A Proud Tree Hugger

Reader Contribution by Bruce Mcelmurray
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Eleven acres of heavily wooded land and the wood lot maintenance seems to never end in keeping it clean and non combustible. Since the land is steeply sloped doing the woodlot maintenance with our tractor is out of the question. It is steep and rocks of all sizes are everywhere therefore we have to keep it maintained using nothing but physical muscular power. There are many considerations to employ as we maintain our woods. This blog will embrace some of those considerations and how we maintain our thick woods.

I have been called derogatorily a “tree hugger” by a few people. They think that will bother me in a demeaning way but on the contrary I take it as a compliment and am extremely proud of my stance on the environment. I’m sure I have earned some negative comments since I opposed the blockage of a viable creek without having first obtained governmental permission and spraying 2,4,D Amine 4, where it is hazardous to humans, pets and our abundant wild animals. I have found that many people are quite content to allow destruction of our environment as long as someone else will speak out against it. Most people avoid controversy and take the low road in opposing environmental damage. I also would like to avoid conflict when possible but when it comes to the destruction of our finite resources my core being just won’t allow for me to remain silent or acquiesce to potential permanent damage. “Proud to be a tree hugger!”

This core instinct also plays a large role in sensibly maintaining our wood lot. Our trees are Fir, Spruce, Pine, and Aspen. We have some trees that are up to 30 inches in diameter at the base and the rest tend to taper down in size to saplings. We started almost two decades ago by cutting branches from trees to about 18 feet high and then mulching the limbs. Our community also provides sites where we can haul our branches and small trees and stack them where they can be safely burned when there is snow on the ground. By trimming branches we were then more able to maneuver through the woods and could address the thinning of trees. We started near the house and worked over the years in concentric rings working further and further out. We dislike cutting a live tree unless it poses a threat to our home or is in danger of falling. Sometimes it is necessary for the overall health of surrounding trees in spite of our reluctance to cutting a live tree.

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