That is cool.

Those trees were amazingly tall for being under 3ft. in diameter but what struck me was that some of the wood cutters didn't use eye protection. 🙄

I could almost smell the aroma of the wood during the parts when watching the saw dust fly on that video. ;-)

"Those trees were amazingly tall for being under 3ft. in diameter" absolutely.

As for the glasses, one of the few youtube chainsaw demonstrators who seems to always wear full safety gear is this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc5yOgI9lOY

I admit the first couple years I always wore the chaps and eye protection, then got lazy. FWIW, the only time I had a feeling of something very dangerously entering my eye when doing any horticultural activity was using a string trimmer, not the chainsaw. Ever since then I at least put on sunglasses (which are now almost always made with impact resistant polycarbonate) to use a string trimmer! And interesting in a related way: the most serious injury I ever had cutting a tree was in autumn 2006, a few months *before* I bought my chainsaw. I had climbed a tree to cut a branch with a japanese-style pruning saw. As the branch fell, it hit another one and had a strange kickback that unexpectedly pushed it back up, capturing my hand between the trunk and the end of the branch. The back of my hand was quite bloodied and scraped.

My point of these stories is not to say chainsaws aren't dangerous and shouldn't be respected, but to say gardening generally *can* be dangerous and *is* to be respected!

Luckily I'm almost done with anymore major chainsawin'. For example, ridding my garden of the dreaded gothic and invasive Zanthoxylum simulans tree was one of my last times I needed to extensively use one. Hopefully I will never plant another tree that later needs to be removed! Any remaining projects, like the removal of the last huge 100' maple on my property, will definitely be reserved for professionals. That being said, it's funny to note how, how when you buy a chainsaw as I did in 2007*, there's an inevitable 'scope creep' of what you plan to do with it. At the prices I've paid for most of the past 18 years, I'm sure having that chainsaw saved me at least 10K.

* or any major powered gardening device/tool. I could say the same for the 2 Kubota tractors I owned. I never realized all the things I would use them for, but I know they sure paid for themselves!

Alot of areas in the PNW stay above 40F for long periods in winter, and then evergreen conifers can photosynthesis for a big part of the winter and store up food for the warm-season growth.

That's right beng.

The trees out there, grow some, every day, all year round.

The logs from those trees, most likely will make enough lumber to build the shed they're making the clearing for.

Or they could trade or sell the logs/lumber and use the money to offset at least a portion of the cost.

Price of lumber has risen exponentially in the last 10 years.

' My point of these stories is not to say chainsaws aren't dangerous and shouldn't be respected, but to say gardening generally *can* be dangerous and *is* to be respected! '

You can say that again UBG. ;-)

Nothing is more aggravating than having to work with a hand wound or be laid up when you have a project to accomplish.

And tbh, I've never wore a face shield either when using a chain saw and never had more than a speck of wood that needed removal at the bathroom mirror. But eyes are not replaceable, so use your best judgement. My background is machine tooling where safety glasses were mandatory.

The biggest tree I had to cut with a chain saw, was a <3ft dbh red pine, not sure of the height but guessing 70 ft. There were no buildings in the area or other concerns, so all was good.

A good video for someone thinking about felling a large tree and has never done it before:

(about 30 minutes).

https://www.youtube.com/watch_the_fun!

I am like top ten in the world for skill and efficiency in using a string trimmer. I have been hit in the eyes a lot. Wear glasses

I agree, er, champ. ;-)

I wear glasses and still have sand, chips, whatever, hit below my glasses and somehow bounce and hit the inside of my glasses, then end up in my eyes.

Weed whippers are the worst for things getting into your eyes.

String trimming GOAT? We are honored to have you amongst us!

But srsly, yeah, w/a chainsaw, it's way more predictable where the chips are going to fly. And they are usually relatively low density wood, so they lose velocity fast. The deadly (well, for eyes at least) stuff with string trimmers is when it stirs up a tiny rock.

Since the beginning of my time here up in the northland, pinus banksiana is the dominant tree for lumber, paper pulp and RR ties. Red pine has been increasingly planted for this purpose and maybe taking over as the dominant species for this, even though jack pine is more drought tolerant and grows better on nutrient poor soils. The advantage of red pines, they do get bigger and commercial loggers will get 20-25 ft. logs, for the sawmills, out of them.

Below is a 50-foot jack pine that's a remnant of what was left over after logging the mature trees, 25 years ago. We'd call them '5 stick pines' because you could get 5, 100" long logs or pulp sticks per tree at this size. This one has been growing in the open and was the size of those on either side of it (25ft.?), in the background, at the time of the logging.

Actually, there were 5 companion jack pines in a row here but 3 have died just because their life expectancy is said to be 150-200 years and I believe there are some around here that are in that range but generally, with summer dry spells expediting bud worm and other damage, most are harvested before 60 years old (Most older ones are growing in the low dips or along swamp edges).

p.s.

P. banksiana are prone to 'Red Rot' which can begin around 30 years old depending on location and soil type.

I am the string trimming GOAT! I wish there were a world championships i could compete in ha ha. Born with one in my hands

Thanks IGG, for that knee-slapper.

Impressive that the forest red pines look alot like forest-grown white pines -- kinda like that pine takes white pines' place further to the northwest of the white pines' range.

The pines trees in my pictures are jack pines (just for clarity).

And to add for discussion purposes:

Red pine and white pine occupy almost the same native areas although white pine have more of an extended area down through the Appalachian Mountains and out into Nova Scotia.