Echoes in the Hills

The southern Ohio terrain is representative of the foothills of Appalachia. There are a few rolling hills, but much of it is steep, with deep draws and rocky outcrops. These hills and dales are covered with native hardwood, but it wasn’t always that way. Many of these steep ravines and slopes were cut bare of their timber for coal mine timbers and to fuel massive charcoal ovens.

Erosion was king of the hills for a while, cutting deep grooves into the landscape, fouling streams and waterways with soil and runoff. It was at this time in the 1940s, that Chris Pidcock’s grandfather planted hundreds of white pine tree seedlings into the bare spots, the craggy slopes and on the edges of his farm fields. His hope was that the trees would stabilize the soil and help prevent the continued erosion on his farm and woodlands.

As evidenced currently, his plan worked very well. Mature, stately white pine trees now litter the whole area where they were planted. The undergrowth of native trees is now trying to push its way through the canopy above. Young tulip poplar, hickory and maple are very prolific in the stand now. They are aiting for the opportunity to flourish on the slopes, taking the place of the mature and declining white pines.

Chris Pidcock and his wife, Lavada, are now the caretakers of the generational land of Chris’s grandfather. He has taken an approach to be a steward to the land and make it better than he found it. At a gathering of friends for an impromptu plow day, a young lady rocked her chair over a small hill. She was fine. We all shared a bit of laughter at what had happened, but, inside, Chris and Lavada were mortified. It was decided to clear off a “flat” spot where we could all get together without injury.


Chris’s “flat” spot soon turned into a gathering place, complete with a structure that will provide all the comforts of home. Future plans include running water, a bathroom, a summer kitchen and an open porch. The area has an in-ground firepit for a bonfire, around which stories will be told and information will be shared. The shell of the building is in place, but lumber for inside walls and trim were still needed.

As Chris and Lavada shared thoughts for their conversation station, they hit on an idea to harvest some of the pine trees that Chris’s grandfather had planted for the needed lumber. This is where the idea of having a logging get-together was hatched.

So, The Southern Ohio Gathering Group, Saving Suffolks, Healing Harvest Forest Foundation and the Pidcock’s all came together to host our first Logging Day. The date was selected in mid-October, a time when autumn bathes the landscape in color. The weather is still usually good, and most of the farm work is coming to a seasonal close, freeing up time in everyone’s schedule.
Among those in attendance were Jason Rutledge, Clifford Cox, Ben Burgess, Perry Troyer and me – all of whom gave some instructions and shared experiences and ideas. Teamsters Ty Moore and Andrew Nidy, along with Ben and his student, Dylan Dollins, hooked chokers, drove log grabs and skidded logs. We spent the entire day as woodland stewards. J

Jason Rutledge, long-time Suffolk horse advocate and biological woodsman, gave down-to-earth instruction on chainsaw and felling safety. He and Ben Burgess felled trees and bucked logs in a methodical manner, explaining in detail as they went. Tree selection, directional felling and all aspects of woodland husbandry were explained step by step. Ben led by example in teaching the skill of surgical extraction, using draft animal power to harvest the bounty in the trees planted 80 years ago by Chris’s grandfather.

The crowd was very interested and listened intently to Jason and others as we shared thoughts and explained while doing. It was a true outdoor classroom. Young people and first-timers came away with a lot of information and hands-on experience. It was nice to listen to information familiar to me and hear things that reaffirmed my approach to managing my own forest. It was heartwarming to watch eager teamsters get to “see and do” under the watchful eyes of their mentors.

The community attended this event and were welcomed. Some of our group’s teamsters had no or very limited experience skidding logs. I stepped back to allow them to get as many skids as they could do, to maximize their learning. It moved me to see some very young folks asking questions and watching the harvest proceed.
Eighty years ago, a man planted a bunch of pine seedlings in dismal areas around his farm. He didn’t get to see the impact of his labor or the outcome of his selfless work. He may not know that his grandson harvested logs from those pine trees to build his very own home. A log cabin set in a hill overlooking a small valley where weaned Suffolk babies are watched and kept safe.

He didn’t know that the pines would not only stop the erosion and improve water quality but provide footing and diversity for a crop of native trees under their boughs. He surely couldn’t know that a bunch of like-minded people would descend into the forest he created to teach the aspects of woodland stewardship and share decades of experiences.

The old man’s great granddaughter got married in the shadow of the trees he planted in the small hickory grove where we brought the logs out of the woods. The impact is so light it is almost unseen. Perhaps the old man’s great-great- granddaughter will marry among the trees too? That remains to be seen, but the fact remains that the echoes in these hills span generations. All because someone cared enough to make a difference.

I feel that we who gathered to make the “logging day” event happen also made a difference. We passed along information that time has all but forgotten. We came together to showcase the Suffolk horse in the forest, share ideas and support one another. The rest of this story just makes it all sweeter.

There is hope in the future. There is bright light shining from small woodlots and homesteads. Draft animal power is making a comeback. Follow the example of Chris’s grandfather and plant seeds. Plant trees, plant gardens, sow information in a young mind. You never know how it will grow in the next 80 years. The only thing you can be sure of is that if you don’t plant, nothing will grow.