This Week in the Woods
And just like that, we turned on the heat. This morning as we got out of bed shivering, I said to Randy, “Isn’t the reason you go to work every day so we won’t be cold? I’d rather be warm than have any material things…. turn on the heat!” Summer went by in the blink of an eye just like it always does. If you’re a logger, you have thoroughly enjoyed the excessively dry conditions. The dry weather allowed us to do timber harvesting in otherwise damp areas, lessening the impact to the soil. I am, however, empathetic to the farmers out there who really could have used some rainfall. We will probably get hit hard in November, so get ready.
We have been right out straight this summer between logging, mulching, renovating our office, and let’s not forget 3 kids and lots of fishing. This past month we took a day off to attend the Log-A-Load fundraiser at Lake Kezar Country Club. The fundraiser is put on by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC). They do an outstanding job raising money for the kids at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine. Despite the current economic challenges our industry is facing, we were able to raise $27,643! I know I have said this before, but you will never meet a more generous, humble group of people than professional loggers. It brings us all so much joy to be able to contribute to these kiddos.
Back in the woods, through the dust, I’ve been able to bring the kids to have lunch with Dad on the back of the pick up truck. This is part of homeschool these days but let me tell you, there is a lot more to be learned at the woods than meets the eye. I feel extremely blessed to be able to mostly be with our kids through this nightmare. In the long run, I think they will look back at this time and smile at the memories. It has given me the opportunity to really understand the way they learn and they love to learn in nature. Mostly, they like frogs and snakes but they also like to identify trees and learn about vernal pools, quarries, and other parts of our natural world. For math class our oldest son loves to get the Forestry Trader magazines and he will add up the cost of a whole crew of machines. He has a lot of firewood to stack before he can afford that price tag!
The crew recently finished up work in Mechanic Falls on a beautiful lot containing a good stock of pine and oak logs. The goal of the landowner was to improve his stand of maple trees for maple syrup production, so we removed a good amount of low grade hemlock. They harvested some of the mature pine and oak which gave the landowner a great financial return, allowing him to reinvest in the production of maple syrup. He gave us a nice gift of syrup and I’m making Randy make me some pancakes while I write! Just kidding, he can’t make pancakes.
Though the low grade markets have been quite unstable and unpredictable, we have been extremely fortunate to be able to squeak enough loads off the landing and to what is available for mills. We are still anxiously awaiting news from the Pixelle mill in Jay. An announcement on rebuilding or not should come sometime between October and the end of the year. In the meantime, both the hardwood and softwood log markets have been stable. Fortunately, firewood has been in high demand, so there is a good outlet for low grade hardwood. As a result of the lack of pulp markets, we have been chipping the softwood pulp into biomass. Although this is a slightly decreased return for both the landowner and the logger, it allows us to continue to practice sustainable forestry. The removal of low grade wood and the utilization of forest residue allows for the growth and investment of the landowner’s saw logs. These times of uncertainty have been a challenge to say the least, but we have been humbled by our community of landowners who trust us to continue harvesting to meet their goals.