Colson Timber Acquisitions cuts, skids and hauls timber from the forest to the log yard or the saw mill. We are self employed, and an independent logging company and work full time as a timber buyer and logging company supplying large saw mills.

Logging is the most dangerous job in the entire wood producing process. Cutting and skidding logs out of the woods is very dangerous. Falling trees and branches and  rolling logs cause several injuries and even deaths every year.

A good logging crew can make or break a harvest. The use of  "BMP'S" (best management practice's) is very important to minimize soil erosion and damage to the forest. John Colson is a seasoned and professional logger and is an expert when it comes to directional felling, which can help minimize damage to residual trees and ensure a healthy future crop.

Safety equipment is a must for today's logger. Hard hats, hearing protection, eye protection, and chainsaw chaps are a few of the must-have safety items. These safety items are provided by the loggers, for both themselves and for their employees.

We use chainsaws to cut the trees down. There are several techniques used to fell trees. As loggers we may use directional felling, or controlling the direction in which the tree falls. This technique can be beneficial to the remaining growing stock. However, miracles can not be worked on every tree. Some trees can not be directionally felled due to lean, heavy branches, or rot. 

Trees are dragged out of the forest using large, four-wheeled tractors called skidders. These machines are very powerful and can drag heavy loads. Most skidders have a winch on the back, which is  used to drag logs short distances. The middle of the skidder articulates to maneuver in the tight spaces of a forest. A roll cage is standard on skidders to protect the operator during a rollover and from falling debris. Some skidders have a small blade on the front that can be used to clean and touch up a skid trail. 

The skidder will drag the logs to an area to  be stacked according to species and quality. This area is called a landing or yard. Here the logs may be scaled and cut into lengths, loaded onto trucks and hauled to a sawmill. Yards need to be from 1/2 acre to several acres in size, depending on the size of the job. Usually yards are fields or open areas in a forest and have good access to a road.Next the logs move to the sawmill or veneer mill.