Don Ryder started logging in 1983. Alongside one employee, Don hand-cuts with a chainsaw and skids with a cable skidder. He works mostly in the greater Mt. Washington Valley area.
If you visit one of Don’s timber sales you will see minimal scarring and virtually no crown damage. At a timber sale in Albany, the NHTHC/NHTOA awards committee saw no damage to crowns or boles, calling it “a very aesthetically pleasing job.”
According to the committee, his landing and skid trails were shaped and closed out nicely. No left over pieces of wood were lying in the landing.
His timber was sorted into pine sawlogs, hardwood logs, hardwood pulp and hardwood firewood. He brings oversized pieces back to his wood yard to split. Then they are chipped and trucked to the local biomass plant.
Don was one of the first in the state to adopt two-way radio communication as part of his hearing protection. It was, he said, “a game changer.” In addition to hearing protection, Don wears a hard hat, chaps, steel-toed boots and chainsaw protection. He has been PLP certified since 1999.
His skidder is an old Timberjack 225, which he drives up to a tri-axle truck with a Prentic 124 loader with a pup trailer. He’s also got a Morbark chipper and a CAT 307 excavator with various heads and buckets. He’s rebuilt his own equipment multiple times over the years and it’s in great working condition. He once built a skidder from an old Dodge Power Wagon.
When he is not working for himself, he is the “designated tree guy” on Locks Island in Lake Winnepesaukee. Working as a volunteer, he maintains the green space on the island, using his own equipment. In 2023 Don also volunteered during the NHTOA “Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tour.”
“We came away very impressed,” the panel said, “with his commitment to high quality work where quality over quantity shows! Don’s quality of work shows he goes above and beyond to make sure all parties are satisfied. He is very passionate and proud of the work he does.”