The state of our forests.

[FarmWrench]

Heading South on i77 and discouraged by the condition of the trees. Lots of broken tops, dead fall, widow makers, poor shape, unthinned, BAD looking woods. (Disclaimer*** 1. Bad time of year for a farmer to head out for a little vacation, but the kids are off on break and we have a free place to stay. 2. I've not seen the rest of the country this time of year for comparison.3. Just looking from the road, no doubt it will soon be paved over. )

Mud season so I'm not surprised I didn't see any trucks or logs around.

It appears there really is more $ in leasing to hunters than thinning and working a woods. Or is it more invasive species damage?

 

[John C.]

On this side of the country the greenies pretty much have stopped any kind of forest management.
The bugs are wasting away the trees which make great fire starter and the hot summers now make for miles of fires that don't get put out until it rains. It's awful depressing to know that legal beagles in another part of the country can file lawsuits that actually cause such devastation and eventually loss of life for those trying to put out the fires happening most every summer now days.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Spring burning of the swamps and woods used to be common place here before the dead grass would green up. Spring burning never hurt the healthy trees. Now you hardly ever see a spring burn. But 20% of our population has been treated, not all successfully, for Lyme disease because of a wood tick population that is out of control. Spring burning was a good way to control the population of them when mother nature was no longer allowed to burn.

 

[92U 3406]

On this side of the country the greenies pretty much have stopped any kind of forest management.
The bugs are wasting away the trees which make great fire starter and the hot summers now make for miles of fires that don't get put out until it rains. It's awful depressing to know that legal beagles in another part of the country can file lawsuits that actually cause such devastation and eventually loss of life for those trying to put out the fires happening most every summer now days.

Yep. Look at what happened to us in Fort Mac last summer. Forest fire blew through and wiped out about 2500 structures. Nasty stuff.

 

[FarmWrench]

Haven't seen any fire. Yet.

The uncontrolled, Mile-a-minute, wild grape, multiflorarose just adds to the lack of thinning. Looks like the wetlands determination have stolen the woods from the landowner.

I don't know if people have given up or don't know/realize just what a mess they have.

A friend move from an uptight town to 60acres. He has bought a chainsaw but hasn't ever run one, can't identify any tree that doesn't have an apple hanging from a branch.

 

[Birken Vogt]

A friend move from an uptight town to 60acres. He has bought a chainsaw but hasn't ever run one, can't identify any tree that doesn't have an apple hanging from a branch.

There is part of the problem, I call it "unreasonable expectations"

Around here, and I suspect there, 60 acres is way too much to take care of but too small to make a living off of or pay for its own upkeep. So it sits and turns to trash.

 

[CM1995]

Looks like the wetlands determination have stolen the woods from the landowner.

I believe it has as well. The EPA and it's "navigable water way of the United States" regulation basically gives the EPA the authority to regulate every ditch, drainage swale or wet weather stream as they all eventually drain to a "navigable waterway" - water does run down hill.

 

[Birken Vogt]

I believe it has as well. The EPA and it's "navigable water way of the United States" regulation basically gives the EPA the authority to regulate every ditch, drainage swale or wet weather stream as they all eventually drain to a "navigable waterway" - water does run down hill.

Not to get into politics but I read somewhere not long ago that regulation was on the chopping block in the short future. Do we know if it got chopped yet or not?

 

[td25c]

Yeah , trees are pretty damn resilient .
If you want to start a forest just quit mowing the grass .
Amazing how fast trees grow & can take back cleared ground without mowing & farming it .

 

[Queenslander]

Same down here td, I reckon if we stopped killing trees completely, within a generation our grazing operation would be close to being unviable.

 

[Ct Farmer]

Around here managing the forests has become "stay completely out of it and let nature do its thing" thanks to the greenies who know it all. Even dead trees that fall down are not to be touched as that is part of natures recycling. Can't cut down a tree within certain distance of a road without a permit. It is out of control. We grew Christmas trees for years - they would protest us harvesting our crop as killing a forest. Like we would grow 30 acres of these for the fun of it. Cripes. Now we grow nursery stock and the trees they plant on their lawns.

We thin and clean our forested areas as best we can, fire is not a real danger here, but widow makers are not good when unsuspecting kids are playing in them. Rent a spider lift every few years and clear them out.

As for invasives, we got sumac a few years ago. Nasty, nasty stuf to get rid of. Direct application of undiluted herbicide for 3 years to the stems. Guy next to me won't use herbicides so his keeps spreading over here.

Don't even get me going on wetlands etc. Try building a farm pond these days.

 

[td25c]

Same down here td, I reckon if we stopped killing trees completely, within a generation our grazing operation would be close to being unviable.

Spot on Queenslander .

Kind of spooky looking at pictures of Pripyat 30 plus years after the disaster .
Forrest is taking it back .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pripyat

 

[GregsHD]

Anyone out there getting affected by the interior BC wildfires burning right now?
I'm about 60km East of the 5000ha Gustafson fire by 100 Mile House. Smoke gets pretty thick at times here but so far so good.

I've got no work coming in as most of my customers have been evacuated. I get most of my parts and supplies from the town of 100 Mile House and it has been evacuated.

It's been hot and dry with no rain in sight, our forests are full of fuel. Our power is on and have enough supplies to last a while, we're just going to wait and see what mother nature brings our way.. Or until we are told to evacuate!

They have declared a province wide state of emergency.

 

[92U 3406]

You aren't too far from me. I'm a bit north of Little Fort at the moment. Have some family there and I'm ready to lend a hand to help them out. I went through this hell last year in Fort Mac and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

 

[GregsHD]

Your in Clearwater? My escape route if need be is the Camp 2 road into the town of Clearwater. I'll probably be going there for groceries etc it's only 40km away.

 

[lantraxco]

Dang, good luck boys....

 

[92U 3406]

Your in Clearwater? My escape route if need be is the Camp 2 road into the town of Clearwater. I'll probably be going there for groceries etc it's only 40km away.

For now I am. I'm from Alberta but I had some time off. Decided to come out to help in case my family and friends needed a hand getting out if the worst was to happen.

Clearwater still has food and gas. Gas stations are very busy during daytime hours but the Esso cardlock is usually pretty empty.

 

[Camshawn]

Be safe and best of luck with the weather.
Cam
Langley BC

 

[John C.]

Wild land fires rank up there with volcanos, hurricanes and tornadoes as far as I'm concerned.

I wish you guys good luck!

 

[Birken Vogt]

Wild land fires rank up there with volcanos, hurricanes and tornadoes as far as I'm concerned.

I used to work in that field and in my opinion it is way worse than it ought to be.

Wildfire is a predictable natural event and can reasonably be mitigated. All you have to do is cut down the fuels.

Around here, there were cattle ranches where the cows chewed the brush down, they also bulldozed a lot of it. If you didn't live there you lived in a town.

Nowadays everybody has their 5 acre parcel with 4.5 acres of tinder brush that they have fallen dearly in love with, and their wood frame house in among it, on a dead end road.

If your property is properly fuel modified, fire will just pass right by. If it can't be such, maybe there should not be a house there.

Insurance companies live in the realm of reality, and are starting to figure this out.