Hello Backcountry Pilots,
I have been working on my Idaho Airstrip removing large cottonwood trees. Anyway Friday evening the Idaho Fish & Game knocked on my door. As it turns out I wasn't in trouble and all they wanted was all my worthless cottonwood trees. Apparently the F &G intends to use them for nearby "creek enhancement". Then the next morning at 0730 a large excavator showed up and went to work. I had marked all the trees that I wanted removed and the awesome machine knocked them down. They wanted the root balls attached and that saved me a mess too.
Now with all the trees removed I have some back-filling to do, and things are really coming along. I have attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Merry Christmas

James
Kooskia, ID


Before:



After:

Sweet. now if you could just find someone who wanted that pesky power line .

Sweet. now if you could just find someone who wanted that pesky power line

Just takes $$$$$

Cool.
I bet there was a little 'pucker factor' until you found out what they wanted.....

Woulda been for me!
lc

I'm from the guvmint son an ahm here to hep you.

shorton wrote:I'm from the guvmint son an ahm here to hep you.

I thought the same thing.

A stroke of good luck eh?

Great for you, I am glad to see things are coming along for you and the new strip.
Keep us posted and let me know when its ready to land on

Have a great and Merry Christmas
Ken in North Pole , Alaska

I am really interested in their "creek enhancement" and how those trees are enhancing the creeks and streams??

patrol guy wrote:I am really interested in their "creek enhancement" and how those trees are enhancing the creeks and streams??

Read Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Keasy. Pile them up against the bank at turns and bends in the creek for protection from erosion. Not saying it works, just that's the way they used to do it back in the olden days.

patrol guy wrote:I am really interested in their "creek enhancement" and how those trees are enhancing the creeks and streams??

Are cottonwood trees native.

Tim

qmdv wrote:Are cottonwood trees native.

Yes, they are. Although for what they're using them, it doesn't really matter a whole lot. Downed trees work great for erosion control and provide fish habitat.

That's a lot of work they saved you, eh? Especially considering they hauled 'em off!

I am really interested in their "creek enhancement" and how those trees are enhancing the creeks and streams??

Are they staking or tying them to trees away from the creek? Around here when we get a big rain, they would just float downstream to the next bridge or out into a field.

qmdv wrote:

patrol guy wrote:I am really interested in their "creek enhancement" and how those trees are enhancing the creeks and streams??

Are cottonwood trees native.

Tim

Wanna help me cut down that Cottonwood in my front yard in the spring, Tim? Gonna get rid of it before it get's too big. The girl at the nursery told me that they are not good trees to be close to the house. They grow like a weed, they're weak, and die early. Plus, the roots are coming up through the ground and the builder planted the tree next to the main water line into my house. I think she said the life span of the cottonwoods are only 20-40 years.

That was a lucky break!! If you only could have worked some fill into the deal to avoid moving too much compacted soil.

We have cottonwoods here that were planted in the 1880's by homesteaders for their tree claims. One neighbor built his home out of cottonwood. That house is nearly 50 years old now. I don't recommend it but its been done.

Super-Maule,
Wondered why we hadn't heard from you lately. Best bet for your project is an excavator with a thumb. What luck!
You have a loader and that dump beast to fill in the holes. At this rate you can put some seed on the raw ground and have a working strip by summer.
Downed trees were once the choice for stream restoration here also, until the powers that be decided that was too easy.
I have some big cottonwoods that must be over 100 years old. Shedding limbs are only a concern on those overhanging a county road. When there are big winds I get nervous. Try to keep them trimmed back but it takes a 70' bucket truck. The root ball in the photo shows why they are tough on sidewalks and waterlines.
------------------------------------Chance

"Stream enhancement" around here means placing logs in the creeks to provide salmon habitat- I guess the logs hold the silt which the salmon lay eggs in. One recent stream enhancement project right near where I live, funded by the WA Dept of Wildlife (no, that's not the party department!), used some really nice logs which were worth a lot of money. Too bad, when there's plenty of junk trees which woulda done just as well.
For erosion control our farmers use logs, public agencies ($$) use riprap or ecology blocks.

Your Cat loader says THANKS to the Link-Belt

Terry said:Your Cat loader says THANKS to the Link-Belt

Hey Terry,
My Cat loader isn't near as fast as the Link-Belt but it is able to push over even the biggest cottonwoods with a little work. With the loader and my sweet "new" dump truck I will start mining some fill nearby to finish the airstrip. It doesn't have to be perfect. I've landed my Maule in a lot worse places. Looks like I finally got some of my $$$ back from the Idaho Fish & Game.

Merry Christmas

James