Power Saw The Thick Stalks

Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about our rain that we have been getting. It is very much needed. It does however curtail plans about spending time up the hill in the forest. Our skid roads are not rocked and some of the steep pitches are slippery with even a little moisture.

Mike was sure he could get the Gator up the hill in low range and 4-wheel drive but spun out halfway up. I chose to get out and walk up the hill while he slipped, slid and inched his way back down. Walking was not as easy as I expected and it was hard to get off the slick road without slipping this way and that, I was worried that I was going to slide down faster than Mike and the Gator, but I finally got to the side of the steep road where I found some purchase and was able to walk in the vegetation that was growing along the edge.

I was able, with the help of my trusty garden clippers I carried in my pocket, to spend some time nipping tender Scotch Broom that had started to pop up in the cleared section that we replanted with cedar and fir seedlings a couple of years ago. Cutting them off at ground level will usually kill the invasive species but I will have to monitor this area of the woods for several years because I am sure there are still seeds in the ground that will keep emerging each spring.

Taking time up the hill with no particular plans other than scouting for deer and elk damage while nipping Scotch Broom made for a pleasant time. I stopped at the trail camera but only saw a couple of deer go past in the last few days.

Making my way down hill was easier than the trek up because I followed game trails and our mushroom hike paths. It was much steeper than the road but the traction was better because I could step on salal, Oregon Grape and wild flowers while holding onto branches from fir, hemlock, vine maple and hazelnut saplings. I did notice an open area as I neared the base of the hill, back beyond the spring where Scotch Broom was trying to take over the space.

The following day, I was able to take my small chainsaw to the area of the outbreak. I found that what I thought was a small section, much more like a Scotch Broom forest. There were many plants that were six to eight feet high. Some of the stalks were as thick as my wrist. One was growing into a wild cherry tree and between the tangle of the two plants, was unable to dislodge the growth even after cutting the Broom off at ground level and chopping off the long stalk. It took several hours of moving from one plant to another but I was able to saw them all down. I will leave them to where they lay to wither and die, and lose some of their water weight, before using the dead vegetation to aid in erosion prevention in the nearby run-off from the spring.