Recently, I taught a chainsaw safety course in which a student asked, “Where does all the bar oil go?” It occurred to me that this is a topic that gets relatively little attention,…

For woodlot management, an ATV can be invaluable, providing property access, pulling trailers and other heavy loads, and, with a bit of modification, also serving as a mobile toolbox. While…

Brainstorm is a style of live-edge clapboards that vary from 10 to 14 inches in width and offer a classic, rustic look. Lore suggests that brainstorm siding originated with an Adirondack…

Your beloved chainsaw engine is essentially a fiery air pump. The process starts by drawing in fresh air, compressing that air, and then adding a dose of fuel and a spark – resulting in…

One of the most common questions that foresters get is, “How old is this tree?” Often, the response is less than satisfactory, as the forester carries on about site…

Forestry often involves the blending of technical solutions with ecological knowledge. Such is the case with scarification of the forest floor, which is typically done in conjunction with a…

Axes and crosscut saws have survived in the American mind as evidence of our utilitarian relationship with forests. Most of the crosscut saws I see today are hung above mantles or serve as a…

A few Northern Woodlands readers have confessed privately that what started as the innocent acquisition of an old axe has evolved into a full-blown obsession. Like any obsession, management is…

In the Spring 2022 issue, we tackled the task of removing a broken axe handle from the eye of an axe or maul. Now we’ll begin the process of hanging (or hafting) the axe. 1. Fit the eye.…