12-15 Inches of Snow, No Wind

Snow in the Oaks

Snow in the recently 1st thinning of these loblolly pines.

The results of the snow about two weeks ago.  I had recently cleaned out and trimmed up the roads after the logging crews finished the thinning operation but I would have been better off waiting if I could have seen into the future. Today, I worked on getting the roads passable and I will have to come back later and finish trimming up the limbs in a few places.

While I was working on the roads today I made a picture showing what 12-15 inches of wet snow with no wind will do to a recently thinned stand of loblolly pines.  Many snapped like tooth picks while others bent over never to stand back up  It really looks bad right now but 10 years from now the stand should recover.  That is just some of the happenings we can't control, you just have to take it and move on.

Timber Harvest Now in Process

We are now in the process of harvesting 40 acres of mostly mature hardwood timber that is being converted to longleaf pines.  We will be reforesting this property after site prepping next winter.  This logging crew is the best!  You can tell by the way they take care in putting in their roads to be able to get the trucks in for hauling the wood out.

There are some good pine logs coming off the property too.

 Right now the timber harvesting is at a standstill due to the weather.  12-15 inches of snow makes it where the logging operation stops.  This snow is not normal for us!

Alabama Treasure Forest Association

Last month I was selected to lead the Alabama Treasure Forest Association for the next year.  This is a great honor for me.  I never knew several years ago when I was teaching about Treasure Forest recognition to ninth graders in forestry class that one day I would get the opportunity to lead this great organization.  

Go to treasureforest.org for more information.

Orange Butterfly Comparison

My daughter got the perfect picture of two orange butterflies that often get confused, the monarch butterfly and the gulf fritillary butterfly. 

These two posed perfect for the picture.  Top one is the monarch and the bottom one is the gulf fritillary.

Thinning a Sixteen Year Old Stand

 BEFORE

AFTER

This is the goal of a first thinning of sixteen year old loblolly pines.  We are in the middle of this thin taking place right now.  This thin will help these trees to grow into a mature forest and the sunlight hitting the forest floor allows many new plants to grow that benefits wildlife.

This logging deck will become a wildlife opening.  This spot is just being prepare for the thinning to begin. It takes lots of room for an eighteen wheeler to turn around and get the trailer in place to load the logs.

As the timber is harvested we do everything possible to control erosion. The limbs and straw removed from the trees as the logs are prepared for loading onto the trucks are scattered on the logging trails.  This mulch here is about eight inches thick.  It will act as a sponge to release the water back into the soil.

This is a major project on our property at this time.

Pollinators

The lack of pollinators has become a concern nation wide but today our flowers are really being worked by the butterflies before cold weather sets in.  It is very peaceful watching them as the fanatically try to get all their work complete. 

Great Announcement

This is just being announced now on al.com that Georgia Pacific is about to spend $100 million on the old Talladega GP mill for a new lumber mill.  This will help stabilize and provide for jobs in Clay County, truck drivers, loggers, foresters and some my work at the lumber mill. This is great news for the private forest landowners in our area,  no more having to ship saw-logs over 90 miles!