I ran into one of them at an EAB thing in 2012. Quite a character.
Dave, i have heard of you, can not remember why. Nice to meet you.
Yes, i have run a cable dozer with a 4-way brush blade and excavator with grapple claw for land and brush clearing, summer/ fall into early winter project for a golf course that led to selective logging and hand falling timber and firewood with my father in Ohio. I tried to be as low impact with the dozer using the cable more then anything. Once i drove it into a gully and rammed the blade into a stump. I could not winch it back out because it kept pulling the trees out of the ground. Finally i climbed up and using the winch, cable assist topped a big Maple, cabled that to the next tree and finally got the dozer out the next morning. the dozer had to be returned for winter logging so we split firewood for the rest of winter and spring. Some of the trees i topped and branched first before felling, this is were my climbing skills comes from.
My grandfather logged and i tagged along as a spotter and cable choker. He also had a David Bradley hand mill powered by the skidder which was a modified 1968 Hesston DT680 with winch, weights and weighted tires. The White mountains are steep in Ashfield so a lot of high line skidding was used. He taught me several ways of free hand felling and cable assist directional felling.
I worked at Lenny Roberts mills for a winter, Lenny hired me because of my grandfather. I was warned to stay away from Roberts but i worked in his mill. Needless to say lenny refuses to rehire me even though more then 10 years has passed unless i give him the ok to log off my family's estate. Fact of the matter is, the land is not mines to rent out.
Bill Lashways is another one right here in Williamsburg, my grandfather sold him a lot of timber and were friends with him and his wife. His firewood processor building burned to the ground this past fall, i might try asking him but i doubt it. I have asked him several times in the past but my idiot brother left behind a bad rep. I might ask him again this week and hope for the best.
I would much rather Arborist over logging. If there is anyone interested pm me.