If You Were Placed In Charge Of Managing Forest Fuel Reduction, What Would You Do?

[arakboss]

Federal and State governments are constantly be blamed for the severity of wildfires due to mismanagement of the forest. If you were in charge of reducing fuel loads in the forest, how would you tackle it?

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[Certaindeaf]

 

[BBQ Guy]

Selective harvest and management of underbrush growth.

Timber is a renewable resource.

 

[arakboss]

..

Selective harvest and management of underbrush growth.

Timber is a renewable resource.

I would suggest that we need to try and duplicate what nature has done for millions of years. Forest were dependent on fire to keep the understory free of excess fuels and keep the stand densities in check. Now that we have prevented most of these fire from doing the job they used to do, we have ended up with a great excess of fuels and very crowded forest. Harvesting would help as would managment of underbrush growth but they can't seem to find a way to do it like the fires did. We have environuts who challenge any changes to the forest conditions. Cost for fuel reduction treatsment are high. Prescribed fire options are limited due to weather and nearby resident compaints of smoke.

I believe we should be letting more of the fires burn and use most of the fire fighting resources to protect homes and businesses around the fires. The Bootleg Fire did in weeks what it would have taken decades for the forest service and landowners to do. The Bootleg fire didn't have to halt it's work to deal with environut lawsuits, impact studies, budgets, weather or complaints about smoke. It just got blank done.

There will be timber harvest available if they let the harvesters in there asap. We might shed a tear for some "old growth" trees that were lost but in Nature's time frame, it will be a blink of the eye before new "old growth" has replaced the trees that were lost.

 

[OldTengu]

If you own land, you should be responsible enough with it to understand that you need to clear out dry brush and windfall on a yearly basis. Public and municipal lands should utilize a combo of prison labor, community service labor, and people on unemployment (who would be paid a bit above minimum wage) to clear it. Use our tax money for something smart for once.

 

[BBQ Guy]

If you own land, you should be responsible enough with it to understand that you need to clear out dry brush and windfall on a yearly basis. Public and municipal lands should utilize a combo of prison labor, community service labor, and people on unemployment (who would be paid a bit above minimum wage) to clear it. Use our tax money for something smart for once.

I would add that moving our feral street population into a labor camp situation to do this work would also serve a multi purpose approach as well.

Our streets would be cleared(garbage and feral humans), our forests would be cleaned of dry brush, and the ferals might learn an employable skill(forest management practices).

 

[CamoDeafie]

I would add that moving our feral street population into a labor camp situation to do this work would also serve a multi purpose approach as well.

Our streets would be cleared(garbage and feral humans), our forests would be cleaned of dry brush, and the ferals might learn an employable skill(forest management practices).

If they dont decide that they want to use the forest as personal property, cut trees down for huts/debris shelters, set on fire, or make methlabs

 

[Certaindeaf]

Speaking of management, I was at East Lake years ago and the whole camping area had been allowed to run unchecked.. it was literally solid with 8" diameter 30' pines 10" from each other. I'd never seen anything like it.

 

[BBQ Guy]

If they dont decide that they want to use the forest as personal property, cut trees down for huts/debris shelters, set on fire, or make methlabs

That is the wonderful thing about labor camps.
Strip them of their worldly garbage before shipping to the labor camp. Dont allow them any personal effects beyond what is needed to do the job. Call it a day.

If they run from it then ship them off to prison, for life, in solitary. We are way to effing kind to the current feral population.

 

[TTSX]

Get a law passed that makes forest fires illegal. Collect paycheck.

 

[CamoDeafie]

You ever noticed that the "working forests" that Weyerhauser and other mills manages, almost never seem to get as serious wildfires as the National Forests?

 

[BBQ Guy]

You ever noticed that the "working forests" that Weyerhauser and other mills manages, almost never seem to get as serious wildfires as the National Forests?

It's as if private industry foresters might be doing what is in the best interest of harvesting the most timber.
In turn, that probably means managing the woods in a manner that doesnt set them up to burn down every year...

 

[CamoDeafie]

It's as if private industry foresters might be doing what is in the best interest of harvesting the most timber.
In turn, that probably means managing the woods in a manner that doesnt set them up to burn down every year...

And they sell access permits in some areas for recreational purposes as well. I know there are some that doesn't require permits to just hike in, as long as there aren't active logging operations.

 

[BBQ Guy]

And they sell access permits in some areas for recreational purposes as well. I know there are some that doesn't require permits to just hike in, as long as there aren't active logging operations.

My personal opinion of the sales of permits thing is not popular.

I abhor the practice entirely. End of discussion.

 

[arakboss]

On my drives down to cabin I often glance over at the roadside and while they have done thinning and clearing work about 50ft on both sides of hwy97, beyond that it looks like a solid tree fence. It is mostly lodgepole with some ponderosa and occasional Aspen mixed in.

 

[kmk1012]

Speaking of management, I was at East Lake years ago and the whole camping area had been allowed to run unchecked.. it was literally solid with 8" diameter 30' pines 10" from each other. I'd never seen anything like it.

I noticed that as well in '19. Hadn't been there in over 30 years, still looks the same.

 

[ma96782]

Since it was a State or Federal job.....Ka Ching!

Maybe.....
I'd do like my predecessors?

or

Maybe.....
I'd kick back in my chair, cross my fingers, wait a couple of years then find a way into the prevailing political machine to look for a promotion.

Yeah.....he's a wonderful forest manager.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Certaindeaf]

I noticed that as well in '19. Hadn't been there in over 30 years, still looks the same.

Before, it was a classic, open, park-like setting, with just a few trees etc scattered about. Now it's just a million matchsticks.
It totally sucks.

 

[Cavedweller]

On my drives down to cabin I often glance over at the roadside and while they have done thinning and clearing work about 50ft on both sides of hwy97, beyond that it looks like a solid tree fence. It is mostly lodgepole with some ponderosa and occasional Aspen mixed in.

It is the same on Hwy 22 on the east slope. All they need to do is extend those same management practices throughout federal lands. Letting the forests burn is a poor substitute.

Pre-commercial thinning, brush removal, and controlled burning is the way to go.

 

[bigbearbear]

The fun way: