tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10635256496819785912024-02-02T16:33:11.775-06:00Turkey Creek TimberSustainable ForestryByron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-82679541718804749392019-12-14T21:35:00.001-06:002024-01-31T21:37:04.710-06:00Mr. and Mrs. Chainsaw<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVBZYTno2a_oAdCoTv6VtB5E_QobnHt7Iw72vl1cZrmxnPDoHeHLZvIfzOigWiFi8GIjkhAggK7WFerQ5tMxkKHglc8HrYFz7uGWHcNR7Nr5-v0KflsV8vN10Dx2gzUh0nbQUnVGrsf5b5w0OMeAo7lp_au3WyoybBD0TEs5vVOeSNmlGFLm2Ynv7_44/s4032/2019-12-14%2011.56.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVBZYTno2a_oAdCoTv6VtB5E_QobnHt7Iw72vl1cZrmxnPDoHeHLZvIfzOigWiFi8GIjkhAggK7WFerQ5tMxkKHglc8HrYFz7uGWHcNR7Nr5-v0KflsV8vN10Dx2gzUh0nbQUnVGrsf5b5w0OMeAo7lp_au3WyoybBD0TEs5vVOeSNmlGFLm2Ynv7_44/w496-h279/2019-12-14%2011.56.42.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His and Hers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-5030456921168259322019-11-27T21:14:00.005-06:002024-01-31T21:25:31.696-06:00Some before and after<p>Brenda and I have been working on at area between the cottage and the "master bath" and towards the west. Here are some before and after pictures. It shows a pretty dramatic improvement. Hope you like it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52wD056dUjqqfBt-YJqz9s17OJDbxF7k8Us69E8299LjeusVr7HSFaV11Hc1qkWhVh9k1HHcSAwlXM4diuF2iNjZrUIzi5YV56qNawW8rA-2Kn-aD5WEcIlVmlloQgxGK9I4J9SJj67A3Ob9y_9nqEX58Ebll8ccJNCjRmRGqCr7WzNJKsTn1_gzlWN8/s4032/2019-11-24%2007.37.26.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52wD056dUjqqfBt-YJqz9s17OJDbxF7k8Us69E8299LjeusVr7HSFaV11Hc1qkWhVh9k1HHcSAwlXM4diuF2iNjZrUIzi5YV56qNawW8rA-2Kn-aD5WEcIlVmlloQgxGK9I4J9SJj67A3Ob9y_9nqEX58Ebll8ccJNCjRmRGqCr7WzNJKsTn1_gzlWN8/w400-h225/2019-11-24%2007.37.26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk89TdEs0T9RLaIB4vPNn0E4JtTqikMVwMPUxVhzHHg7_iIhqcJZaENRE8GxAPzZMjWv8XALQT5_hvvnmEfVwR4OaC21373PuEymcfs9ZuZcMaHigRzw-97kOJ4tCzFhAxfU4oBDJMhGew00d3bIoyfRVqThUx8vlGw1LNiB7eevGn_5wSALEzgWg6aIM/s4032/2019-11-27%2016.32.34.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk89TdEs0T9RLaIB4vPNn0E4JtTqikMVwMPUxVhzHHg7_iIhqcJZaENRE8GxAPzZMjWv8XALQT5_hvvnmEfVwR4OaC21373PuEymcfs9ZuZcMaHigRzw-97kOJ4tCzFhAxfU4oBDJMhGew00d3bIoyfRVqThUx8vlGw1LNiB7eevGn_5wSALEzgWg6aIM/w400-h225/2019-11-27%2016.32.34.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukOAK-ayavD1QOspWGaRLo-b-xR5WZr486RX1TJfYxv9IQCBa2vLZEs6Vl4jQOaeB__RZGMLmyxriOdYg4hwfzcN3-qo8gvbQtfOgOKxQ4_EJV2n8H_tVgxf7unHPH-IC2LVCLSH9l0k26Xbtae7RCFUUXbjkBqgdWyctAT-3kle1GvF9Ua4NOuAFgpo/s4032/2019-11-24%2007.38.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukOAK-ayavD1QOspWGaRLo-b-xR5WZr486RX1TJfYxv9IQCBa2vLZEs6Vl4jQOaeB__RZGMLmyxriOdYg4hwfzcN3-qo8gvbQtfOgOKxQ4_EJV2n8H_tVgxf7unHPH-IC2LVCLSH9l0k26Xbtae7RCFUUXbjkBqgdWyctAT-3kle1GvF9Ua4NOuAFgpo/w400-h225/2019-11-24%2007.38.20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMFRatnRIF3D6NpUSo7wBRIp4Q38j1X0Eccc8rsRAFWOof4sKGq8U_NHQj1-prBHmxZLquVL5Wj3LzsfuUee0cSwt3v3n5dIuzUCwgH2E5T2bI9mHlXLijTqhE_gik4Hc6vpkJ30k50fU87ihamgZvTKpQ4ehOK8Ll8RFCX4KHj7po1eXafeTdMvno_Q/s4032/2019-11-27%2016.34.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMFRatnRIF3D6NpUSo7wBRIp4Q38j1X0Eccc8rsRAFWOof4sKGq8U_NHQj1-prBHmxZLquVL5Wj3LzsfuUee0cSwt3v3n5dIuzUCwgH2E5T2bI9mHlXLijTqhE_gik4Hc6vpkJ30k50fU87ihamgZvTKpQ4ehOK8Ll8RFCX4KHj7po1eXafeTdMvno_Q/w400-h225/2019-11-27%2016.34.48.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdawUtKtAypP2o096TGjJfwO8_a2PiFyAHml38oKallr69uGGRmSziFUTulFXVpvjCfiZbeMuIY8LGJxaj8vM8s-iumYAndPrz6bmz2Q5A9dHT0elUm-YkRopLhBx5E5uNWvyb1e7v_C1DQFYnEIvX7CJNSD_kjFdhCw8ZNXUevWEciS2bMxI6hb1i588/s4032/2019-11-24%2007.38.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdawUtKtAypP2o096TGjJfwO8_a2PiFyAHml38oKallr69uGGRmSziFUTulFXVpvjCfiZbeMuIY8LGJxaj8vM8s-iumYAndPrz6bmz2Q5A9dHT0elUm-YkRopLhBx5E5uNWvyb1e7v_C1DQFYnEIvX7CJNSD_kjFdhCw8ZNXUevWEciS2bMxI6hb1i588/w400-h225/2019-11-24%2007.38.25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6kUBxL46atffeneielJQevJbBQrTtLliaGSkwenEjgqMqC_HH7-OWgiY0MSBx0wLvep37fB6azSzotEkBWAC6TUSlbYQowPb-AkYxkNFV0LWhpe40Bq_VJPLSFWKcOyAhLXgjaBlQteRqdYnJQB5u5rEBwjH-AYGQTJ_LPUrvTUdubMevzPjbeCqjqg/s4032/2019-11-27%2016.35.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6kUBxL46atffeneielJQevJbBQrTtLliaGSkwenEjgqMqC_HH7-OWgiY0MSBx0wLvep37fB6azSzotEkBWAC6TUSlbYQowPb-AkYxkNFV0LWhpe40Bq_VJPLSFWKcOyAhLXgjaBlQteRqdYnJQB5u5rEBwjH-AYGQTJ_LPUrvTUdubMevzPjbeCqjqg/w400-h225/2019-11-27%2016.35.21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-33732009495475618272019-11-10T21:32:00.001-06:002024-01-31T21:34:47.543-06:00A little bit of Fall Color<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLH2gq_guFCIH4G-oJyDRN4mx7tIXt6_Zz7jjCaaTByAysM0q0zwgsbk9Paz1TcjjCkYSdydU0w_fs1RC54-Ro_pH7Ww3p3rdmN0n_bSyAEHlsRKz1_SManabHTF5ugf2XD2SLKqr73YfPKe_7mWCla7ZCMOCf1Q58EayytlDHqUU4nt3qRi5stnxGl1M/s4032/2019-11-10%2011.21.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLH2gq_guFCIH4G-oJyDRN4mx7tIXt6_Zz7jjCaaTByAysM0q0zwgsbk9Paz1TcjjCkYSdydU0w_fs1RC54-Ro_pH7Ww3p3rdmN0n_bSyAEHlsRKz1_SManabHTF5ugf2XD2SLKqr73YfPKe_7mWCla7ZCMOCf1Q58EayytlDHqUU4nt3qRi5stnxGl1M/w360-h640/2019-11-10%2011.21.32.