The Rural Voice, 2005-10, Page 27Ever wonder what you should be
doing with your woodiot?
Consider a membership in the
Huron/Perth Chapter of the
Ontario Woodlot Association
"Dedicated to the Wise and Profitable Use of
Ontario's Private Woodland Resources"
Officers of the Huron/Perth Chapter
President: Victor Roland 335-3944
Treasurer: Jim Ginn 524-2522
Directors: Roger Cook 271-1978
Gordon Pryce 527-0917
Floyd Harper 348-9854
Glen Pridham 433-9056
Norman Jefferson 348-8283
John Haak 482-3353
Marvin Smith 291-2236
Murray Schlueter 656-2731
Are you concerned about insects and disease in your woodiot? Our
woodlot tours and meetings can keep you up-to-date. To join us, call
the Ontario Woodlot Association at 1-888-791-1103.
Our next event (everyone welcome): A look at the Ellice Swamp, a
major lowland forest complex. Meet at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday,
October 15, 2005, 3 kms. east of Rostock on Perth Line 46.
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22 THE RURAL VOICE
up, and stay out of it for 15 or 20
years."
There's self-interest in doing a
good job.
"It's doing a bush because you
want to cut it the next time because
you know there's going to be good
material in it." says Dennis.
The family takes a great deal of
pride in going back into bushes
they've been cutting many times over
the years. "We can go back into
bushes that we've cut and cut and
cut," he says. "It's a natural
resource."
He feels that some modern forest
management practices are actually
hurting woodlots. Thinning cuts are
being allowed to take away the
competition from larger trees that
have been selected for growth. But if
the farm changes hands the new
owner may come in and cut the larger
trees and there's not enough trees of
the next generation for replacement
and the woodiot can be severely
damaged.
past overcutting in Quebec has
led to cutbacks in the allowable
logging these days, sending
Quebec mills scouring the northern
American states for supplies to keep
their mills going but midwestern
Ontario is in much better shape.
"There seems to be a good supply
of logs," he says. "Huron, Bruce,
Grey and Perth Counties have the
highest quality of hard maple in the
world for colour and for hardness.
And it demands a good dollar. People
are looking for the product from this
area."
When Togs arrive at the plant they
try to use them within a short period.
Many people don't realize that
leaving Togs sitting for extended
periods can ruin the colour of the
wood, Dennis explains.
Inside the plant the first step is a
peeling operation that takes the bark
off the logs. This removes dirt picked
up during the skidding operation that
might otherwise dull the saw. The
bark is sold to the landscaping
industry for mulch.
The Togs are squared using a large
circular saw to cut off the slabs,
which are then sold for making paper
products.
The logs are sawn into lumber
using a band saw which makes a thin
enough cut that more lumber is