Forest Fam Tour? An Idea? A poll?

Irv Graham

Member
Messages
64
Location
Golden BC Canada
Golden Greetings:huh: Trial Balloon
I have a wild idea, and it needs to develop form, function and fun.
As one of your newer members with limited woodworking skills, I have other assets and abilities to offer. We operate a sustainable 1500 acre forest near Golden BC in the Canadian Rockies, have a portable woodmizer milling operation, and a 10 room B&B lodge near the woodlot. I want to offer forest familiarization tours of the woodlot as an option for guests.

As there are many experienced wood craftsmen in this forum, and having a great respect and passion about wood and what you can do with it. So my question is, if you wanted to go on a fam tour of a sustainable forest, what would you like to see and enjoy learning about the forest, trees, forest practises, milling practises and products that come from the forest. I have been on many tours, but often they are too technical and boring for most.

Nothing has been developed so far other than an idea, and I hope it catches fire(there maybe many other forest owners in your area that might want to do the same thing). I don't expect that you will come to our area, but you may have ideas and an interest in sharing them.


The forum has a poll, what questions could be asked in the Family Woodworking forum poll?

There will be many questions that you may have about our forest and specialty wood products. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability or refer them to my partner Randy who owns a small forest engg company. Our forests are mostly evergreens(softwoods) and we freeze under a great blanket of snow in winter.

My website has maps and activities, if interested goto www.alpinemeadowslodge.com. Thanking you in advance for your kind assistance and contributions.
Have Great Day
Irv Graham

PS These are images from a BC Woodlot AGM in Port Alberni BC
 

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I doubt you would ever get a woodlot tour as a draw for your lodge. I think with so many organizations today having "forest demonstrations" or "walks through the woods", you really don't have to go far to see good sustainable forestry or new ways of gleaning forest products from the forest. These organizations include, the local colleges, the local industries, and the ever growing homestead organizations. They also typically have multiple demonstrations, such as horse-logging, tractor logging, and mechanical harvesting, so people can see a wide variety of harvesting methods, not just your method.

At the same time, as beautiful as the Canadian Rockies are (I have been there numerous times), there is far more interest in seeing such stuff where you live. That is, I would care very little about how, why and where Douglas Fir grows since it is not a wood I use, or even have near me. I would be much more interested in the wood species, how they are harvested, why they are harvested and what they are used for in my local area.

That being said, you do have a big woodlot and since its there, for the people that are drawn to your lodge for other reasons, you could easily set up a self-guided tour. Me and the ex-wife were in the Great North Woods and stumbled upon a self-guided logging demonstration up there. The local paper company placed signs and kiosks I guess you would call them. They had trails through the woods, and every few acres they harvested in a different manner, (clear cut, shelter wood, thinning, pre-commercial thinning, etc) so people could read about what they were seeing, why they did it,and what the benefits were. That was kind of cool, but I was a logger and interested in that stuff. You could do something very similar and then would not have to be there on every tour and get bored of saying the same thing to a new group of people.

Another idea you could do, is do a once or twice a year forestry weekend where you bring in other methods of logging like horse logging, cable skidding, mechanical harvesting and tractor logging. Even if you don't have the stuff, you probably know people in the industry that do use that sort of thing. It might be worth setting something up. As is, big machinery brings in people. maybe you have a friend with a 635 TigerCat that can just park his machine at the lodge for the weekend. People like to look at big iron.

While you are having this weekend event, throw in a few Stihl Timber Sports type events like the two man cross cut saw competition, or the ax throwing thing. A place by me puts on an exhibition like that every weekend during the summer for tourists. It has enough draw to keep the place open during the weekend for tourist season.

My only other thought is to work the history angle of logging. Many people like history and will drive a ways to see historical logging stuff. Myself, I have driven up to Lenard's Woods, a place that is rebuilt as an old 1790's logging mill and that is kind of cool. They do a twice a year weekend thing to keep the place running and do okay,though its more of a living history museum then anything else.

Those are a few thoughts I have. Maybe it helps, but as a woodworker/logger in a similar situation as you (large woodlot owner) I gotta say, most people today really don't care about logging and what we have to do to get wood out of the woods.:dunno:
 
Golden Trails

Hey Travis I knew you would reply, you have a fine example of forestry heritage, knowledge, trails and public access. One of the forestry challenges in BC, is that many small community mills have shutdown indefinitely, and almost 10,000 people affected.

