276 



Canadian Forestry Journal, June, 1919 



MACHINES TO FELL TREES 



(Correspondence in American Lumberman) 

 "The waste from timber from our present way 

 of felling trees is enormous and altogether out 

 of reason. Hardwood and hemlock they in- 

 variably saw off 2'/2 to 3 feet from the ground 

 and in a time like this when hemlock butt would 

 go for pulpwood and bring $8 per cord and 

 hardwood butts would go into cordwood and 

 bring the same price, or would make the butt 

 log of the trees that much longer, it is astonish- 

 ing that we should allow that waste to continue. 

 A machine should be perfected in the way of a 

 light gasoline engine that could be carried on 

 handles by two men and set on the roots of the 

 trees and dogged to the roots and a cross-cut 

 saw could rapidly cut off the trees close to the 

 ground. I should think the manufacturers of 

 gasoline engines and machinery would have 

 taken the matter up before this and I wish you 

 would publish some kind of an article on this 

 subject and see if you can stimulate some of 

 them to do this." — Inquiry No. 106. 



The above inquiry comes from an old-time 

 Wisconsin lumberman and is interesting as show- 

 ing an increased interest in this subject. 



The development of a satisfactory power 

 driven portable tree felling saw is a subject 

 that has not entirely escaped the attention of 

 inventors and engineers. One concern is work- 

 ing upon a motor truck carrying a saw at the 

 end of a swinging arm which is adapted to be 

 brought into action into the side of the tree to 

 be felled. Presumably the truck would start 

 off on its own power when the tree began to fall 

 and thus get out of danger, although if the tree 

 is properly wedged and particularly with a 

 patent screw power wedge which has been 

 devised for the purpose, it is quite certain to 

 go in the direction that has been prepared. A 

 German invention purposes to drive a wire 

 around a tree (belt fashion) with sufficient 

 speed to heat the wire by friction, so that it 

 might burn its way through the tree. Another 

 cutting device suggested has been a chain saw. 

 The ordinary cross-cutting saw has been hitched 

 up to a reciprocating piston to be driven by 

 either steam or compressed aid. A circular 

 saw on a swinging arm is carried by a carriage 

 running on a semi-circular track which is laid 

 down about the base of the tree. This saw is 

 driven by a small electric motor. Another in- 

 vention uses a drill as the cutting tool, boring a 

 series of connecting holes about the tree; and 

 this can be done if desired at a sufficient depth 

 below the surface of the soil to leave nothing 



above ordinary plow level. No one has at- 

 tempted thus far to invent a power axeman, 

 using the familiar swinging axe as the cutting 

 tool. No one seems to have studied the pos- 

 sibilities in this line for pneumatic reciprocat- 

 ing or rotating cutting tools, which have been 

 widely applied to other uses. One of the large 

 electric companies started in to investigate the 

 possibilities in this field for electric power, but 

 it does not seem to have gotten anywhere. If 

 any of these developers have discovered a ma- 

 chine that entirely solves the problem of felling 

 trees by power in a way that is portable, flexible 

 and economical he has up to the present time 

 "hidden his light beneath a bushel". 



TO REFOREST CUT-OVER LANDS 



Among the important propositions under con- 

 sideration at Washington, to utilize cut-over 

 timber lands in the south is one involving a 

 survey with a view to extending the production 

 of forage crops for livestock. A conference 

 presided over by Assistant Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture Christie has urged Secretary Houston to re- 

 commend legislation of this nature. The plan 

 includes problems of reforestation with a view 

 to utilizing large areas of cut-over lands for tTie 

 reproduction of timber. It is pointed out that 

 there are approximately 100,000,0000 acres 

 of cut-over lands in the south Atlantic, Gulf and 

 lower Mississippi Valley States. The area is 

 increasing annually. In Michigan, Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota are 50,000,000 more acres 

 which should be surveyed and utilized. If un- 

 dertaken, the work would ultimately reach all 

 sections where there are large areas of cut-over 

 lands. 



STOCK TAKING ON CROWN LANDS 



An effort is being made to speed up the 

 work of classification of New Brunswick Crown 

 lands, and about six survey parties will be in 

 the field this year, three in charge of land sur- 

 veyors, who will run all control lines and 

 boundaries between Crown land and granted 

 land, three parties will be in charge of fores- 

 ters, who will cary out the work of cruising and 

 soil classification. A special party will work 

 under the direction of Dr. C. D. Howe, of Tor- 

 onto University, to carry out the study of an- 

 nual growth and establishment of permanent 

 sample plots, in order to establish what the an- 

 nual growth of the province is. 



