How We’re Saving Old Growth Forests from Fire

[@alpine5551]

Four two legged hard workers and one four legged supervisor.

[@BilobateDrip]

😂 👌 love it!

[@davidlewis4384]

Your local Boy Scout troop would be good to contact for that kind of work. Upper level rank advancement requires community service hours including some specifically on a conservation project

[@rayblackwell75]

That would be a great, productive vacation trip. Maybe exchange 20 cleaned trees per day - per person - for free camping? For a 5 day trip, that's 200 clean trees between the wife and I! .. much better than being on a lazy beach.

[@emogowl]

Wouldn't all those bears and mountain lions worry you?

[@godhimself1128]

​@@emogowlIf you haven't been camping before then you should look into the precautions that can prevent potential attacks

[@emogowl]

@@godhimself1128I have spent the last 60 years camping for weeks at a time in many places and climates around the World. Sometimes asking the right questions in advance of those that know the terrain saves tragedy and others taking needless risks to pick up the proverbial pieces.

[@N4HHE]

Years ago attempting to volunteer at the local National Forest for maintenance of a multi-use trail (dirtbike, small ATV/SxS, horse, bicycle) we were told we were required to attend USFS classes depending on our activities. At least a day of first aid for everyone. A day of hand tools. A day or two for sharp tools. A day of training to operate an ATV unless we walk or are given a ride to the worksite. Two days for chainsaw plus 2 day first aid. And, everything we did had to be approved, supervised, and documented by a USFS botanist to ensure we didn’t harm any protected or delicate plants. In summary, they had very few volunteer workers. Not me. Local dirtbike club had none of that, and 5000 acres.

[@craigvanhousen559]

You are 100% spot on about us already messing with nature about taking the fire out of it. For so long I was saying that we have to get back into control burns here in Northern California. Well....that didn't happen and now we all know what has been happening here.

[@davebloggs]

One of the things i do often is remove much of the ladder fuel around the base of trees to stop grass fires which are common here becoming huge canopy fires, i do as much as i can and enjoy a nice campfire at the same time. I have been clearing deadfall off of trails for nearly 30 years now and love doing it.

[@thricecrazy33]

up here in BC Canada, Fuel management has been a practice for the last 5 years or so. The idea being we mimik low intensity fires to reduce the fuel load and hopefully avoid higher ranking fires.

[@josephpostma1787]

How do you mimic small fires? Haul away brush and torch pinecones?

[@Delgwah]

Thank you, the best plan I’ve heard. And I’m sure the ones before us had it down to a science, took thousands of years, in my estimation for it to be affective as an open productive forest. Thank you again.

[@ElectricDanielBoone]

Those trees are amazing! So happy to see your family has taken such great care of them over all these years!

[@matiascamprubi-soms7719]

Amazing work neighbor! I live down the road, so to speak, and I will start doing this in my woods too!

[@fnorazril]

Having people in a community almost feels as important nowadays as doing something to help the forests out. Almost like we're all pulling further apart.

[@NW_Ranger]

I used the same methods. I love the McCloud and the Reinhart fire line tool for this job.

[@Dustin_the_wind]

Thanks, Wilson. Steel mills took all the trees down around here, mostly; if it wasn't the city of Chicago and regional areas as well. Very, very few big trees around here. Only somewhat big trees are in the swamp areas, which makes sense.

[@MartinStockel]

What a wonderful idea. I don't think you will have any problem getting young and old folks to help clean up around the base of the trees. People here in Northern California try to protect as many trees as possible. Most of the trees are Redwoods, but farther out in the mountains are a lot of big fir trees and others.

[@flocksbyknight]

Great message.

[@simoncaldwell5795]

In Florida, we do have longleaf pines which remind me a lot of ponderosas. I'll have to take a look next time, but I'm thinking that the Longleaves and my local state park don't have the duff problem, partly because they've been clearing a lot of understory to restore that Longleaf pine savanna habitat, of which, sadly, we've lost too much. Thanks Mr. Wilson for caring about trees and forests the way you do!