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall Colors<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-76389480701523159142019-11-03T21:29:00.008-06:002024-01-31T21:32:15.951-06:00Mulch<p> This is what we do with the brush we clear. Mulch, mulch, mulch and more mulch.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WXAVv6unYXXnLuUSuYYizeG7wTSqxNBFUIb0qJy07KovDBFl3cPg9m59wdKQwPuSfc9byPf9WkBg0eUzXfgaHPQo5TeGmoKWbRTmqF5yOnd7sQUfa2IEbVqoPOOMZ06RP0GCsl07n-12zLUDrVb76vE3FOaNccjwVGscqU2b_4bQCORzeYoeCQ_8HVM/s4032/2019-11-03%2011.57.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WXAVv6unYXXnLuUSuYYizeG7wTSqxNBFUIb0qJy07KovDBFl3cPg9m59wdKQwPuSfc9byPf9WkBg0eUzXfgaHPQo5TeGmoKWbRTmqF5yOnd7sQUfa2IEbVqoPOOMZ06RP0GCsl07n-12zLUDrVb76vE3FOaNccjwVGscqU2b_4bQCORzeYoeCQ_8HVM/w400-h225/2019-11-03%2011.57.33.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of mulch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-3166959486183462482019-11-03T17:00:00.000-06:002019-11-05T16:57:25.294-06:00Pig DisturbanceA couple of weeks ago, we setup a game camera near the sawmill. We have seen a lot of wild pig sign in the area and I was hoping to catch them on the game cam. I'd like to see how many, how big, etc. Here's some examples of the kinds of things we see from the wild pigs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCc8bUuO0DC1QJ0sQfXKMDeF5ZBX0n-bNiedc2FE-5oEKbFYlSGbB6VqquguqxgUCDYqTqxeP7DfM-FwW1IpmgorkHzalJ3L6EQ6phDcR2lYgd_N5v31JDlfIyu_d3HTU7w3TfhzHPZg/s1600/2019-11-03+09.43.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCc8bUuO0DC1QJ0sQfXKMDeF5ZBX0n-bNiedc2FE-5oEKbFYlSGbB6VqquguqxgUCDYqTqxeP7DfM-FwW1IpmgorkHzalJ3L6EQ6phDcR2lYgd_N5v31JDlfIyu_d3HTU7w3TfhzHPZg/s400/2019-11-03+09.43.29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJipwXNlfxDfH6JXsMZ9M2a-5g0gPc_Iik8lIkfmyxkmbLYxAZkMmTibOH9iD4jdQ_rO20a-98zfEH__f3lIPPDoheSVFugSJj3QNaoftNBu123thcjne0BKlH5hAjKNQsbSQnyG6ELw/s1600/2019-11-03+09.43.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJipwXNlfxDfH6JXsMZ9M2a-5g0gPc_Iik8lIkfmyxkmbLYxAZkMmTibOH9iD4jdQ_rO20a-98zfEH__f3lIPPDoheSVFugSJj3QNaoftNBu123thcjne0BKlH5hAjKNQsbSQnyG6ELw/s400/2019-11-03+09.43.44.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, they create a lot of disturbance in the forest. I'm not sure what they are looking for, but I'm not opposed to these guys turning the compost!<br />
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The first picture is of an area that Brenda and I discharged the wood chips from our wood chipper. It is a low laying area that is often wet and muddy. We put the wood chips there to start building up the area. We put these wood chips down back in late September, so they haven’t been down very long.<br />
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The second picture is an area that is very near the first. It is also a low laying area and subject to ponding. We haven’t put any wood chips there recently, but I did spread some there about six to eight months ago.<br />
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I’m getting the impression that wild pigs really like turning up mulched wood chips. So far, I don't mind the pig's disturbance. It seems to me that it might be beneficial to the forest. Now if it was my garden or pasture, I'd be pretty upset with the pigs.<br />
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Now for the game camera. Nope we didn't see any pigs, but I still like what I see.<br />
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One of our goals is to improve our forest to make it friendly for deer. Maybe we are getting it right.</div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-88609897334643695322019-10-27T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-28T11:48:44.913-05:00Brush Grubber broke<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcq4SXjUMAwM-iNbOA7TuW37edcT1fN2sTe3TP7bGoT-lUTBOklE3V2vE-aGJQ5GHOhIz4cHv2hoTXx41tFg3fHCQNIre72WKhyfokiHDLM9lTZ3HaIDFUKZQmX0XZKAqBItlYphf8iG8/s1600/2019-10-27+09.13.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcq4SXjUMAwM-iNbOA7TuW37edcT1fN2sTe3TP7bGoT-lUTBOklE3V2vE-aGJQ5GHOhIz4cHv2hoTXx41tFg3fHCQNIre72WKhyfokiHDLM9lTZ3HaIDFUKZQmX0XZKAqBItlYphf8iG8/s400/2019-10-27+09.13.57.jpg" width="400" /></a>Pulled, cut, chipped more underbrush, but then the brush grubber broke and we couldn't pull up any more yaupon. Dang.<br />
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I got one stump up before the grubber broke. I was very pleased with the stump I pulled, just wish I could have pulled more. For perspective, the bar on the chain saw is 18".<br />
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As you can see from the photo, I cut the yaupon about two and a half to three feet up. I wanted to leave a nice bit of trunk to use for pulling up the stumps. I guess it will have to wait until. Dang.<br />
