Falling, bucking, and limbing Sitka Spruce
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- Falling, bucking, and limbing a Sitka spruce-tree beside a fish creek near Winter Harbour on north-west Vancouver Island in 1989. Even with new growth on the branches, the tree was designated a snag, due to a broken top. Rainwater filled a cavity up at the break and then poured out the undercut, which doesn't happen often, so capturing it on video was an unexpected bonus.
Note the modifications to the Husqvarna 2101 XP chainsaw -- customised muffler with dual exhaust-ports and some internal baffles removed, giving the saw that "snarly" sound -- two circular air-intake ports on the back of the air-filter cover -- added "dogs" to the side-cover, known as "double dogs". A viewer commented that the saw is "Walkerized" which means the upgrades were done by Walker's Saw Shop in Nanaimo, B.C. on Vancouver Island. The bar (blade) is a 36-inch Oregon roller-tip, running skip-tooth chain with .404-inch pitch. Souped-up rigs, like this one, are favoured by timberfallers in Oregon, western Washington, coastal British Columbia and Alaska.
As a side-note -- model numbers of Husqvarna (Husky) chainsaws are decoded as follows: the first digit is the generation and the remaining digits represent the cylinder displacement; therefore, a Husky 1100 is 1st generation, 100 cc -- its successor, the Husky 2100 is 2nd generation, 100 cc -- the Husky 3120 is 3rd generation with 120 cc displacement -- and so on for generation 4xx models, generation 5xx models, etc.
This video was filmed by veteran faller/film-maker Marcel Levesque using a Panasonic Super VHS camera. After the death of his teenage son, Marcel had a dream/vision where his son appeared to him and suggested that he use a video camera to record working-life in the forest industry, as a hobby to take his mind off his deep sorrow and grief. Then, the lyrics to a song by the late Oregon logger/musician Buzz Martin, describing when a faller packs his gear into the forest looking for a natural "opening" where he can begin placing his timber -- "now I've found my opening, and a whole new life is mine" -- meant to Marcel that his camera work was an "opening" for him. Many years later, the internet and then RUclips came along enabling Marcel to greatly enlarge his "opening" to a potential worldwide viewing audience. So, a spiritual inspiration helped Marcel and kept him motivated -- a man on a mission. During his decades of film-making, Marcel has compiled a visual record of various aspects of the forest industry. Videos by Marcel Levesque can be found on several RUclips channels.
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Good video, no theatrical nonsense like some of the other timber falling videos on RUclips.
Thank you for your positive comments. The video was not rehearsed. Later that day, the cameraman told the faller that he was the first faller he had filmed who spoke "ad lib" into the camera, to explain the situation, how he planned to proceed, etc.
Ran 2100's back in the day in Western Washington. Great saw!
Same, still got one of mine, decades later , used cannon bars , German steel ,,
Vanc Isl
G'day Stumpmaker, good job nice logs 👍.
Here on the coast of British Columbia we always had contestants arrive from Australia to participate in our Logger Sports. Then, during the Covid epidemic, many Logger Sports events were cancelled. Not sure if BC Logger Sports will ever rebound to the major attractions they once were.
Brings back alot of memories
Cheers for sharing mate👌🏻🇭🇲
Absolutely fantastic video! Thanks for sharing.
I'm so impressed with how that face cut lined up perfectly?
"Face cut" in the U.S. and "undercut" in Canada both mean the same thing. During his first 3 years falling timber, that faller had developed a technique -- before he began cutting a tree, while sizing-up the tree, he would imagine what a perfect stump should look like, where the cuts should go in order to make that perfect "Hollywood stump", where he would stand while cutting, the best place for the tree to "lay out" for bucking, etc. Then, while cutting, he would try and replicate the picture he had formed in his mind. After about 5 years experience, his technique became second-nature and he didn't even have to consciously think about it anymore -- before cutting, a picture of the prefect stump would automatically flash in his mind. So, this video was about 90 percent in the faller's mind before the camera was turned on.
Well Done !!!
