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Springboard Logging

Two men are standing on planks cut into very large tree. The planks are very high off the ground. On the ground, a man and a dog are watching the men.

Courtesy Valley First Credit Union

Bill Johnston (left) and Eli Johnson on a springboard while Mr. Fraser looks on.

Giant trees, some over 500 years old and six feet diameter at the stump were harvested using the springboard logging method. The springboard method involved chopping a notch into the tree and inserting a narrow board for the logger to stand on.  Can you imagine how dangerous this was?  Pioneer loggers used this method because the dense undergrowth and flare butt of the old-grown trees made it difficult to saw the tree at ground level.

In 1937, the Vernon Daily News reported there was “A billion feet of timber” remaining at Sugar Lake, more than enough timber to sustain logging in the area for many generations to come.