Extracting timber / logs from steep wood

[woodyguy]

SC will stand/sit for years without much change.

Hills are a bitch to work without major equipment. A zipwire is fun but potentially very dangerous. Anything else is hard graft and not economic if you have to buy/hire expensive kit.

I extract from mine for the exercise and it keeps me fit but is very hard work. As the others say, if its to keep fit do it, if its to get economic firewood then buy it in.

[agg221]

Notwithstanding the above comments, are the oak also around 2' dia? If so, are the oak and SC in decent clean lengths? If so, this is potentially into timber dimensions rather than firewood, and if there is a reasonable amount it may pay to sell it as such. Sycamore coppice is likely to only be firewood unless it's very overstood and clean.

 

SC has minimal sapwood and will lie for years. If you are thinking timber then check it doesn't have spiral grain (obvious from the outside) and ring shake or star cracking as it's pushing that sort of size.

 

Alec

[scbk]

Another idea could be a power barrow.....tracked one might go straight up, or you might be able to find an easier route for a wheeled one.

 

 

Handy if you can use it on other jobs too

[kernowstu]

We have used (15 odd years ago) a timber shoot before, made from blue barrels cut in half,chained together in a long length cut wood to length and chuck into shoot and let gravity take over

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Portable winch?

 

Portable Forestry Winch - PCW5000 - Treadlight Forestry

 

Just been on web site, handy looking piece of portable kit!

[Charlieh]

Google "forestry commission gorge trials" it should bring up lots of the small scale kit the fc evaluated for steep terrain broadleaved thinnings

[arboriculturist]

We have used (15 odd years ago) a timber shoot before, made from blue barrels cut in half,chained together in a long length cut wood to length and chuck into shoot and let gravity take over

 

Nothing to beat them - but the bloke at the botton stand well back!

[Will Heal]

Chestnut lasts for ages.

 

There's no money in what you're trying to do however. Been there, got the T-shirt. Gardening pays much better.

 

 

Gardening Is not much fun tho' and you can do it at home.

 

Use a barrel log chute as others have suggested

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[Stereo]

Hadn't thought of a DIY shoot to be honest. I've seen the pro ones and figured that would be best.

 

I'm not in this for money. It's my wood and it's just for firewood although looking at the SC, there could be some really nice timber in there. I could ask neighbour but he's a clever chap and will want something in exchange for access. Probably a permanent right of way he's been trying to get off my family for many years.

 

I don't mind a bit of sweat as I need the exercise and really. The big SC is up top on the level and might be a job for an Alaskan mill or something portable. God knows how I would get trunks down.

 

I did think of rolling the rounds but figured that if they didn't hit anything on the way, the odd one would be death on wheels by the time it made the field.

[Stereo]

By the way, would a very mature SC coppice if felled? I've had about 50/50 success with mature Alder with some just dying but some exploding into new growth. A few of the big SC have fallen in the last couple years as the wood is on slate so I'm wondering if I felled them for timber whether such an old tree would coppice like an Ash would?