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Thank you. There is a bit of a story behind what motivated me to produce this video that is clearly a sales pitch to establish permanent access trails. Over the years I have frequently met folks at various events sponsored by a woodland owners organization in Maine who knew surprisingly little about the property they owned. Upon further discussion it often became clear that poor to no access forced them to enjoy their property from its edges and manage it, if they did, based entirely upon what a consulting forester suggested. From various comments I have received, I think my sales pitch video has found some buyers and expanded both their enjoyment of their woodlands and fostered the awareness needed to allow more personal management. Once again, thank you. Vince

@bombadiltreefarms314 this is a very interesting -and seldom discussed - topic. I have always been a strong advocate for having a good road system in a woodlot. In fact, I may even take it a bit further than you have, here. Nevertheless, the points that you have made here should get people thinking differently about access roads. I've watched a few of your videos, now, and you always do such a great job, leaving no stone unturned, as it were. Thanks again

@@carsonswinemar545 Carson, thanks again for your comments. If you have now taken a look at some of my other videos, you have probably sensed that I don't embark on any project without first sensing an educational need that has not already been well addressed in another creator's video. I am not out for popularity or to blow my own horn. To that end, a series that I correctly predicted would catch the attention of a limited group of viewers, what I prefer to call students instead of viewers, is the multi-video series on clearcutting. There is a story behind why I decided to pursue that multi-year project and hope in a future video to tell that story. The basic theme of that story is that nature operates on its own system and cares nothing for the romanticized fantasies that we so often try to force upon it to our own detriment and that of the nature we believe our misguided and erroneous ideas are helping. The chapter 4 video in that series, entitle "A Forest of Hope", is perhaps my favorite. My best wishes, and be safe in the woods! Vince

Yes, a passion it is and a lifelong labor of love. Glad that you enjoyed and found it useful. Vince

You are very welcome! Vince

You are very welcome. Be safe! Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 Just thought you might find it interesting, at this very moment I'm standing in the bush in Alaska building boardwalk to improve the route to my cabin. I'm bringing my tractor out in a couple weeks when the ground is frozen enough. Really looking forward to the ride out on the tractor! Even more, I'm looking forward to the new capabilities having the machine out here. All the best! ( I too have a cell tower a few miles away. )

@@obstractorak3573 Yes, I do find it interesting and hope that you might build a video illustrating your efforts. Also, if you happen to be in eastern Alaska anywhere close to the Alaskan Highway and the Canadian border, I have a friend in Dawson, Yukon who operates a woodlot with his tractor and winch. Might be worth you meeting him. Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 I love Dawson! Last time I was there I was getting a lot of request from locals to stick around. I think they make an effort to keep the population up and city afloat. And surely the're choosy with who they solicit. 😀 At least I'd like to think so. What's the name of the tree farm there? I'll certainly be making videos out at the cabin. I'll be rolling the tractor out in the next week or two. Had to do some major repairs, but all finished. When I get it out here, I won't be doing any commercial logging. I have a lot of white spruce that has fallen. Forest is a mess. Spruce beetle killed most of them off. I would like to use some of the timbers for construction projects. Tractor shed and shop perhaps. Until now everything was stick built.

@@obstractorak3573 My friend in Dawson works a woodlot owned by the federal government, what is commonly referred to in Canada as Crown Land. He does this under a written contract of some sort that includes a harvest prescription. A couple friends of his who are professional woodsmen in Quebec visited him and, using my friend's equipment, made a three video series on their experiences there. The link to the first video in the trilogy is th-cam.com/video/6qeo2QVuges/w-d-xo.html The dialogue is in French but, even if you don't understand French, the videos are worth watching. The Kubota tractor with Wallenstein winch and the tracked ATV with forwarding trailer all belong to my friend. My friend does not appear in the videos because he was the cameraman doing the filming. Enjoy! Vince

You are very welcome! My best wishes, Vince

You are very welcome, and, God willing, I hope to keep the effort alive for at least another ten years. My best wishes, Vince

You are very welcome. Be safe in the woods! Vince

Yves, Et c'est toujours un plaisir d'avoir de vos nouvelles. Cela me donne aussi une rare occasion de prétendre que je parle couramment le français. Vous connaissez mon secret. Google translate ! Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 Hey Vince....we've got to use all the tools available....but I did appreciate the French note. Cheers

Yes, it's predictable, that knee-jerk reaction, to focus on the weeds instead of the trees. Too bad I missed you at last month's Forestry Field Day in Old Town. Were you there? Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 I was! I saw you there but you were in conversation with a few people and I didn't want to interrupt. I thought I might catch you after lunch but didn't see you again after that. I'll have to try to catch you again at some point. I've got a lot of things to ask you!

