Getting Stuck
July 3, 2014 10:34 am Leave your thoughts
The past couple of weeks have been some of the busiest so far. The 2014 planting season is now officially completed, with over 2 million trees planted throughout the last two months. While the planting season was winding down the site preparation program was just starting up.
One of the tasks that has been taking up the bulk of my time lately has been going out to recently harvested cut blocks, with Weyerhaeuser Silviculture Forester Trenna Macleod, and Silviculture consultant Chris Pemberton, to conduct post harvest site assessments. These involve thoroughly walking the cut block to assess what needs to be done in order to restore the site to a free growing state. This includes identifying drainages that need to be fixed, deciding whether or not to plant, or leave for natural regeneration, and if planting is required what site preparation is necessary.
In the left picture is a Cat Trencher, it is useful on blocks that may have too much debris to plant or on blocks with plant species that may compete with the young trees that are to be planted (this being grass in the photo to the right). It also exposes the mineral soil and makes planting faster and easier!
Earlier this week while on my way to pre-work a site prep excavator operator, I was turning my truck around on a narrow piece of road and backed up just a little bit too far putting my back end into the ditch.
Luckily Tom the operator I was going to see was able to pull me out, but because of a broken drive shaft a tow truck had to be called to get the truck out of the bush. This was really the first time that something had gone somewhat wrong for me while out in the field, sometimes making mistakes is the best way to learn! luckily I was able to get in touch with coworkers who knew exactly what to do!