Start with the tree:

We harvested this downed Russian olive ten days ago. It was a good test of our abilities and the limits of our equipment.

My nephews at Silverleaf Farms pointed it out to me. We get a lot of our logs this way, by word of mouth. I knew the neighbor of the lot where the tree was lying and she gave me the name of the owner. I called and the owner was delighted to have us cut it down and haul it off.

We agreed on a price and got it out in two 5 hour days, limited by serious cold temperatures and snow.

See more on this story in days to come.