A sharp-eyed commuter notices a new bridge over a stream on her way to work. She stops to find out what’s happening in the woods in the middle of winter.
Do you notice changes on your daily commute? I like to drive different ways to work and I hadn’t taken the back way in a while. There was a dusting of new snow, and as I came up next to a stream, I noticed a bridge where there had been no bridge before.
What is going on here in the middle of the winter? I had some time, so I decided to check things out. I noticed some equipment up in the woods and a sign on a tree. As I started to look at the sign, a pickup truck pulled up and a pretty tough looking guy got out. I started to wonder if I was in trouble. As we walked toward each other I said, “My curiosity got the best of me, and I had to check out this bridge which wasn’t here last week.” The burly guy looked at me, smiled and said, “How else am I supposed to get the logs out of the woods? Drive through the stream?”
I was starting to put things together. Logs come from trees and the trees come from the woods and this area is woods. I said, “Are you one of those lumberjacks that cuts down trees?” He replied, “I guess you could call me that” and stuck out his hand to introduce himself. I was still curious and asked him about the bridge:
How did you get this here?
Comes on a truck in two pieces. We unload it and pull it across the stream with a skidder and push the pieces into place.
That bridge can support a log truck?
Yep, the truck will back up to the log landing, load up with logs and haul them away.
What is this sign on the tree for?
That tells folks like yourself that I have permission to take a truck over this stream on this bridge. An official from the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has to come out and decide if it’s OK for me to put in a bridge. If so, they give me a permit.
Do you take the bridge out when you’re done?
Yep.
Would you mind if I brought my kids over someday to watch you?
Sure. Just let me know when you arrive on site and be sure that everyone stays 250 feet from where I am working.
Well thanks, I am sure they will be excited to check this out. Hope you have a good day, and thanks for the information you shared.
You bet.
To find out more about harvesting trees and the impact it can have on your woods, check out these links to MyWoodlot:
To read more about portable bridges, check out the following:
Portable Skidder Bridge Installation at Siuslaw Model Forest
Building Skidder Bridges for the WAC Bridge Loan Program
Replacing the decking on a 30-foot portable bridge
