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neb
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 10:46am - Edited by: neb
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With such a late spring around here with late snow melt and flooding who would think fire being an issue. I don't and won't do any burning in the stove of any kind. I might down on the river in the sand but I would think twice about that also.
In the summer with lighting storms I won't stay at the cabin for that reason. The one problem I have is I only have one way in and out I'm in a box canyon.
Anyone else in the same boat??
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 11:17am
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we are neb...we did not get much snow this year at our cabin.now i am pretty concerned about wild fires.we are in wildfire county.
oh.thats pretty scary that u are in a box canyon.we can get out i suppose.good luck.
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neb
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 11:37am
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I guess it is all part of outdoor life. When fire can only be battled from the air or on foot it is even more of a concern. It is going to start early here this year just as you stated cabingal3!
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 01:05pm
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Quoting: neb Anyone else in the same boat??
The fire danger boat? Yes. Not a box canyon though.
We are on top of a ridge and we are fortunate in having two alternate exit routes in different directions, even if portions are non-approved routes through the national forest. They are technically illegal routes but if push comes to shove they are escape routes we can drive with a 4x4 and be safe. So we don't let the omnipresent danger of fire keep us from enjoying our property. OTOH we are not going to stay there if a fire is coming across the forest at us. Also fortunate for us ten thousand acres of NF around us has been thinned. Now if we could only convince some of the owners of neighboring land to get on the tree thinning band wagon as we have done that would lessen the fire danger even more. But some folks are stubborn/stupid when it comes to thinning trees.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 02:05pm - Edited by: bldginsp
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5 years ago I contacted the local Fire Safe Council in my northern Cal county, which organizes thinning projects paid largely by grant money that comes from various sources, and partly by owners. But there is never enough money to go around and they never were able to include me in any of the projects, so I gave up on them and started in doing the thinning again myself. Then, out of the blue they contacted me a few weeks ago, hot to trot to get a project going in my area, so I and one neighbor will be getting our parcels thinned this summer, so it seems. I'll believe it when I see it.
So now comes the politics. There is a large parcel near mine that is thick as can be, needs thinning, but the owner says he can't afford it. But there's more to it than that. You see, he knows that his parcel is central to the project in this particular area, and he knows that sometimes the Fire Safe Council will pay the total cost of thinning a certain parcel if that parcel is central to a given project. So, perhaps, he's holding out to get it for free when the rest of us are paying $250 an acre (1/6 the total cost).
Meanwhile, we are headed for another dry summer and eventually a fire will come across my mountainside. But when it comes screaming up the hill on his unthinned parcel, it will probably get into the crown and become an extremely intense fire that the fire fighters can't stop before it rolls over my little 5 acres, thinned or not. So my neighbor plays chicken with the Fire Safe Counci, waiting to see who blinks first, meanwhile the safety of my property hangs somewhat in the balance.
Such is life. Sometimes you can't even lead the damn horse to water.
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neb
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 02:41pm
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Quoting: bldginsp Such is life. Sometimes you can't even lead the damn
Yep I hear you! I wish you the best and it is always a concern for us and people that live out of the main stream.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 04:16pm
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Thanks Neb. I'll try to get good before and after photos of the thinning to try to show what thinning does. But sometimes pictures of woods is just pictures of woods.
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neb
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 06:32pm
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bldginsp
I would like to see the pictures of before and after. Thanks
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2014 08:04pm
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I should search to see if I can match up any before and after images. I never set out with that in mind, but may have some. I also have some of the HD big machines used to mulch logs up to 8 inch diameter or so.
However, what is cool to see after doing all the thinning ourselves is what the ridge we're on looks like from across the valley. The hillside looks like any other until, scanning from one side to the other you see that you notice that you can see through the trees where we thinned, and see individual and group tree tops along the ridge instead of the solid green blur that predominates where no thinning has occurred. Alas, I've taken no photos of that. Yet.
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2014 09:22am
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I live in an area caklled the abspestos forest, its always so wet it takes a lot of gas to get anything burning most of the time.
early spring fires here usually cover less than half an acre and only when a firebug sets them (dried grasses in fields, people stop there car, dump gas, light it and run for fun).
the state has burn bans in effect but its more for the southern areas where stuff can burn. I don't know if its in effect or not but I been burning slash piles in my field. I cleared an acre of trees in the fall/winter and been burning the branches (anything over 1 and a half inches is kept for fuel, so my slash piles are mostly huge piles of twigs). I need to get them out of the way so I can start turning up the soil between stumps and get the area planted. I plan to fill that acre with pumpkins this summer and need it ready to plant by June 1st. not an easy task when my tools are fire, axe, Pulaski and a planet JR cultivator (I'm dirt poor)
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countrygirl
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2014 12:02pm - Edited by: countrygirl
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We have had to evacuate our land because of forest fire. 80 acres with government land behind us. We had never thought of how to leave in that situation (which road to take) We watch the fire for 5 hours, it was only 10miles away in one place. there were fires south, north and, east of us. Me and the husband were with 7kids ages 6-14. When the fire had moved more north of us ash started to come over us. we new we only had one way left to leave. Scary and long drive home, at 1am.
After that we have look at the road, and which are best for quick way out. Many highways were closed that night and the RCMP were not even sure with which way we should drive out.
We decided to build our cabin in the 40 acres of field and not in the 40 for piney because of that experience. Some of or neighbors have thin out there trees. Also some of our cabin neighbors didn't even know what was going on that night. We have set up a system of calling, and people with out phone how we can public notification each other. With some good planning things are much safer now.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2014 10:45pm
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we keep trying to thin things out at our property...but alot of properties out there have not seen their owners since who knows when.he lives in Hawaii and this property of ours and that area was started as a gonna be great idea in like the 40 or 50's .they advertised this land we are at in Hawaii and people bought it up.alot of the land like the one right connected to our woods is soo deeply wooded and dense with over growth.
alot of the properties are.
we are trying to thin ours out but no one will really be able to tell a difference till we move down there.then we wil get it all cleaned up.
hopefully it wont burn up before then.
some have.its a pitiful site to see a cute cabin that i think they must have had to rebuild cause their whole property is nothing but black soot.all there trees are black sticks all burnt down.there is the cabin.it had to burn down and they rebuilt.
we had a fire on our property.we arent there much.the fire fighters and neighbors kept the fire contained and away from our cabin.
we got some burnt up trees in the back of our property.
it was from some fella clearing off their property in case of fire and the winds and dryness caught our woods on fire.lol.go figure
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2014 11:31pm
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Our county has a reverse 911 system. They or their automated system can call your number(s) in case of an emergency. Here that would most likely be wildfire, though in some places a flash flood alert can also be sent. It doesn't prevent the wildfire or whatever but does give a warning.
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