re: Chris Matthews wonders where America could possibly get wood other than from Canada

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Mississippi State did a study about 5 years ago when they presented to us in rotary. We have about 50 years worth of supply in MS alone that could be harvested.

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Yeah, I think we're good for wood in the South.

3D printed houses!

Geologists have proven that America has more trees than we did in 1776. We plant a lot of trees. The press doesn't announce it.

Prune out some of that fire kindle in California, saves water, reduces chance of fires, and provides more lumber.

He needs to go visit one of the suicide pods in Canada and tell us how those are working. Many folks would want to know.

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Take me to school. What are stumpage fees?

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Stumpage is a term that refers to the value of the tree on the stump. It’s the amount the landowner is paid.

Then there are the the costs of harvesting, skidding, and loading on the truck. Then there is the transportation cost to the mill and profit for the logging/hauling contractors.

Add all that up to get the cost of the raw material at the mill.

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Take me to school. What are stumpage fees?

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Basically, it’s what the logger pays the landowner for the wood where it stands, ie, trees that are to be cut.

The logger then sells the processed wood to the mill.

In most cases, the logger does one of two things: “whole tree” or “cut to length”.

Whole tree typically uses a feller buncher to cut the trees at the bottoms and put them into piles. A skidder then drags them to a central landing where another machine takes the tops off and leaves a set-length log. Think telephone pole size, or what you generally see on log trucks in the SEC, since that is the dominant method in that area with pine plantations.

In the Great Lakes, “cut to length” is more common. It uses a harvester to cut the trees at the stump. The same machine then “processes” the tree by cutting it into logs (typically 8-10’, but there are other varieties). It puts these into piles in the middle of the forest. Then, a forwarder comes in and picks up all the logs and carries them out to a central landing. There, they are loaded onto a trailer that typically has its own loader on it.

There are other methods, more common in the “big wood” of places like the Pacific Northwest. Shovel logging and cable logging are needed for these big trees on steep slopes. I have even seen helicopters doing it.

The equipment is incredibly sophisticated and very expensive. A big Caterpillar excavator, dozer, or wheel loader may look impressive, but they are basically powered shovels. A logging harvester is a space ship, and can easily cost $800K. Hydraulics and controls on these things are a lot more complex and powerful than you would think when you visualize a logger that runs one.

This guy does a good job of giving a general overview, but I wish he had included real machine footage. I’ll add a couple in two more posts.

I actually found one that gives another overview of different systems. Not as much live action as I was looking for, but you can go down your own rabbbit hole to watch other videos for more specifics.

tree farming is Louisiana's #1 cash crop I believe, you have the rest of the SE and NW US. Dude needs to shut the hell up.