Axe or chainsaw?

[john101477]

you can generally get through just about any dead fall just as fast or faster with a good sharp bow saw than a chainsaw.

if you are cutting green wood a chainsaw is faster.

there is absolutely no need for a chainsaw when you are out in the wilderness car camping. it blows my mind that people would even consider taking something like a 16" chainsaw "camping" with them.

Yeah that's about half bull crap. There is not any situation where a bow saw is faster than a chain saw. Only quieter, but if I am the one doing the cutting I want it done fast so I can enjoy the rest of my trip. I have 3 chain saws, 2 bow saws and a folding saw among many others not related to the forest.

If you did not realize I carry a chain saw but also carry my folding saw. It the wood I need cut is larger than 6 in, which in my area is very often, I grab the chain saw. If I am just cutting limb wood the folding saw works fine, specially if I am in a campground.

And just for the record. Every year we cut 5 acres of black and tan oak for a logging company to plant fir. We sell the wood for residential fire wood which in turn usually pays for our hunting trips.

 

[ddog45]

Wow this turned into a great post. I must admit I learned a lot. I carry a small pruining saw I think they are used on fruit tree farms. I have never needed a chainsaw but where I camp and four wheel here in Colorado the trees are not that big above 8000 feet. A winch and an axe do the job in most cases. If I were to haul any of my chainsaws in the jeep or the trailer Im sure I would end up getting gas and bar oil all over everything.

 

[Lynn]

Maybe it's good to reiterate the fact that we need to be aware of the rules and regulations for whatever area we are going in to.

I didn't realize (before this thread) that carrying firewood into an area might be illegal. Thanks for pointing that out.

On the other hand, I did know in a lot of parks it is illegal to gather wood.

Minor hijack: When I was a kid in Scouts we bundled wood slabs at the local saw mill and sold it to the local Nat. Park to resell to campers. In the Park it was illegal to gather firewood, but there was tons of dead wood laying around. Periodically they would try to get volunteers together to drag out the dead wood, since it contributed to the more-than-occasional forest fires they had.

Always seemed odd to me that the Park brought in outside firewood, while they had so many problems from the deadwood laying around. Anyway, end of hijack...

 

[freeze]

It depends on the location.

When there's people around or it's OHV then it's a hand saw.

If it's super remote and need to cut deadfall for more than two days of wood then it's the Stihl.

It's really about time and place. Just like 4WD'ing... being ethical and responsible with your chainsaw. Also wear the right gear cause that saw will kick when you've been cutting for a long time. Leg protection, steel toe, gloves, glasses and hard hat if they're big! You don't look as cool.... but you look like an idiot when you've cut yourself with you're own chainsaw. I've witnessed some close calls heli-logging.

Even here in the local OHV (McLean Creek) it's illegal to even gather deadfall to burn, you must bring your own wood from home.

If you're super remote the chainsaw is where it's at so you're not burning all your calories trying to cut down a tree then bucking it up. Train hard while you're at home not when you're out in the backcountry. Relaxing and using as less energy as possible when you're out there is key.

 

[Red90]

there is absolutely no need for a chainsaw when you are out in the wilderness car camping. it blows my mind that people would even consider taking something like a 16" chainsaw "camping" with them.

Traveling the trails around here there is a lot of blowdown every spring. With a hand saw, you would spend half your day clearing the trail instead of getting somewhere. Not everyone goes to the same sort of places you travel to....

 

[RR1]

there is absolutely no need for a chainsaw when you are out in the wilderness car camping. it blows my mind that people would even consider taking something like a 16" chainsaw "camping" with them.

The last thing I want to be doing is hand-sawing all day for some firewood. When we go camping we are there for 1-2 weeks to do other activities, moto, mountain biking, fishing, hiking, canoeing, etc...

Get the wood cutting out of the way to go do what I like to do, 'cause cutting firewood is work in my book. I like to cook on the fire too, so we need a lot of it.

If I were to haul any of my chainsaws in the jeep or the trailer Im sure I would end up getting gas and bar oil all over everything.

For trail clearing I use MSR fuel bottles, never had one leak on me yet. And they get shaken quite a bike on the dirt bike. When I rode 2-Strokes, I used the fuel off the bike, now that I ride 4-Strokes I have to carry it.

Dakine has a great trail builder pack.

 

[Schattenjager]

I carry both an axe and chainsaw. The axe is easy to use and fun to a degree - but if there is a lot to do, or if an emergency arose in the bush, I like the idea of being able to easily handle shelter sized wood supports and have plenty of firewood.

Chance favors the prepared mind.

 

[grntrdtaco]

Traveling the trails around here there is a lot of blowdown every spring. With a hand saw, you would spend half your day clearing the trail instead of getting somewhere. Not everyone goes to the same sort of places you travel to....

if you read my post you would have seen that i said its not applicable when cutting green wood.

what blows me away about this discussion is that most of the people commenting here think its perfectly fine to clear a forest/camping spot of deadfall. has anyone ever busted open a rotten log and seen the life that lives in there? the insects that live in the deadfall support the wildlife that lives in the forests, when the deadfall rots away it supports the plant life. without it the places you go to and think are beautiful would not exist as they do today. there is a reason you cant clear deadfall and burn it in national parks, it destroys the ecosystem.

the area around where i live is wiped out from campers with chainsaws making absurdly large fires from dead wood collected around the camping areas. the forest looks like a wasteland.

driving around clearing an existing road, clearing 5 acres for logging is NOT the same as using a chainsaw to make a campfire. i have no problem with clearing existing roads or logging private land. when people are riding around on motorcycles with chainsaws on there backs cutting new trails on public lands i have a big problem with that and i report it. its that kind of behavior that gets off road enthusiasts banned from entire areas. look what is happening with the hidden jem's in colorado right now.

