Logging with Mules

[crokett]

There was a story in the paper here last year about an outfit that did some logging with mules to clear some land for a house here. The mules skid the logs out of the woods. It takes longer but the mules do very little damage to the environment. Dirty Jobs is on TV right now and Mike Rowe is driving a mule team that does loggine.

[TheRic]

There was a story in the paper here last year about an outfit that did some logging with mules to clear some land for a house here. The mules skid the logs out of the woods. It takes longer but the mules do very little damage to the environment. Dirty Jobs is on TV right now and Mike Rowe is driving a mule team that does loggine.

I do like Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Some of the stuff I think there is no way I would do that. Other times I think, what is he worried / concerned about??!!

[docrowan]

In our last house, our neighbor had about 20 50 foot pine trees growing right on our property line. We only had about 30 feet of clearance between our two houses and she was concerned a storm would blow them down into our house or her house so she asked if she could have them felled into our yard (due to the lay of the land.) I told it would be fine. Once they had them felled, they couldn't get the log truck all the way up to them. There was no point bringing a skidder into our yard, so they brought a team of mules to drag them to the truck. My daughter was delighted, quite frankly so was I. In a couple of hours they had them loaded up and were gone. I tried to find the pictures we took, but we may not have put them on our computer.

[Ken Massingale]

Dirty Jobs has become one of my favorite shows. I put the afternoon reruns on while I am working on the laptop. I enjoyed one yesterday that had Mike catching snakes on the Lake Erie shore. I didn't know snakes can poop and pee so much, Mike was covered with it, and numerous bites also.

As for mule logging, when I was around 10-12, my Dad and Uncles used their plow horses to drag logs and I had the 'pleasure' of helping. I didn't appreciate it as much then as I would now.
Kinda like another job I had, holding the cow's tail while Dad was milking, so he wouldn't get slapped in the face by the tail. Folks don't realize cows eat grain while being milked and while the grain is going down, previously eaten material comes out the other end.

[DaveW]

And the show even has an element of woodworking in it - I just saw an episode where he took a stab at making wine barrels. I think his facial expressions (as planned and expected as they may be) are what makes the show... for example, with the barrels, when he had to cauterize the bunghole (yes, that's what they really call it).

Not quite the elegance of watching John Ratzenberger visit the Stickley plant or him using the hand plane on Made In America, but fun nonetheless.

[Black wallnut]

There was a story in the paper here last year about an outfit that did some logging with mules to clear some land for a house here. The mules skid the logs out of the woods. It takes longer but the mules do very little damage to the environment. Dirty Jobs is on TV right now and Mike Rowe is driving a mule team that does loggine.

I find it ironic that someone that is clearing land to build a home is concerned about environmental damage. Encroachement of wildlife habitat must not seem to them to be environmental damage. I'd better cut it off here or I might cross the line! That said I will have towatch for that rerun, might be interesting to watch with the kids.

[Ken Massingale]

I find it ironic that someone that is clearing land to build a home is concerned about environmental damage. Encroachement of wildlife habitat must not seem to them to be environmental damage. I'd better cut it off here or I might cross the line! That said I will have towatch for that rerun, might be interesting to watch with the kids.

I agree on where you didn't go, Mark. Clearcutting the native trees to build a house(s) then sparsely replanting with non-native varieties has never made sense to me. Integration with the environment should be the norm, not the exception.

[crokett]

I find it ironic that someone that is clearing land to build a home is concerned about environmental damage.

The only trees that were cut were those necessary to build the house and put in a driveway. And as I understand it the driveway was routed carefully to avoid cutting trees. The landowner wanted to keep the woods disturbed as little as possible.

[Ken Massingale]

The only trees that were cut were those necessary to build the house and put in a driveway. And as I understand it the driveway was routed carefully to avoid cutting trees. The landowner wanted to keep the woods disturbed as little as possible.

Good folks!

[BrazosJake]

"Logging with Mules"...sounds like the working man's version of "Dances with Wolves".

BTW, what channel is "Dirty Jobs" on? Sounds like something I need to Tivo along with "Mail Call", "NYW", and my other guy shows.

[Ken Massingale]

"Logging with Mules"...sounds like the working man's version of "Dances with Wolves".

BTW, what channel is "Dirty Jobs" on? Sounds like something I need to Tivo along with "Mail Call", "NYW", and my other guy shows.

It's on Discovery Channel. It's on prime time (not sure day/time) and reruns are on almost daily in the afternoon. Deadly Catch is another one you might enjoy.

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/di...dirtyjobs.html

[ironhat]

I believe that last night was the last episode of Deadly Catch. Mike was on the tube gleefully chanting that he had his old Tues night timeslot back for Dirty Jobs. Even my wife likes these shows. It beats murder, mayhem and adultery on the "Big Three" networks.

Chiz

[DUD]

My Wife's Family were Loggers and Ran Lumber mills here in Northeast Arkansas. We have some photos of horses and mules pulling logs out of the forest. Also have seen some photos of some large logs. Bill