Nice Ash!

An enormous white ash, Fraxinus americana, is growing beside our house.  It is so large that two lanky people holding hands cannot reach around it.  Unfortunately for us it is hollow and partly split open, but luckily it leans away from our (new) house.  It is the biggest ash i have seen so i did a little research to find out if it is a champion tree.  A champion tree is the largest tree of a particular species in a given area, and yes, someone actually does keep track of this information.  The University of New Hampshire cooperative extension keeps tabs on  big trees around the state and ranks the champions in each county.  Unfortunately my ash did not make the cut, but you can view the list and  nominate a big tree of your own at the big tree program website!

Going Green – BioPlus™ Bar and Chain Oil

Starting in 2010 Saco Treeworks is switching to Stihl BioPlus™ bar and chain oil. The new oil is vegetable (not petroleum!) based and is 93% biodegradable within 3 weeks. This is a good thing for both chainsaws and the environment. Bio-plus offers excellent flow characteristics at low temperatures, has a high flash point and, yes, it smells good! More importantly, it is less harmful to humans, animals, micro-organisms and plants which is especially important when working near lakes and streams.  Although it costs twice as much as conventional bar and chain oil, we are excited about this new product and hope to see our customers (and competitors) switching to it in the near future. BioPlus can be special ordered from Lucy Hardware in Intervale, NH.

Top 10 Knots for Treework

1. Bowline - An endline attachment point that is easy to untie.

2. Running Bowline – A slipknot for pulling trees and lowering limbs.

3. Bowline on a bight – A midline attachment point that is easy to untie after heavy loading.

4. Butterfly - A midline attachment point that is easy to untie after light loading.

5. Clove Hitch – A semi-secure hitch for raising tools and lowering limbs.

6. Blake’s Hitch – A friction hitch for tree climbing.

7. Valdôtain Tresse – An extremely responsive friction hitch for crane work and tree climbing.  Also called a French Prusik.  Not for beginners!

8. Prusik - A general  purpose friction  hitch.  Often used as an adjustable midline attachment point.

9. Sheet bend - For tying together two ropes of equal or unequal diameter.

10. Timber Hitch – For attaching a block or lowering device to a tree.

Firewood Ratings