I'm no expert, but I did study Forest Conservation and Plant science in College. And, what Cody says is proper forest stewardship. Thinning the small weaker trees to save the larger healthy trees, IS PROPER FOREST MANAGEMENT. Old growth forests are not plagued with tangled underbrush and massive amounts of sick saplings, these are found at the forest edge, the mature trees tend to choke out and block the sun from the forest floor, inhibiting growth.
I've been an advocate for sustainable forestry for years, trying to educate private land owners on what a healthy forest is. It's not always an easy thing to convince some people.
my great great grandfather would have loved you, and called you spoiled. He raised his family in the Reliance Tennessee area. He farmed, raised cattle and pigs, and cut the tall Tennessee pines. He never owned a chainsaw, but did finally buy a truck. He was a great man, and you remind me of him.
I say a few healthy trees are worth a lot more than a whole bunch of sickly, gnarly, bug infested, runt of the litter trees. Good job of management, Cody.
As a fellow tree faller I'm gonna have to go with the safety Sally's on the saw chaps Cody, haha! As emergency medical responders we both know that if you're sawing alone and God forbid nick your femoral artery you'd have 2-3 minutes before mrs. WS and Jack were alone on the homestead......unless you get er shut down with a tourniquet. Saw chaps are the cheapest tree service insurance you can buy :) God bless brother! Love the stewardship/forestry/fire vids! My kids and I watch them every night before bed.
I am an environmentalist and I love, love, love cutting down trees. I cut them to protect my land from devastating wildfire. Yes wildfire is part of the cycle, but the normal cycle is frequent less in tense fires. The forests around me have suffered from fire suppression and so we have an unhealthy buildup of fuels. Thus the land is prone to less frequent by high intensity crown fires. My forestry activities protect my land from these devastating crown fires which would destroy the whole forest and sterilize the ground from the heat. Also, by thinning my trees I am protecting against mtn pine beetle infestation. .....So rock on Wranglestar!!
Yeah, but you can't thin clearcuts and total forest cover is declining around the world due to population pressure. Zoom in on the Pacific Northwest here and look at all the color-coded net loss areas, including the exact region where Cody lives: earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest
Better than anything i can get on cable! Yes i do enjoy the longer videos as well as anything involving working with your hands, repairing, inventing/creating , education on tools and their proper use, all these things come from your videos , your a good man Cody, Thank You
I like the message at the end. I live in the suburbs and work in the city. When someone cuts down a tree I try to grab it up because they may be paying to have it disposed of. People from the city give me a crazy look when im loading 12" logs into the trunk of my hatchback. One mans trash is another mans treasure.
+Leroy Jenkins I know what you mean. I have a Honda CR-V, which technically, is a truck. I treat it like one. The funny looks I get are from the workers at Lowe's when I start shoving lumber into it with the front end of the lumber going into the passenger side floorboards, and the back end hanging through the open window of the back door.
The hippies say don't cut the trees, Smoky the Bear says don't let them burn. The problem is if you don't do either we end up with stands of trees that are all stressed. When the pine beetle comes through all the trees will die because the trees are too close together and lack the photosynthesis capability to push out the beetle with pitch. Then we have large stands of dead timber and catastrophic forest fires in the hundreds of thousands of acres. In a healthy forest the fire would come through and burn brush and small trees, little else. Logging technology today allows us to harvest and profit from smaller trees, and harvest them without clear cutting, leaving a much healthier and sustainable forest. I am a certified arborist who has made a living for the past 12 years taking care of trees, but sometimes the best option is to remove them.
You can chip limbs and add the chips back to the ground cover and have fabulous mulch and fertilizer for the soil for future growing. You can suppress weeds and new growth in areas where you do not want other things growing for awhile.
I grew up in PA in the mountains, and my family and I had to go out and cut wood all year, at night, weekends, seemed always so we could heat our house in the winter. You are right, +Wranglerstar, I think it is a job that we should teach and do with our families, and I say that from personal experience. Yes, there were times as a kid that I was a angry because I wanted to go and play like all the other kids were doing, but looking back now I know how valuable that time and experience was. We all did it as a family: my mother, brother, step father and myself. He did everything similar to you: he did it all 'properly'. We were pretty low income back then, and we had to save money anyway we could, so heating the house with wood was the best way and most affordable so we could eat, and have the house over our heads. It was really tough work as a kid, but I still smile thinking of the heaping mound of wood in the bed of that old blue Toyota, my brother and I riding on top of it near the cab at night, watching the stars and the head lights shining up into the canopy as we drove home; tired, bruised, smelling like oil and gas, and oak and maple and cherry. I value that experience still, which is why I watch your channel. Reminds me of the great things about my childhood, and knowing that other people had and value that experience too. Thanks.
Most environmentalists I've met don't mind cutting down trees in general, but clear cutting areas is somewhat different. No trees, neither live or dead ones means less hiding places for animals and less roots to hold the dirt in place so, in areas like mine, you get a lot of erosion and areas that are a lot less diverse when it comes to species of animals and plants living there. Anyway, I enjoy your work videos, and I especially enjoy the care you take while working. Good stuff.
Sensible forest husbandry pays back with a stronger forest and improving your forest investment in value and overall life of the stand. Clearly you understand the real purpose of land management. This is real Eco-frendly applied science that only love of the outdoors will teach. Please keep teaching honest ecology where all the forest benefits, its a timely lesson in today's world of knee-jerk thinking. Glad to see you presenting this subject with such clarity.
Thank -you for showing all of us how to thin overcrowded trees. Funny how some people are against doing the proper way of making the earth better. Love that you give a pick up load to someone in need. Keep up the great work and videos.
Hey Cody I just discovered your channel a few days back and have enjoyed watching Many of your videos. I live and work in Africa but have a ranch in Oregon and seeing the forest and your work on your place has been great! God Bless you as you manage and enjoy what He has made.
Cody... I consider myself some sort of environmentalist. I have been one all my life. And you are correct. There is people who care about the nature and there is people who are just echoing marketing shit and have no idea how nature works. You do your thing how you do it. That works!
