Well, the loggers didn't show up until Wednesday because of the rain on Tuesday.  I took them out to the property and they were impressed with my little "forest in the hills".

The owner didn't come out to the property at that time, but he did stop in later that afternoon.  The deal is pretty straight-forward.  We take a 50/50 split from the mill at $150 per tree/log....  He estimated that we would get at least $8000 for the lumber.  Maple is a good hardwood anyway and we have been hit with the emerald ash borer in Michigan.  So the price of Ash has went up.

I went out to see their work this afternoon and they had already left for the day.  The logs were perfect, not a rotten heartwood in sight.  It was strange to see daylight striking the ground, and patches of sky through the canopy.  Not to mention the nice new driveway they graded for me through the woods.

I felt a bit of sadness as I looked at trees older than myself, some two feet in diameter, laying in piles  ready to become a part of someones home or furniture.  All around me I could smell the earth.  Kinda like earthworms, you fisherman can relate.  You know that smell when you pop the top of a bait bucket.  The wounds left on the ground from the CAT were apparent.  Nothing that a shovel and rake can't fix.

It had to be done though, so I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it.  My house has to be built.  Did I hear "Tree-Killer!!" from the back row?

...../George