Numbered Publications: FOR
FOR-122: How to Select and Buck Logs for Railroad Ties
Terry Conners | Mar. 4, 2016 (New)
As of 2014, railroads were purchasing in the neighborhood of 25 million wooden ties each year, so the railroad tie industry can be a reliable market for loggers and sawmillers. Prices for green ties are viewed as good compared to lower-grade lumber, though actual market prices depend on immediate demand, competing lumber prices, distance from the seller to the treating plant, and tie quality and species. If you're a logger reading this article, you'll learn to make better decisions about how to select trees and logs for crossties and switch ties, and you'll be able to buck them so that they're worth more money overall.
FOR-125: Distinguishing Softwoods from Hardwoods
Terry Conners | Dec. 21, 2015 (New)
Softwood and hardwood trees are made up of different types of cells. With just a little magnification, it's easy to see that softwood growth rings look different from hardwood growth rings. Additionally, growth rings don't look the same for all of the trees, and the growth ring appearance is one of the things we will look at to identify wood.
FOR-123: Introduction to Wood Structure and Characteristics
Terry Conners | Dec. 21, 2015 (New)
Knowing how to identify unknown pieces of wood using a hand lens is the only skill you will need for most situations---and that's the purpose behind most of this manual. A section at the end about how to identify wood using a microscope is available should you want to develop your wood identification expertise.
FOR-127: The First Separation of Softwood Species
Terry Conners | Dec. 21, 2015 (New)
Just making the separation between softwoods and hardwoods doesn't help much in identifying wood species; that would be sort of like identifying children by their hair color. Let's look at the next level of wood features that you need to be able to recognize.
FOR-126: Grain Patterns and Growth Rings
Terry Conners | Dec. 21, 2015 (New)
Frequently you need to be able to observe wood cells from a particular perspective, and you will need to know where to look for different features on your sample. It's also very helpful to develop a kind of "visual vocabulary" that will let you match a term with a corresponding mental image, and the information in this chapter will start you on your way.
FOR-124: First Steps in Identifying Wood
Terry Conners | Dec. 21, 2015 (New)
Wood samples need to be identified for all sorts of reasons, and they come in all shapes, sizes and conditions. I've received samples that were sound, samples that were waterlogged, samples that were rotted or otherwise degraded, painted samples, furniture samples, even samples containing wood preservatives. Most of the samples I receive have a North American origin, but I also receive pieces from art museums and antique dealers that can originate from just about anywhere. This sometimes means that identifying the sample by a common name alone doesn't provide enough information.
FOR-62: Managing Urban Pest Bird Problems
Tom Barnes | May. 7, 2013 (Minor Revision)
FOR-91: Growing Forest Botanicals and Medicinals
Deborah Hill | Mar. 15, 2013 (New)
If you are interested in producing some of Kentucky's native medicinal plants, the first step is to gather as much information about them as possible. This publication includes useful information including a list of helpful books, contacts, and organizations.
FOR-83: Shiitake Production: Incubation and Stacking
Deborah Hill | Mar. 12, 2013 (New)
Monitor your logs for shade, moisture, and pest and disease problems while they are incubating. If firewood- or teepee-stacked logs are losing too much moisture, you may need to rearrange the stacks. (The bottom logs will always retain more moisture). Lean-to stacked logs should be more even in their moisture content, but they too can be reversed if necessary.
FOR-86: Shiitake Production: Processing and Storage
Deborah Hill | Mar. 12, 2013 (New)
How you handle your mushrooms depends on whether you plan to market them fresh or dried, retail or wholesale.
