Ax Men - Logging Terms

Logging Terms

Back cut – A saw cut in a tree trunk, on the side away from the direction that the cutter wants it to fall. Usually done after a face cut has been made (see below); wedges can then be driven in to unbalance the tree and break it loose from the stump.

Barber chair – A situation in which a tree splits along its length/height while being cut and pivots higher than intended as it falls, the split end swinging out like a barber chair footrest. This poses a safety hazard due to the fact that this end can snap up and inflict serious injury.

Blowdown site – An area in which large amounts of timber have been damaged by storms or high winds. Some trees may have fallen completely over, while others may lean at dangerous angles due to being uprooted.

Booger wood – A piece of worthless wood, originally said by Joe Collins of Collins River Logging.

Bucking--Cutting a fallen tree into logs of required lengths. May also refer to limbing (see below).

Bug--A transmitter used by the rigging slinger to sound horn/whistle signals on the landing as instructions for the yarder operator.

Butt rigging--Use of a heavy chain, connected to the skyline, with cables and chokers attached. Logs can be secured directly to this and hauled up to the landing along the ground.

Chaser eraser--A tangle of logs and branches hauled up by the yarder in a single turn. So named because the branches can spring out in unpredictable directions on the landing and injure a waiting chaser.

Choker--A cinching device used to secure cables onto logs so they can be hauled away from where they were cut.

Dead head--The end of a sunken log that protrudes above the surface of a river. S&S targets these logs, which have been preserved and stained by the water and find use in specialty decorative construction.

Dead man--A skyline anchor point created by digging a trench, placing several heavy logs in it, cinching a cable around them, and filling in the excavated dirt.

Downhill logging--A practice in which the landing is at the downhill end of a sloping site. Presents special challenges due to the force of gravity constantly pulling logs down the skyline once they are off the ground.

Face cut notch--A notch sawed out of a tree trunk, on the side toward which the cutter wants it to fall.

Feller buncher – A machine that can take hold of a standing tree, cut through it, and place it in a pile for later pickup. Most easily used when the site is on level ground.

Fog fan--A fan used to remove fog from an area no greater than one acre of land.

Grapple – A set of remote-controlled tongs that can be used to clamp onto a log and move it around.

Grapple logging – A practice in which a grapple is attached to the skyline and reeled down to pick up logs so they can be hauled in. Safety hazards include the unpredictable swinging of the grapple and the fact that the yarder operator typically has no direct line of sight to the logs on the ground.

Grapple skidder--A machine that picks up piles of fallen trees and carries them to the landing. Most easily used when the site is on level ground.

Greenhorn--A newly hired member of a logging crew who has little or no experience in the industry.

Hanger/Hangup--A dangerous situation in which a cut tree gets caught in a standing one and cannot fall to the ground.

Hook tender--A person who supervises the movement of logs up to the landing.

Jammer logging--A technique in which the yarder/yoader (see below) swings cables and chokers at high speed, throwing them downhill toward the rigging crew. This method was used a number of times by Stump-Branch in an effort to increase production, but the risk of injury to the crew also increased.

Landing--Area where logs are piled up to be loaded onto trucks. Usually at the uphill end of a sloping site.

Leaner--An uprooted tree that topples against a standing one and gets caught, unable to fall to the ground; presents risks similar to those of a hanger/hangup.

Limbing/Chasing--Cutting limbs off fallen trees. Both bucking and limbing/chasing may be done before or after the logs are brought to the landing.

Loader--A machine that can pick up logs once they are on the landing and place them in piles or on trucks as needed.

Processor--A machine that can pick up logs on the landing and cut them or strip off loose bark/debris.

Prow log--Two or more logs driven vertically into the ground, so that other logs can be piled up behind them. This arrangement is sometimes used on a small landing to create more storage capacity.

Rigging--Securing logs to the skyline carriage using cables and chokers.

Rigging slinger--A person who decides the order in which logs are to be hauled up to the landing.

Side rod--Foreman of a logging crew.

Skyline--A cable strung high above a logging site, with a motorized carriage to which logs can be attached.

Sod stretcher--A tool used to stretch sod around a corner.

Spotter--A crew member who directs the yarder operator to the location of logs when grapple logging is being performed.

Tail hold--A tree or stump that serves as the anchor point for the far end of the skyline.

Timber faller/Timber feller--A person whose primary job is to cut down trees.

Topping--Cutting the topmost section off a standing tree so it can be used as an anchor point for the skyline. Also done if the skyline runs close to the tree and has the potential to become tangled in it.

Turn--A group of logs being moved by the yarder/yoader (see below); also, one round trip of the skyline carriage.

Twister--A pair of cables twisted together and used to anchor a skyline; provides more force than a single cable.

Upender--A situation in which chokers are attached to the downhill end of a log instead of the uphill end. When the log is reeled in, it can pivot 180 degrees with enough speed to inflict serious injury.

Widow maker--Limbs and debris that fall from a standing/leaning tree; so named because it has the potential to kill a man standing underneath it, leaving his wife as a widow.

Yarder--A machine that moves logs to the landing by reeling in the skyline carriage.

Yoader--A yarder that is also equipped with clamps to move logs around as needed once they are on the landing. Eliminates the need for a separate loader (yoader = yarder + loader).