Our Summer Pine Harvest Continued

It's the beginning of August and so far, it's been the summer that wasn't. Our weather has been peculiar this year; LOTS of precipitation, overcast skies and cool. It truly felt like fall a few days ago. They say that farmers garden vegetable sales are off by 30% this year due to the weather. I know that many of my vegetables have been languishing due to lack of heat and sunlight. With these conditions, harvesting wood has been a challenge. I'm glad the person harvesting our wood is sensitive to our needs; I have asked him not to cut when the ground would get ruined and he hasn't.

We have removed about all the pine I have flagged with tape; there is one more truckload to be picked up. We will begin to harvest fir next hoping for at least a load or two. Fir is worth more for pulp wood I guess.

I have been slowly cleaning up brush piles, using a machete of all things to remove the pine boughs from the branches. It is efficient, quicker than a chainsaw and gives me a nice workout. I spend a few hours each day doing clean up. I pile the brush in a row on newly cleared areas. At the end of my few hours, I run it over with the bushhog leaving me a nice smooth mulched area and with a nice sense of accomplishment for the day.

I've finished up around our second field and am now finishing up around the back field. I still have yet to finish the cleared hillside but this is next. I have left a legacy of pine poles stacked in piles around the property. I will chip these when all the brush has been taken care of.