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BARRELS required Frizzell to take classes that teach a specific way of cutting the trees as well as forest management. For Frizzell, a thickframed man with a thick mustache who grew up in the woods and drops the "g" on words like hunting, it wasn't easy to take a government class to learn how to cut trees. The certification, however, does mean his bids to cut state lands are awarded points that make them more competitive. One damp October morning, Frizzell demonstrates making a hinge cut to fall a white oak. The process involves making a cut at an angle to the tree trunk, then boring into the trunk with the point of the saw blade before cutting across the width of the trunk. The technique helps Frizzell decide how and where the tree will fall to avoid damaging other trees in the forest or imperiling him and his crew. "The main thing about falling timber this way is you have control of the tree," Frizzell says. As Frizzell's saw blade passes through it, the tree starts to list to the side where he cut the hinge and then accelerate before crashing to the forest floor. The area around the Kelly Frizzel is one of few loggers in Missouri certified through the state conservation department. Caroline Hoogenboom Napa - Sonoma Cell. (707) 364-6334 caroline@ermitageusa.com Amy Lee Oregon - Washington Central coast of California Cell. (509) 995-2771 amy@ermitageusa.com Vincent Garry Sales Director Cell. (707) 225-2105 vincent@ermitageusa.com Office: Tel: (707) 224-2377 Fax: (707) 224-2390 1285 Foothill Blvd Cloverdale, CA 95425 34 W in es & V i ne s F E B R UARY 20 14 Parc d'activités des Bertranges - 58400 La Charité-sur-Loire - France Tel. + 33 3 86 69 43 79 | FAX + 33 3 86 69 67 47 | www.tonnellerie-ermitage.com french oak dominos tree is soon redolent with vanilla and the spice of American oak, and the stump smells like the bunghole of a new American oak barrel that's just been rinsed with hot water. In the thick Missouri forests, white oak accounts for about 25% of the trees; red and black oaks, which are not suitable for wine barrels, make up 40% to 50% of the total trees. Inspecting the base of the tree, however, Frizzell points out soft, rotted wood near the center of the trunk. He says the rot is scar tissue from fire damage. The area he's standing in was once a sprawling pine forest that was clear cut in the late 1800s to provide fuel to a nearby iron ore smelting plant. Farmers would later burn the emerging trees to keep pasture clear for livestock. But left alone and given time, the trees came back. The right trees for barrels Loggers generally scout for straight trees with a diameter of 13 inches at the height of an average man's chest. Staves are only cut from the lower section of a tree, so the best trees are the ones free of low-hanging branches or knots. The tree that Frizzell has just cut may have survived fires, but if the scar tissue extends too far up the center of the tree, it may not be suitable for barrels and end up as railroad ties. It's one of the challenges of the timber trade; loggers never know how good a tree is until it's lying on the forest floor. Using his homemade measuring stick, which is literally a wooden stick, Frizzell measures out the section he thinks could be cut for staves. The narrower parts of the tree will be used for other purposes. Because