 

[pb_beaker]

For trail clearing I use MSR fuel bottles, never had one leak on me yet. And they get shaken quite a bike on the dirt bike. When I rode 2-Strokes, I used the fuel off the bike, now that I ride 4-Strokes I have to carry it.

QUOTE]

Great idea, i was thinking i was going to have to carry a seperate jug for the 2-stroke gas.

 

[BigAl]

for trail clearing I most often use the winch and a snatch block to pull trees off the trail. It's an art to find the best anchor for pulling. I keep an axe all the time as well. If I know I will be cutting many or large trees, I bring a chain saw.

 

[john101477]

if you read my post you would have seen that i said its not applicable when cutting green wood.

what blows me away about this discussion is that most of the people commenting here think its perfectly fine to clear a forest/camping spot of deadfall. has anyone ever busted open a rotten log and seen the life that lives in there? the insects that live in the deadfall support the wildlife that lives in the forests, when the deadfall rots away it supports the plant life. without it the places you go to and think are beautiful would not exist as they do today. there is a reason you cant clear deadfall and burn it in national parks, it destroys the ecosystem.

the area around where i live is wiped out from campers with chainsaws making absurdly large fires from dead wood collected around the camping areas. the forest looks like a wasteland.

driving around clearing an existing road, clearing 5 acres for logging is NOT the same as using a chainsaw to make a campfire. i have no problem with clearing existing roads or logging private land. when people are riding around on motorcycles with chainsaws on there backs cutting new trails on public lands i have a big problem with that and i report it. its that kind of behavior that gets off road enthusiasts banned from entire areas. look what is happening with the hidden jem's in colorado right now.

Are you out of your mind? Every year the national forest service and cal fire clear as much deadfall out of the forest as they can. dead fall only adds fuel to a forest fire making it unmanageable. not only are we encouraged to participate but many feel it a responsibility to clear dead fall. Your off your rocker if your worrying about some bugs in a rotten piece of wood. Hmmm a few bugs or an entire forest??? you do the math.

 

[grntrdtaco]

no i'm not out of my mind..

I live in an area that is extremely anti ORV (be it truck, atv, motos, even mt bikes are getting banned from roads/trails) the more people out there camping with chainsaws the faster the land we camp on will be closed by the sierra club and organizations like hidden gems in colorado you can count on that..

that's really the bottom line. i guess the areas that you go are not at risk of closure yet.

how many forest fires are started by campers with big bonfires? are they out of there minds for lighting such fires in tinderbox forests? or even having a fire at all?

there is a time and a place for a chainsaw as pointed out by many others in this thread.. responsible, ethical, low impact camping/expeditions is not that place in my opinion.

 

[Tucson T4R]

From my view it all depends on where you are camping. If I am in a sensitive area or an area with fire restrictions I respect that and don't even have a fire.

If the area is marginal then I keep my fires down to a small well controlled size.

But there are many places in Arizona that are wide open, very safe, and the down and dead wood is abundant and fully legal to collect and burn. In those area I am comfortable enjoying a large fire.

I don't think one practice can apply to the wide variety of back country environments we have across this country.

 

[john101477]

no i'm not out of my mind..

I live in an area that is extremely anti ORV (be it truck, atv, motos, even mt bikes are getting banned from roads/trails) the more people out there camping with chainsaws the faster the land we camp on will be closed by the sierra club and organizations like hidden gems in colorado you can count on that...

So instead of fighting with ridiculous organizations such as the Sierra Club, you choose appeasement. I know of no such case where appeasement was chosen where freedom was not broken...
Living in an area where wild fire is abundant and having family in CalFire & NFS I can say that most fires started by man are NOT buy campers but smokers, power lines and arson. A well thought out fire pit, location and build is usually sufficient. When I am out in the back country i adhere to the regulations that are imposed at the time. In another month camp fires will be illegal anyways because it just plain gets to hot and dry. It is common sense and if you do not know that you have no business out there.

We fight the Sierra Club regularly trying to close the Rubicon/ the High lakes/ and many areas of the Eldorado N.F. Thank god we have smart people that know how to rally all of us together to stop the incessant B.S. and keep the NFS on our side. Trail repairs and cleanup days keep us on good terms and keep funding coming on a national and state level.

I can't even register the idea of citizen in Colorado back stepping for yuppy extremists.

 

[RR1]

how many forest fires are started by campers with big bonfires? are they out of there minds for lighting such fires in tinderbox forests? or even having a fire at all?.

Oh we all know forest fires are started by unemployed wild-lands firefighters. :elkgrin::campfire::26_7_2: