NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO WOODLOT ASSOCIATION
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On Saturday over 50 folks with an appreciation of woodlot management came from over many hills and dales to meet at the historic Crown Hill farm of Craig and Sandie Drury.
This Ontario Woodlot Association event is hosted annually by the Huronia chapter, and is a highlight of the year for many woodland owners and others who have a keen interest in trees.
This year the group was provided opportunities to meet with equipment dealers, fellow forestry buffs, and see many wood processing models in operation. The afternoon was a guided walk through the Drury forest to discuss forest biodiversity and ways to sustainably manage a forest.
Bob Smith gave a very good overview of the safe handling of a chainsaw. Attendees, both seasoned and newbies, all had their eyes opened to the risks of poor handling techniques. Bob covered everything from equipment care and repair to proper protective clothing.
The second of four stations was hosted by Vermeer Canada, a company that provides logging equipment and associated forestry products for forest workers. Adel Sakkab reviewed the latest in headgear, safety clothing and essential hand tools.
Station 3 was presented by Norwood Industries, a local company that makes portable saw mills. There is a certain thrill associated with making your own lumber, and the demonstrations of log slicing were keenly observed by those who have large piles of logs starting to stack up on the home front.
An amazing machine for turning logs into firewood was presented by Blacks Creek Forestry. With great efficiency a four-metre-long ash tree log was quickly cut into proper lengths and then split into four firewood blocks. There were many envious looks from those participants who grew up with the time-honoured ‘axe and block’ technique of making firewood.
The afternoon consisted of a guided tour of the treed area of the farm, discussing natural biodiversity, selective removal of trees, and proper stewardship techniques to create and maintain a healthy forest.
One of the stops included a scenario of “what went wrong” with a cut tree being caught and held in the air by surrounding trees. This generated a lot of conversation as to options to proceed and what not to do for safety reasons.
Annual membership with the Ontario Woodlot Association includes not only your local chapter’s activities, but information on many webinars and events being held across the province. As well there is a subscription to The Ontario Woodlander magazine. Contact [email protected] or www.ontariowoodlot.com.
The Huronia chapter’s website is found at www.huroniawoodlandowners.ca.
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