Tree thinning & limbing project

[Hatchdog]

The contractor started my tree project yesterday. This is a cost share program with WA State DNR designed for wildfire suppression. Six years ago I had the front 4 acres including around the buildings done by a crew who did the work by hand using chainsaws and a large towed chipper. They did a real nice job that I followed up with cutting out around 300 small stumps left so I could mow some of the area. I cleared the brush and did what locally we call “parking out”.

Fast forward to today (well last fall anyway), DNR had more funding available and I got approved for another project. The cost share is 50/50 so it’s a great deal for the land owner. I’m having another 4.8 acres done so other than an approximate 100 ft strip between my parcel and the one behind me my entire parcel will be done. I tried to get the original contractor to do this work but was unable to work that out. The contractor doing this work now uses an excavator with a masticator cutter head on it. The advantage is that with the boom on the machine he can reach a good sized area without having to drive his tracks everywhere which will cause less of the ground to be torn up. Interesting that with the depth of snow we have right now the tracks are not even reaching the ground so as of now there is nothing getting torn up.

While it’s too early to tell for sure I’m a little bit disappointed with the amount of debris left behind. I knew this would be the case but I was spoiled by the clean job done by the first crew many years ago. The debris field is more pronounced now because of the snow and once it’s gone the debris will blend in with the terrain. Still, I’m thinking there will be more clean up come spring. We’ll see. I will say that as far as the work statement goes which is to remove smaller trees among the larger trees and open the area up it’s looking great. And I believe when he returns on Monday he will have a helper who I’m guessing will use a chainsaw to limb up the remaining trees 10’ from the ground. This is part of the job requirement to keep fire from climbing into the tree tops and crowning.

Here’s some pics of the machine and the work so far. The last pic I took is for a before and after pic. This is the thickest and steepest part of the job and of course the 2D picture doesn’t show the detail as the eye sees.

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[Ernie]

So the idea is to remove any trees under 10 feet tall? This masticator just chews up the smaller trees and leaves all the debris? Seems like a large amount of burnable material left on the ground now.

[markiver54]

Using foresight, I'm sure it will all look " Park Like " come spring. Nice to get the lower stuff cleared out.

[Hatchdog]

So the idea is to remove any trees under 10 feet tall? This masticator just chews up the smaller trees and leaves all the debris? Seems like a large amount of burnable material left on the ground now.

No, the goal is to remove trees based on distance from each other. See the pic below which is the “prescription” that the DNR requires for the cost share funding program. So the trees are removed from each other at 16’ spacing between the trunks and then the remaining trees are limbed up to 10’ above the ground. When removing trees the contractor will remove the smaller less mature trees and keep the more mature ones. Also at the landowners request certain species will get a priority to remain. For me top to bottom are: Tamarack (Western Larch), Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and lastly the lowly ugly Lodgepole Pine. Of the four the Ponderosa is the most resistant to fire because it has a much thicker bark that will help keep the fire from the core.

What remains on the ground (limbs and chipped debris) is susceptible to fire but a ground fire is much easier to battle than a fire in the trees. Ground fire can be fought by ground crews digging fire lines and using hoses to knock down flames. When the fire gets into the tree tops and then crowns from tree to tree it has to be fought by aircraft dropping water and suppressant. Big bucks here. According to the DNR forester when a fire burns into an area that has been cleared like mine the fire will “lay down” and and become much easier to fight. And generally speaking, when you do the work like I have if a fire is nearby an engine may be staged right in my driveway to protect the home. Fortunately the neighbors on both sides of me have done this work too so we’re prepared as much as possible to keep fire out.

And for me doing this work just makes the place both nicer looking and easier to get around on hikes. I won’t park out the area being done now because I don’t want to have to keep mowing it but the area around my home 100 - 150’ is parked out. I only mow these areas 3-4 times a year so it’s not too much to maintain.

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[JEBar]

interesting program .... thanks for the pictures and info .... its good to see proactive steps being taken to help prevent forest fires

[Ernie]

Thanks for the information

[Hatchdog]

The project is going great and I am amazed at the difference. The area is opening up nicely but still retains a forest look. He’s currently working in the thickest and steepest part and it’s just incredible what this machine is capable of.

Here’s a picture that shows the difference. The center of the picture is the line where he has thinned on the right and the original look on the left.

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[Hatchdog]

Project is moving along fine despite the masticator being down for a few days getting repaired. The thinning is completed and the limbing is happening now. The limbing is done by hand with chainsaw and the idea is to remove all branches up to 10 ft or one third of the canopy if the tree is shorter. After the limbs are cut the excavator comes back and using the thumb piles the limbs up and them the masticator grinds them up.

The first pic shows the same area as in my last pic in the original post which was a before pic. As you can see, you couldn’t even see thru the trees let alone walk thru them. What a difference. Then the following pics show the limbs after limbing with the saw and the piles created by the thumb on the excavator.

Finally there is Trey helping with the cleanup. Might be hard to see but he has an about 1.5 ft stick in his mouth. Good doggie.

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[dave77]

Finally there is Trey helping with the cleanup. Might be hard to see but he has an about 1.5 ft stick in his mouth. Good doggie.

My neighbor had a dog that lived to chase sticks. When we had a campfire going he would bring us a stick, we'd throw it for him a couple of times and then toss it into the fire. Never took him long to show up with another stick.

[JEBar]

nicely done .... thinning the trees and getting rid of the underbrush should help control any fires that mag get started

[Hatchdog]

The thinning & limbing project was completed yesterday for both my neighbor and myself. It looks great and we’re both pleased with the results. Can’t wait for the snow to melt to see a more complete view of the changes. Below is a before and after picture taken from the same location. The 2D picture doesn’t show the true depth of the area but it’s pretty steep and was so thick you couldn’t see thru it let alone walk thru it. Lot’s of work left for me but it’s work I enjoy doing.

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