Day 290

Forest salvage and sanitation. Ever heard of it? Until it was written into our forest management plan, I certainly hadn’t. But now that I have, I see it as a definite option for our restoration future. It is a third option, but might just be the frontrunner at this point.

Besides the dead ash stands we are slowly eliminating, our land has more of a wooded area. We just rarely visit it. It is almost impossible to navigate for a good chunk of the year because it is either underwater or loaded with very tall grass. Because much of the trees are dead, fallen branches and logs make it tricky to walk through even when the water and grass cooperate.

While this area doesn't offer a ton of fun and recreation at the moment, the potential it has is extremely exciting. If we can clear the woods of some of the dead wood, remove potentially dangerous dead trees and eradicate the invasives, we will have an area that is easier to work in, it is an area that will be prime for reforestation.

A deeper dive into our FMP shows that forest salvage and sanitation is indicated as a priority. This is a positive sign in that forested areas access funding sources other areas of our property do not. I had to do a little more research to find out what salvage and sanitation truly meant. In the beginning of our restoration adventure, I had a few foresters and forestry service come by and provide insight on their ideas and potential options. Forestry mulching was the concept I had been introduced to. It seemed it was essentially clearing the land by cutting and mulching up the plants that were there. Not really knowing if this was the best option, I halted my information gathering on that part of the land and focused on the wetland restoration. Still, I love forests, so the idea of improving these woods has always been something on my mind. 

Now, we have an option to salvage the healthy and helpful trees while cleaning up the rest of the woods through a forestry sanitation process.

This is definitely on the horizon.