@@coldsteel1991 Awe, that's too bad. Why not contact me via my email address at vsredneck@yahoo.com and we can go from there. Looking forward to it! Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 Definitely will! Thanks so much!

Thank you, Tom. I am very pleased that you find them informative. My best wishes, Vince

This is all good to hear! Especially that the forest has found another devoted steward, you! Kathi and I plan to attend this September 7's Forestry Field Day down in Old Town, and it would be great if we could meet and talk more there. If I don't see you at the Field Day, we will have to get together up in the County. Hope to see you! Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 Thank you for the response! I'm going to try and make it down to that as well but if not maybe I'll catch up with you another time. That would be awesome!

Without me actually seeing your property or knowing what you have for tools and equipment, not to mention cash to spend, the most I can do is toss out some ideas hoping that one or two might work for you. I have no problem bush-hogging hardwood and conifer saplings that are the thickness of the base knuckle of my thumb, about 1.5 inches. I doubt if any of your 5 -foot high saplings are thicker than that. If you have a bush-hog, sharpen its blades and go at it! If your trails have a scattering of larger trees, I suggest knocking them down first with a chainsaw, brush saw, axe, or whatever you have. If you are going to have to hire somebody else to do the job, it's worth checking if there is a contractor in your area with a forestry mulcher. The hourly rate might scare you but they move fast and can blow to smithereens even larger trees leaving a smoother ground surface than what a bush hog leaves behind. The smoother surface may or may not be an issue for you. I have video footage, not posted on TH-cam, showing a forestry mulcher on my property pulverizing some aspen that are better than 30-feet tall and 6 inches in diameter. There are various TH-cam videos showing forestry mulchers in action. One that I recommend is at th-cam.com/video/xWCXnuXEUMw/w-d-xo.html. It shows very well how fast a mulcher can slam through a thicket of nearly 10-feet tall hardwood saplings and even handle rather large trees but with more time, care and effort. Let me know how things turn out and, above all, be safe in the woods! Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 First thing thx for taking the time to respond with such a detailed response! My intent is to purchase what I think is the most versatile machine to start ( a tractor ) buy a few attachments and go from there. Many have suggested an excavator or skid steer but Im still leaning towards a tractor because the attachments are more reasonably priced. At this point I'm just looking to maintain the land so my family can have a quiet escape and eventually I plan to live there permanently after retirement. I already have all the hand/power tools I need (chainsaw, saws, axes, etc) I have traditionally done everything myself and I figure I'll have to buy the machines anyway at some point but owning raw land is new to me so hiring someone is definitely a consideration. Funny you should mention safety.....when I went to inspect the land I went by myself which I believe was a MAJOR mistake! I didn't even walk the whole property because it was so overgrown and being from the city I didn't think it was safe to push on alone. I ended up hiring the guy who did the perk test to walk it and give me his opinion...he told me the land was beautiful but there were a lot of Moose so make sure you're prepared. This is definitely going to be interesting! Thanks again for your time and I'll check out the video you suggested. Ron

@@TheHonarable1 Ron, you have an intriguing adventure in front of you, and I believe that I can help you explore various options including suitable equipment. I have owned and/or operated a variety of equipment over the years, have hired other services, and can give you some pros and cons that should help you decide what would best suit your situation. Before even going into too much of that, I'd like to know where your property is located, how far you live from it, how large it is, what currently stands on the property for structures, timber, open fields, etc. That discussion might be better made via personal emails outside my TH-cam channel, so I invite you to email me at vsredneck@yahoo.com and we can go from there. I'm looking forward to assisting in your adventure. Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 awesome I will reach out via email..Thanks Ron

You are very welcome! Be sure to download a free copy of "The Farm Tractor in the Forest" that I discuss in the closing minutes of Chapter 3 of this series. It is a very valuable resource. Be safe in the woods! Vince

That is terrific! I hope that you are involved and committed to carrying on the family tradition. My best wishes! Vince

