Woodworking
Definitions
Felling:

Felling sounds like bad grammar, but that
is indeed what dropping a tree from a
standing position is called.

Here you can see the chainsaw is stuck in
the tree about to make a notch. This notch
controls where the tree is going to land and
allows the tree to topple over in a controlled
manner.

Interestingly enough, this tree is of a
Basswood tree I felled for Mike, also known
as Dragon1 on the Wood Online
woodworking Forums. Dragon asked for "a
monster amount of Basswood" and
together we were able to get him quite the
pile of it.
Limbing:

Limbing is just what it sounds like,
knocking the limbs off a tree after they have
been felled. Personally, I think this is the
most time consuming and tiring part of
logging. You have to wade through
branches, lugging a heavy chainsaw and
cutting off limbs as you go. If it sounds easy
in print, I can assure you in the woods it is
not!
Yarding:

Here in Maine it is known as "twitching" as
well as yarding. It is using a tractor,
skidder, forwarder or even horse or ATV, to
bring wood out of the woods and onto a
landing.

While it may sound easy, planning is the
key. These trees are very long and snaking
them out of a forest full of obstacles can
test even the best logger. Still a tree that is
left in the woods, is utter waste.
Bucking:

Bucking is a term describing the practice of
cutting up a full tree into separate logs.
This is where skill comes into play. Crook,
twist, bow, taper and knots all play a part.
Its not surprising that a 16 foot log could be
worth less than half of what a 8 foot long
log would bring you, if that 8 foot log is free
of knots.

Bucking can be done in the woods if the
machine trying to get the tree out is small,
or out on the landing like I am doing in this
picture.
Bunting:

Bunting may be a term used only in Maine.
I am not sure, but it is something I am very
dutiful in doing. Basically its using your
chainsaw to make sure all the limbs and
stubs are off a log.

I was once hit in the cheek from a log with
a stub sticking out of the log. When the
sawblade of the mill hit it, it flew back in my
face. Now I make sure my logs are as
smooth as possible. I think this gives you a
better scale even in commercial logging to
be honest with you. Logs that just look
better, typically get scaled up better.
Landing:

Here in Maine we call the place where the
trucks come to pick up the wood as a yard.
It is also called the landing internationally.
Which ever you prefer, having enough
room for trucks to move around, with out
fear of getting stuck in the mud, is
paramount. Myself, I try to make the truck
drivers job as easy as possible. This gives
me a good reputation as a logger and gets
my wood to the mill as quickly as possible.
Here is a picture of a landing filled with
Hemlock logs.
Scaling:

Scaling is the measuring of logs by a
sawmill or land owner to find out what his
logs are worth. It truly is a craft unto its
own. By using a measurement stick and
skill, the scaler can estimate how many
board feet are in a log, or how many cords
are in a load of wood. Surprisingly, scaling
is very, very accurate.

(To see better examples, and more
explanation of the terms listed on this web
page, please take THIS LINK to take you to
a small scale virtual logging harvest that
describes these terms in detail and with
multiple pictures)