I was doing some prospecting today before the devils club and other brush "leafs-out", I stumbled upon this vintage marten set. Knowing the history of this area, probably pre 1920. I've never seen one of these notch sets in a yellow cedar before, usually they are sound to the heart. But this one being hollow inside would have been a real marten magnet.

Looks cool. Do you plan on setting that location next season? If you do it would be neat to see how it does.

This is in Washington State, so can't stuff a foothold or conibear in there, but I'll bet a Koro would fit.

cool,

Very nice.

The USA and the North Amrerican continent was explored and settled because of the fur trade industry The money was the reason the settlers would live under hard conditions but be able to make more money than at any other job That chance to get rich made many people seek out remote places with the idea of striking it rich And many trappers always the optimist thought if they could just find one more fur pocket they could be at the top of the rich people that had struck gold as a fur trapper That set you discovered is pure poof that in order to become a rich trapper a whole lot of hard work was the number one requirement to making you a rich trapper The picture and the explanation is a very cool post Thanks for the info

So what would be the age of that tree?

I've milled lumber out of yellow cedar from within a half mile of this tree, they were four foot diameter trees, and had a ring count of 40+ per inch. It wouldn't surprise me if this smaller understory tree is 50+ per inch. This tree could easily be 500 years old.
I wonder how old this one is?

You must be close to Rainier, that’s the only place I’ve seen or heard of yellow cedar down there

Nice picture. Let us know how it works out with a Koro.

They grow all through the Cascades, from south to north. I'm guessing Washington is prime habitat for them, I've never seen bigger ones anywhere. My rule of thumb; if there're yellow cedar there will be marten.
Here's another good size one near Darrington. I don't know if it's two that merged together, or one that split. Either way it's big. Sure would make some beautiful lumber.

Pretty common above 4000 feet. There's a 9 footer up the Queets.

Interesting, I’ve only seen them around the Randle/pacwood area in WA. But I haven’t spent that much time there either. I know we grow a lot of them on Kosciusko

I've some stretchers my grandpa made out of clear yellow cedar long before I was born. My dad always called it Alaskan Yellow Cedar, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it wasn't cut locally since grandpa was living about an hour west of Randle at the time.

We call it Sitka cedar around here

Range of Alaska Yellow Cedar.

Interesting, I wouldn’t have expected it clear down in Oregon, that’s incense cedar territory lol

Most of the high country on the Peninsula is roadless so to see much of it you have to take off on foot. I did log some above Grisdale at about 6000 feet. Makes the best firewood and great guyline stumps, well rooted.