Wildfire mitigation/starting small?

[rockshox11]

Hi all, longtime lurker, first time poster. Looking for some 2c on rates for fire mitigation. I've worked as a faller for 5 summers and have worked around climbers some but am learning myself. So I'm not familiar with residential arborist nor land clearing rates. Here in CO I am thinking about getting more into wildfire mitigation after having done some work on some small cabins but recently have picked up work on a couple acre property. Its usually just raking needles/ falling some trees near structures and some thinning, I have not (nor will) take on anything yet that is complicated or require extensive rigging. Right now its just me and some buddies but this job was way more than I bargained for. The owner was glad to pay us ($30/hr, good but unsure where that falls for this kind of work) and we got the job done on a very casual time frame with probably ~60 man hours to wrap up the thinning/chipping/structure prep/firewood cutting. Attached pics below are before and after. A lot of time spent hauling slash and feeding a local rent-all chipper that is a real POS. Should've rented a 12" chipper and just backed into the site and rehabbed after. A lot of good lessons learnt I feel. Here are some photos from some of the property.

Definitely learned a good bit about how much work it takes to prep a much neglected property. Pulled out a bit more than 2 cords from stems. Even the pine needles from decks/structures filled 20 garbage bags, way more than I figured just by looking.

Thanks!

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Hi all, longtime lurker, first time poster. Looking for some 2c on rates for fire mitigation. I've worked as a faller for 5 summers and have worked around climbers some but am learning myself. So I'm not familiar with residential arborist nor land clearing rates. Here in CO I am thinking about getting more into wildfire mitigation after having done some work on some small cabins but recently have picked up work on a couple acre property. Its usually just raking needles/ falling some trees near structures and some thinning, I have not (nor will) take on anything yet that is complicated or require extensive rigging. Right now its just me and some buddies but this job was way more than I bargained for. The owner was glad to pay us ($30/hr, good but unsure where that falls for this kind of work) and we got the job done on a very casual time frame with probably ~60 man hours to wrap up the thinning/chipping/structure prep/firewood cutting. Attached pics below are before and after. A lot of time spent hauling slash and feeding a local rent-all chipper that is a real POS. Should've rented a 12" chipper and just backed into the site and rehabbed after. A lot of good lessons learnt I feel. Here are some photos from some of the property.

Definitely learned a good bit about how much work it takes to prep a much neglected property. Pulled out a bit more than 2 cords from stems. Even the pine needles from decks/structures filled 20 garbage bags, way more than I figured just by looking.

Thanks!

Looks good. Whereabouts in CO? Next time feed the pine needles through the chipper.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Looks good. Whereabouts in CO? Next time feed the pine needles through the chipper.

 

[rockshox11]

Looks good. Whereabouts in CO? Next time feed the pine needles through the chipper.

Thanks, wish that would've seemed as obvious then as it does now, ha. I'm up mostly in the foothills west of Ft Collins.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Thanks, wish that would've seemed as obvious then as it does now, ha. I'm up mostly in the foothills west of Ft Collins.

My old stomping grounds, I went to school there. Broke my heart to see what happened there last year.

 

[HumBurner]

If you're uninformed on WUI and fire mitigation practices, I highly recommend looking into CalFire's protocol for implementing defensible space around structures.


As well, look into the topic of shaded fuel breaks for ingress/egress.

Those are two of the most important aspects of fire mitigation ASIDE from the style of house built and materials used.

Different people approach fuel breaks differently. Most important is breaking up continuity (this does not mean a clear cut) for fire spread.

Will you, in the future, be putting fire on the ground? If so, I recommend learning from someone versed in methods of starting fires, appropriate places to burn under a variety of climatic situations, and fire behavior.


Cheers!

 

[rockshox11]

Thanks HumBurner. I've been a firefighter with the NPS for a number of years as well and am familiar with mitigation/firefighting. This property isn't quite large enough to implement fuel breaks but at least making it a bit more defensible and improve stand health. We will probably not be burning this property but the goal was to encourage aspen and thin chokecherry and doug fir that was filling up the understory. Hence working for the gov't I'm most ignorant in pricing in the private sector.

 

[HumBurner]

Pricing will vary widely. Our crew is now down to another guy and myself. We've been working together off and on for over 11 years, him having 15-20 years experience. Considering we use our own gear and vehicles, we've had to raise rates. This year, he and I decided we are each $35/hour. That covers everything including hazard/disease trees, up to ~4'. Cutting, brushing, felling, burning, bucking rounds, prepping for logging or milling, berry and poison oak removal, etc. You name it aside from climbing or dynamiting.

The reality is we should be charging more. However, we are not insured or bonded in any way. That keeps our costs down some. I don't even make enough to pay into workman's comp or anything of the sort. That also means we should be charging more, as if something happens to us physically, we're screwed.

But many people won't pay more than $25/hr for tree work. They end up getting what they pay for. We have roughly two full seasons worth of work waiting for us....and the rains...99% word of mouth.

Pricing is difficult, for sure.


Also, I started as a swamper in 2010 making $14/hr with hand tools provided. Calculating for inflation and cost of materials/upkeep, I barely stay ahead and make a pretty simple living income.

 

[Tedster2]

Hi all, longtime lurker, first time poster. Looking for some 2c on rates for fire mitigation. I've worked as a faller for 5 summers and have worked around climbers some but am learning myself. So I'm not familiar with residential arborist nor land clearing rates. Here in CO I am thinking about getting more into wildfire mitigation after having done some work on some small cabins but recently have picked up work on a couple acre property. Its usually just raking needles/ falling some trees near structures and some thinning, I have not (nor will) take on anything yet that is complicated or require extensive rigging. Right now its just me and some buddies but this job was way more than I bargained for. The owner was glad to pay us ($30/hr, good but unsure where that falls for this kind of work) and we got the job done on a very casual time frame with probably ~60 man hours to wrap up the thinning/chipping/structure prep/firewood cutting. Attached pics below are before and after. A lot of time spent hauling slash and feeding a local rent-all chipper that is a real POS. Should've rented a 12" chipper and just backed into the site and rehabbed after. A lot of good lessons learnt I feel. Here are some photos from some of the property.

Definitely learned a good bit about how much work it takes to prep a much neglected property. Pulled out a bit more than 2 cords from stems. Even the pine needles from decks/structures filled 20 garbage bags, way more than I figured just by looking.

Thanks!

Brad? Is that you? How goes it in foco?

 

[GusGus2020]

I’ve been doing tree work here in nor cal for a year or so, off the books/unlicensed. Mostly saw work (ground) only, taking care of downed trees, falling hazard trees, etc. I either bid the job based on how much time and material expense I think it’ll take, or charge $45/hr. I don’t get a lot of work, but at least I know my expenses are covered and I make some money.