Ginger Gray, Contributor
On Wednesday, Feb. 16, Ag students from the James Madison Preparatory High School (JMPHS) took a field trip to the job-site of Gray Logging, LLC. There they met Jerry Gray, owner of Gray Logging and Genesis Timber, who provided each one with a hard hat for the tour. These students had been studying a unit on forestry and logging, so it was quite a thing to see it all up close and personal.
The first thing the students got to see in action was the John Deere Fellerbuncher, which is the machine that cuts down the trees in the woods. After watching it cut several trees, it was parked and the students could see the carbine “teeth” that cut the trees. Then, the students were allowed to climb up and sit in the “cockpit.” The students were also able to observe the skidder and the loader in action.
Todd Witt, Forester with Genesis Timber, LLC, gave the students an in depth lesson on the “tools” of the trade. They learned the importance of the rings of the tree and what that tells the forester. Jerry Gray bored a hole in a pine tree to display the rings and count the age. It was amazing to learn that two trees side by side were exactly the same age, but an entirely different growth size. They learned a little about cruising timber and running land lines. At the end of the forester’s presentation, each student was given a Genesis Timber stainless steel water bottle.
With lots of valuable information and hands on learning, a Gray Logging hard hat and a Genesis Timber water bottle, the students were able to call it a day.