Cutting firewood in the Okanagan!!!

[Urban Cowboy]

Firewood cutting permit lists requirements including fire extinguisher and shovel, among other items

Kind of like roofers being required to have extinguishers? What could go wrong? I guess nothing...nevermind.

Bad example as that guy was lacking the most important part of the equation, that being a brain.

[Catsumi]

It would appear that logging is suspended in the Okanagan region but this is not true in the Boundary Area... camped up in the Christian Valley this weekend.... and they are logging at night time... could hear the machines all night and had this confirmed by the Fire Warden in the area that there is indeed active logging at night.

Oh Good Grief!!!

[JagXKR]

Bad example as that guy was lacking the most important part of the equation, that being a brain.

You do know there was another "roof" fire just last week at Big White.

[LTD]

It would appear that logging is suspended in the Okanagan region but this is not true in the Boundary Area... camped up in the Christian Valley this weekend.... and they are logging at night time... could hear the machines all night and had this confirmed by the Fire Warden in the area that there is indeed active logging at night.

Oh Good Grief!!!

you realize of course that loggers are equipped to fight fires they have big water tanks and pumps and equipment for building fire guards and putting out fires and the reason they log at night is due to lower temps and higher humidity which makes it much safer fire wise

[Catsumi]

Oh Good Grief!!![/quote]
you realize of course that loggers are equipped to fight fires they have big water tanks and pumps and equipment for building fire guards and putting out fires and the reason they log at night is due to lower temps and higher humidity which makes it much safer fire wise[/quote]


Yes, it's safer until it's not.

[LTD]

*removed*

[62silverado]

No green monster here. *removed* I personally know some good Joe Rich people and I thank all of them for going that extra mile in keeping our back country beautiful. As difficult as it may be for some to comprehend, I also consider myself a steward of the back country even though I live "within city limits".

[JagXKR]

you realize of course that loggers are equipped to fight fires they have big water tanks and pumps and equipment for building fire guards and putting out fires and the reason they log at night is due to lower temps and higher humidity which makes it much safer fire wise

I would trust a logger over a roofer any day. My best friend was a logger.
That being said it's still really dangerous out there. So easy to start a fire. Scary dry.

[davis123]

I do think that while the trend is to eliminate wood burning stoves, there will be fewer and fewer people to remove the dead dry trees, which increases fire hazard. However it is also best practise not to cut during the very dry season as there is an increased risk of starting a fire while cutting. There is way too much dead stuff out there accumulating and this is part of the wildfire problem. but it needs to be cut in the spring and fall, not during a drought. There's a good reason why logging operations are suspended during drought.
ANd what should we do with smokers who want to cut wood in dry season? Are they likely to survive a day of wood cutting without having a smoke in the woods?

Oh give it a rest already, how would you feel knowing that I have spent almost single day of this summer in the back country, the way, way back country. I am a smoker and so is my spouse and yet we haven't burnt down the woods. You do realize the people starting fires are the idiots who toss the smoke out the window or start the campfires and don't properly extinguish them? I don't limit my smoking while I'm out driving around the back country, I know how to extinguish a smoke without setting the bloody woods on fire.

[trapp]

Your vehicle must be kept on the "defined road surface". You may not go off on a skid road or trail. Vehicles in any kind of long dry grass can and will start a fire.

http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/hprScri ... sp?ID=2834

[pentona]

I would like to hear people's opinions on what should be done with the dead/burnt/standing trees after a fire has ravaged the areas. I do not know much about cutting firewood but someone told me that to cut wood that has been blackened is really hard on a chainsaw. Is that true?

If it is, what is to become of the dead standing trees? They can't just be left there; would be a hazard to falling, would they not? What about going in (I know people are against clearcutting BUT....) with one of those big machines that "snips" trees off like butter? I would think that if the wood could be salvaged, a lot of people could be put back to work. Perhaps made into wood pellets. Please answer respectfully, as I am asking nicely.

[trapp]

Any timber that is salvageable will be logged by local mills or contractors. As far as firewood it is very dirty to handle and would not be properly seasoned for fire wood for at least two years. Most of the area (not salvageable) would just be left standing or it may be felled and replanted dependent up on the accessibility and other factors. Some of the fringe areas where ground fire occurred may have most of the trees survive. There will be rehab of and disturbed areas such as fire guards to protect from soil erosion. Accumulations of slash and debris from guard construction will be piled and burned.

[Catsumi]

Any timber that is salvageable will be logged by local mills or contractors. As far as firewood it is very dirty to handle and would not be properly seasoned for fire wood for at least two years. Most of the area (not salvageable) would just be left standing or it may be felled and replanted dependent up on the accessibility and other factors. Some of the fringe areas where ground fire occurred may have most of the trees survive. There will be rehab of and disturbed areas such as fire guards to protect from soil erosion. Accumulations of slash and debris from guard construction will be piled and burned.

Nice, respectful answer to a good question. I too was wondering about this huge mess.

I wonder how long it will take, years(?) to accomplish all of the above. But also wonder if you could explain the rehab by fireguards. What are they?

[trapp]

Any soil pushed off in construction of the guard is pulled back onto the area it was removed from. The non salvageable trees and debris are piled for burning. The disturbance is then seeded with wildland grasses. In some cases water bars are installed which is a drain grove at strategic locations to divert runoff to the sides instead of straight down the guard which would cause erosion. The disturbances may also be planted with commercial tree species. In the case of a road that was used as a guard and damaged by heavy equipment, it will be restored to it's condition prior to the fire.

[Catsumi]

Thanks for clarifying, Trapp