[@jimargeropoulos8309]

I would love to agree with you Michael. But I just came in from volunteer work at it local Nordic ski trail. I spent two hours out there tonight. Of the hundreds of skiers that use it system fewer than a dozen help maintain them. And fewer than that put in more than two hours a year. I've got over 20 so far. That isn't too brag, but to say getting people to come out is hard work too

[@doublepower206]

Really appreciate all the tips on making our forests more wildfire resistant. Between removing the material at the base of trees, to removing some of dead laddering limbs from the bases of trees, these are simple, addressable solutions that can really make a difference. We'll keep working on this and other projects on our land up here in WA 👍

[@digger413]

Learning about our forests thank you

[@lyndonhamby7432]

That’s some big timber hero. Wish we had trees like that in North Carolina. Stay safe brother 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@jaredf5828]

I am glad that you mentioned checking with your state & county. Here in MD, the local office of the state forestry service does organize volunteer events.

[@wayneweis653]

Thank you for sharing.

[@davefran01]

Well said Michael !

[@TomTammyOffGridHomestead]

Enjoy your videos. Great tone, subject matter and topics.

[@ThatGuy-sd3zl]

Looks like fun. Don’t live anywhere near forested areas though.

[@hobbyfarmer62]

Thank you for another informative and thought provoking video, up here in western Washington our forest are composed largely of western red cedar, red alder and fir trees . mostly due to years of timber company replanting even seen a few patches of dense packed cottonwood trees planted by pulp and paper companies back in the 70s and early 80s.

[@jefff6167]

Great work.

[@davidshelley7379]

Well said! Thank you for the video

[@zpmayes]

Last time I was out in the forest, it was absolutely covered with fallen over dead trees just waiting to catch fire, I think a lot of progress can be made there, just collecting dead trees for firewood

[@Bushman9]

So that’s what a mountain chicken looks like!

[@emogowl]

I am guessing its about 5,000 miles from Northern Ireland where I live to where you are. Pity, I would love to give you a hand, that looks like peaceful and rewarding work

[@EriebyCycle]

Excellent video.

[@Token_Civilian]

Not exactly what you're talking about, but most areas have volunteer trail maintenance crews, and hiking trails ALWAYS need maintenance. A well maintained hiking trail with a properly cleared trail corridor free of brush can at times be enough of a fire break if a fire is on the ground. If nothing else, the trails provide access for fire crews. The Back Country Horsemen have chapters in every state. There's Trail Keepers of Oregon, Washington Trails Association, Pacific Crest Trail Association, the Siskiyou Mountain Club, Idaho Trails Association, Pacific Northwest Trail Association, Continental Divide Trails Association, and many, many, many others. I have 2.8 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail that's I've adopted as the Steward. I'm out there several times a year clearing blowdown, brush and maintaining the tread. In fact, heading up that way tomorrow to improve drainage before the fall rains do too much damage. Been doing that kind of volunteer work since '09. Fun with crosscuts, chainsaws, brush saws, Pulaski's, McLeod's and all the other myriad tools of the trail crew.

[@c00lkidhAXXOR]

Love your videos

[@stevemario9807]

Awesome, job !!!!

[@Sven-ErikJohansson-tn6hx]

Shut,i love your direkt humor,kan i kome over, sleep, drink wine,lafe,tell my own life story,two thousen miles away,and ask were your horses went,five hundred miles maby!?hi hi hi hi hoo hoooo Mvh Sven-Erik

[@stevesmith-sb2df]

It’s up to the landowners. Where I live all land is private property. I’d like to see a once a year cleaning.

[@surfinganddancing1609]

Quick thought and this will probably sound crazy, but let me say I'm a wildlife biologist and regenerative livestock farmer, so at least my hands are dirty: have you considered pigs? Many smaller farms now use pigs to turn compost. The way they do this is by scattering dried corn in the cattle bedding pack over the course of the winter, and then letting pigs at it in the spring. The pigs are relentless in pursuing the corn, and in doing so, turn and aerate the compost. Concerns about creating feral hogs notwithstanding, I wonder if you could use a quickly deployed electric wire that pigs are easily trained to, establish a perimeter, and then scatter corn at the base of the trees. In short order, the duff layer should be retracted and you can knock out five acres at a time pretty easily. Then market your "old growth forest-raised artisanal pork". I can actually see you pulling this off.

[@toberwine]

This kind of activity would be so valuable in forests here in the UK too - although we don't have such big old growth conifers like you do! What amazing trees!

[@instantlunch24]

Was the dog not volunteering? They would be perfect for digging away the duff!

[@HubertofLiege]

Put out a contract for a mini excavator and I’ll bid on it. Reminds me of PUM and YUM yarding. We used to cable log on USFS sales in old growth and the dead material was yarded un-merchantable (YUM) and piled un-merchantable (PUM). We used to log through streams and then clean them with dynamite, that was fun. I used to burn piled slash on private timberland, now they just leave it. Management is necessary but over the course of forty years it changes.

[@fuegofool]

While you're out there, you can pull up douglas fir trees with your hands when they are small, sometimes up to two or three feet tall. When they are a foot to a foot and a half they are easy. Douglas firs are one of my favorite trees especially when they are big, but without fire, they are dangerous weeds. Pretend you are a fire and kill them. Fires will kill 90-95 percent of douglas fir seedlings. Leave the occasional one just like thinning seedlings in your garden.

[@Sputnik2020]

Nice

[@kumatmebro315]

This is so much labor, you should just innoculate the base of each tree mushrooms

[@Winterascent]

It isn't just western forests. It is most US forests.

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

Out here in NC were dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane' in my area we've been without powe/ the water plants are shut down because of the water being contaminated by the flood waters' groceries stores are shut down along with gas stations/ trees down everywhere/roads washed out etc. It's been like that since last Friday' just now got cellphone service back on.

[@michaeltewes7833]

So, I'm so sorry for all of the hartships from the storms and the hurricane .Hopefully, the electricity will get reconnected, and life will get better soon Prayers

[@JoseRGarcia-JRG]

Greetings. :-). Really like the subject of this video, just curious ,,, would you keep me on file for future help .. Self insured, so no liability to you or anyone, soon to be retired so will have time, much prefer the motels so not to worry where I bed down, will work for water (lol) or at least a tour of the saw mill. Seriously, I'm glad you put this video out since now I can start to look into doing some volunteer work in my area. Good work on this one,, keep em coming,, and don't be afraid to make some of em fall..go BOOM !! That's what came to see, mainly.. LOL God Bless.. JRG

[@TomTurner704]

That job calls for a specialized machine. Perhaps something like a cross between a turn-on-a-dime walk behind roto-tiller and a snow blower to throw the duff away from the base.

[@danstevens2204]

Skid steer/excavator/tractor mounted stump grinder converted to paddle wheel or super heavy duty steel brush.

[@TomTurner704]

@@danstevens2204 The duff seems pretty light and easy digging so it might not need to be extremely heavy duty. remember the steep terrain we are in. keep it light.

[@skialpentolic]

Look into starting a Private Management Association

[@Mikedenton541]

There is the Oregon trail keepers organization the “TKO”. Folks should volunteer for their local org. Then you meet like minded people and convince them to go take ponderosa pine duff.

[@twistedlimb4053]

Be nice if someone from the Sierra Club saw this and followed up with it.

[@dalebrabb4756]

Is it possible to do a controlled burn on that material you're clearing away from the base of those trees?

[@morrisl7]

id like to see one just as a test run to see if this really helps most old growth trees survive forest fires

[@peteanderson1714]

The major fires in west central Idaho this year are due to years of fire suppression and lack of thinning. The Stanely area (mostly lodgepole) was so overgrown in the past decades it ws bound to happen sooner or later. So of $ millions have been spent on more suppression to protect land/homeowners??

[@nickbono8]

Lodgepole pine forests are notorious for becoming massively overgrown if not checked. Where I hunt in Northern California there’s pockets of lodgepole so thick you can’t walk through it. Literally impenetrable.

[@novampires223]

How far down are you cleaning out? Mineral soil? Or leave a bit to keep the soil from drying out? Just started doing this to my bit of forest.

[@timothybrawley7909]

You know, every Forest Ranger or Forestry Agent that I ever met out in the woods, had either a shovel or one of those funny lookin hoes in their hands. A lot of people are just not aware of what their job consists of. They work hard, at least a lot of them; trying to preserve our forest. This might be the makings for another video on what a Forestry Ranger or Forestry Agent does and their roles tha they play. Thanks for the tip!