Nice video... Great work! Had people done this type of work in Bastrop, Texas where I work in Emergency Management our large Complex Fire of sept 11 would have been less destructive. We would have still lost homes but many if those with D space survived. 35,000 acres and 1,700 homes and businesses gone because there was no defensible space and tons of undergrowth.... Thanks again for the videos Cody.
Hi Cody, I burn around 6 of tonne of wood here in Sydney, Australia. I source my wood from tree loppers who have toady to dump it, then split, stack and season it for 6 months before next Autumn. Totally withyouon your comments about forest sustainability and burning wood fuel as opposed to burning fossil fuels for electricity. It's great to see someone who has the same values and ethos as I do. Regards, Dan
I love the firewood videos. You got me started cutting last year now it's an obsession. I do however get the wood delivered in log form. But you have inspired me to make a pickeroon build a 3 point splitter and rehandle several axes. I just love it and thank you so much.
I grew up with family who lived this way and it was always called "Forest Conservation" and "Stewardship"... It reflected a value system of keeping the forest healthy, only taking what was sustainable and truly caring about the forest and land...
I've been unable to watch these videos for abut three weeks. So I'm looking forward to catching up on all the videos I've missed. Thanks for doing these and for the production value. This is 10x better than TV. Thanks again.
wranglerstar I dislike wearing my chaps too, mostly because they get really hot. But the occasional "nick" on the leg makes me glad that I'm wearing them. :)
Great video, and a great safety tip on clearing the area before you start cutting the rounds. I know better but last week I did the complete opposite and ended up tripping while backing up. I was fortunate that I was able to toss the saw away and only got a bruise on my calf, but it could have gone another much worse way.
My granddad has always said that when you heat your home with wood you get atleast double the heat. Once when you're cutting and splitting and the second time when you burn the wood. Very nice video Cody, although I split exclusevley with my Fiskars splitting axe. :)
What you are doing is great...like you said it is a efficent way to heat your home with very little cost plus you get a good work out and like you said helps the rest of the forest thrive...the people bashing you about cutting down trees really have no idea about forest management and stewardship...what you are doing is a great thing!
Ponderosa pine dominant forests are most healthy when they are "park-like" when the stands are open and the ground is dominated by herbaceous growth. Ideal stocking is about 80 trees per acre but varies region to region. The ponderosa pine forest along Colorado's Front Range is different from New Meixico's Mogollon Mountains so that must be taken into account. Reason for that is everything from climate, precipitation, and even natural fire regimes. As bit of knowledge I would like to pass on to people being in the forestry field myself that may be helpful in individual selection based thinning is looking for bad genetics in trees and one of the biggest examples is forked tops. I absolutely enjoyed the video wranglerstar.
Hi, just noticed one thing watching this video. You do great work, but I found one little detail you night want to try to do different. When you jank start the saw you have probably noticed that it sometimes can twist. If you try to change hands holding your saw in the right hand and pulling the string with your left it will twist away from you instead of towards your left leg. Just a minute safety detail, but I think that with your line of work and so one you know how important those little things can be. Love your channel by the way a lot of good tips and good values. I don't know if they are marketed in the US but if they are, I would recommend you to try stihl or husqvarnas pants with built in kevlar saw protection. The kevlar ones isn't heavier than a pair of jeans to wear and you always have the protection on no need for heavy bulky chaps.
I love getting ready for the cold months too! It's fun to see you fell trees and split rounds in preparation; quite a fun video and thanks for bringing us along, once again!
I remember Jack cutting kindling for your neighbor. You have already been helping the people in need around you, and raising your son in the proper way to be a man. Even in an urban setting trees that are too close together are weak and the weakest die out on their own. When they do they break and damage the trees around them. I have been cutting down and pruning trees around our house for the 3 years we have lived here. The small lot was allowed to run wild for 10 years and was overgrown. As far as needing years to replace one tree, every 3 years I had to mow down my parents 40 acre set aside field. Every 3 years I would cut down cottonwood trees and willows that were 2 to 3" in diameter. These were self seeded and if left alone would have covered the whole field in 10 years. At the same time I had to cut the wild rose bushes that were over 10' high. Spending your time in the forest cutting down, removing the limbs, bucking, and stacking the wood means you have nothing but time, your most valuable possession, invested. The value of using a by product of forest management, a renewable resource, to provide heat for your family is incalculable. Keep up the good work Cody.
I really like how your latest batch of videos have been turning out. The new mic has really afforded a different feel to your instructions and presentation. It's almost like a PBS show - from the good ole days, not like today - and I mean that in a positive way; educational, informative, personal and very interesting. Your presentation is evolving for the better and I can't wait to watch it continue.
My daughter and I just watched the vid and loved it. Thanks so much. She is six years olds and said please keep them coming. Also looks like you have defiantly lost weight. Great Job!!
Yes we need tress, we need healthy trees. Any real farmer or product manager will tell you that you need to clean out the back stuff to keep the healthy thriving. Keep up the good work Cody.
Cody, I tagged you on FB in a few pictures I took of three huge beech trees I cut for firewood on my property. Kinda along the lines of what your are doing in this video. These beech trees were about 100 feet tall and around 4 feet in diameter, but they were hollow - and thus no good for timber. All they were doing was blocking the sunshine that smaller healthier trees. I have them split now and ready to stack and the younger trees where I cut them are ready for take off.
Cody! My name is Jeremy, I am only 15 and I love the out doors! And I love doing work! I just honestly don't live anywhere to work and get money for better equipment! But that's neither hear or there! I love the life style you live! It amazes me how you practically live off what you have! What are some tips!? Tips that will help me be a better worker!? Um help others be better!? Maybe like for me a tip on clearing thick underbrush! I know that's off topic! But that's a big project of mine for my all time favorite hobby! Mountain biking! Now I know this message is long and runs on! But I just want to improve my skills in the out doors! And your videos help me soo much! Thanks hope to get a response!
After growing up I've opted not to be a "religious man" but I loved the end of this episode. It doesn't take a God or w/e you believe in to instill good moral values in your children. Charity is always a good thing. Thanks for being awesome, your son is a lucky boy.
