Thoughts from \'cnelk\'

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cnelk

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Mar 23, 2017
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All~

Every so often I will be posting a thread called \'Thoughts from \'cnelk\'
They will be certain items of interest, current issues and other misc topics.

So here is the 1st - Thoughts from cnelk

I spend a lot of time in the mountains.
I have seen beetles kill millions of acres of trees.
I have seen logging activities go by the wayside.
There have been droughts and rainy seasons in the mountains.
These observations are not new. But I have noticed something new.

With many forest fires currently burning in Colorado, it is hard for me to understand why there arent FIRE BANS in the national Forests?

Here is a link that show counties all across Colorado.
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html</a><!-- m -->

As you can see - Jackson County - where the Beaver Creek fire has currently burned over 18,000 acres, still has no burn ban in effect.
This is a county where beetle kill is very prevalent!

There is also a fire in Boulder County right now. Started by a couple of yahoos from Alabama.
Houses have been burned and maybe more will be.
At least the 2 transients who started it are in jail, charged with felony arson.
They were camping illegally on private land and didnt fully extinguish their campfire.
[My guess is that they came to Colorado for the legal pot]

In 2002 there were fire bans, but that was before the beetle kill.

Kinda makes you wonder - dont it?

Be safe out there everyone. Not all are there for your well being.

cnelk
 
Good post. Had a conversation a few weeks ago about that very subject with some guys around here. One of the first things that came to my mind when I seen all of those dead trees for the first time out there. While I grew up in the flatlands, I have trained with guys who fought fires out there and they impressed on me how dangerous that can get very quickly. For the life of me I don\'t understand how people can\'t respect such places as the mountains or take the time to think for just a minute, common sense is free!
 
I think the difficult thing is that we have actually had a pretty wet spring/summer so far, yet that never seems to matter when it comes to forest fires. With all the beetle kill, I think it\'s just a matter of time before a bunch of it burns. There is going to be no getting around that and truthfully the burned area will be better for it once it\'s done. What scares me is some of the major towns that are surrounded by that beetle kill. One blast of lighting and there could be a lot of folks in trouble.
 
Can\'t the beetle killed tress be used for anything??? It seems a waste to just wait for a fire and let them burn... Of course the government does care much about waste...

Don\'t I remember the forest service starting a large fire some time back while doing a \"prescribed burn\"????
 
\"Ol\' Arky\" said:
Can\'t the beetle killed tress be used for anything??? It seems a waste to just wait for a fire and let them burn... Of course the government does care much about waste...
Click to expand...


I talked to a forest service worker last year about the dead trees. He told me that they could not use the beetle killed trees for structural lumber. I am sure they could be used for other things but the cost to harvest them might be more than their worth.
 
They do a bunch of stuff with them...the beetle kill adds a blue tint to the wood, which is pretty neat actually. Ton of companies out there making furniture and stuff with it as I\'m sure it\'s way cheaper to get than good lumber.

Do a search for \'beetle kill furniture\' and you\'ll get a ton of results.
 
I would think they could use it for decorative lumber also.... I would most likely light up any room.... Excuse the pun... :mrgreen:
 
I used beetle kill T&G pine in my \'man cave\' on a couple walls
 

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\"cnelk\" said:
I used beetle kill T&G pine in my \'man cave\' on a couple walls
Click to expand...

That\'s what I\'m talking about... It does serve a useful purpose... At least let the people who want some of it to use have the chance to get it and not just wait for it to go up in smoke and burn everything in it\'s path...
 
The problem is that there is just so much of it. They have been logging it for quite some time now, but it would take centuries to get rid of all of it.
 
I know it\'s different terrain but these logging contractors here in south Arkansas can clear cut 80 acres a day or at least it seems that they can... :D :D
 
ironically, isnt it the forest fire that \"cleans\" the forest of beetle kill trees?

just now the forest holds homes, business, etc..plus recreation..

before man, i bet fire was the eraser that started the clock over again. i might be full of krap..

i see beetle traps everywhere now. troubling times in the kingdom.
 
Don\'t get me wrong, I believe fire is a very good land management tool used correctly.
Just like logging.

But when there is a ticking time bomb with tinder dry July conditions, why aren\'t fire bans put into effect?

Unless the forest service really does want them to burn Due to human cause.

If lightning starts a fire at least that\'s a natural cause. Just like the beetles
 
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