# Texas Swamp Logging



## Kevin

I didn't have to fight gators but I would love to take any of you in here to do this. I couldn't get my machinery in here because we have in these parts "Texas Quicksand". One minute you have a shallow clay bottom the next you got deep sand. You can lose machinery trying to save other machinery. In that case you have to send warm bodies in. In this case, that would be me. 

Here's a drop that I have never experienced. One that I had avoided in the past because I had access to bigger, easier trees. But I couldn't get to the big ones because of that Texas Swamp thing. The bottom of this tree ended up a hair over twenty feet from it's stump, yet it was an absolute perfect drop. Study the picture closely. . . . . 

[attachment=1812]

Another look . . . 

[attachment=1813]

It's not obvious from the pictures but a lot of things had to go perfectly right to pull that one off. 

Here's a wide view of a few dropped in this one area . . . 


[attachment=1814]

I couldn't get any machinery in but I never like to leave empty-handed . . . 

[attachment=1815]


I'll be able to get the machines in Sunday. I hope so anyway, those 20+ trees laying on the ground will give me between 100 - 120 saw logs. They are small compared to what I'm used to getting on the other side of the creek, but they'll do. They are between 14" - 18" breast height with that one biggun being ~22".


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## LoneStar

Looks like a sore back and a good time.


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## woodtickgreg

Kevin, Thanks for sharing the pics, they bring back memories of a property I had and time spent in the woods, good times for sure! Like old forester said, do be careful, we would like to keep you around for awhile:yes: Obviously you weren't alone, someone took the picture of you! Thats a good thing, I never worked in the woods alone just in case, cuz weird things happen.


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## CodyS

'as he returns triumphant!'

That look on your face is certainly one of determination!

and WOW that is a big jump for that tree to make :scare:. Keep safe my friend!


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## txpaulie

Gotta look out fer rolling logs!

A toddler was recently killed on the beach near here when he was caught beneath a driftwood log that shifted and rolled on him!

Next time I'm up thataway, I'll come over and help out...

Of course, I'm a 50 y/o, gimpy fat guy!:dance:

We have oodles of folks down here that are looking for opportunities to do that kind of work for day wages!

p


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## LoneStar

Ok, I dont know much about felling, but I'm going to say you angled your cuts just to roll the tree that way on purpose ?
You ever gonna tell us how/why or does somebody have to guess it.


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## Kevin

Well I'm not really being fair with the camera angle on that tree. That tree was an oddity. I'll get a better shot of it when I go back out and buck and load. Joe you're correct in your observation. 

I was alone during all the falling I did not have any company until I was rounding up the tools (and log). 

Cody that 'look of determination' is simply concentration. The place is crawling with vines. If you don't watch where you step you'll go ass over tea kettle. It's rare to do any logging out there and not fall once or twice even when being careful. 


.


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## Daniel

Dropped the tree you were cutting onto the one (the one with the ripped up bark) that you'd already felled and it "slid down the ramp"...?

The distance between the tree you were cutting and the "ramp" was just right, otherwise you'd be looking at a pretty big kick.

Nice work.


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## txpaulie

> ...stop being so hard-headed.


:dash2::fool3::rofl2:

I thought we were a bunch of woodworkers..?:i_dunno:

Good luck with that, Kev!:wacko1:

p


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## Kevin

When I went in yesterday I took a few more pics. Don't know if it''l help you Bobster but here goes. This first picture shows how jag-legged this tree was. It was also lightning struck and I figured it wasn't gonna be worth much since big box elder is notorious for heart rot once they get this big, and add lightning to it you have a tree not worth harvesting esepcially when you're in backorder mode trying to pick cherries only. Add to that this big tree was directly in the path of my newest logging road I am making and you have a need to drop this thing and at the same time make itself get out of the way so I don't have to waste any time on it bucking and shoving the logs out of the way - not as quick as it sounds. 

This picture doesn't do justice to just how much of a dog's hind leg it was. . . . . 

[attachment=1988]

Not only was it a leaner, but it had all this massive weight hanging on the lean side, so I saw how I could use that to my advantage to lift this tree a great deal out of the way of where I was going to clear for the road. Fortunately for me, there was one other tree large enough to handle being a ramp for this drop, and it was also in almost the perfect place, but not quite, so I had to intentionally spin this tree on the drop to get it to fall where I needed on the felled ramp tree. It would have to be a perfect drop for both trees and to miss the 3rd tree (which is out of site) with the FBE . . . . 


[attachment=1990]

It's no accident the tree in green was not felled. It acted as a jack to let the cedar elm be the ramp for the FBE. Honestly I wasn't 100% sure it would take all the abuse but it did. I don't know the species. 

[attachment=1991]

And the result was that I was able to spend only minutes clearing a new road ton get to the batch I needed. As fortune would have it, the big lighting tree turned out to be mostly solid and I bucked and loaded her too. In fact, shes' already milled. 

Here's the road path - right over the stump . . . 

[attachment=1989]

So there's the rest of the story. I hope you can understand it better. Even if I have to say so myself this was a perfect drop. I planned and executed a twenty one foot lift using another tree and it turned out exactly as I had planned. I didn't know at the time it was twenty feet, I just knew it was a long way to the other side of that cedar elm.

This would be childs play a professional logger out west, but I am no professional logger and I don't have the experience those guys have, but I am not ashamed of this drop in any regard.


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## Mike1950

I worked in the summer with my grampa-he was a little gypo logger in the 50's and 60's. Falling about a 3'(large for him) doug fir a little gust of wind took it off the stump spinning slowly standing up down a slight hill-it was almost slow motion and ended up a long ways fom where it was supposed to land. Weird things can happen cutting down tons of fiber standing in the air. I think that pictured dog leg could make that tree do very strange things. Strait trees are bad enough-crooked ones- you guys are better than I. Kevin one other thing-well two-the trees and wood are beautiful but what about snakes-what kind of snakes in that swamp-I HATE snakes. :dash2::hang1:


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## justturnin

I would live to spend a day logging with you. I have never done that and would enjoy the hard work and learning. My inlaws has 100 acres in east tx. I'm not sure but I think they have some box elder out there. They have given permission to take some but I lack one main tool, a truck. Many sawyers in the area though. Once I get a way to get it home I am in...


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