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Topic: Steel in timber country |
Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Jun 2007 7:19 pm |
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Fellow Steelers
I don't normally talk about the gigs I play but today was a dandy !
It was at Port Gamble Wa. an old mill town here in the hart of timber
country . typical of the Northwest , it was raining , but the washingtonians
were out in force . while we were setting up there was a logger event going
on , axes , chain saws , & guys climbing poles and cutting off the tops . I
only wish there had been a taxidermist stuffing spotted Owls ! Behind
us was a wood carving display with chain saw art - eagles , bears , raccoons
that kind of stuff . we played for about two and a half hours to the drone of three
chain saws . nothing like the smell of fresh cut timber , Steel guitar and
country music .
http://www.visitkitsap.com/kitsap.asp
Hick |
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Robert Jones
From:
Branson, Missouri
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Posted 10 Jun 2007 6:23 am
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Bob that sure sounds like you had fun at the show. I've played a lot of shows, but I'm yet to say I've had the company of a chainsaw! Cool!!!
_________________
Mullen Royal Precision D10 Red Lacquer Pearl inlay 8&8
"Life is too short for bad tone."
https://mullenguitars.com/
http://www.bjsbars.com/ |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Jun 2007 6:41 am
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R J
It was ! I could listen to all the stories these old logger tell ! I'm sure
there all true . 
One was telling me that he cut an Old Growth that was so big ! when
it fell , it sucked all the clouds out of the sky . here in the NW that saying
something !!  |
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Robert Jones
From:
Branson, Missouri
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Posted 10 Jun 2007 7:52 am
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I was in the great state of Washington on tour back in 96-97. You have a beautiful state that's for sure. We did a show in Olympia. The drummer and I rented a car and drove up to Seattle and visited Jimmy Hendricks grave. It was great to see such sites like you have there. I hope some day to return while I'm able to do so. That is some story about cutting an Old Growth!!!
_________________
Mullen Royal Precision D10 Red Lacquer Pearl inlay 8&8
"Life is too short for bad tone."
https://mullenguitars.com/
http://www.bjsbars.com/ |
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Herbie Meeks
From:
Arkansas, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2007 8:53 am
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I was told
Some of those Trees are so tall
you will ruin your Shot Gun barrel
trying to shoot a Squirrel out of them
HM |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Jun 2007 11:30 am
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Thats true Herbie !
30-30 or 0't-6 is the only way to get'm
b0b
This should be in Humor ! seems to be some good
redneck humor fodder here !!! 
Hick |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2007 2:36 pm
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I only wish there had been a taxidermist stuffing spotted Owls !
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Yeah, if we could just get rid of those pesky owls, maybe we could finally cut the last remaining stands of thousand-year old trees that are blocking the view...
The old growth is mostly gone anyway, and rest of it is being hauled away just as fast as they can cut it down. Yup, those log trucks keep rolling by every day, right past the closed-down local mills that used to saw them into lumber and plywood, on down the road to be loaded onto ships destined for ports in the far east.
BTW, I'm not against all logging, or loggers who are trying to make a living, I'm just against unbounded greed and stupidity that I see all around me every time I visit the wooded areas of this (formerly) beautiful state.
Hopefully, this will bring out the padlock, so I won't have to continue this rant. |
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Bill Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, Ga. USA
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Posted 11 Jun 2007 1:31 am
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I was gong to keep my mouth shut since this is a Steel Guitar Forum, but since one point of view has been posted by Jerry, I feel it is important to share the point of view of a hunter on this emotional and grossly misunderstood topic of timbering.
Yes, you will not find too many people who think a fresh clear cut is a thing of beauty, including me. However, it is only mimicking the forces of nature (wildfire) while providing jobs, building materials, and wildlife habitat. And when I spend time in those ugly clear cuts that have grown back 10 years+, they have far more life than a mature forest. The young brushy stuff that springs to life provides much needed food and cover for a host of species that the mature forest does not. You don’t get that effect unless virtually all the trees are removed and you get a lot of sunlight on the ground.
The clear cuts like Jerry showed look bad initially but I’ll bet the lot looked pretty bad when they dug the foundation for the Sistine Chapel too! In balance to Jerry’s photos here’s a picture of a mountain with several clear cuts that have grown back a few years. They are providing food and cover that a mature or old growth forest does not.
Ten years after the public reacted emotionally and used the Spotted Owl as a surrogate for the stop logging agenda, a rural American way of life and an economy have been destroyed. It now appears that the primary thing that is driving the Spotted Owl to extinction is the Barred Owl migrating in from the East, not a lack of old growth. But that’s ok because we have tourism. Everybody who lost their job at the mill can have a minimum wage job waiting tables or cleaning motel toilets.
Here’s a bit of science from my part of the country for those interested in getting beyond the emotion of the clear cut issue and understanding the habitat value provided by logging.
The North American Breeding Bird Survey (Sauer et al. 2006) showed that 40% of early successional songbirds in the southern Blue Ridge region declined from 1980-2005, compared to 16% of mature forest songbirds. Hunter et al. (2001), Vega-Rivera et al. (1998b), Pagen et al. (2000), Annand and Thompson (1997), Anders et al. (1998) and others all have shown that mature forest-breeding songbirds also use early successional habitat after the breeding season or during migration.
I’m not saying we should cut the entire forest, I like big old trees too. And I don’t know the statistics on northwestern forests. But here is one from the southeast ten years after the Indiana bat lawsuits. We have a 750,000 acre Chattahoochee National Forest, and less than 1% of the trees are less than 10 years old!
Please feel free to E-mail me for further discussion or visit www.ruffedgrousesocity.org .
Now back to cabinet drop, tempered tuning, etc.
Bill Cunningham
Georgia Chapter President
The Ruffed Grouse Society
_________________
Bill Cunningham
Atlanta, GA |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Jun 2007 4:51 am
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Bill
Being the steel player for the "Northwest Country Boys" out
here in the far NW , I travel through these timber farms all the time ,
& you are absolutely right on in your narrative .
The little town of Port Gamble is / was a mill town . with the timber shut down
the mill itself was sold and moved to Japan .
Keeping this on topic ,
This little place is were we get to play our music during the summer months
and I have introduced the Steel to many young folks there . One thing I can
say for the Northwest country Boys , we play music for every one out here .
we have entertained the - save the farms - save the wail - save the world &
the logging industry . on June 29th we are playing the little timber town
of Quilsene , its their pioneer days celebration . I'm looking forward to seeing
the two man chain Saw powered by a 327 chevy .
Bill - this area as been logged over & over sense 1835 when Pope & Talbut first
arrived . with the replanting it will still be logged for my grate grand kids .
Hick |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 11 Jun 2007 7:38 am
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Bill, thank you for your thoughtful post. Although I strongly disagree with the assertion that a clearcut mimics the natural process of wildfire, I won't argue the point further on this forum.
Bob, I'm glad you had a good gig. It's fine to enjoy a logging show, and romanticize about a bygone era. Logging is an important part of the history of the Pacific Northwest. I guess the spotted owl comment touched a nerve. I have heard a lot of that.
Back to steel guitars. |
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