Using wood for firewood is also better for the environment considering that it is a "closed cycle" - the felled trees are replaced with new ones that sequestrate CO2 produced by burning the wood. Compared to burning coal or oil, which is from trees that no longer live - and is therefore an "open cycle" (only releasing CO2 and not sequestrating any) - using wood for firewood is actually considered to be "environmentally friendly".
we have our own 10 acre forest. The property is so dense, so crowded, we have been cutting the small trees out for 3yrs and if a person saw it for the first time they would not even notice we had done anything. We only cut pines 12" or less unless the tree is dying. I really need a splitter.
Judging by certain comments here some people don't like seeing cutting down trees however good forestry stewardship requires thinning and cutting certain trees. Perhaps you should make vlog showing how you plant trees. Where I live some forest owners remove limbs and use it for heating or compost but I leave in the forest to rot so as the nutrients go back to the remaining trees. Btw top quality videos. 🌲🌲👍👍
we were in Ketchikan AK in June, in talking to the locals we discovered that the reason the trees are dying there is because they are banned from cutting them down,..... no more logging. They are suffocating. Trees do need to be thinned in order to keep the entire forest healthy. They have survived for thousands of years because of the natural disasters left Unchecked...WE have tried to manage nature unsuccessfully. Now all we can do is play catch up and do what we can for our own properties. I live in AZ where our national forest burned a few years back....over a million acres, too much debris on the forest floor for bugs and owls per the naturalists, yet on the reservation the native americans had cleaned their forests and thinned them.....much less loss on their side of the mountain. Also much healthier stand of trees and less disease. I think they are way ahead of our forest service. Just my own thoughts.......
A year ago we had the third worst wild fire (Rim fire) here near Yosemite. Now we have some faux environmentalists who dislike the idea of loggers coming in to log the usable trees, and remove the dead trees. But it HAS to be done if we are to have a healthy forest in years to come. People who live here in the Sierra know trees and what makes for healthy trees. Loved the video you did last year of Jack taking a load of wood to a neighbor in need. You lead by example! (laughing) Is that a tripod you are growing in your home forest?
Have you thought about a chipper for the limbs? Turn them into small chips for lining planting beds or pathways between the beds? Or simply scattering and tilling under in the dirt to add long term organic material to the soil. Or if desired a boiler to burn he chips and saw dust for that much more free heat.
A key arguement i think is often overlooked in the woodburning is the fact that it is effectively carbon neutral. People often do not realize that the carbon in the tree comes from the carbon it converts, through photosyntesis, from the CO2 in the air. Thereby taking carbon from the air and making it usable once again hence completing the carbon cycle. The Same carbon would otherwise be lost and released through bacterial metabolism in decomposition So that carbon will continue to cycle whether or not you burn it. This way you are burning it and supplanting your heat needs that would otherwise be filled by a fossil fuel.
I don't know if you do already, but any charcoal you get from burning, save it. I forget whether you do any blacksmithing or not, but if someone around you uses a (char)coal forge, the charcoal is good fuel for that, and it would be a nice gift seeing how expensive the stuff is if you don't make it yourself. Just a suggestion, great video as always.
Also, you said before there isn't a point in oiling your gloves. I've found that the wells-lamont gloves last about 2 weeks without holes unoiled, and so far about 3 months with no holes being oiled. They haven't even gotten thin. They come very, very dry from the factory.
A tidy working environment is a safe working environment be it a building site, workshop or forest there are enough inherent dangers present in the work itself without adding to it by leaving the floor full of trip hazards.....As usual Cody a good example to others....x
Good job limbing Cody..I see you know how to use a saw. I'm a small guy and logged years ago. While limbing, if the weight of the saw wasn't against the tree it was against my thigh. I learned to use the big(er) muscles in my legs to move the saw around and that's how a 130 lb. guy could make a living logging day after day. My grand father only had to carry and ax and a cross cut saw. :)
Being a logger, i sometimes wonder if people realize that wood, trees in general are basically our only totally renewable natural resource. I live on the east coast in a small residential area, that at one time 100-200 years ago was almost entirely farmland, meadows. But now that you can buy your groceries in a store, people have let it grow back to woods. There are eastern white pine, 2' ,even 3-4' on the stump on property that my grandfather once mowed for hay. But to get to the point we practice a similar path in our harvesting of logs, we limb up the base of small trees 12" and les s, careful too not damage them, or the surroundings leaving them for a later generation. We then cut down the larger, mature trees that are log worthy. This allows you too have a sustainable, beautiful forest, harvested every 30 years or so.
+HOSSMCGILLICUTTI I had never considered it before but when I told my daughter that trees are our only renewable natural resource she shook her head and just said 'fish' I think she was switched at birth lol
I wonder if mid 30s is too old to become a professional Logger... in Germany it appears to be, but thanks to your content I currently am looking into it. Thanks for all those enjoyable videos
Burning wood is carbon-neutral if done in an efficient way. That Jøtul oven is a very good oven (I say as a Norwegian growing up with them). This is one of many areas where economy and ecology goes hand in hand. To be economic by using less and renewable resources is good ecology. Firewood is a renewable carbon-based fuel. Fossile fules will take 100's of thousands of years to regenerate, pine/fir takes less than 100 years. Hardwoods are even better and more environmentaly friendly fuels because of the higher energy density. Don't mix up deforestation for creating grasslands for cattle with maintaining forests by responsible thinning out. He is even making habitats for smaller animals being eaten by larger animals, thereby contributing to a larger diversity in nature.
Hi Wranglerstar, Thank you for making such great, informative videos for the world to watch and learn from! Your forestry videos are my favourites. Nice editing too. - Riley, Australia
Cody I agree whole heartedly with the forest management, the idoits that say just let it grow are the same ones that would watch deer starve due to over population. Also those that have never lived outside the city but like to sit back and push their not thought out ideas on others! Awesomw job on managing your woods, it's great to see the before and after shots if you could work somemore in.
Moonlight sonata, Ludwig Rellstab was said that it was seen as "the moonlight in a lake going across the lake". The wave of action and water movement is likening more to about steady progress and less than sad.