I love that old growth Spruce lumber. One of the strongest woods for its weight. I have a pair of Spruce rowing oars. Such a pleasure to use.
Tight-grain Sitka spruce is a favourite wood for making guitars, violins, etc. Decades ago, a musician friend coated blocks of Sitka spruce in wax and they're still stored under his workshop.
@@stumpmaker8368 Good Spruce is getting harder to find. I worked on a logging crew from 1968 to 1974 in NW California logging old growth Redwood. I wish I had taken video and more photos. Most of those trees were dying and needed to be taken to make room for new growth. No regrets.
@@stevet8121 Great memories of 1968 to 1972... Those were the days! Our classic rock will never stop being played. No redwood here on the BC coast. We have some transplanted Sequoia. There's a big Sequoia at the BC Parliament Buildings, on Belleville Street in Victoria, BC.
Nice lay and great job , explanation of your process. So great to see and learn from your experience. Thank you for sharing this.
Yes, that spruce didn't put up much of a fight at all -- just gave up and flopped down right where it was supposed to.
Exellent video !!! worked in Holberg for G.L.M. for many years also worked with Duke Kos . I also have a channel with falling content . Sure wish I had these on my channel .
It was a fluke that I got that video of Duke. I happened to meet the cameraman in Nanaimo in 2017 (30 years after he filmed the video). He loaned me the VHS tape, I converted it to digital, and finally got around to posting it to RUclips.
@stumpmaker8368 I'm so glad you got it and thank you for sharing 😊
Impressive Skills 😮!
In my opinion, it takes around 10 years for a B.C. coastal timberfaller to fully develop all the necessary skills. It's a continual balance of courage and caution. Every move can quickly develop into a potentially life-threatening situation. A faller has to have an overdose of common sense.
Enjoyed that blast from the past! Strong saw, big curf....she cuts Eh?
The chain was filed for cutting Western Red Cedar, which is a softer wood than Sitka spruce. The faller didn't want to re-file the chain just for that one tree, so the cutting teeth had a bit more "hook," which caused it to "grab" at the wood. A "hungry chain" is the term used for a chain filed to grab at the wood.
@@stumpmaker8368 Yes, I'm quite familiar with a 'hungry' chain but thanks for the explanation! I was more impressed with the strength of the saw to pull that chain the way it did! Cheers!
Did Aircraft Spruce and Specialty get a hold of that one?
Not sure. The second cut of that tree might have been high enough grade. At that time, the highest grades of Sitka were red dot, white dot, and blue dot. All the highest grades were set aside for the Japanese market. The Japanese would have us turn over each log while they filmed. They viewed the film to accurately bid on each log. The Japanese took the logs home and sunk them in lakes, to keep them preserved until ready for use. Also at that time, the Port Alice pulp mill had a chipper that could take a log 8 feet in diameter. When the price of pulp was higher than the price of the lower grades of lumber, to logs were chipped up for pulp! So, the lower grade logs from that tree likely went for toilet paper.
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Dam that’s a tree he used a tank of gas cutting it down! Mad respect
Hey that 2100 is Walkerized, nice slacks! Those logs would sure be prettier on a logging truck.
Yes, the saw was "Walkerized" which means the modifications and upgrades were done by Walker's Saw Shop in Nanaimo, B.C., on Vancouver Island.
@@stumpmaker8368 Where I used to get my saw's tuned up.
@@PaulHodgson-gm6lg Never been to Walker's, but my saws have!
For all you chainsaw and tree cutting enthusiasts making content for social media... this is your daddy.
Hey man, don't give them any ideas; besides, all those previous attempts to prove that I'm a daddy were only successful after Court Orders and DNA evidence...
Was that you on the pumpkin?
@@benbiagioni9906 The undercut was narrow but I was falling it almost at right angle to the slight lean, so I was confident it wouldn't start tipping early, and I'd have enough time to cut as much holding wood as needed to eliminate any chance of "barber-chair" when the undercut closed -- 35 years ago!
@@stumpmaker8368 Now I really know that you are their daddy.
