I thought some of you might find this interesting. Several of the photos wanted to make me cry. But its interesting to see what these guys did to survive and what the forests looked like. I can't image a fir tree with a circumference of 76' at 18" above the ground.
https://timeline.com/logging-photos-...s-bf18aef19955
I wasn't sure of where to post this but this seemed like the best forum. Admins, feel free to move it if there is a better place
Your title should say "destruction" not "taming".
I agree, but I just used the title from the original article.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton
I would love to have seen some of the boards that came out of those trees. Most of the "woods" in my area are scrub oaks and pine trees. Nothing as majestic as the old growth shown in those pictures. I've been in the Seattle area several times and seen some of the woods east of there. As impressive as they are they are not the same as what we lost. Sad.
Thanks for sharing that, really interessting. The size of those Trees is amazing we just dont get those in Europe, there are some old Oaks over 2m in diameter but nothing quite that big, felling those Behemoths with axes and Handsaws cant have been easy.
Its sometimes hard enough to bring "normal" size trees down with modern Equipment and Machinery, granted im speaking from the perspective of a Landowner grown up on Farms, I guess those guys didnt worry too much about keeping the rest of the trees undamaged and keep the Forest intact.
Losing all those Giants is somewhat sad, then again Trees dont live forever, ultimately for the next generation of Trees to grow properly and large you need to take out the old ones. If you want straight large Trees useable for Furniture and the like that is, for Firewood it doesnt matter. At least thats my take on it
Thanks for the thread. The pictures are both exhilarating and depressing. I particularity liked the photos of the old "donkey engines". A more dangerous machine has probably never been invented. (not counting Robert Oppenheimer's life work). For a great read - and some wonderful descriptions of logging and especially donkey engines - read Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey, one of my all time favorites. Never give an inch.
One of my favorites is a coffee table book of Kinsey's photos. I ran across it in a used book store. Go see the redwoods for context. Breathtaking.
thank you for sharing.....
The biggest redwoods are too big to log. They tried it and the wood shatters when the tree crashes down. They have tried putting branches in the landing area etc. Just no good way to get it too work,. thus most of the inland Sequoia Gigantia trees have never been logged.
I have heard folks are growing them around the world and they can be harvested before they get too big like under 200Feet. In general redwood is lightweight and splits/shatters if overloaded.
I have never heard of any use for "Dawn Redwood" from China.
Bill D
I live in NW Washington where a lot of the pictures were taken. Whether you are for or against logging the photographer, Darius Kinsey, did an incredible job documenting this period of history. There are a couple of books available with his pictures. Well worth checking out. The collection of his original glass plates is in Bellingham WA at the Whatcom County Museum. I have had several prints made through them and they hang proudly in my house. I have several cedar stumps on my property measuring 8-10' in diameter. Do wish they had left a couple. If you do have an appreciation of the big trees, the redwood groves in Northern California are a sight to behold.
https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/sherman.htm
I think almost all the drive through trees in California are gone now. We had a huge drought that stressed the trees and high winds took them down. Last year was record high rainfall this year is the worst yet.
Bill D
for a treasure trove of photos see https://content.lib.washington.edu/c...web/index.html
heck out the logs used in Apex Timber Company Shay Engine Number 5 on log jam trestle, ca. 1925t the logs in this trestle look to be 10 feet in diameter.
I suppose we should refer to ALL natural resource use as a "destruction" then? Many families, maybe even relatives of yours, were housed due to these trees being felled. And you know what-- they'll all grow back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton
DeanQuote:
Originally Posted by Dean Chapel
I don't think that is the intended context of Jamie's statement.
It was "destruction", pure and simple, Environmentally it was a very bad as we learned, and still manage the consequences to this day,but it was a different era then, and the needs of America, at that time in history, for that natural resource was tremendous.
Those loggers, and the trees they cut down, built a country. Without them, western expansion could not have occurred.
Coal, Steel, and Lumber were the industries that shaped, and built, this country. The work in all three was very dangerous and physically debilitating for the folks doing it. They were also environmentally very destructive, but absolutely necessary at that time.
All three of these industries have changed with time.
I first saw these pictures many years ago when Forrest Addy posted them. They're still impressive photo's.