For the first time in a while I have had a few days with no deadlines, no big "projects" hanging over me, basically a few days when I get to do what I have had to put off for awhile. I've been working in the forest tree line area along the perimeter of our property on 3 sides. This tree line area is a big stretch to be cleaned up as the growth always encroaches on our property and pastures. Has always been a mess to keep clean up to my standards which I never seem to accomplish. The worst section is next & that is going to be at least 2 - 3 full days of work and weather is cool and comfortable to work in. Gathered up my chain saws preparing to clear about a 40’ long by 20’ area full of weeds and huge fallen Doug fir snags fallen over on our property which boarders the forest next to us. Lot’s of oak vines and probably some poison ivy. Keeping the horses out of harms way is a task as they always follow me like puppy dogs everywhere til I finally had to put them in the barn to protect them from a swath of poisonous tansey I was clearing out. Some young trees have come up in all that mess and I did clean them off last year to give them a fighting chance. They look good grown to about 10’ some are silver maples, alder’s, and something else not sure. Other evergreen trees are small seedlings and I am hoping to clean them off first and see if I can save them. Mind you this is the property line next to the old growth forest. Many birds especially quail winter along the brush line. The big Doug fir trees at the end of the row are beginning to shed large branches. My grandson got a rocket stuck high up in one last year and it’s still way up there. I hauled out several very big, brittle branches 8’-10’, tied to my tractor after shortening them using the chain saw, then scooted them to the burn pile. I have to keep the property cleaned up as many homeowners fire insurers are sending out drones to take pictures and check property now that we are included in a new fire zone map since warmer temperatures began about 4-5 years ago. Many homeowners have received notices from insurers that they have had their insurance coverage cancelled due to pics taken by these drones declaring their property uninsurable. I will need to have the pro tree trimmers out to remove some huge trees and snags that are a problem leaning over vicariously on our property. I've decided to let a few dead limb piles stay on the property line to provide wildlife shelter. Several toppled over last season from several huge wind/winter snow storms. Several limbs are broke over hanging off trunks and others are just standing snags. Dangerous for the horse trails. Decided to block it visually from my garden behind a redwood tree I planted years ago, a giant sequoia. It’s beautiful now 50’ tall with beautiful red sculptured bark. It’s so much easier to clean out the area when the deciduous leaves have fallen from the many volunteer trees that seem to take over quickly. I have a few more days of nice weather once the foggy marine layer clears off to finish up.
Sounds like a big and also fun project Pac. Something that's been bothering you to be done. A 40 ft by 20 ft area is a job that will feel good when it's complete. Drones...that's not something I would ever be comfortable with. Probably would never happen out here. I can't imagine the invasion of privacy.
Drones.....is that even legal?!?! I had lightning hit my tree in front last winter. It was crazy! My granddaughter and I always drive in front of the house to go (what I think is) the correct way down the alley. On our side all the garages are angled. The other side they're straight. We we so surprised when we saw the tree! These pictures are off my phone. Apparently it was ridiculously loud. The girl next door said her alarm on her phone went off saying lighting hit .1 mile.
I bet that strike shook the houses near by. In Colorado the summer lightning storms are ferocious. Crackling loud thunder and lightning would shake the house even as far as15 miles away. Even when there were no clouds there still lightning strikes. Strikes can occur even farther away at distances of 15 mile or more. Even strikes where it's not a cloud in the sky or pouring rain are called "bolts from the blue". A friend had a lightning bolt enter thru the roof of her living room follow a ceiling beam across the house then out thru the kitchen. Everything was chard black. We don’t have lightning here in coastal PNW . Why ? Outside of the clouds, the atmosphere is much direr. That dry air acts as a good insulator. It takes more energy to push the electrical charges associated with lightning through that insulated layer. Overall, lightning storms or usually infrequent in the Pacific Northwest. But we do have trees that explode… https://www.foxweather.com/watch/play-5d5ddb403001339
