Trees to logs to mulch.....

We went on a field trip today to Brightman Lumber/Sawmill in Assonet. It was really interesting. Aside from the day being rainy and dull, we saw some really neat things. The man giving the tour was very friendly and more than willing to show us around. With the economy the way it is, things are slowing down for them, so he had some time. First he showed us where they roll the logs in. A machine rolls the log and takes the bark off. Then it rolls it down a slope, out of the way, towards another machine. This machine takes the debarked log and cuts it into whatever shape and length it needs to be. All the while, rolling it to cut a new side. At the time we were there, the logs were being cut up for mulch. He showed us the store house, the different mulch piles and a building where they use a huge planer to smooth (sand) the wood. When the economy was not so bad, this company would dry/cure their own wood. But with the rising costs of fossil fuels, they have had to stop that practice. Sometimes I overlook and don't pay attention to some of the more obvious things. For example, I did not know that a knot on a piece of wood is an indicator as to where a branch was. I would tend to think that many people would know this-but I didn't. It's so neat to learn new things!