Is commercial forestry seasonally driven?

[difflock]

By that I mean, do commerical harvesting operations give any consideration to sap levels, and if they dont, why does the traditional (as I understand it) wisdom dictate that we should only cut trees when the sap is down.

Or does this only apply to hardwoods/ be more pertinent to hardwoods?

In respect of less potential for shaking

I appreciate that in Scandavia the ground being frozen and snow covered is part of their particular metholodgy.

Cos I am considering cutting some Sitka to get a chance to play with my sawmill, so will the timber be relatively useless if I do fell it now (but not that worried as I need to start somewhere and can use it to make raised veg beds for the wife)

regards,

Marcus

[Chris Sheppard]

My understanding with the low sap i more for hardwood sawlog material - I don't fully understand why, other than I know the mills don't like Sycamore once it starts going orange when the sap rises.

 

In the past we've managd to fell sycamore a little later in the season by felling, leaving in full feather for a week til the leaves started shrivelling and then snedding.

 

As far as I know softwood logs can be felled any time.

[Spruce Pirate]

Other than trying to cut the wet areas in the summer, when theoretically it's drier, no. Soft-wood harvesting is a year round occupation. Hard-wood is different I think.

[countrryboy]

U may be right about quality to some extent, but as said above the harvesters are running 24/7/365 if they could, be a lot of timber cut throu the summer so must be some use.

 

Sometimes they are slightly quieter throu the summer but really depends on the timber markets, think the biggest thing that the contractors dislike about the summer is timber will quickly dry out at roadside if sitting for any length of time

[ArthurBottlesworth]

Are they selling by weight?

[difflock]

Presumably!

[devon TWiG]

Soft wood esp the whiter woods will develop "blue stain " if left lying for long in the summer months and this reduces its market value . Things like western red cedar / douglas fir etc are OK , wood used for fencing , chip board , pallets etc this is less important . So they work all year but species , tactics and markets vary a bit .

[difflock]

thanks for that, cheers

marcus

[countrryboy]

Aye on most commercial soft wood jobs the wagon drivers usually (or used to anyway) have a box or something they would put all the weigh bridge tickets in from the sawmills and the contractor will get paid by the tonnage and keep track of the loads.

 

It may have changed but that is how it used to be, can mind a few bosses moaning in the old days (pre bio fuel power stations) when sitting with thousands of tonnes of chip and pulp drying out at roadside on each job.

1 job about 20 odd mile in used to get shut down oct to save the tracks, when the wood was fresh cut only taking a 3/4 looad to make the wieght on wagons but when opened up after the winter the wagons were loaded to gunnels and greedy pins on full extension and still not making max wieght. Think i thoose days harvester/forwrder drivers were paid by wieght rather than m3 as would pay them for the fresh cut wieght but selling at dried wieght, so double whammy for bosses