Light on the Land Small-scale Logging field day: Sept. 19, Brainerd

Small-scale Logging Field Day: September 19, 2009, Brainerd. Download complete event details (PDF)

Small-scale logging is a system and a range of equipment that increases logging flexibility and extends production seasons.  Small-scale logging is designed for harvesting operations where maneuverability is a primary concern.  It is not logging small trees and/or small volumes.

Why attend?
Whether you are a logger, forester, woodland owner, or other land manager, this field day will show you how to maximize profitability through the use of small-scale logging and harvesting equipment, using efficient and safe techniques.

From tree  to finished product is the main theme of this event, with a focus on the private landowner.

Equipment displays:

• Peterson swing blade sawmill
• Mulch-R’Down brush clearing
• ATV arches
• Farmi Winch
• Portable Winch(TM)
• Log-rite Tools

Informational Displays and Forest Products:

• Lumber drying
• Lathe turnings
• Custom log work
• Growing mushrooms
• Maple syrup
• Silent Auction
• Wood carving, crafts, furniture,
• misc. lumber, etc.

For more details, including schedule and registration information, check out the event brochure (PDF) or contact Gary Bradford at (218) 927-4599 or Patrick Lanin at (218) 764-3315.

This event is hosted by Northwoods Forestry Cooperative and the Brainerd Chapter of the Minnesota Forestry Association.

Harvesting Timber: Overview

An overview of harvesting and selling timber in Minnesota, with links to content on timber harvest contracts, visual impacts, selling timber, the future of your woodlands after harvest, and natural and artificial regeneration.

Harvesting and selling timber

A brief overview of different widely accepted methods of selling timber: Lump sum, scale, and percentage. Also links to other useful related sites.

Harvesting Timber: The Future of Your Woodland

As you plan a timber sale, it is easy to focus on what can be taken out of the stand.  However, as a landowner committed to the stewardship of your land, you need also to be thinking about what will be left behind.  The trees that remain after the harvest are the ones that you’ll see every time you walk through the woods.  They’re also the seed source for your future woods.

Eli Sagor photo

Every timber harvest should leave the woodland in a better condition than it was beforehand.  This can happen in many different ways.  Partial harvests should be designed to remove less desirable species and trees of relatively poor form.  This will focus growing space on the best of your woodland, improving its vigor, quality, and value.  Partial harvests are also a great way to grow big trees quickly.

The same concept applies to clearcut stands as well.  Well planned and executed timber harvests can greatly improve the productive capacity of the woodlot.  But details do matter.  For example, harvesting aspen in the winter leads to more vigorous new growth.

Why?  In spring and summer, most of the tree’s nutrients are in the growing parts of the tree:  stem, twigs, and leaves.  In winter, nutrients move from leaves to roots, where they’re stored until the next growing season.  If you harvest in winter, these nutrients will be available for a fast, vigorous new growth.  If you harvest in summer, the nutrients will be lost.

Details like this can have important impacts on your timber harvest experience.  Before you harvest, talk to a forester who can help you plan ahead for a successful sale.

Written timber harvest contracts

Why it’s important to have a clear written contract when selling timber, with a link to a timber harvest contract for Minnesota.

Sample Minnesota timber harvest contract

A sample Minnesota timber harvest contract.

Harvesting timber: Visual impacts

Harvesting timber will dramatically change the appearance of your woods. Even a low-intensity partial harvest will require a cleared landing and skid roads, along with deposition of residual slash. This page has basic information about what to expect and how to manage visual impacts during harvest.