John, we killed the raspberries because our goal on the sites discussed was to establish a new forest, not to grow raspberries. By no means have we eradicated, and clearly do not want to eradicate raspberries from our more than 200-acre property. They offer an extensive variety of benefits, but pose a serious problem where we want our young trees to have a chance of survival. You are welcome to come by in August and pick as many gallons of ripe berries as you desire. What we pick never makes a dent in what our multitude of bushes produce. Thanks for your comment. Vince

Joshua, oddly enough I never thought of taking any video footage of the trails after they were made. I am going to keep your comment in my follow-up list so that i will remember to shoot some video clips or at least a few still pics this summer. If you don't see them on my channel by this coming autumn, please remind me. Thanks! Vince

I just posted Chapter 9 in this series. Toward its end I included a current pic of one of the trails. Quite a change from when it was made. Vince

Michael, thanks for your comment. Safety in all projects is #1. Another viewer expressed concerns similar to yours to which I offered a reply. Please check out the comment from about a month ago from yvesjolicoeur747. Hopefully, my reply to Yves adequately addressed the safety concern. Thanks again! Vince

I hope you found them useful! Be safe in the woods! Vince

Kelly, good to see that you viewed the entire trilogy. There are many more acres on Bombadil Tree Farm, not seen in this video series, helped along with a chainsaw and tractor back in the 1980s, that now form a stunningly beautiful late succession or old growth forest that, at about 100 years of age, is only now entering middle age. During a wonderful festival atmosphere Forestry Field Day we hosted back in September 2022 to celebrate receiving Maine's Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year award, a forester friend led an inspiring tour through parts of that stand. Too bad you didn't know about it. I think that you would have enjoyed joining Ashlee's tour. Be safe in the woods! Vince

Thanks, Vince. If I'm ever up that way I'll give you a ring. I would love to see it. @@bombadiltreefarms314

Hi Kelly. I am glad that you found it informative and useful and encourage you to view all three videos in the series. I also encourage you to download and read a free PDF copy of "The Farm Tractor in the Forest." The link to the download is, www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwissfCRo9OEAxVD_skDHfjaCDQQFnoECBIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maine.gov%2Fdacf%2Fmfs%2Fpublications%2Fgeneral_publications%2Ffarm_tractor_in_the_forest.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1syWkQz8wRgZpeMQU767cT&opi=89978449 Don't be afraid of such a complex link. It bypasses multiple pages in the Maine Forest Service's website to give you the document download in one easy step. Be safe in the woods! Vince

You are very welcome. Vince

Good hunting! You should be able to nail a few if they are in common use in your area. Vince

Thank you for your comment! Vince

@bombadiltreefarms314 Vince I've hit subscribe and notify. Looking forward to more videos from a fellow Mainer and on forestry. We pull our own firewood with a small collection of antique Wheelhorse tractors and other equipment.

Thank you! I am flattered. Depending upon how you operate and your woodlot management goals, one or two of my earlier videos might interest you. Several are directed at a rather narrow viewer audience, or better stated, group of interested students. All are educational. None were produced merely for entertainment. Thanks again. Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 Excellent. Appreciate the information. I'll check them out.

Emerick, I am happy that you found the video helpful. Thanks for your comment. Vince

Richard, sounds like you could be the guy who might just make a longer train, perhaps 10 tubs long. Go for it and shoot some video clips of it in action for the rest of us to see! Be safe! Vince

Sounds like you saw their potential long before I posted this video. Since I was a child I have been an incorrigible scavenger, and it sounds like you might also be one. Always good to meet another one of that breed. Thanks for your comment. Vince

Thanks for the reply ,and yes always have been a person to repurpose things before it was “green “ to do so plus its fun@@bombadiltreefarms314

You've got that right! Vince

And I hope that you give it a try! Vince

I am glad that this video sparked your imagination. Good luck with your project. Vince

Yes, I fully agree with the advantages that you mention. Years in the past, I had set them on my forwarding trailer but soon came to realize that pulling them on the ground as shown in this video was preferred. Always good to hear from you! Be safe! Vince

Nope, no reason at all except that the various lengths of old cable and short chains I had laying around looked suitable. The train would probably follow better on trails having a lot of bends if the spacing was closer, and a narrower space would also probably be better in a longer train. Why don't you give it a try and let us know how it goes? Thanks! Vince

@@bombadiltreefarms314 thanks for answering my question. Your operation seems to be already geared up for a time wasting exercise so I'll let you experiment.

