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A spar tree is the tree used as the highest anchor point in a high lead
High Climbing
Logging {{Forestry-stub
A spar tree is the tree used as the highest anchor point in a high lead cable logging
High Lead logging in Western Oregon
Cable logging, also referred to as skyline logging, is a logging method primarily used on the West Coast of North America with yarder, loaders, and grapple yarders, but also in Europe (Austria, Switzerland ...
setup. The spar tree is selected based on height, location and especially strength and lack of rot in order to withstand the weight and pressure required. Once a spar tree is selected, a climber would remove the tree's limbs and top the tree (a logging term for cutting off the top of the tree). Block and tackle
A block and tackle or only tackle is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift heavy loads.
The pulleys are assembled to form blocks and then blocks are paired so that one is fixed and one ...
is then affixed to the tree and cabling is run.
A "high climber" is the member of the logging crew who scales the tree, limbs it, and tops it.
Selecting a tree as a spar is a particularly important task, so the strength and importance of the spar came to hold symbolic meaning for early loggers of the West.
The use of spar trees in logging is now rare, having been replaced since the 1970s by portable towers, called yarders
A yarder is piece of logging equipment that uses a system of cables to pull or fly logs from the stump to a collection point. It generally consists of an engine, drums, and spar, but has a range of configurations and variations, such as the swin ...
, which can be erected on logging sites and moved as needed.
External links
High Climbing
Logging {{Forestry-stub