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The part that came off the grubber is a spring that holds the jaws tight on the tree trunk. You can see on the picture, I've drawn in where the spring goes. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is out of the spring. It's on a two week back ordered. Yep, I ordered two. I don't want to be caught short, again! Dang!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBJC7Cuf9C97ty2aPIeRuGR_XkFBfdQ6kuYGvNftHOjHmBzdQTIjRz1d7eeBfJFBlTCb-r2jqvQvmTCNAxFhpVWF3z17AOO6pNwx6fqs4jQ9mQyHYH_TQQsmV_wP10pOKWmkE5IUg1_0/s1600/2019-10-27+09.17.11_LI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBJC7Cuf9C97ty2aPIeRuGR_XkFBfdQ6kuYGvNftHOjHmBzdQTIjRz1d7eeBfJFBlTCb-r2jqvQvmTCNAxFhpVWF3z17AOO6pNwx6fqs4jQ9mQyHYH_TQQsmV_wP10pOKWmkE5IUg1_0/s400/2019-10-27+09.17.11_LI.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-89562693410421753002019-10-20T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-21T08:56:20.302-05:00Clearing Yaupon and making wood chips<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Lxg__fkWAtR1r0lkRSls84GRR6xHe5LGKGWgxq33hzKLhdQcsO5LcOV93mq846UEAY5-m4-qKxbKBdjRSGwHpPVIdyrXm8sc93RxmTOKMwapmnisSPfdiGhvVm1LBT4Mv5HorsuWdu8/s1600/2019-10-19+14.22.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Lxg__fkWAtR1r0lkRSls84GRR6xHe5LGKGWgxq33hzKLhdQcsO5LcOV93mq846UEAY5-m4-qKxbKBdjRSGwHpPVIdyrXm8sc93RxmTOKMwapmnisSPfdiGhvVm1LBT4Mv5HorsuWdu8/s320/2019-10-19+14.22.42.jpg" width="320" /></a>We continued to clear underbrush. We found a small pine stand as we worked in from the road. It was satisfying to see the pines as we cleared out the sweetgum and yaupon holly. This is a continuation of the area near our long suffering blackberry.<br />
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Here's a couple of pics of Brenda feeding the beast. She's turning those pesky trees into wood chips.<br />
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The wood chipper is great, but it is still a lot of work. There is a hydraulic feed roller, but it sometimes has a hard time taking in crooked branches. We have to help it along by pushing, rearranging and sometimes looping off branches. It's a bit more work than burning, but we both feel much better with chipping the brush.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_KcjiOHZqgJiMgZmYERcYLcx17UvGqlVDWFfroDEa-eOu3VXP0fxCVpXd7JLdNyE4UTRns73herkIw8C_KVL5eFP3jVqbdA6WvtohLx6qLBZMqMTpZGZWqMk5blU5CiYq4xfDVF7AEo/s1600/2019-10-20+14.37.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_KcjiOHZqgJiMgZmYERcYLcx17UvGqlVDWFfroDEa-eOu3VXP0fxCVpXd7JLdNyE4UTRns73herkIw8C_KVL5eFP3jVqbdA6WvtohLx6qLBZMqMTpZGZWqMk5blU5CiYq4xfDVF7AEo/s320/2019-10-20+14.37.10.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_KcjiOHZqgJiMgZmYERcYLcx17UvGqlVDWFfroDEa-eOu3VXP0fxCVpXd7JLdNyE4UTRns73herkIw8C_KVL5eFP3jVqbdA6WvtohLx6qLBZMqMTpZGZWqMk5blU5CiYq4xfDVF7AEo/s1600/2019-10-20+14.37.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></a></div>
Here we've spread the wood chips over a bare section of one of our woods roads. The bare dirt is not good for the environment and this road was starting to show signs of erosion. By covering it with wood chips it should help stop the erosion and hopefully start to build back the soil that has already been lost.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcTYiBrIJnpH8PUl2kWsPbMr_Lrc-uaswINyPYj4E8FODS6PcIG7fxjRSUTXhX3bZDu1MR_059TBTMwODyT8vbXa8Y6TV9vPhGkqm_UP9uUynRhBxKZMPEQqGP-T9R6CzAojwKHegWQ4/s1600/2019-10-20+14.36.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcTYiBrIJnpH8PUl2kWsPbMr_Lrc-uaswINyPYj4E8FODS6PcIG7fxjRSUTXhX3bZDu1MR_059TBTMwODyT8vbXa8Y6TV9vPhGkqm_UP9uUynRhBxKZMPEQqGP-T9R6CzAojwKHegWQ4/s400/2019-10-20+14.36.52.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We cleared out a lot of brush and we've freed up the young pines.</span></div>
<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-78086307575875643812019-10-13T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-21T07:56:49.932-05:00Trying to save the blackberry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0gUD_MLZo6YmrnLTsFwqj78cacO2cCoHmuLtzGTviEkKTh4bnzC2kDB7XLHlbKWrUZ4ALNQ6ixRdsczuEwApIvKhawZ2Nz8amwp8GYD3vHvKbQVPJS1PIHAX-ggfFYB-I8cOne38Nz8/s1600/2019-10-20+08.32.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0gUD_MLZo6YmrnLTsFwqj78cacO2cCoHmuLtzGTviEkKTh4bnzC2kDB7XLHlbKWrUZ4ALNQ6ixRdsczuEwApIvKhawZ2Nz8amwp8GYD3vHvKbQVPJS1PIHAX-ggfFYB-I8cOne38Nz8/s200/2019-10-20+08.32.17.jpg" width="112" /></a>This little guy is a thornless blackberry. I planted it several years ago. It has struggled and I don't think it has ever produced a berry. My wife and I were planning on clearing brush and thinning a small pine stand near where we worked a couple of weeks ago, but as I passed this miserable little guy, I thought, it's time to clear the brush around the blackberry and see if it will do better. As you can see from this closeup, this is an after the brush has been cleared picture.</div>
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Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-8812792391826686432019-09-22T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-21T05:49:56.815-05:00Thinning PinesWell, this weekend, Brenda and I spent time cleaning up and thinning a small stand of pine trees that line one of our woods roads.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2d_tbNcYGHNwcGQ0iEiY3OCZCD04jggiY81kUktxcOFnibSk_MgTrbIqogTY1E6mn4JNzs27Y7dsgkPRTk0J4Pr2b2gvPeaSMyoMCapXzg49zD8iwswNdlMadjzhs1dbn87zsdgD_F7U/s1600/2019-09-22+07.53.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2d_tbNcYGHNwcGQ0iEiY3OCZCD04jggiY81kUktxcOFnibSk_MgTrbIqogTY1E6mn4JNzs27Y7dsgkPRTk0J4Pr2b2gvPeaSMyoMCapXzg49zD8iwswNdlMadjzhs1dbn87zsdgD_F7U/s320/2019-09-22+07.53.30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This stand was left by the forest mulcher. The machine is just too big, so we thinned it by hand. The thinning was with loopers and chain saw. We then chipped the stems with our PTO driven wood chipper on the back of our Kubota. Sorry no pictures of the wood chipper. We also used the billy goat brush mower to help cleanup the underbrush.