Pike Lumber Blog

John Walter York, age 94, passed away this morning, Friday, April 26. John was married to D.A. Pike’s youngest daughter, Virginia, who passed away in 2000. He was an uncle to Lynne Northrop and Channing Utter, and he was a great uncle to Nancee Ward. He trained and mentored Dean Baker in the timber business. 

John spent most of his life in various aspects of the hardwood lumber industry, including buying timber, selling lumber, and sawmill and maintenance management for Pike Lumber Company for many years. 

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Hartzler Funeral Home in Akron. Further information can be obtained from Channing Utter at 574-893-4327.

Vines in your woods can be fun for the kids to swing on and pretend to be Tarzan, but they are very harmful to the trees.  Wild Grape and Poison Ivy both can be found hanging in trees.  The grape vine bark has a “shreddy” look to it, where the Poison Ivy has hair like roots growing out from the vine that allow it to climb.  The grape vines can’t climb so they must either attach to the young tree in order to grow up with it, or drape over from existing tree.  Both vines need full sunlight to survive. The extra weight of the vines high up in the tree canopy can shear off limbs, distorting the general form, thus reducing quality and value of the trees.  These vines also compete with the trees for valuable sunlight. Control of a grape vine problem is fairly simple and easy.  Just cut the vine with a chainsaw or axe.  In most cases where a tree shade canopy exists, herbicide will not be necessary.  The vines will sprout back, but in time they will wither and die due to lack of full sunlight. Thankfully, Poison Ivy does not pose as much of an issue to trees as does grape.  It is wise to learn the difference between the two vine types before any cutting treatment begins to avoid the dreadful itch.

Wet weather in May and early June slowed progress of Pike Lumber Company’s Milan sawmill project. Weather patterns have improved and progress is being made.

The mill site and the interior road have been cement stabilized and stoned.  The log yard is to grade, stabilized and being tiled.  The truck access road from the south that is being built by the town of Milan is being stoned and almost ready for asphalt.

The footers and concrete portion of the mill walls are complete.  The areas where the mill floor is to be thickened have been excavated.  The embedded steel is being placed in preparation for pouring the concrete floor.

The dam for the pond is complete.  After placing a tank for log yard watering, we will begin to allow Mother Nature to fill the pond.

Some of the equipment for the mill has been delivered.  The carriage and debarker are in warehouse storage.  The mill frame and some log transfers are stored on site.

Weather will be less of an issue as we move forward.  Expected completion date for construction is November 2010. “This project has been on the drawing board for many years,” says Jim Mulligan, Director of Corporate Development.  “We look forward to the increased production of Pike Brand Hardwoods.”

Pike Lumber Company is a primary manufacturer and distributor of kiln dried hardwood lumber. Contact information: sales@pikelumber.com, forester@pikelumber.com web address www.pikelumber.com or by phone at 574-893-4511.