Description

In birling two contestants run (or birl) on a floating log. The last person remaining on the log, or the last to hit the water, is the winner of that throw, with the best of three throws determining the winner of the round in a double elimination bracket. The log is 12 to 14 feet long and 16 to 22 inches in diameter, kiln-dried and carpeted. While species is not specified, those with a lower density float higher and are preferable. No cleated or spiked footwear is permitted. Birling has been a Conclave event every year since at least 1960.

Examples

Birling at 2022 Conclave

Click HERE to view the video on YouTube.

Thanks to Dylan Thompson for shooting and providing this video of Micah Grogan birling at the 63rd Southern Forestry Conclave hosted by the University of Tennessee.

Techniques

Key Log Rolling 101 - Lesson 2

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Key Log Rolling 101 - Lesson 3

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US Log Rolling Open - 2016 Video

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Birling Guide by J.R. Salzman

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Equipment

Birling logs are generally best if made from a low-specific-gravity wood. Species such as western redcedar or spruces are ideal as they are light and float well. A lathed log that is perfectly round is ideal, to eliminate any potential knots or other hazards the competitors might encounter. Logs should be painted to prevent rot, and ideally stored somewhere off the ground and out of the weather. A good birling log is expensive, so keeping it from rotting as long as possible is the goal! It is now also possible to purchase synthetic logs that roll similarly to a wood log, but have many advantages in durability and ease of transport.

Lathed Western Redcedar Logs

• Lumberjack Enterprises - Minnesota
  
  • Jamie Fischer
  • This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • https://lumberjackenterprises.com/
  • (651) 269-6606

Synthetic Key Logs

• Key Log Rolling - Minnesota
  
  • This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • https://keylogrolling.com/
  • (650) LOG-ROLL

Historical Context

Harvested logs would be skidded to streams and rivers, where they would float to mills as much as 100 miles downstream. This was a common practice in various regions of the United States from the onset of logging by European settlers until the last documented drive in 1976 on the Kennebec River in Maine. It is now largely illegal under a variety of federal and state laws, such as the Clean Water Act. To drive logs streams had to be channelized, woody debris and boulders removed, and temporary wooden splash dams built.

Log drives relied on an enormous amount of physical labor to keep logs moving. Workers would hop from log to log with long poles that they used to clear blockages or move individual logs. When blockages could not be cleared, occasionally dynamite was used. The video below provides much greater detail on these practices. Birling pays homage to these workers and their skill at staying afloat on an unsteady log.

From Stump to Ship: A 1930 Logging Video

This video from Maine explains the practice of log driving in Maine in the early 20th century, the progenitor of our birling event. Click HERE to view the video on YouTube.

Birling Double Elimination Brackets

Example - 13 Teams

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Example - 14 Teams

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Example - 15 Teams

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