RE: Finding fire wood during the winter and some basic wood lot managment we utilize
I would never have known that about cutting flush with the trunk. Are you using a saw when you do that?
I read an article once that said one of the reasons wildfires are worse now is exactly because people aren't harvesting dead wood anymore and it's all just sitting there as tinder. I mean, think about it - do we ever hear in the news about wildfires in parts of the world where wood heat is still common? We might hear about floods and landslides there when they clearcut and over harvest, yes, but not really fires. Humans are part of the ecosystem, whether we realize it or not, and we've totally gotten out of step with our place in it, poisoning and overharvesting in some places and neglecting our role utterly in others, not to mention "managing" other areas with piss poor logic (like, removing all predators. Wolves have a role, too). Sigh.
So right on to y'all for managing your area well.
I use a chain saw to trim the trees. As for the forest fire issue, especially with Fort McMurray last year and all the fires this year, the problem is that the government does not allow the indigenous to manage the forests any more. They used to set fires all the time to manage the forest and ensure that fires don't go out of control like they do now. The government now puts a dollar value on all that wood and does not want it to burn, but forests need to burn. Fire is an integral part of the cycles that forest need to maintain a healthy balance. Pine for example need fire to open up the pine cones so that their seeds can be freed. Putting out all the fires and not letting the forest burn is a huge problem and the indigenous have been saying this for YEARS! I agree with their assessment.
I agree, we are an integral part of the ecosystem. We are the land, just like any other animal, tree, bug or worm. It is a huge mistake to exclude us from that ecosystem. We are here to help steward the land and it is time to return to the land so that we can learn how to do it properly. Money must be removed from the decision making process, otherwise these fires will get worse, not better.
<3 Thank you for recognizing our efforts to be a good steward.
Another example of governments interfering. Will they ever learn? Probably not. Greed always raises its ugly head.