Your reply made me laugh. Yes, you are so correct! I can't tell you the number of times I have kicked myself for spending time on great ideas that just didn't pan out. Countless! This, however, is one that did. Thanks again! Vince

Hi Victor. Go ahead and give it a try. Vince

Yves, very good point since, as your comment indicates you know rather well, fuel tanks, especially ones that have held gasoline, can be very dangerous to expose to flame or heat, especially welding. Many years ago I learned from a welder at a machine shop, and even watched him do it, how to safely weld gasoline tanks. I have employed the same technique over the years welding diesel fuel tanks. Without getting into those details, in the case of me cutting the lid off these discarded fuel oil tanks with a spark producing cutting blade, the most important things are to make certain that the tank is empty and that it is open and well vented to the atmosphere. Every old fuel oil tank I have ever obtained had been laying outdoors with its threaded ports open and had accumulated considerable water inside. After rolling to empty the water, the most that has ever remained inside has been a thin film of oil on limited areas of the tank walls that takes much more than a few sparks to vaporize before becoming even a potential hazard. Thanks for your comment. In retrospect, I should have addressed the issue in my video because it is an important one. Vince

thanks for the details...... I'm overly cautious by nature. It has kept me alive for many years....lol@@bombadiltreefarms314

Denis, yes that will work very well. I often use my front end loader to dump them in the way you mention. Thanks for your comment. Vince

No, I don't have drain holes and do not leave wood in them any longer than it takes to haul them to where I stack the wood. For procrastinators, however, that would be a good idea! Thanks for your comment. Vince

Hey Brad, think you might make one for southern NB?

I can see how they would come in handy and we have some old oil drums kicking around the woodlot! Will send pics if I get around to it! Have you finished cutting wood for the season? We have been busy cutting stud wood and pulp wood. Had a straight truck pick up 3 loads this week.

Yep, finished this winter's harvest block. Nearly all stud wood with a half load of logs and 13 tons of 100-inch aspen. All straight truck loads. Be safe! Vince

Gracias, amigo! Yes, coppice regeneration of aspen is impressive, taking advantage of an already well developed and extensive root system. From seed it is a much slower process. Thanks y nuestros mejores deseos para usted y su familia. Vicente

Thank you too! Vince

Yves, so good to hear from you, and thanks for your kind words. Vince

Thanks! Vince

Victor, do you mean why replanting only with conifers? The clearcut sites that we chose to replant with spruce are naturally best suited for spruce. Other areas within our forest are naturally well suited for northern hardwoods and other sites naturally well suited for a mix of the two. We try to work with and not against nature as exemplified by our enthusiastic acceptance of the natural regeneration of aspen in the northeastern clearcut. For management of our mixed stands, I suggest you view my video, "Salvaging Spruce Blowdown on a Beautiful Autumn Day" where I touch upon managing that type of mixed forest. Too bad there is only limited space here, because your question is one that is very fascinating and invites challenging exploration and discussion. I hope that my brief comment has helped at least to some degree answer your question, and I just might put together a video on the topic as you suggest. Thanks! Vince

I will 100% watch the video you suggested. I’m trying to learn little bits and pieces. Thank you very much for sharing!

Victor, do you own your own forestland or hope to some day? If so, and if you are as motivated to learn as you seem to be, I suggest that you download what I believe must be the most comprehensive self-study course available on private woodlot management in Maine and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Produced by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, it is by its very length designed for the motivated and devoted student. It is organized in multiple modules that are really volumes of amazing information. Spending 20 or 30 minutes three or four days each week and you might get through the entire course in a couple years! The link is, woodlot.novascotia.ca/ Please keep me posted on your progress. Vince

Thank you too, Mark! Vince

Hey Mark. That's too bad your ground never froze. We have had a very warm winter but that means only a few days below 0-degrees Fahrenheit and none 20 below. However, most temps have ranged from the single digits into the 20s, plenty cold to freeze the ground and keep it frozen. Take care, Vince

Thank you for your comment. Take care, Vince

Good to hear from you. It has been awhile. Hope all continues well with you. Vince

Yes, it is amazing growth. I hope to put together and post Chapter 8 before the weekend is out that takes a look at growth at the end of last summer. That should really impress you. It certainly impressed me. As you point out, despite herbicide treatment weeds will return and it's a race against them that I am confident our trees will win. Good to hear from you, and your deer thank you. Vince