I'm happy to just let our forest grow, however it costs us when don't meet the cut allowance. So since we have low value or no markets for some our logs, we have to become more innovative in finding value added or alternative uses of our forest values. Attached is the google earth image showing more than 20 miles of trails that I rehabilitated 11 years ago at the lodge and to/through the woodlot(Moonraker Trails hiking, mtn biking now managed by Golden Cycle Club).

The second initiative is to learn through the timber frame guild, I'm designing, milling, cutting and building a replica of a small timberframe shed,

"the 12x16 foot garden tool shed featured in this book was was designed and built for the Hancock Shaker Village, a museum of old Shaker buildings in Hancock, Massachusetts."

and other woodworking projects. (see sketchup model). I just love what can be done with wood but for most there is often a disconnect between the forest and the fine wood craftsmenship that most in this forum appreciate. Are there ways to bridge this gap in a fun and outdoor learning experience?

Yes there are many demo forests and large operators that provide tours and experiences which I definitely can't and will not repeat. I will be contacting and making our logs and milled products available to local wood craftspersons that can showcase what can come out of the forest. Though this often a very small and often tough market to work with.
Comments Welcome
Irv Graham
 

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...Are there ways to bridge this gap in a fun and outdoor learning experience?...

I like your idea. You hit the nail on the head though in your previous post when you wondered out loud about being too technical. I happen to love wood, and the trees and forests it comes from so much I went to college and earned a forestry degree years ago. Si I'm way biased. I'm one of those that would love all the technical you could throw at me on a tour such as that through your woods. As one who mills my own wood to feed my woodshop, I would love to see a setup like that. However... I know enough to know I am not the norm there. The average family outing or whatever your target group is might be interested in a few aspects of your forest if you managed to make it interesting enough for an hour walk or such, but that would be a challenge. Depending on how you set it up and "produced" it, some woodworkers might be interested in the milling aspect. If I had more details I could give you a better opinion.
 
Golden Trails

Dave thanks for bridging the gap comments. Admiring the character, quality and beauty of wood is always in the "eye of the beholder". Whereas big mill foresters look for species, size, and consistency, some wood craftsmen are looking for that unusual character, twist, bend, burls, conk, fire cased, standing dead, in addition to quartersawn, clear and stable wood.

When I see a slab table top, the tree history and its life's journey can be read in the grain, texture, variation of sapwood and heartwood color, its good and bad years etc. Working with wood from its forest origin to that well crafted chair or home is rewarding.

Here is one of our forest residents.
Take Care
Irv Graham
 

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Irv, I have no advice to offer, but after looking at the Google Earth image of your place, I just wanted to say how sorry I feel for you, having to live in that bleak, un-scenic wasteland. :rofl:

Seriously, that looks like a wonderful place to call home. :thumb: I'm jealous.
 
Golden Trails

Yes Vaughn, thanks, I think. We do live in a natural paradise. But it comes at a cost. When I built my first home here, we lived without phone and hydro power for three years. With two youngsters at the time it was sure an eye opener for previous city dwellers. We finally got power when I built the lodge. Now that the kids have grown up and moved to the city, my wife thinks that paradise is in a big city and moving 500 miles to be near the kids. Gee I wanna see the 34,000 trees we planted five years ago, after a big blowdown, mature a little more.
Cheers
 
Irv...living out in the country is indeed tough business. Most people on here would not relate to driving 40 miles to the nearest BORG, or driving 15 miles to get to a store...any store. Then of course they would never understand the signals other drivers give you. While in the city most are one finger gestures of a particularly nasty meaning, for us one finger means one more, two means two more, and three means you are not going anywhere fast because the road is too narrow and three more logging trucks are right behind the guy that just held up three fingers telling you you better wait until they come down the hill!!

I would not trade it for anything, but you have to remember this is indeed all I know. Sometimes I forget that both the ex-wife, and the new wife, did not come from here and don't have the connection with this place that I do. The ex-wife wanted out and in a big way. When she got the chance, she left and has loved city life ever since.

I knew my current wife was a keeper when she spent all of one weekend just being content at home. Even now she enjoys this place. We have a summer home down on the coast and its right beside THE road that goes in and out of the Saint George Peninsula. Man is that house loud compared to Thorndike.