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuAkpv5iTzNGHKHYn99afj0WD4mZHDPDT1Raj-DYmiMM5mcWba7-ilXLnzhmmTGhoLv8xtwK4ruD6-UYIluGZDS1IP7QfGjMSRWx-tWjgkk2Pd95pBl7oE8IJE9oHrZktn1h8XeLR6Hw/s1600/2019-10-20+14.35.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuAkpv5iTzNGHKHYn99afj0WD4mZHDPDT1Raj-DYmiMM5mcWba7-ilXLnzhmmTGhoLv8xtwK4ruD6-UYIluGZDS1IP7QfGjMSRWx-tWjgkk2Pd95pBl7oE8IJE9oHrZktn1h8XeLR6Hw/s320/2019-10-20+14.35.13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think the results look pretty nice!</div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-38242235007394315062019-07-07T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-22T07:15:50.405-05:00Felled our first tall pine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmQqnkNBnZ6dWp53G3TPWruKMeuqth5FbKBl50T_clyiwijF7EggV9rH1Rbv5ydMRGK7khgWVSeSi7Vl8qW7yVVq4yCZihZkWbLZZ160Z_uutWukPLmlzftxCf4Y3gk5_cTXriR3d3wI/s1600/2019-07-06+08.35.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmQqnkNBnZ6dWp53G3TPWruKMeuqth5FbKBl50T_clyiwijF7EggV9rH1Rbv5ydMRGK7khgWVSeSi7Vl8qW7yVVq4yCZihZkWbLZZ160Z_uutWukPLmlzftxCf4Y3gk5_cTXriR3d3wI/s320/2019-07-06+08.35.20.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXFwYfe9vz9teeTM2NIwM5wiorvavFAveMV4RIeffxIpKYaJTKuLFOanzKBwcXcZR9s_jR421-5puMdQFtWI5dZuKvN7k5WxTcDkQR3EI0DLu_o9OulYN-6KqzbAmhkv_Rl0x8Tj6daA/s1600/2019-07-06+08.34.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXFwYfe9vz9teeTM2NIwM5wiorvavFAveMV4RIeffxIpKYaJTKuLFOanzKBwcXcZR9s_jR421-5puMdQFtWI5dZuKvN7k5WxTcDkQR3EI0DLu_o9OulYN-6KqzbAmhkv_Rl0x8Tj6daA/s320/2019-07-06+08.34.47.jpg" width="180" /></a>We felled our first tall pine tree. We chose a pretty bad tree. As you can see this is one twisty tree. It was over 90 feet. We limed and bucked it into saw logs. I'm not sure how the lumber will turn out, but it's a beginning.<br />
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My oldest son helped with the felling of this tree. It was his first time taking down a big pine. It's a little scary, but also a bit fun.<br />
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It was pretty amazing that the tree's curve just missed a small pine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AyU-oBdnmqdaVzv_IKCX6o8ruih9bdayhSrMmcmzAM0x2zrM1KfTJ3-73Ja0-HPsSH8ONsVwUsY3oWI-YztCPLQtv3zw6u-Y2Eox_4wgT3A5wspmu41G6iEh-3fVZcRNbHcimYuEhcM/s1600/2019-07-06+10.39.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AyU-oBdnmqdaVzv_IKCX6o8ruih9bdayhSrMmcmzAM0x2zrM1KfTJ3-73Ja0-HPsSH8ONsVwUsY3oWI-YztCPLQtv3zw6u-Y2Eox_4wgT3A5wspmu41G6iEh-3fVZcRNbHcimYuEhcM/s400/2019-07-06+10.39.41.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's the logs all ready for the sawmill.</div>
<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-40479175824328840822018-09-16T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-22T07:39:42.358-05:00Making LUMBER!Here's our first attempt at making lumber. It's from a cedar log that was given to us by my very good lifetime friend Tom. It's not actually a tree from our property. It was a really nice thing for Tom to do and we've loved learning about milling lumber on his logs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwGQ6k149p_62mcvP4hjabOgXXCwSUr6-_U4433qyLv0yFc-zIBeNvU1zWDY74uZy01Ho70MS7vQoYHXIkvYnP3mCOZ6Bkir0N5gi6OgiGzOM4UysMfnKFstX2vZyMj2nOY0i7Nv0y1o/s1600/2018-09-16+11.37.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwGQ6k149p_62mcvP4hjabOgXXCwSUr6-_U4433qyLv0yFc-zIBeNvU1zWDY74uZy01Ho70MS7vQoYHXIkvYnP3mCOZ6Bkir0N5gi6OgiGzOM4UysMfnKFstX2vZyMj2nOY0i7Nv0y1o/s400/2018-09-16+11.37.17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, how do you like my wife's pink filter mask?</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ns4A6lClZ7E/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ns4A6lClZ7E?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-13442139880482188462018-08-26T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-22T07:20:11.224-05:00Setting up The Martha FayWe started trying to setup the sawmill. Turns out I'm missing some of the connector parts, so I'm only able to connect two of the three beds. I'm still not sure I've got it leveled correctly. It's going to take a bit of effort to get this thing setup correctly. But, it's very exciting!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-d5hGm9JKoTcM-QhvuycIoEdBytT3PwfxBND0Uavi3NnSeUAyVPjnPoEDrEgHg2FmLWBVDFC7HJPSruGKCHo8J7LJALqcayxjqX0POWIJyjlO9XJE9soBMZbOH-UvYOhiJOwaBw60GnQ/s1600/2018-08-26+09.52.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-d5hGm9JKoTcM-QhvuycIoEdBytT3PwfxBND0Uavi3NnSeUAyVPjnPoEDrEgHg2FmLWBVDFC7HJPSruGKCHo8J7LJALqcayxjqX0POWIJyjlO9XJE9soBMZbOH-UvYOhiJOwaBw60GnQ/s400/2018-08-26+09.52.37.