4 VIRGINIA FORESTS streamside management zone (SMZ) on the other side of the property. As his business has expanded, Dan has had less time to self-inspect markings or to perform consulting work himself. In turn, he is more reliant on the work of the foresters with whom he is partnering. Not surprisingly, relationships continue to matter a great deal in a relationship-based business. We walked past a John Deere skidder pulling logs towards the loading deck as Dan told me that his newest hire, 18-year-old Shawn, was operating the machine. After getting hung up for a second, and some gesticulating by Dan, Shawn worked free and was on his way back to the front of the property. Further along, Dan asked Ben, a feller-buncher operator, to assist us with the day’s work. Ben would operate the Tigercat skidder equipped with a cable, winch, and log chokers, and Dan would also use this opportunity to teach Shawn about cabling a tree. Having reached the end of the property, we stood at the edge of a steep slope while Dan pointed out the trees that had been marked for harvest. I looked up (and up) at them. Then looked back at Dan. Then back to those gargantuan red oak and poplar trees. Then back to Dan’s smiling face. I asked, innocently: “With a chainsaw?” “Yep,” answered Dan. Dan explained that using harvesting machines on such a slope could be dangerous. Further, a machine cut might damage high value sawtimber, significantly reducing its value. “If these trees were high-valued white oak or other high-grade species,” Dan said, “the difference caused by that damage may be the difference between receiving $2,000 for a tree and $1,000 for a tree.” There is science in hand-felling a large-diameter tree. I soon discovered that this work is as much art as science. The precision “hinge-cut” that Dan used, learned through Forestry Mutual training and SHARP Logger classes, was described as the safest way to hand-fell a tree. At each tree, Dan would: predict the likeliest path towards which a tree might fall; make the hinge cut; locate the exact pressure points for me to drive felling wedges; determine a path to safety once the tree started falling; then, make the final trigger cut. It is an art, and Dan is a master artisan. After the first felled red oak, Dan shared that Ben was the only other individual on either of his crews that was comfortable hand-felling trees. He suggested that the practice is becoming less common among less-experienced crews. I can certainly understand why. My previous chainsaw experience in no way compares with this. This was dangerous work requiring both great skill and training. As we moved to the next tree, Dan continued emphasizing the importance of safety. “The livelihoods of my team depend on me making it home at night.” The second tree would need to fall down the slope to avoid damaging other trees or creating a potential safety issue. Though Dan performed another meticulous cut and drove the felling wedges deeper than I had, the massive poplar did not fall. Ben was called in to provide mechanical assistance. With a couple of love taps from the boom, the tree fell into the valley towards the stream as intended. Unfortunately, karma remembered it was Monday, and Ben’s machine was off for repairs as the boom was leaking oil. Again, Dan calmly rolled with the punches. As Shawn arrived in his skidder, Dan jumped into the operator station for a quick refresher on the winch. I caught up with Shawn about his experience. He had worked in marine construction prior to working with VFR. Shawn told me that he was enjoying the new work but recognized that most people his age may not. “How long will it be,” he asked rhetorically, “before you won’t be allowed to do hard work like this anymore?” Deep perspective from a young man just out of high school. Dan jumped down and instructed Shawn on the winch before leading me down the hill to demonstrate how to secure the cable around the tree. With the cable secured and the winch set, Shawn began slowly dragging the tree up the slope until he could reach it with the grapple, then safely moved the tree to level ground. Dan and I cleared branches from the stream bed. We approached a third tree that had been marked for harvesting. Upon examination, Dan questioned cutting the tree. The ground surrounding the tree was very uneven. Apparent decay may have made cutting more difficult, making it less certain as to where the tree might fall. I watched as Dan performed calculus on harvesting the tree, eventually deciding that the risk was not worth the reward.
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