Still large land ownership has its problems. A lot of responsibilities, regulations, taxes and other issues that not only effect you, but many others, and potentially for many generations to come. Nothing is done lightly. Sometimes that can be hard for a woman who just wants to take the easy way out and sit in a nice house on 1.6 acres in the suburb and never lose power, scare away a bear or stitch up a husband who cut himself with a chainsaw and just raise some little ones.

With that being said, I think you may be onto something with the timber frame idea. I know a guy on the Forestry Forum near me was looking for some Hemlock and Pine for long timber frame timbers. I am still not sure if that is going to pan out for me or not. It would be awesome to see some of my really nice hemlocks go into a house instead of just industrial lumber, but the guy is not a certified scaler and he was not sure how to grade long logs accurately. He also wanted whole truckloads of the stuff and of course wants them NOW. With the amount of snow we got, that just isn't going to happen. Still that may be something you can angle in on. Either providing timber frame beams precut, or getting into the timber frame business yourself.

I would love to tell you people would be thrilled to go visit your lodge, see the sights and take in everything there is to learn about forestry and sustainable logging, but my experience is not too rosy. Other then a few interested people who know the true joy of opening up a log and seeing what mother nature gave you, most woodworkers are just looking to get that 1500 board feet of "knot free,clear White Ash for 50 cents a board foot" gloat.

Myself, I have always said the guys that carry the chainsaws are the true environmentalists. We care because we know and we sow. I have not planted 34,000 trees like you, but I have planted several thousand. Its not quite the same as watching Alyson grow up, but its pretty close. I keep my eye on them all, and I can only wish that like Alyson, each one will grow up to be something very productive. It sounds odd, unless you have stepped on each side of the seedling while planting it and whispered "Good luck and grow tall."

Irv, I wish you the best of luck and I mean every word that I say. I only have 402 acres, but that's all I can handle sometimes.
 
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Golden Trails

Hey Travis
I still got a few tricks to learn from you. My woodlot is different, we have got 80 acres of private land dedicated to the woodlot(with partner) and in 1997 we applied for and won the competition to operate(not own) the woodlot on crown(public) lands(1500 acres). BC Woodlots operate with a strong compliance to forest stewardship standards, regulations and obligations. Over the years we have had publications and paperwork stacked higher than I am tall.(and seem to be updated or replaced every other year).

For instance sustainable means if it takes a average tree 100 years to grow and mature, and the woodlot is fully stocked, then your allowable cut is 1%(1/100) of the inventory per year. There are rigorous obligations to evaluate, map & maintain forest values, wildlife values & habitats, soil stratums, etc etc. Silviculture obligations ie planting are established with criteria to meet growth and forest standards for twelve to fifteen years free to grow period. Rental fees, stumpage costs and logging taxes go to the province plus federal tax obligations. There are 800 small woodlot tenures in BC.(mostly mom & pop operations)

This is enough for now, the story wood continues.
Cheers
alpmeadow
 
Irv

I am enough of a geek that I would love the idea. However the cost of getting there might be an issue for me. Heck here in Pa. we have PCN (PA cable network) and they visit and make videos of many business and manafacturing operations around the state. Its my favorite channel when its airing that kind of stuff.

Every thing from sheet rock construction to a one man Autoharp operation and everything in between.

As far a living far from town I don't consider it a big deal but my bride of 39 years is now spoiled to running to the store at the drop of a hat.

Good luck what ever endevor you try.

Garry
 
Golden Heritage

Hey Gary
Well I guess we have videos too. Below is an image captured from my DVD showing modern transport in the mountains. Actually it is a video called Open Skyways in the Rockies by WJ Oliver, shot in the 1930's (silent B&W with subtitles) in nearby Yoho National Park.:D
Cheers
 

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Hi Irv :wave:,
What you are trying to figure out is a marvelous challenge.
For a number of years I have been wanting to go to a woodworking conference/convention/seminar/hands on whatever in Jackson Hole in the winter. Being a business related venture would help defray the cost as a tax write off and it would allow me to go skiing at the same time. But:dunno: I never noticed them having such a thing.:(

Maybe you could have Mike Henderson do a carving class, Tod do a curved and bending class with vacuum lamination, Dave Richards do a sketch up seminar along with the mountain tours, reforestation and logging, and free busses to the ski slope in the time off.:rolleyes:
Like your dilema! And what a place to have such a situation.:D
Shaz :)
 
Irv, please forgive me for rambling on some of these posts. I am pretty much thinking aloud and pretty much trying to brain storm with you as this rolls along here. With that in mind,I had an idea I thought I'd share, and that is, maybe you are barking up the wrong tree.