By thinning out the trees, Cody is just speeding up what nature would eventually do, by itself. Naturally, the bigger, faster growing trees, would eventually completely shade the smaller, weaker trees, and they would die.
I know you are in the lucky situation of having plenty of wood to use for fuel, but just as a note, my old teacher (my first ever boss, who took me on as an apprentice forester 27 years ago) always had me extract all the wood of 2 inches and above in thickness. So I've always been in the habit of brashing (I think you call it bucking) all of the limbs of that size with a very sharp bill-hook. It literally takes a couple of seconds per limb, and you end up with two piles at the end of the day. One pile of proper logs and a second pile of kindling. It has always seemed a really efficient way to gather the winter fuel! I do love almost al of you videos though! I'm not criticising...merely suggesting! Best wishes to you and your family from the uk.
Wow! This video has fantastic content and editing! One of the best you've done so far! I agree with you on managing our forests. God gave them to us, so why not give them a helping hand? What a lot of environmentalists don't look at is the forest as a whole. A forest is like one large organism, and benefits from the things responsible foresters like you do. Also: I have a question about turning the gloves inside out. Will the stitching come apart faster when exposed like that? Thanks for the video and keep up the good work!
I like your point about this commiting, when one is wrong. :) About the Chaps: I don't think I'm a safety nazi… but chainsaws are so powerful, that one little mistake could cost you a leg. A mistake that can easily happen to the most professional users when working a lot with it and getting tired or whatever. And I think there is a difference between safety nazi and someone who just wants not to make a terrible mistake.
Love the videos I burn with a wood stove and gotta say it took a year to totally figure out how to burn wood the right way. But now 4 years later a little extra work in the woods, makes it easier when the electric bill comes in lol. And gotta say it's a pretty good work out. Look forward to more videos
John Seymour said that a forestry block is the worlds most efficient solar heating system. Firewood is converting the sun into warmth for your home and its heating your water. Wholesale deforestation is certainly bad for the environment. Forest stewardship is excellent for it.
The environmental movement isn't all bad. The problem is when people take it to the extreme. The whole world couldn't all use firewood to heat their homes. Trees don't grow fast enough for how many people we have. Here in Alaska many of us depend on firewood, but it's more supplementary than the soul source of heat. Personally, I only use firewood for recreational purposes. I don't have a fireplace, just a love of camping, and cooking over a fire. Thanks for the video
I like the idea of a family outing gathering and then giving away firewood. Regarding deadfall and over crowded tree removal there is something to think about on the 100 year or 1000 year time scale. The nutrients that trees use from the soil to grow are not returned to the soil for the following generations to reuse leading to long term soil depletion. This has been a problem for farmland and thus the ever increasing use of chemical fertilizers being used to keep yields high. Yet to keep houses safer, trees need to be cleared to prevent massive brush fires. I don't know what the best balance is.
well Im glad to see the glove trick finally worked for you, fire wood is a choir that is hard work but somehow its also relaxing,calming in a way for me. I too enjoy this time of year
Excellent Video. & a note to those who don't agree with thinning, come to my area sometime (Boise National Forrest Idaho) and I can show you proof of how a lack of thinning and proper management of the Forrest can and will kill it. the Enviro Nuts had logging & thinning more or less outlawed in much of this state for quite some time, as a result well over half of it is dead or dying from various problem's caused by over density, and we have just had 4 solid years of some of the worst fires on state record due to all of the dead trees. and in advance the argument that we should leave things to their natural order does not hold up, Humans have been the caretakers of this planet since time immemorial, so the natural order is what you are attempting to argue against. If it is Clear cutting you are concerned with, that primarily takes place on tree farms which are a different ball of wax, very seldom does it happen in a Forrest, and when it does its on private land & to make way for houses/stores etc.
In my fallers belt I carry a "blow out kit". It's an Israeli bandage, first responders scissors, and a tourniquet. Not sure I'll be able to use them on my self but..hey. I've cut myself before and found out I get "dizzy" around blood. Much respect to first responders. BTW. My Dad was a WWII combat medic and he struggled with it too.
The sound is amazing in this video is like you are sitting next to me narrating i do not know what changed but whatever changed keep it like that !! :) thank you for the video !
Looks like the camera with a bad mic might not be so bad after all... Good to see you trying new things keep up the great content. And thank you for all the video's it's been an awesome education for me and the family!
You will never understand how much your appreciated. Words cannot explain or thank you enough...
usmc Thank you,
I'm no expert, but I did study Forest Conservation and Plant science in College. And, what Cody says is proper forest stewardship. Thinning the small weaker trees to save the larger healthy trees, IS PROPER FOREST MANAGEMENT. Old growth forests are not plagued with tangled underbrush and massive amounts of sick saplings, these are found at the forest edge, the mature trees tend to choke out and block the sun from the forest floor, inhibiting growth.
Yes
I've been an advocate for sustainable forestry for years, trying to educate private land owners on what a healthy forest is. It's not always an easy thing to convince some people.
my great great grandfather would have loved you, and called you spoiled. He raised his family in the Reliance Tennessee area. He farmed, raised cattle and pigs, and cut the tall Tennessee pines. He never owned a chainsaw, but did finally buy a truck. He was a great man, and you remind me of him.
I say a few healthy trees are worth a lot more than a whole bunch of sickly, gnarly, bug infested, runt of the litter trees. Good job of management, Cody.
mike1w1r Word,
wranglerstar lol
I agree and people are starting to realize
You could do 10,000 of these tree cutting videos and I will never get bored of them. In my opinion, these are some of your best videos. Thanks.
As a fellow tree faller I'm gonna have to go with the safety Sally's on the saw chaps Cody, haha! As emergency medical responders we both know that if you're sawing alone and God forbid nick your femoral artery you'd have 2-3 minutes before mrs. WS and Jack were alone on the homestead......unless you get er shut down with a tourniquet. Saw chaps are the cheapest tree service insurance you can buy :) God bless brother! Love the stewardship/forestry/fire vids! My kids and I watch them every night before bed.
