Crew starts logging new high school site

The tall timber started falling at the new Sisters High School site on Thursday afternoon, April 4.

Fagen Tree Service of Bend is clearing the 42.5-acre site over the next two weeks. Harry Fagen operated a faller-buncher to fell the trees.

The faller-buncher grasped a tree every couple of minutes with huge mechanical jaws and either sawed it off close to the ground or simply ripped the tree from the earth.

Then the crane arm of the logging machine swung around and deposited each tree onto a pile where a skidder will come in and haul the logs away.

According to Harry Fagen, the faller-buncher can take down trees up to 20 inches in diameter -- as long as the tree isn't too tall. Tall trees whip around as they are cut, producing a great deal of torque and become hard for the arms of the faller-buncher to hold.

Fagen is logging the sit for the value of the timber plus an $18,000 fee.

According to Wayne Fagen, who runs the company, salable timber will be marketed and other wood will be sold as firewood. Chips from the site will be donated back to the Sisters School District.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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