It’s no secret that we love being in the woods—not only watching the seasons change, but also being an active participant in forest management. There are multiple tools we utilize to make our jobs easier as we fell trees for milling or firewood or providing better resources to ‘more valuable’ trees. Our gas Stihl chainsaws are workhorses when it comes to felling trees! We have multiple sizes to ensure the proper size is used at the right time. During tree felling, we’ll bring multiple saws with us in case one becomes stuck or otherwise unusable. It’s rare that it happens, but it can (and does) happen. Having back ups ready to go saves time.
Once the trees are down, we typically switch to the Dewalt electrical saws. These are amazing and can be used for a variety of purposes. The smallest is used to cut the tops of the trees where the branches are smaller. The larger ones can be used to cut hunks of firewood from the main trunk of the tree. The neat thing about the Dewalt saws is that the batteries are all charged at the ranch off of the solar system.
We also purchased a logging arch in 2021 to help us take logs out of the forest and to the mill without dragging them in the dirt/gravel, which dulls the mill blades quickly. This arch is relatively easy to move and can be used with the truck, car, or side-by-side.
Earlier this year, we felled a few shagbark hickory trees and milled quite a few logs for wood boards to use in various projects. We’ve since been cutting up the tops for firewood for this winter. I can’t wait to use more hickory in our maple production—it gives the syrup a neat flavor.
The main solar panels on the library roof.
Hooking up the solar panels on the library roof.
Our trusty electric chainsaws and muscle power to create firewood for the season.