I am an environmentalist and I love, love, love cutting down trees. I cut them to protect my land from devastating wildfire. Yes wildfire is part of the cycle, but the normal cycle is frequent less in tense fires. The forests around me have suffered from fire suppression and so we have an unhealthy buildup of fuels. Thus the land is prone to less frequent by high intensity crown fires. My forestry activities protect my land from these devastating crown fires which would destroy the whole forest and sterilize the ground from the heat. Also, by thinning my trees I am protecting against mtn pine beetle infestation. .....So rock on Wranglestar!!
Yeah, but you can't thin clearcuts and total forest cover is declining around the world due to population pressure. Zoom in on the Pacific Northwest here and look at all the color-coded net loss areas, including the exact region where Cody lives: earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest
I turned 30 this month and I wanted to know more about tools of trade and how-to's outdoors. You have motivated me. Thank you sir and God bless
Better than anything i can get on cable! Yes i do enjoy the longer videos as well as anything involving working with your hands, repairing, inventing/creating , education on tools and their proper use, all these things come from your videos , your a good man Cody, Thank You
I like the message at the end. I live in the suburbs and work in the city. When someone cuts down a tree I try to grab it up because they may be paying to have it disposed of. People from the city give me a crazy look when im loading 12" logs into the trunk of my hatchback. One mans trash is another mans treasure.
+Leroy Jenkins I know what you mean. I have a Honda CR-V, which technically, is a truck. I treat it like one. The funny looks I get are from the workers at Lowe's when I start shoving lumber into it with the front end of the lumber going into the passenger side floorboards, and the back end hanging through the open window of the back door.
At least you have a hatchback... You should see the looks I get when I load firewood into my old Audi sedan.
I can haul 10ft pipes, boards in my Focus with the hatch closed.
The hippies say don't cut the trees, Smoky the Bear says don't let them burn. The problem is if you don't do either we end up with stands of trees that are all stressed. When the pine beetle comes through all the trees will die because the trees are too close together and lack the photosynthesis capability to push out the beetle with pitch. Then we have large stands of dead timber and catastrophic forest fires in the hundreds of thousands of acres. In a healthy forest the fire would come through and burn brush and small trees, little else. Logging technology today allows us to harvest and profit from smaller trees, and harvest them without clear cutting, leaving a much healthier and sustainable forest. I am a certified arborist who has made a living for the past 12 years taking care of trees, but sometimes the best option is to remove them.
You can chip limbs and add the chips back to the ground cover and have fabulous mulch and fertilizer for the soil for future growing. You can suppress weeds and new growth in areas where you do not want other things growing for awhile.
I grew up in PA in the mountains, and my family and I had to go out and cut wood all year, at night, weekends, seemed always so we could heat our house in the winter. You are right, +Wranglerstar, I think it is a job that we should teach and do with our families, and I say that from personal experience. Yes, there were times as a kid that I was a angry because I wanted to go and play like all the other kids were doing, but looking back now I know how valuable that time and experience was. We all did it as a family: my mother, brother, step father and myself. He did everything similar to you: he did it all 'properly'. We were pretty low income back then, and we had to save money anyway we could, so heating the house with wood was the best way and most affordable so we could eat, and have the house over our heads. It was really tough work as a kid, but I still smile thinking of the heaping mound of wood in the bed of that old blue Toyota, my brother and I riding on top of it near the cab at night, watching the stars and the head lights shining up into the canopy as we drove home; tired, bruised, smelling like oil and gas, and oak and maple and cherry. I value that experience still, which is why I watch your channel. Reminds me of the great things about my childhood, and knowing that other people had and value that experience too. Thanks.
Most environmentalists I've met don't mind cutting down trees in general, but clear cutting areas is somewhat different. No trees, neither live or dead ones means less hiding places for animals and less roots to hold the dirt in place so, in areas like mine, you get a lot of erosion and areas that are a lot less diverse when it comes to species of animals and plants living there.
Anyway, I enjoy your work videos, and I especially enjoy the care you take while working. Good stuff.
Sensible forest husbandry pays back with a stronger forest and improving your forest investment in value and overall life of the stand. Clearly you understand the real purpose of land management. This is real Eco-frendly applied science that only love of the outdoors will teach. Please keep teaching honest ecology where all the forest benefits, its a timely lesson in today's world of knee-jerk thinking. Glad to see you presenting this subject with such clarity.
The attachment that splits the log into 4 pieces is pretty darn neat! On top of the log splitter, it is a work multiplier. Thanks for the video, Cody.
Thank -you for showing all of us how to thin overcrowded trees. Funny how some people are against doing the proper way of making the earth better. Love that you give a pick up load to someone in need. Keep up the great work and videos.
Hey Cody I just discovered your channel a few days back and have enjoyed watching Many of your videos. I live and work in Africa but have a ranch in Oregon and seeing the forest and your work on your place has been great! God Bless you as you manage and enjoy what He has made.
My neighbor uses his fireplace in the winter, and I love going outside on cold evenings and being able to smell the smoke.
Cody... I consider myself some sort of environmentalist. I have been one all my life. And you are correct. There is people who care about the nature and there is people who are just echoing marketing shit and have no idea how nature works.
You do your thing how you do it. That works!
Nice video... Great work! Had people done this type of work in Bastrop, Texas where I work in Emergency Management our large Complex Fire of sept 11 would have been less destructive. We would have still lost homes but many if those with D space survived. 35,000 acres and 1,700 homes and businesses gone because there was no defensible space and tons of undergrowth.... Thanks again for the videos Cody.
Hi Cody, I burn around 6 of tonne of wood here in Sydney, Australia. I source my wood from tree loppers who have toady to dump it, then split, stack and season it for 6 months before next Autumn. Totally withyouon your comments about forest sustainability and burning wood fuel as opposed to burning fossil fuels for electricity. It's great to see someone who has the same values and ethos as I do. Regards, Dan
I love the firewood videos. You got me started cutting last year now it's an obsession. I do however get the wood delivered in log form. But you have inspired me to make a pickeroon build a 3 point splitter and rehandle several axes. I just love it and thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing your outdoorsman expertise and biblical knowledge.
