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Gutting a Tree |
| Tree Gutting is when you cut the bones
out of a tree. The process is the same for all trees,
though the end product varies by tree type. In most
cases, it's smoke, as the tree residue is used for
firewood. Sometimes, a tree can be used for creating
useful structures, artistic carvings, and beneficial
medicines, though I haven't done any of these yet. Follow along as I take you through a tour of Tree Gutting, using a downed tree from Hurricane Isabel. |
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Here was but one tree that Hurricane Isabel pushed over - this is a Black (or Wild) Cherry. We have a million of them. Most are multi-trunked. However, since this one was a loner (by itself, not rental), it was single trunked and quite full. The goats loved it and kept it's lower branches pruned. | ||
| The lone stump after pulling away the tree carcas. When I cut the carcas loose, the stump sprong back upright. After a few years, it will grow a new canopy. |  |
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Here is the carcas after being towed to the boning field. Note a couple of other trees from the Hurricane. The carcas to the left has already had a few amputations to allow it to get through the gates. | ||
| Here are the Preliminary Bones beginning to emerge from the carcas. This takes about ten minutes of chain sawing to get to this point. A few stray flesh sticks remain on the skeleton. The object is to cut off all the branches that can be pulverized by the bush hog and leave them on the boning field for subsequent grindup. |  |
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Pulling the bones out of the canopy. Once these Preliminary Bones (three or more inch diameter) are out of the rest, the bush hog can grind it up. | ||
| After the first cut, the Preliminary Bones go to the stick pile. Here, anything less than about six inches in diameter gets hacked off and thrown onto the bonefire pit. |  |
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Here are the Final Bones, getting ready to be towed to the final processing facility. | ||
| The final processing point: Firewood. Here the Final Bones get cut and split into little itty-bitty chunks appropriate for our little fire place. |  |
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