Here in Maine, alternative power such as wind,solar, hydro, etc is all the rage. So is Green Housing that uses innovative ways to heat, cool and provide domestic hot water, and house you in renewable ways. What if you used your already semi-expertness in these areas as a draw for your lodge?

Maybe instead of doing something with woodworking or sustainable forestry, you had a conference about green living. What happened if you had a conference on making a home-brewed solar collector for heating domestic hot water? Or how to make a home-brewed windmill, or a weekend conference on making 3 phase axial generators? If you had the water a workable mini-hydro set up could be cool too. And of course, heating your shop via compost heat would be a great topic too. :D

I think you could do a lot with Green Living, and you have the ideal location and place to have it. I think you would have a better draw then sustainable harvesting too. Just an idea I thought I would pass a long.
 
Hey Travis
I still got a few tricks to learn from you. My woodlot is different, we have got 80 acres of private land dedicated to the woodlot(with partner) and in 1997 we applied for and won the competition to operate(not own) the woodlot on crown(public) lands(1500 acres). BC Woodlots operate with a strong compliance to forest stewardship standards, regulations and obligations. Over the years we have had publications and paperwork stacked higher than I am tall.(and seem to be updated or replaced every other year).

For instance sustainable means if it takes a average tree 100 years to grow and mature, and the woodlot is fully stocked, then your allowable cut is 1%(1/100) of the inventory per year. There are rigorous obligations to evaluate, map & maintain forest values, wildlife values & habitats, soil stratums, etc etc. Silviculture obligations ie planting are established with criteria to meet growth and forest standards for twelve to fifteen years free to grow period. Rental fees, stumpage costs and logging taxes go to the province plus federal tax obligations. There are 800 small woodlot tenures in BC.(mostly mom & pop operations)

This is enough for now, the story wood continues.
Cheers
alpmeadow

That is pretty neat. It sounds kind of like our State run Tree Growth Program. Because land development is so strong along the coast, they developed this program to keep woodlots, woodlots. Its a good program overall, but I don't belong to it, though I would get 60% of my taxes every year. You can opt out of it, and just pay back the tax savings and develop the land at a later date, but that is not the intent.

The issue I have is this. Since you are basically getting a cut rate on your property, you have to basically allow public access. No posting of your land, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and ATV's must have access, as well as having a forest plan made every 5 years. Harvesting is required and must be made under a forester's control. In short, a lot of regulations.

I do 99% of what they require anyway, but the sticker is the Forester Control. Every few years I have a forester come in and walk my woodlot, but this is just for advice. Every time they say the same thing. "I wish you would cut more." I really don't like that. Around here we used to have some majestic pines, but now no one lets their wood grow any more. From a forestry point of view, the perfect trees with a ratio of growth time, to size, to board foot count is about 12-16 inches in diameter. Any bigger and the growth curve goes down. For me, that is too small. I got some big trees because they were allowed to grow. We got them because my family had standards, and high ones at that.

Do I know more then trained Foresters? Of course not, but at the same time, Timber Framers and other Logger's are always looking at my property because I let them grow.

It would have been great to work something out with that timber framer. I would love to see some of these bigger trees go into someones home, but while I was hoping he would appreciate a few big trees (25 or so), he is looking for hundreds and wants them now, before Spring. I can't do that. I am tempted to log some of my bigger stuff, mill it myself and then sell the timbers as framing timbers. Maybe you could do something similar?

Here the golden rule of sustainable harvesting is 1 cord per acre. That means if I have a 300 acre woodlot, I can cut up too 300 cord per year indefinitely. I have had people argue that, but if you think about it, even if you clear cut say 1 acre, the next year you could cut all the saplins and suckers that grew back up, and if you piled it up, you would get about a cord. You could keep doing that forever really. Of course that would not make sense. Instead you thin out pockets of wood, and spread the harvest all over the woodlot, taking out the biggest trees. The hardest I ever cut was in 1994 when I built this house. I cut about 100 cords one winter...a true fraction of the wood I could have cut. Still the forester that winter said the same thing...cut more wood.

