Harvesting Firewood Sustainably

 A forest does not need humans to manage it. The forest will evolve and change as dictated by nature. 

When people move into the area, the forest comes under immense pressure. Vehicle traffic and firewood cutting are high on the list of culprits. 

Heating a home with firewood takes a lot of effort. if you gather the wood from your own woodlot, managing your forest for sustainability becomes an absolute must. 

In this video, I showcase a multi-stalked Maple tree being culled for firewood.  Rot was developing between the trunks thereby threatening the entire tree. 

These multi-trunked trees are perfect for harvesting. Keep the straightest trunk and cull the rest. The remaining trunk will then have access to the entire root system and it will flourish. 

Felling trees is dangerous and should not be attempted by untrained or inexperienced people. 

Many people are maimed or killed every year because they attempted to put a tree on the ground.  

The method shown in this video is the safest method I know. It relies on a hinge of wood and well placed wedges. There are many videos on social media which will show you how to attain the proper cuts. 

Practice will give you the confidence to succeed. 

Happy homesteading. 

 

TIMBERRRRRR! How to drop a tree.

Tree felling is not an easy task. It should be planned with precision to preclude collateral damage and to ensure you go home with the body parts you started with.  

I have spent many years in the woods cutting trees for firewood and wood-lot management. I have made many mistakes which have cost me many hours of wasted time and created dangerous conditions which could have potentially ruined the rest of my life. 

This method demonstrates a technique which I have adopted and has proved to work 100% of the time. As long as I don't get impatient. 

I only cull dead or dying trees. This is always done during the winter months as the work can be accomplished with the least amount of damage
to the surrounding bush. 

Please get professional training before attempting this kind of work. The training I took cured me of some very dangerous bad habits. 

Happy bush work.