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-42480921981963368612018-07-15T16:15:00.000-05:002018-11-12T11:16:17.773-06:00Shower FacilitiesWorking in the forest is hot, sweaty, dirty work. Chainsaws and wood chippers will do that to you. After a hot day working in the forest a nice shower is greatly appreciated. So, the wife and I took some time away from working in the forest to build an outdoor show. The shower is near the outhouse, so I guess you could say we now have a full bath! Here's a few pics of us building the shower. It's been greatly appreciated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWJqNH79i1kBvNmb4OPFfokeZYpiOFk6t_-jcjfh7pcECC9OKsyBb8N9e2lLPuGo5KS5-TdK_o_npIu9CHFHct3DMM8ciQYxMYF83EwOWS6VtcVMiN06TMd6RcLC-NMX3ChTrLt2B8vE/s1600/2018-07-15+13.00.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWJqNH79i1kBvNmb4OPFfokeZYpiOFk6t_-jcjfh7pcECC9OKsyBb8N9e2lLPuGo5KS5-TdK_o_npIu9CHFHct3DMM8ciQYxMYF83EwOWS6VtcVMiN06TMd6RcLC-NMX3ChTrLt2B8vE/s400/2018-07-15+13.00.30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The shower is only screened on one side. You get to enjoy nature while getting clean.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIua9rFD51OxHwzt4H0jIV0cqkpm-KbvNT824GACxorX6-q6eqWKgRTIJ6AFbx1JJXpk_r9sfki78wVRHDA2-yyu-yoeCyQar67AuMCoh0xQt8F2vuCleN1QVuOgJzB-HeYlLIMlxzR4/s1600/2018-07-15+13.01.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIua9rFD51OxHwzt4H0jIV0cqkpm-KbvNT824GACxorX6-q6eqWKgRTIJ6AFbx1JJXpk_r9sfki78wVRHDA2-yyu-yoeCyQar67AuMCoh0xQt8F2vuCleN1QVuOgJzB-HeYlLIMlxzR4/s400/2018-07-15+13.01.35.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We don't have running water or septic. All of our water is hauled in five gallon buckets. We fill a 20 gallon trash can (look in the lower right of the photo) and then keep a couple of five gallon buckets for reserve. If the trash can runs out of water mid shower, we use the reserve to finish up. It's happened.<br />
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A sump pump moves the water from the trash can through a propane water heater which feeds the shower head. There's a switch on the center log, next to the shower curtain that will turn the sump pump on and off. So far, it's been really nice taking a nice cool shower after a hard day's work in this mid-summer Texas heat.<br />
<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-11105483003191811752018-07-01T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-22T09:54:36.008-05:00Setting the Billy Goat looseYep, that's my wife, mowing the easement road with Billy. See a goat really will help keep the vegetation down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUusM9KbjbU64Lrvb00SBYZyMyNeutdOOBsDn3h3tuop-m9GQKiM9dOEXAGJXk6u2dcSSBoDchvz2CtrixRK-8dmBizesv3e5WaPGibbxoUYP6_Uik4J-C4CqUkn9t-yOlhzFIQWi3Lg/s1600/2018-06-30+19.34.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUusM9KbjbU64Lrvb00SBYZyMyNeutdOOBsDn3h3tuop-m9GQKiM9dOEXAGJXk6u2dcSSBoDchvz2CtrixRK-8dmBizesv3e5WaPGibbxoUYP6_Uik4J-C4CqUkn9t-yOlhzFIQWi3Lg/s400/2018-06-30+19.34.37.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-47466747842082028942018-06-24T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-21T20:30:07.250-05:00The Martha FayLook what we went and did. Say hello to our new saw mill. Named for my mother. We found this on Craig's List. The goal is to be able to add value to our timber. We plan on milling up slabs and custom lumber from our trees.<br />
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"The Martha Fay".</div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-64398769793029992842018-06-22T15:09:00.003-05:002018-06-22T15:09:47.568-05:00Forested GrasslandIm on an email list for the Texas Longleaf Taskforce. Their website is www.<a href="http://txlongleaf.org/" target="_blank">txlongleaf</a>.org. There's also a link under the "Our Partners and Sites" section of the sidebar. Well, a couple of days ago I got and email from Kent, the Coordinator. In the email he talks about what East Texas used to be like when the early settlers arrived. Here's what he had to say.<br />
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<b><i>Much of our east Texas forests were described by the early settlers (some of your ancestors) as "forested grasslands"....You could ride your horse through it with the grass up to the stirrups. Consider that the historic fire regime favored the herbaceous under story and kept down the invasive woody underbrush. That fire sustained a diverse ground cover of grasses and flowering herbs. That "lost" open condition that favored abundant wildlife such as quail, can be seen in many of the historic 1890-1920 photographs. Lots of that historic, diverse under story was visible 100 years ago.......frequent fire is the reason you do not see yaupon thickets in those old photos!</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Kent Evans</i></b></div>
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Someday, Turkey Creek Timber will be a "forested grassland", someday.</div>
Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-35559547584895532412018-06-03T17:00:00.000-05:002019-10-21T11:32:56.680-05:00We got a Billy Goat<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, I've been thinking I'd like to get a walk behind brush mower. It's kind of like a miniature brush hog. I've been looking on Craig's List. I'd set a budget for a used one, but was having trouble finding something within my budget. We'll, I went into our local Home Depot to purchase some deck boards for our outdoor shower and low and behold, they are selling a walk behind brush mower by Billy Goat. Their price was more than than my budget, so I asked if they could lower it some more. Yep, they did and we were able to get it for $300 less than budget. Sweet! That of course, this lead to us to also purchase a small trailer. You gotta be able to haul the billy goat around!</div>