In some ways the Forester may have a better plan. Trees grow fast when they get sun on their roots. Maybe if I cut my woodlot harder, I would get faster growth rates on the trees I leave behind? :dunno: This year I cut 30 cord of hardwood, and again that is only 10% of what I could harvest (300 cords per year potentially), so maybe I am doing my woodlot a disservice? :dunno:

The fact is, I sit on a lot of wood that could be cut, but just keeping the place rid of blow downs and keeping the woods woods, and crop ground, crop ground, takes a lot of time. When I built my shop I used mostly blow downs that the wind had knocked over. That is all wasted wood from a commercial standpoint, but I was able to recover it and put it to good use. I try to do that as much as I can.

This Spring, when the snow is not waist deep, I will walk my woodlot and see if there are some areas I should cut. Its been 15 years or better since I cut fir, so I am thinking maybe that might be some wood I harvest this summer. Firewood is also up in price so that has potential as well. There is even one area of my woodlot that I have never harvested to my knowledge, so I might cut in there, if nothing else, to punch a logging road through to get wood out in the future. Vaughn got me to thinking about smaller sized harvests too, like Burls, Crotch Wood, and turning blanks. A few years ago I cut some Ash and hit Birds Eye Ash, a very rare wood indeed. I have no idea if more exists or not, but I have been saving that wood so it gets huge before I fell it and find out. Cutting a few trees like that might be worth doing:dunno:

So in short, I have WAYYYY more questions to ask of you then you ever could learn from me. The only thing I do know,is that because we have cut so far back on our farming, we have a lot more wood growing now, then then have ever had before. That's a good feeling.
 
Golden Wood

Wow Travis your catching fire. I can only comment on selective items for now...
I am tempted to log some of my bigger stuff, mill it myself and then sell the timbers as framing timbers
For the first eight years, we could not do any regular harvesting as all entries were forced to deal with mountain pine beetle killed trees, reducing pine component to limit further attack, and the big blowdown event. To me a woodlot owner always seeks to remove poor form trees, forest health problems, and leave the remaining higher quality trees more open, well spaced, and diverse in size and structure to enhance growth. Cutting firewood is valuable exercise to support this activity.

More recently we did harvest and sell big douglas fir to a timber framing company that has an automatic computer controlled cutting system(hundegger) and these well crafted custom designed timber frames for homes can go anywhere in the world. Fir that is slow growth, straight grained, structurally stronger logs are preferred, compared to our coastal types. I love this as timber frames can last hundreds of years(no nails).

So I have joined the timber frame guild, and will go to the Western Conference in Idaho next month to learn about TF(logs & milling?) to serve this market. BTW, Robert, I am taking a sketchup programming workshop on timberframes with rubies!


Vaughn got me to thinking about smaller sized harvests too, like Burls, Crotch Wood, and turning blanks. A few years ago I cut some Ash and hit Birds Eye Ash, a very rare wood indeed. I have no idea if more exists or not, but I have been saving that wood so it gets huge before I fell it and find out.

Typically foresters focus on big mill industry, and character wood(noted above) is ignored, left behind or chipped. These small niche markets of specialty woods that wood craftspersons seek, will become harder to find. Woodlot owners know their woods so well, that if we know there is character wood out there and someone wants it, a win win situation can happen(it will take time).

Please see the Kicking Horse TF Bridge built in Golden 2001, a great TF Guild project.(I helped) The image is from their website http://www.tfguild.org/
Cheers
alpmeadow
 

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Where I live, you cannot judge a tree by its size. This is Spruce, Hemlock and Fir and Pine country. The Spruce and Fir grow fast and tall and tend to shade out the other species like Hemlock and Fir. Its not uncommon to cut a big Spruce, then cut what looks like a saplin in order to get the tree out. That saplin, a fir or hemlock is the SAME age as the Spruce. Its just been so shaded that it has remained small. Fir and Hemlock are shade tolerant so it happens a lot.

So its kind of a judgment call. That fir or hemlock might be old and dying even though its only two inches in diameter, or it may be a healthy saplin just starting out in life. My land has been selective harvested for so many years that you really just have to know what and when areas were harvested.