I grew up with family who lived this way and it was always called "Forest Conservation" and "Stewardship"... It reflected a value system of keeping the forest healthy, only taking what was sustainable and truly caring about the forest and land...
grew up doing this stuff. Great memories and many good lessons from stewardship of the land to the machines you use, and of coarse good work ethic.
I've been unable to watch these videos for abut three weeks. So I'm looking forward to catching up on all the videos I've missed. Thanks for doing these and for the production value. This is 10x better than TV. Thanks again.
I remember those chaps saved your leg in the past. Mrs. Wranglestar is right, you should wear them :-)
***** Understood,
wranglerstar I dislike wearing my chaps too, mostly because they get really hot. But the occasional "nick" on the leg makes me glad that I'm wearing them. :)
Woodenarrows every one that spends enough time running a chainsaw has some close calls. Wearing chaps is a must.
Love this type of video!! Thank you for the time you're investing for your subscribers! Always a pleasure to watch!
Great video, and a great safety tip on clearing the area before you start cutting the rounds. I know better but last week I did the complete opposite and ended up tripping while backing up. I was fortunate that I was able to toss the saw away and only got a bruise on my calf, but it could have gone another much worse way.
Very good! Cleaning the forest is preserving the forest!!!!!
My granddad has always said that when you heat your home with wood you get atleast double the heat. Once when you're cutting and splitting and the second time when you burn the wood. Very nice video Cody, although I split exclusevley with my Fiskars splitting axe. :)
What you are doing is great...like you said it is a efficent way to heat your home with very little cost plus you get a good work out and like you said helps the rest of the forest thrive...the people bashing you about cutting down trees really have no idea about forest management and stewardship...what you are doing is a great thing!
Ponderosa pine dominant forests are most healthy when they are "park-like" when the stands are open and the ground is dominated by herbaceous growth. Ideal stocking is about 80 trees per acre but varies region to region. The ponderosa pine forest along Colorado's Front Range is different from New Meixico's Mogollon Mountains so that must be taken into account. Reason for that is everything from climate, precipitation, and even natural fire regimes. As bit of knowledge I would like to pass on to people being in the forestry field myself that may be helpful in individual selection based thinning is looking for bad genetics in trees and one of the biggest examples is forked tops. I absolutely enjoyed the video wranglerstar.
You are a true conservationist, Sir. Well done.
Hi, just noticed one thing watching this video. You do great work, but I found one little detail you night want to try to do different.
When you jank start the saw you have probably noticed that it sometimes can twist. If you try to change hands holding your saw in the right hand and pulling the string with your left it will twist away from you instead of towards your left leg. Just a minute safety detail, but I think that with your line of work and so one you know how important those little things can be.
Love your channel by the way a lot of good tips and good values.
I don't know if they are marketed in the US but if they are, I would recommend you to try stihl or husqvarnas pants with built in kevlar saw protection. The kevlar ones isn't heavier than a pair of jeans to wear and you always have the protection on no need for heavy bulky chaps.
I love getting ready for the cold months too! It's fun to see you fell trees and split rounds in preparation; quite a fun video and thanks for bringing us along, once again!
I remember Jack cutting kindling for your neighbor. You have already been helping the people in need around you, and raising your son in the proper way to be a man.
Even in an urban setting trees that are too close together are weak and the weakest die out on their own. When they do they break and damage the trees around them. I have been cutting down and pruning trees around our house for the 3 years we have lived here. The small lot was allowed to run wild for 10 years and was overgrown.
As far as needing years to replace one tree, every 3 years I had to mow down my parents 40 acre set aside field. Every 3 years I would cut down cottonwood trees and willows that were 2 to 3" in diameter. These were self seeded and if left alone would have covered the whole field in 10 years. At the same time I had to cut the wild rose bushes that were over 10' high.
Spending your time in the forest cutting down, removing the limbs, bucking, and stacking the wood means you have nothing but time, your most valuable possession, invested. The value of using a by product of forest management, a renewable resource, to provide heat for your family is incalculable.
Keep up the good work Cody.
I really like how your latest batch of videos have been turning out. The new mic has really afforded a different feel to your instructions and presentation. It's almost like a PBS show - from the good ole days, not like today - and I mean that in a positive way; educational, informative, personal and very interesting. Your presentation is evolving for the better and I can't wait to watch it continue.
My daughter and I just watched the vid and loved it. Thanks so much. She is six years olds and said please keep them coming. Also looks like you have defiantly lost weight. Great Job!!
Yes we need tress, we need healthy trees. Any real farmer or product manager will tell you that you need to clean out the back stuff to keep the healthy thriving. Keep up the good work Cody.
Cody, I tagged you on FB in a few pictures I took of three huge beech trees I cut for firewood on my property. Kinda along the lines of what your are doing in this video. These beech trees were about 100 feet tall and around 4 feet in diameter, but they were hollow - and thus no good for timber. All they were doing was blocking the sunshine that smaller healthier trees. I have them split now and ready to stack and the younger trees where I cut them are ready for take off.
Cody! My name is Jeremy, I am only 15 and I love the out doors! And I love doing work! I just honestly don't live anywhere to work and get money for better equipment! But that's neither hear or there! I love the life style you live! It amazes me how you practically live off what you have! What are some tips!? Tips that will help me be a better worker!? Um help others be better!? Maybe like for me a tip on clearing thick underbrush! I know that's off topic! But that's a big project of mine for my all time favorite hobby! Mountain biking! Now I know this message is long and runs on! But I just want to improve my skills in the out doors! And your videos help me soo much! Thanks hope to get a response!
TH-cam is my only TV and quality channels like this make it all the better.
Well I loved that video. Now, I prefer the huskvarnia , but you did a wonderful job dealing with all the issues. Great job !!!
I love watching an expert at work. Now the trees can grow healthy, give off more oxygen =environment improvement!
After growing up I've opted not to be a "religious man" but I loved the end of this episode. It doesn't take a God or w/e you believe in to instill good moral values in your children. Charity is always a good thing. Thanks for being awesome, your son is a lucky boy.
Thank you Cody for another wonderful video. God Bless!
