Best practice for dealing with large quantity of dead Doug Fir after a fire?

[SCMtnHaul]

One of my clients has a large property that was burned in a wildfire--no crown fire but still a fair amount of dead trees--and we are now at a section where there are about 18 80'-100' dead and rotting Doug Fir. Many tops have blown out and smaller doug firs and tan oaks have fallen and the whole are is a bit of a fustercluck. Due to the terrain and our equipment limitations it isn't an option to just remove large logs and take them elsewhere. What would the best practice be for dealing with many 16"-24" logs that more or less have to be left in place? I figure some can be used to shore up the hillside in areas, and others to reinforce our small road/trail for tractor access. Essentially I'm trying to find a balance between something that looks better than a giant pile of "Pick-Up Sticks" while not creating a pile of fuel for another wildfire. We can move the logs around depending on size but things need to stay in the general area

 

[cookies]

If a couple of the dead trees are clustered can you dig the stumps up and clear the immediate area of fuel and use that hole for a burn pile and if necessary cut the logs to short lengths to keep the burn pile smaller and easier to control. I suggested a hole so if needed equipment could simply push dirt into it to extinguish the fire.

 

[SCMtnHaul]

If a couple of the dead trees are clustered can you dig the stumps up and clear the immediate area of fuel and use that hole for a burn pile and if necessary cut the logs to short lengths to keep the burn pile smaller and easier to control. I suggested a hole so if needed equipment could simply push dirt into it to extinguish the fire.

I like that idea but not sure the property owner will go for a burn in that location. Plus our largest tractor is only a 40hp kubota front loader. We have a larger MF but it's only good for dragging/towing.

 

[HumBurner]

Those logs once on the ground would qualify as thousand-hour-fuels, the lowest grade/least risky form of fuel.

There's little to no fire risk leaving them on the ground to rot while being habitat for all kinds of critters AND adding to soil retention/structure.


Are they actually a fuel/falling hazard to any structures or people? If not, why not leave them standing for the birds instead of messing with them to get them on the ground.....that is if no or few logs can be salvaged?

 

[SCMtnHaul]

Those logs once on the ground would qualify as thousand-hour-fuels, the lowest grade/least risky form of fuel.

There's little to no fire risk leaving them on the ground to rot while being habitat for all kinds of critters AND adding to soil retention/structure.


Are they actually a fuel/falling hazard to any structures or people? If not, why not leave them standing for the birds instead of messing with them to get them on the ground.....that is if no or few logs can be salvaged?

Thanks, you've confirmed what I was thinking. No risk to people or property, well I do get a little nervous sometimes because I have many hours of clearing the annual regrowth around the dead trees, but I don't work there when it's windy. No logs to salvage other than for supporting the downhill side of our tractor roads. Mostly I was thinking the logs would rot relatively quickly and add to the soil as well as become habitat. The property owner isn't trying to create a prim and proper park-like look but I guess he does prefer to keep things neat if he has to look at them with regularity, and these trees are visible from his home, so my mileage may vary.

 

[HumBurner]

Thanks, you've confirmed what I was thinking. No risk to people or property, well I do get a little nervous sometimes because I have many hours of clearing the annual regrowth around the dead trees, but I don't work there when it's windy. No logs to salvage other than for supporting the downhill side of our tractor roads. Mostly I was thinking the logs would rot relatively quickly and add to the soil as well as become habitat. The property owner isn't trying to create a prim and proper park-like look but I guess he does prefer to keep things neat if he has to look at them with regularity, and these trees are visible from his home, so my mileage may vary.

I understand, and that is a healthy concern. I was working under/around this snag at home for about a week. I told my swamper to keep eyes on it at all times. His (GREEN) stance was the snag had been standing all his young life, what makes me think it's about to fall? I had noticed it starting to lean some from afar, but he thought I was overreacting or imagining it leaning.

7-10 days after we finished up that unit, I came home from a long day at work to find this:



Would've killed one or both of us. There was a fire directly underneath one section of where the snag landed, meaning it, without a doubt, had the likelihood of hitting us.

 

[SCMtnHaul]

His (GREEN) stance was the snag had been standing all his young life, what makes me think it's about to fall? I had noticed it starting to lean some from afar, but he thought I was overreacting or imagining it leaning.

Yeah, everything's fine until it isn't.