As cool as takin the big trees down is geting the big things out in such remote rugged areas and rough ground is also very interesting to me. Probably due to my rigging background in the Ironworkers.

AK Timber Tramp. Thanks for sharing. I can smell the gas and oil along with the fresh cut!!!! That is some big timber.!!!!
I never cut anything close to that. But my background is forestry!!! Brings back a lot of good memories. Thank you!!!

AK Timber Tramp,
What is the biggest yellow Cedar you've seen or cut in southeast? Lots of AYC there, but I've never seen them as big there as in western Washington. However, I have never been to the west side of POW, or spent much time in similar locations. They are one of my favorite woods to work with, I know a lot of cutters hate them.
Here's a big one in western Washington, 8'+, 40 rings per inch, do the math.

I love yellow cedar personally. It cuts easy, but not too soft to have structure (red cedar is squishy and doesn't cooperate) the biggest one I've cut was actually in Mt. Ranier national Park on a hazard tree project I got asked to do (7 foot and some change). The biggest one I've cut in southeast was just a little smaller than that. It's weird, I've cut a lot of them that were around 6' but it's rare to find one bigger. And if you do they're always a snag, but they don't rot so they're still high $$$ wood.

It's amazing what you can accomplish with enough cable (and blocks, straps, and about 8 different styles of shackles)

Impressive that they loaded it in one piece. I don't think there is a mill left down here that could cut that. I logged some pretty big ones in the 90s but even then, they got cut on a mighty mite. Simpsons Mill #1 used to have a big chainsaw they would quarter rip oversize to get it in the mill but about the biggest a mill around here would take was 60" even in the 90s. Now I think 30" is max.

Which is why when you go to the lumber store all the lumber is garbage. When you buy a 2x6 and it has wane on three sides it wasn't cut out of a tree, they are making lumber out of brush these days! Is Dahlgren's out of Forks still logging? They used to have two of the biggest yarders in the world, I think they only ever made like six that size. There used to be a video floating around of them sending a cat (I think a D5) across a canyon with it hanging on chokers. An old friend of mine who is gone now was doing some of the narrating on the video.

Japan and Korea buy most of the high grade logs for music wood (spruce), structural (hemlock), or temple construction and burial boxes (yellow cedar). The lower grades of logs end up in china and they're making coffins and concrete forms out of it. Not sure what their milling process looks like over there

Dahlgren is still working but the kids now. Of course, the big yarders are long gone. Hardly ever hear a whistle anymore, it's all bunchers, shovel logging and processors. They do have these little yarders with a small motorized grapple carriage for some of the real steep spots but with these teather machines it is amazing the ground they take the machinery on.
My friend was hauling into Dahlstroms mill and they had a couple of 6 foot spruce and 4 foot fir at the yard. They gave them to him because they didn't want to be bothered ripping them to get them in the mill. Cut them up for firewood.

Any time a truck of timber would go down the road my Pap would tell me it’s a delivery of toothpicks for Giants when I was little. I still think of that every time I see one

40ish years ago they replanted with straight rows, perfectly spaced seedlings. Nothing lives in those areas now, and nothing grows except those trees, it brutal…lol. Now the replant differently. I know Ontario used to use some kinda of herbicide to help regrowth that wasn’t good for a lot of stuff, so we probably did too. A good fire will fix it good though, the place explodes after. I say a “good” fire, not too hot and burns through quick.

How many "large" trees do you cut in an average day?

I fell timber in Eastern Oregon from the mid 70s to mid 80s. Mid 70s we cut good timber, the last couple years was just a thinning project. Cut the little stuff and leave all the big trees. Between the enviros and politics I gave it up.

Biggest tree i ever cut was a tamarack. I cut a 16.6 off the but, it was so heavy the loader couldn't lift it on the truck. They ended up putting 2 smaller logs on the truck and pulled the truck up to a bank. They dropped the stakes on the truck and with the loader lifting and a cat pushing they got it loaded. It was a little over 9 feet on the stump.
The last couple years they probably averaged 12 inches on the stump. That's when I gave it up