KNUCKLEBOOM LOADERS LOAD LOGS

A celebration of the giant machines and specialized jobs required to turn a tree from the Vermont forest into usable lumber. Made with the assistance of the commercial logging industry, the emphasis is on how “cutting trees is good for the forests.” The industry bias will limit the usefulness for general research, but big truck and tool enthusiasts will enjoy seeing photos of grapple skidders, slasher saws, delimbers, feller bunchers, and debarkers. Full-color close-up photos of men and machines are handsome and helpful in understanding the process of logging. Especially appealing are close-ups of the sawyer, retoothing and hammering the blade of the giant circular saw. The author and photographer team of Crashed, Smashed, and Mashed: A Trip to Junkyard Heaven (2001) has produced another attractive title on modern industry. Includes a glossary, “forest facts,” and an industry-sponsored “conservation” website. (Nonfiction. 10-14)