That later paragraph is kind of interesting. Since I know this logging history, I can cut down a tree and see the results of logging. For instance I was cutting my Christmas tree down and noticed how this fairly small tree was over 60 years old. You could see where its first years were slow growing because it was shaded out. Twenty years ago its growth rings got amazingly big which coincided with a harvest my cousin did. Ten years later even more was thinned out by a harvest I did,so the rings were even bigger. Just looking at the tree you would think this 6 inch tree had quite a few years left, but the fact was it was red hearted and dying of nothing more then old age.

As for selecting trees to weed out and eradicate, I am hesitant to do that. I know its good forestry but I have seen some changes in the logging markets in the last few years. Cedar was once considered a weed and pretty much eradicated, but now its worth big bucks. The same can be said for hackmatack. It used to be a weed as well, and now its worth quite a bit as it does not rot and people are more willing to except hack then chemical treated woods.

The other thing I am very hesitant to do is strive for an all sawlog forest. Here paper mills still rule so fir, popular and hardwood pulp can be a pretty good and consistent market. My dad only cut pulpwood, and my uncle only cut sawlogs. I grew up with both concepts so I like to keep a diversified forest.

As for diseases, I have dealt with that a lot. Spruce Budworm, Hackmatack bark Beetles and
now High Bred larch Bark Beetles are slowly killing my 12 acre High Bred Larch Plantation. This leaves me with a delimia. I can cut my losses now and harvest the wood at half its predicted growth, and turn the land back into crop ground, or let the trees grow, letting the 3-4 trees die per acre a year. Kind of a hard decision. I went four years without getting paid for my crop ground rental, but the farmer that rents my farm recently paid me, so now crop ground does look viable.Its still only 600 a year for 100 acres which is pretty low, but with the tree plantation slowly dying off, I may cut my losses now.

I am glad you got something going with that timber framing thing. What a great use of wood and for a lofty reason. Not just wood going into a spec house, but a real house with purpose and a future. Good for you brother. Good for you.
 
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I love timber frames to by the way. I always wanted one of my own, but when I built this house I did not have the skills. When I put the addition on my house, I did not have the time. This was a sore spot for me. I built the house and addition by myself, but because of time constraints, I could not cut the wood for my addition.This is in contrast the the old part of my house where all the wood came from my land and off my families sawmill.

I am hoping I can do better for Alyson. She already has 4 acres granted to her, and should she chose to live here, I am in hopes to have the skills by then to build her a timber frame. Maybe I convince her to take this house and her mother and I will build a smaller, retirement timber frame home up on the ridge. I doubt I could convince her of that. I figure either way I got 20 years or so to learn, so I better get started huh?:rofl::rofl:

In the meantime I did decide to make some timber frame styled cabinets for my house. I basically used the timber frame idea, but turned it inside out. That way the 2 x 2 spruce framing would show, and the "sheathing" would be on the inside to hold the contents of the cabinets. Its about the best I could do for now. Its not for everyone, but works well in this country style house.

Here is a picture of the cabinets, with the second picture of where I want to build my retirement home...

Cabinets4-281x204.jpg


Farm_and_Foliage.JPG
 
Golden Wood

Hey Travis
Out in the woods, we try our best to make "sense", however in the business world it often does not make "cents." Our forest has a hundred year turnover, so decisions today have a long term impact.

Spruce Budworm, Hackmatack bark Beetles and
now High Bred larch Bark Beetles are slowly killing my 12 acre High Bred Larch Plantation.

Your right, a healthy, diverse forest is much better than a monoculture of even aged stands. For our mountain pine beetle problem, one solution was to attach phenoromes to accessible marked trees near the beetle attack area. The beetles were attracted by the phenoromes to attack pines in this area. Trees in this area that were attacked were surveyed marked and harvested( or felled & burned if unaccessible) before the next beetle flight season. However the beetle problem is immense in BC. The beetle killed trees have a blue stain in the sapwood, which kills the tree, but not its strength or use as lumber.

I love timber frames to by the way.
I worked with a timber frame company for 18 months many years ago to build the cabin below, however this company went belly up. Gotta go we have fourteen for breakfast this morning.
alpmeadow
 

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Kicking Horse Timber Frame Bridge

Here are a couple more images showing woodworking detail on the timber frame bridge built in 2001. Later the whole bridge had to be lifted and moved over the river to place.
Cheers
Irv Graham
 

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