@@benbiagioni9906 Compared to the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, in the last 30 years chainsaws and falling technique haven't changed much. Smaller saws have allowed smaller fallers. A higher level of professionalism is required now.
I don’t know what one of those cd1100’s weigh but I’m betting it’s plenty, probably close to 30lbs ready to cut.?
Great video for sure 👍🏻
Yes depending on the bar , I ran a 42" bar .
My 47” 880 in the 40s I’d guess…I’m 5’9” 125lb and have packed it on my shoulder up steep eastern Ky mts
@@charlesmullins3238 Keep your eyes peeled -- it's what you don't see that'll get you...
What era is this ? Love the old saws , id be tired after the first cut lol
Husqvarna 2100 with 26 inch bar
@@knowledgedriven6619 The chainsaw is a modified Husqvarna 2101 XP with 36 inch bar (blade).
@@stumpmaker8368 my bad, I was completely wrong.
@@knowledgedriven6619 You weren't completely wrong. It's hard to tell the difference between a 2100 and a 2101. And you could have said that you meant a 36 inch bar, but the 26 inch bar was a typo.
It looks like everything around is 2nd or third growth ,why did they leave this tree the first time ?.......and I see yet another saw I need for my collection😅
There was no evidence of prior logging in the area. Trees seemed stunted due to lack of nutrients in the soil, or whatever. In 1908 hurricane force winds blew down huge swaths of timber on northern Vancouver Island. That lone big spruce-tree was likely a survivor of that storm, and all the smaller trees were (what is referred to as) '08 Regen.
How did they remove the tree? Nice drop!
Madill grapple yarders were used; otherwise, we'd spray the logs with anti-gravity paint until they floated off the ground, then we attached propellors to our chainsaws and we'd fly the logs down to the sawmill; however, unexpected rainfalls would wash off the anti-gravity paint, causing too many crashes.
👍🏻 awesome.
biggest saw Husky makes
Husqvarna 3120 is their biggest, so far...
Too bad they couldn't get the lumber they want from all the smaller trees and leave this noble old grandad alone.
Firstly, we must agree to put our ideological bias aside, then we can analyse the various aspects involved. For example: seedlings replanted after logging the area in the video are now 35 years old. Each young tree, growing vigorously, adds far more oxygen to the atmosphere than that over-mature Spruce-tree could ever.
@@stumpmaker8368 Ideological bias aside, had the grand old tree been left alone to die a natural death, its decomposing carcass would at first provide habitat for insects, food and habitat for birds, and, when finally falling, compost into rich soil for trees that follow. Felling and hauling the tree to the lumber mill, has denied the forest an essential component needed to sustain itself.
@@ralphaverill2001 Terms such as noble and grandfather, when referring to plants shows ideological bias. In 1975 we logged 110-year-old second-growth at Boughey Bay (we called it Boogie Bay) on the west coast of BC. The area had regrown naturally, without replanting. The second-growth timber was boomstick size (3 feet diameter at the butt) with eye-popping growth-rings as wide as my thumbnail! Some of the big old western red cedar butt-cuts left behind by loggers in 1865 still had good wood in them, and we yarded it in. That forest wasn't deprived -- it was some of the heathiest timber I have ever seen. By 2050 it'll be ready to log a third time.
@@stumpmaker8368 Forests operate on thousand year and more cycles. Centuries are too short a span. I regret that I will never see the ten thousand year old forests that existed in New England before European colonists arrived and clear cut just about all of it. Some of those colonists were my ancestors, who arrived in North America in 1633, so I guess I inherit at least some of the blame.
BTW, seeing a stand of trees as just so much timber to be logged is a different ideological bias, but a bias none the less. We all got 'em.
@@ralphaverill2001You are not guilty of your ancestors cutting trees back in the 1630s, neither are your ancestors guilty. But if you feel guilty, you will try and blame others. Yes, I have been hired to evaluate of a stand of timber for cutting, and in my time off from working in the woods I'd go out in the woods hiking, camping, taking pictures, etc. So the forest can be used for many purposes -- work, pleasure, study.