Andrew Legere

Shana Hanson is the pollarding and drying fodder for goat feed 'air meadow' expert. Lots of good info shared here.

https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fne18-897/#:~:text=To%20%22pollard%22%20is%20to%20%22,to%206%20years%20for%20fodder.

https://www.mofga.org/resources/livestock/tree-leaf-fodder-for-livestock/

https://3streamsfarmbelfastme.blogspot.com/p/tree-fodder-info.html?m=1

Fedco
You can check out https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/ but definitely have them send you their tree catalog and their seed catalog. It is excellent reading and art. "We are a cooperative, one of the few seed companies so organized in the United States. Because we do not have an individual owner or beneficiary, profit is not our primary goal. " I've worked here and it is a wonderful place to work.

From the other side

This thread inspired me to make something out of my firewood! Now I wanna shorten the legs, put stones under them and ad another set of braces. I used a chainsaw to square the poles down so I could get 3inch screws to hold this all together.

Glenn Herbert wrote:Do you have any idea what kind of wood the original beams are? Softwood or hardwood? How is the structure above connected to the beams, and how will you support that to replace the beams?

No. I poked and prodded and I guess it's softwood. The wall plate in the lean-to is nailed to the beam. I'll use jacking posts to hold the 4 ft tall wall and roof up at the wall top plate. The deck floor joists are nailed at angle to that beam. I assume the house floor bottom plate is nailed to that beam, it's hidden by insulation now. I'm planning to get jacking beams to help replace those beams.

Glenn Herbert wrote:"How tall is the building, and how much floor area does each beam support?

Thanks for the response. I am thinking I can use cedar for at least 2 of the beams. One supports a deck about 15 ft wide. The deck is attached to the house. One supports a roof and wall lean-to about 20 ft at about a 6-12 pitch and some snow. One supports the side of the house with about 50 ft square floor, a cathedral ceiling a stairway and roof like the other one.

Travis Johnson wrote:I learned how to build mine from a book the Maine Game Wardens used to give out to deer hunters called, "You Alone in the Maine Woods". They gave it away back in the 1980's, but is tough to find now. It was quite a resource and got me through boy scouts. I saw one a few years ago, but $3 for it...they gave them away, but now wished I had not been so cheap and grabbed it. If anyone sees one, I do recommend it.

Travis Johnson
That's a good book, I've had one as long as I can remember. I've seen that Maine still gives em away free!

http://www10.informe.org/webshop_ifw/index.php?c=12&p=5059&storeID=2

Download even!

https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/aloneinmainewoods.pdf

I have a question about my beams. I bought a house with a post and beam foundation. Posts are concrete sonotube into the dirt. Next is black plastic looks like cut trash bags. Then the beams. The ground touched three of the beams and rotted them. I rented an excavator and sloped the ground away from the foundation and ditched uphill. Added gutters. Routed the artesian well overflow around the house (it was just pouring out uphill). In spring I will replace the beams. I have no idea what wood was used. They are
3.5in x 9.75 in x 12 ft
6in x 10in x 8 ft
3.5in x 9.75in x 16 ft
I don't know what type of wood to use here in Maine. I'm having a hard time finding a place to get these too. The mill in town will do it but only cedar. Is cedar to weak?