Test Your Logging Knowledge
Logging is one of mankind's oldest occupations with a rich history of hard work, hazard and innovation. Men and their tools have been harvesting the bounty of the forests for many centuries. In the last decades, much as changed as ever more powerful harvesting machines have come into use only to be tempered by the growing call for conservation. Whatever the future holds, wood and paper products will continue to be vital to modern economies so let's find out how much you know about this dynamic industry.
True or False: "Bucking" is a logging term for the process of felling trees by pushing them over with a bulldozer or other piece of heavy equipment.
True
False
Bucking is the process of cutting up trees that have already been felled and delimbed. This involves using chainsaws to remove any branches still left on the trunk and to cut the log to the size specified by the mill order.
One of the latest, most innovative pieces of logging equipment is called the "Sawfish." What is it?
A hand-held tool with a sawfish-like fixed blade attached to an high speed motor.
A remotely operated underwater logging vehicle that harvests submerged trees.
The brand name for a new, special multi-tool used by loggers.
A scale-covered protective apron designed for wear when using heavy chainsaws.
Sawfish is the product name for a new type of remotely operated submersible with pincer claws and a high-speed waterproof blade that specializes in felling submerged trees. These trees, often called "reservoir logs," are typically drowned in lakes created by dam construction. Although the drowned trees quickly lose their foliage and bark, under the the right water conditions, the wood can remain a valuable lumber source, often highly prized for its striking color and grain.
How many trees every year per person are needed in the United States to satisfy the demands for paper, packaging, lumber and other wood products?
One
Three
Five
Seven
The average number of trees needed per person has been slowly declining over the past 10 years, due largely to the combined effects of recycling and the reduced use of paper products. The demand for lumber, however, remains more cyclical, particularly with increased demand in Asian markets.
One of the many dangers faced by loggers goes by the name "widowmaker." What is this hazard?
A tree or limb that is under tension due to the pressure or weight of another tree.
Any worn-out or cracked hydraulic line on heavy equipment and trucks.
An improperly adjusted loose chain on a chainsaw.
Broken-off limbs that are hanging freely in the tree about to be felled or nearby trees.
Although all these conditions represent potentially dangerous situations, it's the broken-off limbs waiting to fall on loggers that long ago earned the name "widowmaker."
True or False: Because of the growth of conservation activity over the last century, the amount of forest land today is about the same as it was 300 years ago.
True
False
The amount of forest land in the area now occupied by the United States steadily declined beginning with the arrival of European settlers in the 17th century. Around 1907, the decline ceased and forest acreage remained stable until the early 1960s as conservation balanced out the losses caused by agricultural and urban expansion. For the last 40 years, however, several states in the South and Pacific coast regions have seen a new wave of forest land decline. In contrast, there are a few states that have successfully restored forested acreage to a level close to what it was centuries ago through programs of conservation and carefully managed harvesting.
Logging is among the most hazardous forms of employment, with a fatality rate 23 times higher than that for all U.S. workers. What type of accident is the cause of most logging injuries?
Struck by falling or rolling logs and limbs.
Heavy equipment accidents.
Injuries from chainsaws and other cutting blades.
Truck and log-hauler accidents.
Over 60 percent of all logging injuries are caused when workers are struck by falling, flying or moving objects, typically trees, logs, snags and limbs. This has been the primary cause of injuries and fatalities since men first began to cut down trees.
Heavy logging vehicles with wheels have less impact on the forest floor than tracked vehicles of the same weight.
True
False
If their gross weight is roughly equal, tracked vehicles have less impact due to their lower center of gravity, superior traction and better weight distribution. In other words, tracked vehicles generally don't tear into the forest floor as much as wheeled vehicles do.
Aside from the principle uses of timber in lumber and paper products, trees also provide ingredients for all of the following except:
Skin lotions
Eyeglass frames
Artificial vanilla flavor
Football helmets
Hamburgers
Although an unscrupulous meat processing plant may get away with it from time to time, the USDA requires that no wood products be used in ground beef.
Which current manufacturer of chainsaws can take credit for the invention of the first portable, gasoline-powered model?
Homelite
Stihl
McCulloch
Husqvarna
In 1929, German mechanical engineer Andreas Stihl patented the first hand-held, gasoline-powered chainsaw and became the first to mass-produce what he called the "Tree-Felling Machine." Others earlier had come up with gasoline-powered versions, but they were so heavy that several men were needed to operate them.
Timber theft, or illegal logging, is very rare in the United States. However, in 2008, three men in Washington state were convicted of illegally harvesting what type of highly prized tree?
Redwood
Mahogany
Cedar
Hemlock
The three men were found guilty of cutting down 31 old-growth western cedar trees from the Olympic National Forest. Much of the wood they stole was considered "music wood"; it was much sought after by musical-instrument makers and only found in older protected cedar trees.
Historical records show that the two-man crosscut saw dates back to:
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Rome
15th century Europe
17th century America
Ancient Roman drawings preserve evidence of the earliest known two-man saws, although these tools only came into common use in Europe during the 15th century. In North America, two-man saws didn't make an appearance until the late 19th century, a surprising delay since this meant that before this time, all trees were felled with the far more labor-intensive axe method.
True or False. Clearcutting -- felling all the trees in an area of an acre or more -- is a harmful practice that is being phased out by forestry officials.
True
False
As long as it's done properly in a suitable area, clearcutting is a valuable technique for both timber and wildlife management. This practice benefits timber production by allowing the reproduction and growth of a wide variety of species, including those that demand full sun, such as yellow-poplar, oak, walnut, and ash. These fast-growing, valuable species are shade intolerant and will not reproduce using partial cutting methods. Clearcutting also benefits wildlife by providing browse, increased habitat diversity and "edge," the productive zone where new forest borders old.
Too bad
Time to go back to forestry school. Or at least try the quiz again.
Not to shabby
With a little refresher course, you're back on the crew.
Great Job!
You've earned your apprentice woodsman's license.
Want to find out more about logging?
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