We got started at about 630am when we left to meet my friend's husband and buy a couple of chainsaws from him. After that we headed down to Nogales to pick up the permits from the Ranger Station, and stop in Home Depot to pick up a couple of parts for the chainsaws.
After that, we finally were on Duquesne Road to Washington Camp and Loquiel, which is where most of the wood for collecting was located. Here is a Google Map showing the area we were collecting in. Most of what we collected was on the road between Washington Camp and Loquiel, but we found quite a bit north of Washington Camp as well, on the smaller roads that split off to the east.
View Larger Map
Naturally, when in a beautiful setting, doing something awesome like using a chainsaw, I couldn't help but snap a few testosterone driven pictures, and film some short videos. I include them here for your enjoyment and/or ridicule.
Old equipment from an abandoned mining operation west of Washington camp.
The wood we had collected along Duquesne Rd. between
Washington Camp and Lochiel. This picture is just north of
Washington Camp.
Brian and I wielding our chainsaws.
Our final take. We estimate that to be just over 0.5 cords of wood.
Our permits are still good for another 1.5 cords. We will definitely
be making a couple more trips.
When you have two chainsaws, how can you not pose like this?
The following YouTube videos are of us chainsawing some massive branches off of a dead oak that was so big it fell over on its side. Getting these branches required us to climb up onto the tree, so how could we resist being awesome and dangerous at the same time?
And here I am getting the second one.
So as you can see, it was an awesome day yesterday. Collecting firewood, using chainsaws, preventing intense forest fires in the area by removing some of the fuel. We even encountered a local who said his name was Desert Arizona. He tried to slyly trick us into cutting down a huge oak tree that was dead, but wasn't fallen, and wasn't quite on his property. Since we weren't allowed to cut trees that hadn't fallen, we took off after he left the area. But, with his semi-drunken ramblings he managed to stall us for the better part of two hours. Annoying because I wanted to be collecting wood, but awesome because he said some crazy things. Maybe someday I'll go back there and try to find him when I don't have something to do, and we can split a 12 pack and talk about the random stuff you talk about with an old guy who lives out in the middle of nowhere.
Finally, I want to tie this in with permaculture somehow. Obviously, I know that fires are a natural part of a forests lifecycle, and that all out prevention of them isn't necessarily healthy. By never letting small fires occur, large amounts of fuel are able to build up, causing the massive fires you hear about on the news. Well, if you're not going to let small fires happen because you're worried about them becoming massive fires, why not let people come in and remove that extra fuel that causes massive fires? The free permits the Forest Service gives out to do so are a very permie solution, in my opinion.
- It follows the 5th principle, "Use and value renewable resources and services." By only removing wood that has already fallen and is dead, we are not harming any trees still comprising the forest.
- It follows the 9th principle, "Use slow and small solutions." Ok ok, I know the chainsaw is not a slow and small solution, but it's fun and effective. But, by only allowing one person one cord of wood each, you are removing small amounts of fuel slowly over time. And to be honest, if Brian and I retrieve our full allotment of one cord each, we won't need to go back for several years. That is slow and small.
- It satisfies the concept that the problem is the solution. What is the real problem that the Forest Service is trying to address? Huge forest fires. What causes those? Too much dead wood from never allowing small fires. What's the best solution? Get rid of the extra wood.
- The permits to remove the dead wood also serve as a stacking of functions. The Forest Service doesn't have the budget or the manpower to remove all of that wood. So they issue free permits for citizens to remove it. This does several things all with one action. 1) It helps remove the wood., which helps prevent massive forest fires. 2) It serves the public by providing them with extremely low-cost fuel to heat the homes or cook with (essentially only the cost of the gas in your vehicle). 3) It reduces the man-power and budgetary resources involved on the part of the Forest Service in preventing forest fires. 4) It gives me an excuse to use a chainsaw.
To wrap it up, yesterday was an awesome day. Fun productive, and just a little taste of what life might be like for me on my homestead once I finally realize my dream. I have to sign off now, because I have some firewood to split. Thanks for reading!
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