Using wood for firewood is also better for the environment considering that it is a "closed cycle" - the felled trees are replaced with new ones that sequestrate CO2 produced by burning the wood. Compared to burning coal or oil, which is from trees that no longer live - and is therefore an "open cycle" (only releasing CO2 and not sequestrating any) - using wood for firewood is actually considered to be "environmentally friendly".
we have our own 10 acre forest. The property is so dense, so crowded, we have been cutting the small trees out for 3yrs and if a person saw it for the first time they would not even notice we had done anything. We only cut pines 12" or less unless the tree is dying. I really need a splitter.
I do watch a lot of TH-cam but I find I keep coming back to yours. Love the stuff you put up.
Judging by certain comments here some people don't like seeing cutting down trees however good forestry stewardship requires thinning and cutting certain trees. Perhaps you should make vlog showing how you plant trees. Where I live some forest owners remove limbs and use it for heating or compost but I leave in the forest to rot so as the nutrients go back to the remaining trees. Btw top quality videos. 🌲🌲👍👍
Great editing and music - I appreciate the hard work that goes into these videos! Thanks for the time!
Your correct. Wood is also a renewable source of energy if a forest area is replanted.
we were in Ketchikan AK in June, in talking to the locals we discovered that the reason the trees are dying there is because they are banned from cutting them down,..... no more logging. They are suffocating. Trees do need to be thinned in order to keep the entire forest healthy. They have survived for thousands of years because of the natural disasters left Unchecked...WE have tried to manage nature unsuccessfully. Now all we can do is play catch up and do what we can for our own properties. I live in AZ where our national forest burned a few years back....over a million acres, too much debris on the forest floor for bugs and owls per the naturalists, yet on the reservation the native americans had cleaned their forests and thinned them.....much less loss on their side of the mountain. Also much healthier stand of trees and less disease. I think they are way ahead of our forest service. Just my own thoughts.......
A year ago we had the third worst wild fire (Rim fire) here near Yosemite. Now we have some faux environmentalists who dislike the idea of loggers coming in to log the usable trees, and remove the dead trees. But it HAS to be done if we are to have a healthy forest in years to come. People who live here in the Sierra know trees and what makes for healthy trees.
Loved the video you did last year of Jack taking a load of wood to a neighbor in need. You lead by example!
(laughing) Is that a tripod you are growing in your home forest?
Beth DeRoos Tripods grow wild out here.
Have you thought about a chipper for the limbs? Turn them into small chips for lining planting beds or pathways between the beds? Or simply scattering and tilling under in the dirt to add long term organic material to the soil. Or if desired a boiler to burn he chips and saw dust for that much more free heat.
A key arguement i think is often overlooked in the woodburning is the fact that it is effectively carbon neutral. People often do not realize that the carbon in the tree comes from the carbon it converts, through photosyntesis, from the CO2 in the air. Thereby taking carbon from the air and making it usable once again hence completing the carbon cycle. The Same carbon would otherwise be lost and released through bacterial metabolism in decomposition So that carbon will continue to cycle whether or not you burn it. This way you are burning it and supplanting your heat needs that would otherwise be filled by a fossil fuel.
I don't know if you do already, but any charcoal you get from burning, save it. I forget whether you do any blacksmithing or not, but if someone around you uses a (char)coal forge, the charcoal is good fuel for that, and it would be a nice gift seeing how expensive the stuff is if you don't make it yourself. Just a suggestion, great video as always.
Also, you said before there isn't a point in oiling your gloves. I've found that the wells-lamont gloves last about 2 weeks without holes unoiled, and so far about 3 months with no holes being oiled. They haven't even gotten thin. They come very, very dry from the factory.
Looking forward to watching your chain sharpening techniques!
A tidy working environment is a safe working environment be it a building site, workshop or forest there are enough inherent dangers present in the work itself without adding to it by leaving the floor full of trip hazards.....As usual Cody a good example to others....x
Good job limbing Cody..I see you know how to use a saw. I'm a small guy and logged years ago. While limbing, if the weight of the saw wasn't against the tree it was against my thigh. I learned to use the big(er) muscles in my legs to move the saw around and that's how a 130 lb. guy could make a living logging day after day. My grand father only had to carry and ax and a cross cut saw. :)
I work for a conservation corps program as a sawyer, tree removal and invasives mitigation is huge in my line of work to protect the bigger picture.
Being a logger, i sometimes wonder if people realize that wood, trees in general are basically our only totally renewable natural resource. I live on the east coast in a small residential area, that at one time 100-200 years ago was almost entirely farmland, meadows. But now that you can buy your groceries in a store, people have let it grow back to woods. There are eastern white pine, 2' ,even 3-4' on the stump on property that my grandfather once mowed for hay. But to get to the point we practice a similar path in our harvesting of logs, we limb up the base of small trees 12" and les s, careful too not damage them, or the surroundings leaving them for a later generation. We then cut down the larger, mature trees that are log worthy. This allows you too have a sustainable, beautiful forest, harvested every 30 years or so.
+HOSSMCGILLICUTTI I had never considered it before but when I told my daughter that trees are our only renewable natural resource she shook her head and just said 'fish' I think she was switched at birth lol
I wonder if mid 30s is too old to become a professional Logger... in Germany it appears to be, but thanks to your content I currently am looking into it. Thanks for all those enjoyable videos
Burning wood is carbon-neutral if done in an efficient way. That Jøtul oven is a very good oven (I say as a Norwegian growing up with them). This is one of many areas where economy and ecology goes hand in hand. To be economic by using less and renewable resources is good ecology. Firewood is a renewable carbon-based fuel. Fossile fules will take 100's of thousands of years to regenerate, pine/fir takes less than 100 years. Hardwoods are even better and more environmentaly friendly fuels because of the higher energy density. Don't mix up deforestation for creating grasslands for cattle with maintaining forests by responsible thinning out. He is even making habitats for smaller animals being eaten by larger animals, thereby contributing to a larger diversity in nature.
Hi Wranglerstar,
Thank you for making such great, informative videos for the world to watch and learn from!
Your forestry videos are my favourites. Nice editing too.
