Harvesting Urban Timber
by Sam Sherrill
Softcover
205 x 270mm
224pp
Published by Linden Publishing, CA USA
R.R.P.$29.90
ISBN 0-941936-71-6
Extract from back cover of book:
Three to four billion board feet of lumber are being fed either directly or indirectly into landfills throughout the United States each year. Here Sam Sherrill explains not only the importance of harvesting urban trees, but also how to do so. He details how local businesses, woodworkers, and city governments can undertake their own urban timber harvesting programs.
Explained
in detail are:
- Felling
- Safety
- Timber Conversion
- Seasoning
- Hiring a Sawyer
- Sawing for Figure
"A very valuable book with great tips for woodworkers, city foresters and arborists, urban park managers, homeowners, environmentalists, and community volunteers. Sherrill offers sound advice and practical suggestions on making the very best use of urban timber." - Stephen M. Bratkovich, USDA Forest Service, author of Utilizing Municipal Trees: Ideas From Across the Country
"Finally, a book that offers real insights into the meaning of economic sustainability in community forest management. This book offers guidelines and great examples of how urban tree waste can be turned into valuable cash assets. A must-have text for every community forest tree manager." - Eric A. Oldar, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
Photos: Colour
Units of Measurement: Imperial
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Downhill Racer
Urban Sources of Wood
What
is an Urban Tree?
Lessons Learned from Others and from Experience
Where
it Grows Determines Where it Goes
Not All Urban Wood Can Become Lumber
Risky Business, Cutting Urban Trees
The Public Understands
Benefits
of Harvesting Urban Timber
Content
CHAPTER
ONE
From Wood Waste to Wood Resource
Introduction
Green
Waste, or a Green Resource Being Wasted
The New Jersey Municipal Log Project
The Expense of Dumping Good Wood
Urban Versus Commercial Logging
Results of the New Jersey Project
A Mill of Their Own
Integration of Tree Service and Sawmill Operations
Minnesota Urban Tree Residue Utilization Project
Dutch Elm Disease
Filling Minnesota Landfills
A Project to Reduce Urban
Green Waste
Attitude Adjustments About Urban Trees
Firewood Instead
of Lumber
Urban Forestry in California
AB 939
The Economic Value
of Harvesting Urban Trees
Seeing Urban Trees as an Urban Forest
The
CDF Sawmill and Kiln Loan Program
Saw it and They Will Buy?
Summary
CHAPTER
TWO
From Trees to Logs
Introduction
The Population of Urban
Trees
What Do We Know
Nationwide Urban Forest Survey
Local, State
Sources of Information
The Structure of Trees
Softwoods and Hardwoods
Tree Growth
Structure at the Cellular Level
Water Content
Additional Information
Recognizing Quality Trees
Species
Reaction
Wood
Wind-Damaged Trees
Other Natural Disasters
Insect, Fungal
and Bacterial Disease
Heavy Metal and Concrete
Harvesting Mechanics:
4 Ways to Fell Urban Trees
Felling Trees With Chain Saws: Amateurs Beware
Two Cautionary Stories
The Task of Felling: Who and How
Manual
Felling with a Chain Saw
Tree Limbing and Bucking
Limbing
Bucking
Safe Chain Saw Operation
Personal Protective Equipment
Chain Saw
Safety
Summary
CHAPTER
THREE
From Logs To Lumber
Introduction
Skidding and Yarding
Protecting Yourself
Minimum Equipment Needed
Skidding in Urban Areas
Bringing the Mill to the Logs
Transportable Mills
Options
Chainsaw Mills
Circular Saw Mills
Thin-Kerf
Band Saw Mills
Sawing Costs
Pricing Options
Sawing Costs and Log
Scaling
Advance Arrangements Reduce Costs
Sawing Logs into Lumber
Sawing for Grade
Hardwoods: National Hardwood Lumber Association
Softwoods:
American Lumber Standard Committee
Hardwoods and Softwoods: Architectural
Woodwork Institute
Cutting
to Individual Requirements
Flat Sawing
Quarter Sawing
Rift Sawing
Drying Lumber
Water in Wood
Kiln Drying
Air Drying
Summary
CHAPTER
FOUR
Who Is Harvesting Urban Timber?
Introduction
The 500-Year-Old
Bur Oak
"Black John" and the Bur Oak
The Oak Falls
From Limbs to
Lumber
From Lumber to Furniture and More
The Trees of Biltmore
The Biltmore Estate and Inn
The Lone Black Walnut
From the Grounds of
the Governor's Residence
The Indiana Governor's Residence
Lumber for
Indiana Schools
Festivals of Growth
Lompoc Lumber
Lompoc, California
The Band Mill Experiment
The Results: Reduced Expenses, Better Wood,
and More Imagination
Owning a Mill
West Coast Arborists, Inc.
From
Tree Care to Lumber
East-West Urban Forest Products
Scale and Profit
Is There Profit in Commitment?
Three Pioneering Efforts
CHAPTER
FIVE
Harvesting Trees in Your Community
Introduction
Getting
Started
Organizing a HUT Group
Identifying Sources of Trees
Finding
Sawyers
Selecting Sawing Sites
Sawing Choices
Publicizing the Effort
Assessing Tree Quality and Size
Safety is Always a First Priority
Next Steps
Selling Logs and Lumber
A Final Thought
ENDNOTES
Appendix A - Commercial Lumber Names
Appendix B - Weight of Green
Logs
Appendix C
- Correct and Incorrect Lifting Methods
Appendix D - Softwood Grading Organizations
Appendix E - Heartwood Resistance to Decay
Appendix F - U.S. Kiln Drying
Associations
Appendix G - Example of Kiln Drying Prices
Appendix H -
Equilibrium Moisture Content
References
Index