[@lorensmarkiz5176]

Hm, that was a good change - after all those ( useful and smart ) talks - group of people just started and done something very useful! great activity! really proud of you! about people who wants to come and work for you.... I'm not from US and don't know all the regulations... but is this forbidden to just camp in the woods ? it would be 3 in 1 - A) good small vacation in the woods - in hamak or tent, b) learning how to behave / what to do right about the woods , c) your Forest will begetting clearer from dead trees,/ old grown trees would be cleared around / you could even try to do 1 or 2 prescribed burns with team of people willing to help you win-win situation )

[@peterbowers4703]

I believe past logging disrupted the nature of nature more than fire suppression as suggested by you and others. Generation Logging has cleared areas allowing for rampant growth of same size conifers who now are overly dense and dying off due to lack of space and climate change making for severe fire scenarios. Speaking from our well walked and lives in the northern sierras.

[@acebass2560]

100%

[@morrisl7]

But many old growth trees survive forest fires, does the debris really burn hot enough to scorch the living layer beneath the bark? it seems to me composted material doesnt burn as intensively, and kind of smolders rather than burn. regardless, great work and thanks for the effort but id like to see some studies as to how much this really helps. It seems we are still recovering from the clear cut logging and need to change forest management practices. the government cant sustain fighting these fires with billions of dollars it doesnt have

[@sarahs7253]

I dont understand whats going on. Are you trying to make sure the tree doesnt burn down? Or make sure it burns if theres a fire?

[@DSWoodworkUSA]

Wow thanks for the upload

[@Twobrothersoutdoors]

There was a time we did controlled burns to protect the forest from wildfire. Back 40 years ago or so. You know why the don't do it anymore.....🤷

[@DrDjones]

It still is done...

[@sierrasoundsmusic]

@@DrDjones and more than before too

[@Twobrothersoutdoors]

@@DrDjones not here and not anywhere I know of. Where? And is it large scale?

[@lnk3503]

use a rakehoe

[@psychotropnilachtan8869]

Forest service should be doing this in all forests. And cut fire break lines. Government could actuly be creating some jobs instead of just yapping about it.

[@jameskringlee8974]

4 beautiful big trees growing close together over time. As it has widely been through time. Much less so now and that which can again be in the future. 1 person working alone in the woods clearing fire hazard debris from the base of these trees and then 3 more "appear" and all 4 work together to protect more big beautiful trees. A divine archetypal pattern for the future forest is coming - a new, "right", small scale model for building homes. Light from Our Sun to Our Trees in Our Forest to people working in our ever sustainable forest with the right small scale New Era Equipment used to protect, restore, harvest, sawmill and fabricate home building components to be used to build high quality, low cost, energy efficient, universal design New Era Homes for building New Era Community on Our Golden Age Planet Earth to Be.

[@redneckhillbilly544]

Why don't you try and get the government to use prisoners with minor non-violent crimes to do some of the work? It would give them a purpose to rehabilitate and would help the prisoners back into society as well.

[@theslimeylimey]

Was just thinking the same thing.

[@71cromag]

Liability.

[@OutbackCottageOz]

Mountain 🏔️ Chicken 🐔 looking for a Camera to Peck.

[@dgoodman1484]

Personally I still find it interesting that people believe native Americans burning the forest in order to concentrate game animals is natural. Pine trees have been evolving for 125 million years and I’d be willing to bet that they don’t need volunteers to rake away the material they leave around their base. Just like the rest of the trees don’t need an arborist in order for them to thrive. Now left over slash material from logging I can see as being an issue and I always had a problem with it when I was falling. I’ve seen a ton of 50 year old slash still there after even the stumps have mostly rotted away. Anyway, not saying removing the duff is wrong, I’m just not convinced that the time and labor required wouldn’t be better spent elsewhere. 🤷🏽‍♂️👍🏼

[@morrisl7]

lightning fires were very natural. they regularly burned the understory away. we basically need to stop clear cutting and all the forest fire problems will be solved. always leave some big trees.

[@Alwayswilling]

Sure, and as long as your'e getting your work done for free you think this is a great way to protect your property after not doing it yourself for years on end.

[@arnoldpraesent174]

Hmmm, lately the videos are more talkative und repeating the messages 3-4 times is quite annoying to me. Yes, I got it the first time, no need to repeat it to stretch the video. 😢

[@jeffpeters1014]

Having complete strangers on your property could become problematic, not everyone has the best of intentions.

[@Syncop8rNZ]

That dog wasn't much help.

[@1stcSOLDIER]

May not be old-growth trees but in any case very nice mature ones 🌲