My husband and I have a 22-acre field of Douglas-fir trees that we planted about 25 years ago. The growth was beginning to slow down, and we realized we needed to do some thinning to keep them growing. How to find a logger? We asked around, got the logger list from the extension office, asked for some names from the state forestry office, and looked through the ads in the Forest-Tree Leader. We talked to ground loggers and people with processors. If you are in a hurry, processors are quick and efficient, although more expensive. They also are good if you have a lot of brush or if your trees have not been pruned. In our case, we had pruned all the trees and could see which ones to take out. We decided to use a ground logger who was highly recommended as someone who could do a good job on thinning. We also weren't comfortable with the number of roads through the field that a processor would require.

It was my job to mark the trees to be cut, and I used bright orange spray paint. My goal was to remove about a third of the trees and because this was for stand improvement, my first criteria for choosing a tree was to remove the "ugly ones" - ones with double tops, crooked, or big ramicorn branches. I also watched my spacing: if a tree wasn't crowded and had a double top up 20 feet or so, I left it, thinking that it would make a short fat saw log next thinning, or could be a wildlife tree in the future. I marked about 5 acres to start, then waited until the logger had cut some so I could see if I was getting the spacing I wanted. Our logger suggested we deck some logs then have buyers look at them, thinking we would have some sawlogs as well as chips. Well, guess what - most mills don't want logs that are only 25 years old and have wide growth rings. We also could see that our trees had a lot of taper and we wouldn't get much if we sold them by scale. I had heard of a chip and sawmill in Junction City, but that seemed so far away!! However, the log hauler suggested we contact them anyway and we were pleased to learn they would pay a lot more per ton as chip and saw than I could get for chips at a mill that is only six miles from our tree farm. It was enough of a difference that even though hauling costs were more, it was worthwhile to sell to them. The driver could only make two loads a day as it is a four hour round trip and it takes him an hour to load all those small logs. We could go down to a three-inch top and a 44-foot maximum log length, so a lot of the tree was marketable. This mill also pays a bonus to OSWA members of a dollar per ton or two dollars per mbf. I've already earmarked part of that bonus to go back to OSWA to help pay for the State Affairs Coordinator position - something we really need to represent us in Salem.

What have I learned? It is important to be flexible and have a good relationship with your logger. We had to renegotiate the price, since we sold chip and saw instead of chips and sawlogs. We also spent some time walking through the trees with the logger, discussing how I chose which trees to mark. If he disagreed with my choice, he would flag the tree and we would discuss it. He was usually right! We were also careful about where skidroads were located and marked the trees accordingly. I didn't get too concerned about cutting down another tree or two that hadn't been marked. After all, nobody will know if I marked the right tree or not, once it is gone!

We did not take out all the littlest trees or all the biggest. We are concentrating on improving the stand and reducing stems per acre, and our goal is to keep the trees growing at a moderate pace. We have some open areas and some places where the trees are clustered. We are not trying to keep trees in rows with exact spacings. You have to know what you are marketing. We were surprised at the degree of taper on our logs once they were on the ground - they looked a lot straighter when they were standing! If we had sold by board foot scale, we would have gotten very little, but by the ton we were paid for every bit of the log that was delivered to the mill. Check prices at as many mills as you can and don't be put off by distance. From our tree farm at Lyons to the mill at Junction City seemed a long ways to me, but it was worth it to go there, even though the hauling cost us more.

I had the mill pay me, and I paid the logger. He will have to clean up any ruts he has made, smooth out roads, put in water bars or anything else I have specified in the contract or is required by the Forest Practices Act, before he gets that final check. I also used pre-numbered log tickets from OSWA (they come in packs of 25) to keep track of my loads. We hung a coffee can on a tree and the driver put the tickets in there each day. Those numbers correspond to the weight tickets I get from the mill.

What does our forest look like now? It is more open than it was and sunlight can get to the ground, so we will get more ferns and undergrowth for a few years until the trees close in again. There is debris on the ground, but that will add nutrients to the soil as the needles and limbs break down and decay. I think it looks nice - a productive, growing forest.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not really a "little" lady, nor that old. More like plump and middle-aged, but you can easily spot me - I'm the one with high-vis orange spray paint on my face and boots.

Editor's Note: Master Woodland Manager and Forest-Tree Leader associate editor, Linda Butts and her husband, Lynn, own a tree farm in Linn County and were selected both state and regional "Tree Farmers of the Year" in 1997.