User:Nosnegah/sandbox

Definition

Log hauling is part of the process of harvesting timber. Once a tree has been felled by the fella or cross cutter, stripped of limbs and cut into suitable lengths it is transported to a centralised plant for further processing. Modes of transport include waterborne, horse or bullock drawn, and mechanical transport.

History

Due to the weight of unprocessed timber, the amount of wastage involved in the processing, and the limited infrastructure available, historically processing plants (sawmills) were located near the source of the timber. In it's most basic form, the pit saw mill would be set up next to a fallen tree, and hand wound timber jacks used to roll the log onto the dogs above the Saw Pit. The timber in the form of boards would be transported from the mill, leaving the the wastage in the form of sawdust and off cuts on site.

Developments in technology and infrastructure allowed more centralised mills to become economical, and so log hauling has progressed from simply rolling a log a few metres, to transporting millions of tons of un-processed logs half way around the world.