The Bovine Bugle

Killing two birds with one stone

Yesterday afternoon Justin, Noah, and I headed into the woods to work on a section for our ski trail. We have a dream of having several miles of cross country ski trails around the farm that we would maintain and groom for our own use and possibly to be used by others.

Using the chainsaw, I felled 12 to 15 small trees to make a clear path from the top of a hill all the way down to a small meadow. Justin, using an ax, started limbing some of the trees, and Noah explored the surrounding ledges and stacked some brush.

The next day I headed back to the spot with the tractor and wagon, and my wood cutting gear. I cut the trees--red maple, gray birch, and hornbeam--into three-foot lengths and piled the brush to the side of the trail. Once all the trees were cut up I loaded the wood into the wagon, using my pulp hook to handle the bigger pieces. I cut the trees into 3-foot lengths so that if we use the wood in our sugaring operation (making maple syrup) it would be the right length, or if we want to use it to heat the house we would just have to cut the pieces in half for 18" housewood. The largest tree I had to cut up was probably 8 or 9 inches in diameter. With the section cleared, it will give us a nice uphill climb, or a challenging downhill run while out on our skis. Now if we would only get some snow!!

--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at February 6, 2006 07:38 PM