- Riley, Australia
Cody I agree whole heartedly with the forest management, the idoits that say just let it grow are the same ones that would watch deer starve due to over population. Also those that have never lived outside the city but like to sit back and push their not thought out ideas on others! Awesomw job on managing your woods, it's great to see the before and after shots if you could work somemore in.
You really are right about paying it forward, it's good for the soul
Moonlight sonata, Ludwig Rellstab was said that it was seen as "the moonlight in a lake going across the lake". The wave of action and water movement is likening more to about steady progress and less than sad.
By thinning out the trees, Cody is just speeding up what nature would eventually do, by itself. Naturally, the bigger, faster growing trees, would eventually completely shade the smaller, weaker trees, and they would die.
Finally some more forest stewardship. Great work as always Cody!
I know you are in the lucky situation of having plenty of wood to use for fuel, but just as a note, my old teacher (my first ever boss, who took me on as an apprentice forester 27 years ago) always had me extract all the wood of 2 inches and above in thickness. So I've always been in the habit of brashing (I think you call it bucking) all of the limbs of that size with a very sharp bill-hook. It literally takes a couple of seconds per limb, and you end up with two piles at the end of the day. One pile of proper logs and a second pile of kindling. It has always seemed a really efficient way to gather the winter fuel!
I do love almost al of you videos though! I'm not criticising...merely suggesting! Best wishes to you and your family from the uk.
Wow! This video has fantastic content and editing! One of the best you've done so far! I agree with you on managing our forests. God gave them to us, so why not give them a helping hand? What a lot of environmentalists don't look at is the forest as a whole. A forest is like one large organism, and benefits from the things responsible foresters like you do.
Also: I have a question about turning the gloves inside out. Will the stitching come apart faster when exposed like that?
Thanks for the video and keep up the good work!
I like your point about this commiting, when one is wrong. :)
About the Chaps:
I don't think I'm a safety nazi… but chainsaws are so powerful, that one little mistake could cost you a leg. A mistake that can easily happen to the most professional users when working a lot with it and getting tired or whatever. And I think there is a difference between safety nazi and someone who just wants not to make a terrible mistake.
Ahhhhhh moonlight ! I listen while I work n yes even around trees fallen !
Love the videos I burn with a wood stove and gotta say it took a year to totally figure out how to burn wood the right way. But now 4 years later a little extra work in the woods, makes it easier when the electric bill comes in lol. And gotta say it's a pretty good work out. Look forward to more videos
Definitely one of the best wranglestar's I have seen!
Love It, Great Video, Great knowledge, great Insight and wisdom.
Nice job Cody! Loved the intro music. Different from what I'm used to on your channel but it was a nice change!
John Seymour said that a forestry block is the worlds most efficient solar heating system. Firewood is converting the sun into warmth for your home and its heating your water. Wholesale deforestation is certainly bad for the environment. Forest stewardship is excellent for it.
The environmental movement isn't all bad. The problem is when people take it to the extreme.
The whole world couldn't all use firewood to heat their homes. Trees don't grow fast enough for how many people we have. Here in Alaska many of us depend on firewood, but it's more supplementary than the soul source of heat. Personally, I only use firewood for recreational purposes. I don't have a fireplace, just a love of camping, and cooking over a fire.
Thanks for the video
Great videos, I have learned much. looking forward to more.
looking forward to firewood videos in the fall of 2024
I like the idea of a family outing gathering and then giving away firewood. Regarding deadfall and over crowded tree removal there is something to think about on the 100 year or 1000 year time scale. The nutrients that trees use from the soil to grow are not returned to the soil for the following generations to reuse leading to long term soil depletion. This has been a problem for farmland and thus the ever increasing use of chemical fertilizers being used to keep yields high. Yet to keep houses safer, trees need to be cleared to prevent massive brush fires. I don't know what the best balance is.
well Im glad to see the glove trick finally worked for you, fire wood is a choir that is hard work but somehow its also relaxing,calming in a way for me. I too enjoy this time of year
Great video!
So much you did that was fun!
Lookin for part 2!!
Excellent Video.
& a note to those who don't agree with thinning, come to my area sometime (Boise National Forrest Idaho) and I can show you proof of how a lack of thinning and proper management of the Forrest can and will kill it.
the Enviro Nuts had logging & thinning more or less outlawed in much of this state for quite some time, as a result well over half of it is dead or dying from various problem's caused by over density, and we have just had 4 solid years of some of the worst fires on state record due to all of the dead trees.
and in advance the argument that we should leave things to their natural order does not hold up, Humans have been the caretakers of this planet since time immemorial, so the natural order is what you are attempting to argue against.
If it is Clear cutting you are concerned with, that primarily takes place on tree farms which are a different ball of wax, very seldom does it happen in a Forrest, and when it does its on private land & to make way for houses/stores etc.
It was awesome seeing you cut that first tree all in one shot. You're a pro
My favorite videos that you do Cody! Double like for this video series!
In my fallers belt I carry a "blow out kit". It's an Israeli bandage, first responders scissors, and a tourniquet. Not sure I'll be able to use them on my self but..hey. I've cut myself before and found out I get "dizzy" around blood. Much respect to first responders. BTW. My Dad was a WWII combat medic and he struggled with it too.
great video one of my favorites. thanks keep up the good work
Another fuel efficient source of heat is a Rocket Mass Heater. Really clean burning as well.
Liam Schulze Ive never used one. I hear a lot of good things,
Liam Schulze I love the rocket mass heater idea! I want to convert to one some day.
Great video very entertaining and helpful. Thank you.
Loved the video Cody, not complaining about it being longer than normal either.
Four years later and the words still ring true, balance in nature. I try to teach that to a younger generation.
5 years later now and still true😀
The sound is amazing in this video is like you are sitting next to me narrating i do not know what changed but whatever changed keep it like that !! :)
thank you for the video !
Good shot/use of the new camera/mic setup Wranglerstar!
A Montez using an external mic changes everything. I'm not use to it. I keep forgetting I don't need to be talking directly into the camera,
Looks like the camera with a bad mic might not be so bad after all... Good to see you trying new things keep up the great content. And thank you for all the video's it's been an awesome education for me and the family!