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Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-11814802196326614812018-05-28T15:56:00.000-05:002018-05-31T16:33:08.683-05:00More clearing, the WAR against Yaupon HollyThis weekend, we changed tactics. While I firmly believe that pulling out the Yaupon by the roots is the best way to control the Yaupon, it is just taking us way too long. We've changed our strategy. Now we are going to cut it off at ground level and fight it with mowing, burning and herbicides when it returns. Here's a couple of before and after pics of some areas we recently worked on.<br />
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This view is 180 degrees from the previous two pics, basically turning around and looking the other direction.</div>
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<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-13046506759162686042018-04-09T16:08:00.000-05:002018-05-31T16:27:55.669-05:00Controlling Yaupon with HerbicidesHerbicide; it's a bad word out in the world. It is generally frowned upon to use herbicides in gardening or farming by the general public. But . . . when you are trying your best to get control of an out of control situation, sometimes, herbicides are the answer.<br />
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Brenda and I have not used herbicides, yet on or tree farm, but we are giving it some serious consideration. We don't want to make it a part of our long term management of the forest, but we believe it has it's place in the short term to help us get our Yaupon under control.<br />
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In my search for answers, I came across a May of 2004 Master of Science Thesis titled "<i style="font-weight: bold;">Managing Invasive Yaupon Holly in the Texas Post Oak Savannah" </i>by Stephanie Dupree. Here's a link to her thesis. It's a PDF download.<br />
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https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/ttu-ir/bitstream/handle/2346/17093/31295019526226.pdf;sequence=1<br />
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Who knows, soon you may see us fighting the fight with a pack pack sprayer. Triclopyr might be the answer.<br />
<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-85900642572431614382018-03-16T11:17:00.000-05:002018-03-20T11:26:15.220-05:00Native Invasive - Yaupon HollyBecause of inattention and the interruption of the fire cycle, the understory of our woods have become overgrown with brush; mostly Yaupon Holly. It is so thick it is classified as a "native" invasive species. Yaupon Holly is native to East Texas, but at this level, it's acting just like an exotic invasive.<br />
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Yaupon Holly is a shade tolerant plant. It can thrive in shade or sun. Pine trees on the other hand are shade intolerant. They need lots of sun to reproduce. The shading of our forest floor from the overgrowth of Yaupon Holly has interrupted our pine trees reproductive cycle. It has also shaded out the natural grasses and forbs that increase the nutrition of the soil.<br />
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The Yaupon Holly has got to go.<br />
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Brenda and I have been working most weekends on eradicating the Yaupon. I love the definition of eradicating; "To tear up by the roots." That's what we've been doing. Pulling the Yaupon up by the roots. Here's a picture of some of the Yaupon roots we've pulled up. This is just one pile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54N6C5jqZagfZrkkHQ0EzjjGMVIjP9JRsgAhQcbmhjaKY1lrW3FmzLivDbr95-Z40AJi2QBsK2WuqiQkNuoqeRB8H6YFxyft-7GdabuGq3xud_o_dUA_e6WwbCVBDISNdiPHO7-rnMqY/s1600/2018-03-16+11.12.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54N6C5jqZagfZrkkHQ0EzjjGMVIjP9JRsgAhQcbmhjaKY1lrW3FmzLivDbr95-Z40AJi2QBsK2WuqiQkNuoqeRB8H6YFxyft-7GdabuGq3xud_o_dUA_e6WwbCVBDISNdiPHO7-rnMqY/s400/2018-03-16+11.12.53.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pulling is hard and slow work, but it's the best way we can think of right now. Cutting would be easier and quicker, but the Yaupon would come back and it would come back quickly. So, pulling it up by the roots is what we do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfI7_qze4rMRrppOI2JUef815tC0yjmOppb7PSNp-qaQjNm8cZFSkqeNKh_K6nMkjxpDm6v8xVGv22yJtstcSat2WeuDFGL4w2CUR0im_O7DWjsnejlw_XA4T1sOxl-eqSSZKEbG3IOc/s1600/2018-03-16+11.12.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfI7_qze4rMRrppOI2JUef815tC0yjmOppb7PSNp-qaQjNm8cZFSkqeNKh_K6nMkjxpDm6v8xVGv22yJtstcSat2WeuDFGL4w2CUR0im_O7DWjsnejlw_XA4T1sOxl-eqSSZKEbG3IOc/s400/2018-03-16+11.12.18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Brenda and I have been working in what we call the "cabin site" for most of 2018. As you can see, we've opened up quite a bit of space. There's a lot more cleared off to the left of this picture. In the background you can see the wall of Yaupon that still needs to be removed.<br />
