The Journey of a Tree: From Forest to Finished Product

People take many of the items they use daily for granted. The paper they're writing on, the wooden rocking chair they enjoy, the front porch that protects them from the weather when they want to step outside, paper towels used to clean up kitchen messes – these are all items made from wood that someone has to harvest from trees standing tall in a forest.

The journey of a tree is a story of nature, human innovation and skilled craftsmanship, and it all starts with Mother Nature and loggers like those at Miller Farms. However, logging isn't about cutting down any tree anywhere. There must be a market for the species, or you're just wasting natural resources. 

Before a tree ever reaches your home as part of a product, it spends years – and sometimes decades – growing in a forest. In the tree's early stages, it sprouts from seed and takes root in the forest ecosystem. Over time, it grows and plays a vital role by providing oxygen, habitats for wildlife and stabilizing the soil.

Forests can be natural or managed. In a managed forest, practices dictate that trees are grown to a mature size prior to being harvested. This practice ensures the trees reach their full potential and protect the surrounding ecosystem by encouraging biodiversity and preventing deforestation. 

Loggers use two primary methods when harvesting trees: select cutting and clearcutting.
When a logger select-cuts, he cuts specific trees based on:

• Size
• Species
• Maturity

Select cutting is more environmentally friendly, as it leaves other trees to grow to maturity without competing for sun, water and nutrients. It helps maintain the biodiversity and the overall health of the ecosystem. It is the preferred practice of Miller Farms, as it minimizes ecological disruption while still providing necessary resources and allowing you to clean up your property or create a home site.

Clearcutting involves cutting down all the trees in a designated area. While it can be efficient, it has a more significant impact on the environment. Clearcutting often leads to soil erosion, loss of wildlife habitats, and a decrease in forest regeneration if not carefully managed. Miller Farms avoids clearcutting unless you are creating fields for farms. 

Traditional tools such as axes and hand saws have given way to machineries such as chainsaws, skidders, feller-bunchers and harvesters. Miller Farms uses chainsaws instead of feller bunchers, which can cut down multiple trees at once, as we are a smaller, family-owned operation. We use a skidder to haul the logs up to a log yard instead of a harvester – a machine that cuts, limbs and bucks trees in one fell swoop.

Using just one large piece of machinery not only prevents your property from getting torn up too much, but it also provides jobs for people in Overton County. 

Once the trees are harvested, they start their journey to the mill. This phase is critical in ensuring raw timber reaches the processing stage efficiently. Transporting logs is complex because of the size and weight of the timber.

The most common method used to get logs to the mills is via truck. They are designed to carry heavy logs over long distances. Logging trucks have reinforced frames and can carry large loads. This is the method we use at Miller Farms.

Other methods include:

• River Floating: Logs are floated down rivers or across lakes to mills. This method is not commonly used today.
• Railways: If a large quantity of logs needs to be transported over a long distance, loggers can use trains. They can handle larger loads than trucks, which makes them ideal for delivering logs to mills that are far from the forest.

Challenges in transporting logs include the risk of damaging the timber during loading and transport. Because the logs are heavy and bulky, they require the proper equipment to load and secure them. Remote mountainous areas are harder to transport and often cost more than transporting logs from a flat area. Weather conditions can also impact transportation. 

Once the logs arrive at the mill, they are sorted by size, quality and intended purpose. The mill may sort them into categories such as lumber, paper or plywood. High-quality, straight logs with minimal defects are usually reserved for lumber production. If the logs are of the highest quality and have no imperfections, they are used for veneer.

Sorting minimizes waste, as some low-grade logs are not suitable for lumber but can be repurposed into sawdust, wood chips and other byproducts. 

Once the logs arrive at the mill, they go through a detailed processing operation that transforms the raw timber into usable products. They are debarked – the outer bark is stripped away and repurposed as mulch or biofuel. Debarkers remove the bark without damaging the wood.

Once debarked, the logs are cut into usable pieces called rough lumber, which is then processed into planks, beams and other forms. The large saws are automated to make precise cuts and minimize waste. They also obtain the maximum yield from each log.

After the log is cut, it goes to a kiln, where it is dried to reduce the moisture content in the wood. If it has too much moisture, it can warp, split and / or shrink. Some wood is also chemically treated to create resistance to decay from weather and pests. 

Planks and boards are some of the most common wood products and are used in construction, furniture making and flooring. Logs can be processed into veneer, which are thin sheets of wood used for surface finishes. Plywood is made by layering thin sheets of wood together with glue and is widley used in construction because of its strength and resistance to cracking.

Sawmills also cut logs into beams, posts and panels, depending on the end-use dictated by the customer. If the logs are too irregular, they are usually repurposed for wood chips, pulp, or engineered wood products, such as medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard.

In Middle Tennessee, we harvest hardwood, such as oak, maple and walnut. This type of wood, because of its density and durability, is used for furniture, flooring and high-end construction. Softwood, such as pine, fir and spruce, are lighter and less dense. The average 2-by-4 is made from pine. 

After the sawmill processes raw lumber, it goes to the various manufacturing processes to become the items we use every day, including:

• Paper
• Flooring
• Furniture
• Lumber for construction

Furniture production starts with carefully selected planks, which are then shaped, sanded and assembled into tables, chairs, cabinets and more. Wood is stained, varnished or painted to enhance its natural beauty and protect it from wear.

Logs that are not suited for lumber are turned into wood pulp through mechanical or chemical means. The pulp is bleached, treated and formed into sheets, which are pressed and dried to become paper. Manufacturers also use pulp to create tissue, cardboard and other paper products.

For flooring, raw lumber is cut into boards or tiles and often treated so it can withstand heavy use. Flooring wood is usually dried in a kiln to ensure it resists moisture and warping over time. Most floors are finished with a protective coating that adds shine and additional durability. 

Logging is an important part of providing what we need to sustain ourselves. From heating fuel to the table you sit at or the cabinets where you store items, wood provides jobs for many people throughout the process of harvesting through the final product.

If you are in Overton County and need a homesite of five or more acres logged, contact Miller Farms today.