HEMLOCK

I live in Northeast TN in a small town. I think the population for the city I live just outside of is around 55k. Over the past few years since beginning my sawmill business there has been one species of tree that I get more request for than any other. That tree being hemlock. For some reason the people around here are crazy about Hemlock. Granted it is a good over all building material for farmer etc I have never understood the longing for it. It is used mostly for barn siding/fence building etc. It does good in the elements and is very resistant to bug infestation. It is also inexpensive in log form and lumber very comparable to Pine in pricing.

In the past few years there has been a pest insect from Japan that was imported I am assuming accidental to the states called a woolly adelgid . It is killing off the Hemlock timber in this country with no end in sight for a resolution on how to control this infestation.

I received a call earlier this week from a local resident less than a mile from my home. He told me that 28 hemlock trees had just been cut by himself on his property due to them being too close to his house. Apparently his wife wanted a better view from her bedroom window. He said they are small trees but appeared to be good logs. He didn't want any money for the timber, but just for someone to get them that could use the wood and save it from the burn pile. I went over to his residence a short time after speaking on the phone and was pleasantly surprised and the amount of timber on the ground. If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen a post earlier this week showing an over all photo of the timber. Almost all the trees had been cut to a usable length and most limbs removed. The average diameter for the logs appeared to be around 12 inches on the big end. Without hesitation I took him up on this offer of free timber before introducing myself!

I plan on going there this evening and start to yard the timber to my trailer for transport to my sawmill. I am going to use my ATV and log arch for this operation due to the size of the timber and the flat topography of the site. The timber would make great either 6x6 or 8x8 post I believe. Not so much boards due to the smaller size and the the inability to have the free of heart wood due to the small diameter. I am thinking this material will make for a great Timber Frame structure to go over the Kiln.

To be continued...