and headed off into the woods
to mark trees. Occasionally, I would tag along asking
questions. In the afternoons they would emerge glowing
with orange spray paint.
With the trees marked, the stumpage (the wood that
would be taken) was estimated, bids received, and, finally, a
signed contract. Now we waited. I was getting nervous. Did I
really want to have all those trees cut? l opted to have one
overall first cutting instead of spreading it over four or five years. I marked trails. Jason F.and Charly helped plan the landings, the truck haul roads, and worked on plans
with the logger. This was getting scary.
May 16 the yellow processor arrived and continued to cut, rumble, and buzz for two months, six days a week, about ten hours a day. I would hear it rumbling by the house
at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. heading to its work area for that day. Out in the woods the forwarder clanked, removed logs, piled andcrushed the "slash" left from the cutting.
The cutting was completed July 15th and though I am comfortable with the job, I still find it upsetting to walk through the woods. Slash is turning brown. Driving my ATV except on the forwarder trails is almost impossible. The trails I naively marked for my later use need to be realistically adjusted and I see work enough to keep me busy for many years. At a conference I attended, Sam Moore, retired DNR chief said that city people (which I am) expect the woods to be neat and groomed, but you can't have logging without a mess. My woods is a mess, but people with more logging experience than I assure me that within a few years the rawness will pass.
I try to look beyond the immediate. Raising my eyes from the ground, I see the results of the thinning, how much better and beautiful the forest looks already-how much more of my woods I can see with it opened up. l'm looking forward to what the next years will bring, how the forest the will respond. Charly is quick to point out where pines have been released and will now grow, how much quality and value is remaining and growing in the standing forest. My vision is expanding, seeing the forest as a whole, trying to understand forest time. I have so much to learn. Neither my management plan nor my timber sale could have happened without the Living Forest Coop. Supervising the timber sale is especially important. With LFC's help,we selected a responsible logger (Terry Peters) who employs skilled operators (and is a member of the Coop). LFC also monitored the quality and quantity of the timber coming out and the quality of the work in the forest all the while holding my hand. LFC combined my sale with that of my neighbor, Dave Martinson, so we could have more volume in the sale and thus better prices. My plan was approved and my forest received Smartwood certification January 27, 2005 through the Community Forestry Resource Center (CFRC). CFRC staff also monitored the work.
The most frequently-asked question I hear is: "How much did you have to pay logger?" Nothing. The logger pays me for the wood. The mill pays the logger.You pay the mill when you buy their products. My cost was paying LFC for their services - well worth it!Living Forest News