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Below is a picture of where we've started to cut our new wood's road that I talked about in a previous post.<br />
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I wish we didn't have to cut a new road, but we do, so that's what we do. We work a little bit in each area; a day working the cabin site; the next day working the new road. Slowly, but surely it's getting done.<br />
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One of the things you'll notice in the picture to the right is that there are no pine tree seedlings. None. Below is a picture of what happens when you open up a space and let the light in. Lots and lots of pine tree regeneration.<br />
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<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-19748313779852601402018-03-14T10:50:00.000-05:002018-05-31T15:20:45.473-05:00A week in the woodsThankfully, the weather cleared up and it was a beautiful week for working in our woods. Brenda and I spent Monday (3/12) to Friday (3/16) at Turkey Creek Timber. We got a lot done, but there is a whole lot that we still need to do.<br />
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We've decided to abandon our worst wood's road. It's that main road that takes us across Turkey Creek and to the "other side". Unfortunately, the erosion is just too extensive. It will take a huge amount of work to "fix" the trail and quite a bit of money.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GwoDQLhW5czFu5WRxHXlJ5LbPp5MQpxAmIv5728QXwG1ifScUj9mzDd1PihSJykLfhFR7PDoPm4wgl1iooPscq7bJyYWkTHYF6T_VKJu-_YuBzYXj4XYj8b4DPXd9bD9MczSLpi0D0c/s1600/2018-03-16+11.06.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GwoDQLhW5czFu5WRxHXlJ5LbPp5MQpxAmIv5728QXwG1ifScUj9mzDd1PihSJykLfhFR7PDoPm4wgl1iooPscq7bJyYWkTHYF6T_VKJu-_YuBzYXj4XYj8b4DPXd9bD9MczSLpi0D0c/s400/2018-03-16+11.06.15.jpg" width="400" /></a> We've decided to cut a new road that is parallel to the abandoned road. We will pile up the slash from the new road onto the abandoned road to help stop and hopefully reverse the erosion.<br />
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You can see from the image to the left that some brush that was left on the road a while back has help to catch and retain dirt that eroded from a water bar that I built. We're hoping to help that process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP23yO2UBTLZKCnjol3eV2mQrQVQxfspevWu_u1geb4Bmfi6nzG_xozOdOYCG2BAvqa0Zknx1sNhsW12dvCPEmqWBTDWqVPnY6a2fM84jldqRFNxBXBBBvNJZPnPn1M_VQ-imdxW2BqS4/s1600/2018-03-16+11.06.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP23yO2UBTLZKCnjol3eV2mQrQVQxfspevWu_u1geb4Bmfi6nzG_xozOdOYCG2BAvqa0Zknx1sNhsW12dvCPEmqWBTDWqVPnY6a2fM84jldqRFNxBXBBBvNJZPnPn1M_VQ-imdxW2BqS4/s400/2018-03-16+11.06.06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
We put logs into the deep erosion cuts and piled up branches on top. We also chipped up a lot of the branches and the wood chips were added on top of the logs.<br />
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What we want to happen is for the piled up branches to catch the leaves and to help create a dam that will slow up and even pond the runoff water. This will help let the eroded soil from further up the trail to settle out and fill in the deep cuts that have formed in the road.Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-16988999910255982202018-03-04T17:00:00.000-06:002019-10-22T07:59:19.524-05:00Grand Kids visit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5DHaKdIolWxmZwINKJW4iBFh5lu2C84cQ4SzkNH5o1Y4sPU6xusBIj5w3mzhU5SB1DHL6k70OCFvJHgzO7DWqX4a3DDoW_8DNIofw1NE0Mh42nliXF0nfq4QHtIstPOduYowW_X54ws/s1600/2018-03-03+13.14.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5DHaKdIolWxmZwINKJW4iBFh5lu2C84cQ4SzkNH5o1Y4sPU6xusBIj5w3mzhU5SB1DHL6k70OCFvJHgzO7DWqX4a3DDoW_8DNIofw1NE0Mh42nliXF0nfq4QHtIstPOduYowW_X54ws/s320/2018-03-03+13.14.17.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38r8wxG45LtjosyxIrQuXN_hTxOU0XoN2jEN8VAk9BR6niNjum-IhnbjNjgspOYdXZ8FjP58f59tVIKMqLo5yDu6CZ4sSB3-Dg8P1W1FU11YXGPMPoJ_RzThwLrvLfLKLzOpDqwfB6dE/s1600/2018-03-03+13.08.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38r8wxG45LtjosyxIrQuXN_hTxOU0XoN2jEN8VAk9BR6niNjum-IhnbjNjgspOYdXZ8FjP58f59tVIKMqLo5yDu6CZ4sSB3-Dg8P1W1FU11YXGPMPoJ_RzThwLrvLfLKLzOpDqwfB6dE/s320/2018-03-03+13.08.20.jpg" width="180" /></a>One of the many blessings of owning forest land is getting to share it, especially with your grand kids. These are my daughter's grand kids Isaiah and Cara. A couple of sweet bundles of love. This is Cara's first time to our forest.<br />
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Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-13344594072286336532017-12-26T16:57:00.001-06:002017-12-26T17:04:44.978-06:00<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I found this quote while reading an NPR article this morning. I really like it.</div>
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"<b><i>It's not as if I did it alone. You plant one or two trees, and they have to seed. And once they seed, the wind knows how to plant them, the birds here know how to sow them, cows know, elephants know, even the Brahmaputra river knows. The entire ecosystem knows." - Jadav Payeng, "The Forest Man of India</i></b>"</div>
