EQIP approvals for our 2010 forest improvement work

NRCS has inspected the last of our on-the-ground work for this season, and approved it for payment.

Greentree Reforestation crew prunes trees on our
property up 16'  as part of our EQIP-funded project.

That's a big milestone for us, because this is our first year of a 5-year EQIP agreement for thinning, pruning, and slash disposal.

We use Greentree Reforestation, a crew referred to us by our friend Doyle Burke in 2001. Greentree does very good work on understory thinning, tree pruning, and slash piling.

By "good work" I mean the limbs are cut within a couple of inches of the trunk, without otherwise damaging the tree. No long stubs, no stripped bark, no stray cuts.

Their piles are regulation 4x6x6 foot neatly stacked slash piles that burn very thoroughly. I'm most impressed with how they build a pile on a steep slope so it not only stays put, but it doesn't send burning logs rolling downhill.

Power pole saws work well on large
Ponderosa Pine limbs like this.
But for Douglas Fir, a simple pole
saw works better.

In one unit, 2 acres, we had the crew "lop and scatter" the slash for a more natural aesthetic and to supply nutrients to the soil. There are specific tolerances for how much debris can be on the ground, in tons per acre and in its height off the ground. The slash has to be pulled back from the base of each tree without creating an unduly large ring of fuel around it.

Pruning contractors in north central WA: Greentree Reforestation (509) 882-2900 Dick Schellhaas (509) 630-6486 Jim Jack (509) 548-1290