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[Tvoivozhd <tvoivozd AT infionline.net>]

I know a guy in Houston that was on welfare for a long time.  Houston 
has a lot of tree-knocking-down storms and a lot of tree-knocking-down 
contractors, both a rich source of trees because nobody really wants to 
spend money sawing them up and hauling them to the dump.

The welfare guy had a bright idea---why not make money turning the trees 
into lumber, and even better, getting paid something for getting them 
out of the building contractor's way.  The same building contractor will 
buy the limber back for construction purposes if you sell it below the 
lumberyard price.

When I moved from Houston he had fourteen full-time employees and was 
making money hand over fist.  Most of them were relatives, which I 
supposed made them less likely looking for handouts.

Oh, yeah, he gradually accumulated other tools like a rubber-tired 
forklift, but he started with a Woodmizer bandsaw---that too was quickly 
upgraded to having all the bells and whistles, hydraulic log-lifter, 
hydraulic log-roller etc. Got many kinds of trees, one that intrigued me 
was what is mis-identified here as Red Cedar, actually is Juniper 
Virginiensis, used for moth-repellant lining of closets and manufacture 
of hope chests.  Most of his free trees of course were some species of pine.

I presume he went to solar kilns after I left, when I lived there he was 
simply separating lumber by same-wood stickers, and covering the pile 
with black builder's plastic.

Judging from the increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes hitting 
the East Coast, you could set up a Woodmizer shop almost anywhere---make 
a building contractor customer list.