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I see this all the time when I walk my little forest. It is amazing how many little seedlings there are.</div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/12/26/572421590/hed-take-his-own-life-before-killing-a-tree-meet-india-s-forest-man</span></div>
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Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-59772437364777136012017-03-16T16:00:00.000-05:002019-10-22T09:56:08.795-05:00Roof!We've done it. The Turkey Creek Timber, on site office now has a roof!<br />
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It's one of those jobs that I didn't want to do. Mainly, it's because I've never installed a metal roof before, but also because the roof is a 6/12 pitch; it is very easy to fall off!<br />
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I watched a lot of YouTube videos, spoke with several people and lined up two of my adult children to help. So, on Sunday March 12th, 2017, we started the metal roof install. Here's a picture of all of us working on the back side.<br />
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We made a few mistakes in the beginning, but we finally figured it out. I had to backup the screws along the bottom edge as they weren't catching any "good" wood. The bottom edge is screwed down four inches from the edge. It also took a couple of sheets before we figured out a good pattern for screwing down each sheet.<br />
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It was a beautiful day. The temperature was great for working outside.<br />
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We got about half of the back roof done before Abram and Dean had to head back to Houston. Brenda and I were here for the entire week (Spring Break), so we worked on it a little bit each day. By Tuesday we had everything done except for the gable ends and the ridge. The ridge was last.<br />
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Brenda was a great help. She worked from the scaffolding and I worked on the roof. But, when it came time to secure the ridge; it was Brenda time.<br />
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We made a repelling seat harness and secured two safety ropes, one for each side of the roof. Thankfully, Brenda never had to test the setup. We did test it before she ventured up on the roof, so we were pretty confident that it would work. Here's a pic of Brenda "screwing up" the roof.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJH5kndUeuja5uSy8JmTbBWOyGuQs2_3MlT0D9ScLPSOb6Q70Q7t8XwbvDTelTuScCEu5Qs4sCjRTomIaJHR1HpToOEhDoKDLQu8Y2TEV_YKDyHMMhgzQqScAeQMoEqljZ9iq68tyV_o/s1600/2017-03-16+15.36.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brenda securing the ridge cap" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJH5kndUeuja5uSy8JmTbBWOyGuQs2_3MlT0D9ScLPSOb6Q70Q7t8XwbvDTelTuScCEu5Qs4sCjRTomIaJHR1HpToOEhDoKDLQu8Y2TEV_YKDyHMMhgzQqScAeQMoEqljZ9iq68tyV_o/s400/2017-03-16+15.36.13.jpg" title="Brenda securing the ridge cap" width="400" /></a></div>
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We are so very, very happy to finally have a finished roof. One more of those nagging "unattended to task" that's finally been attended to. Here's the finished roof.<br />
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<br />Byron Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187038993095988279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063525649681978591.post-59552472831088466472016-10-26T20:31:00.002-05:002016-10-26T20:36:58.985-05:00NormalNormal. The alarm goes off. You grope in the darkness to turn it off. Another day in another year. Feel your way to the bathroom. Wash that face. Brush the teeth. Put on your uniform. Pack some food. Kiss your spouse. Out the door in under 20 minutes. You smile. Yeah, today you're going to beat that traffic snarl. It's life, when you're "normal".<br />
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What if, you could change normal to astounding. Would it become your "normal" one day? Imagine waking up in darkness and turning to look up at the moon. You smile, and snuggle further into your comforter dreaming about what adventure you will have today. When nature calls, you put on your slippers and headlamp. Into the woods you go to relieve yourself. Everything is black and silent, except the window of light coming from your beam.<br />
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Today, you'll work at returning the forest to the state it used to be hundreds of years ago - a piney woods savannah. As you work, you encounter a variety of plant and insect life and you ponder - is this native to the forest or is it invasive? Is this edible? Is this harmless? Medicinal? Poisonous? The colors and smells surprise you. The experience leaves you richer, more satisfied.<br />
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You ask yourself, will this one day become my normal. this life full of unexpected wonders? <br />
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Brenda Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11799071042104707584noreply@blogger.com