Mike Neta is a welcomed visitor at Timbergreen Farm.  Mike is a highly skilled logger who works on the Menominee Tribal Enterprise forest near Green Bay.  Sustainable Forestry is his way in the woods; do what is right, and do it right.
Mike is our regular teacher of logging skills and loves to talk with forest owners.

Mike starts with a shallow notch, about 10% of the tree diameter deep and 80% of the diameter across.  Immediately behind his notch, he bores through the tree, leaving a one inch hinge (the hinge varies due to specific factors).  When the tree is larger than the saw's bar, he then bores in from the other side also.  Next Mike bores out the center of the tree, then supports the lower side of the hinge with plastic wedges for greater control.  Additional wedges are placed near the back of the tree when needed.

Setting the hinge exactly as needed, then boring out the center, wedging for support and direction, gives Mike excellent control of each tree he fells.  "The most important thing about this method is the tree doesn't begin to fall, until I cut the last fiber on the back side of the tree," said Neta.  "Then the tree starts to fall, slowly at first.  This allows me to get clear of the danger zone right away.  This is much safer than the traditional notch and back cut."