The forest near The Yurt
Although it rained all of the six days I was up at The Yurt early this month, it didn't rain continuously. When it wasn't raining, I was out and about in the forest, on the trails-light maintenance, trimming errant branches that will be snowladen and hanging low over the ski trails and a hinderance to grooming machines... and cutting slide alder and cottonwoods whose seeds thought growing in the middle of the trail was a good thing. The trail from near The Yurt to Griffin Mtn is now open for those half dozen skiers this winter who will venture the six miles through deep snow over a couple of high ridges and didn't get enough...
I made this image because I liked how an opening in the forest canopy gave a peek to what is beyond and how the splash of light in the overstory changes the forest floor... the competition of western hemlock seedlings lined up on a nurse log and surrounded by new huckleberry bushes-these openings, caused by fallen trees converting to raw biomass for subsequent generations as well as openings from winter wind and heavy snowfall damage.
renewal of the forest-in the forest-by the forest
Tahoma State Forest
Cascade Range - Washington
This place, the Tahoma State Forest, is owned by the citizens of Washington state and managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as 'School Trust Lands' (forest lands that the state has set aside to provide funds for construction of schools and can only be logged when such action results in profit-unlike logging in National Forests which often are logged at a cost to the taxpayer. The Tahoma State Forest is a gated forest with no motorized travel-the roads present are for logging operations (next logging for most sections in about 30 years) and forest maintenance as well as ski and snowshoe trails. What I do on the trail system is considered maintenance so I and other volunteers literally have a key to the forest (gates) and permission to drive the roads... When I go to The Yurt, I usually have the forest to myself with no others within ten or so miles-those times, I consider these forests my own private domaine... I do own the place... and if you're a citizen of our great state of Washington, so do you. Have you visited your state lands recently? If not, why?
Peace
ps The Tahoma State Forest is 100 miles from here - this afternoon, I'll drive five miles to the closer Green Mountain State Forest to spend a few hours in the woods... hobbling along because my foot has been ailing this week...
pps to end on a better note than complaining about my foot, what a nice day it is out... many sky breaks and that bright orb lighting part of the land before the rains return sometime later this evening. (the rains-a good thing too)
I made this image because I liked how an opening in the forest canopy gave a peek to what is beyond and how the splash of light in the overstory changes the forest floor... the competition of western hemlock seedlings lined up on a nurse log and surrounded by new huckleberry bushes-these openings, caused by fallen trees converting to raw biomass for subsequent generations as well as openings from winter wind and heavy snowfall damage.
renewal of the forest-in the forest-by the forest
Tahoma State Forest
Cascade Range - Washington
This place, the Tahoma State Forest, is owned by the citizens of Washington state and managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as 'School Trust Lands' (forest lands that the state has set aside to provide funds for construction of schools and can only be logged when such action results in profit-unlike logging in National Forests which often are logged at a cost to the taxpayer. The Tahoma State Forest is a gated forest with no motorized travel-the roads present are for logging operations (next logging for most sections in about 30 years) and forest maintenance as well as ski and snowshoe trails. What I do on the trail system is considered maintenance so I and other volunteers literally have a key to the forest (gates) and permission to drive the roads... When I go to The Yurt, I usually have the forest to myself with no others within ten or so miles-those times, I consider these forests my own private domaine... I do own the place... and if you're a citizen of our great state of Washington, so do you. Have you visited your state lands recently? If not, why?
Peace
ps The Tahoma State Forest is 100 miles from here - this afternoon, I'll drive five miles to the closer Green Mountain State Forest to spend a few hours in the woods... hobbling along because my foot has been ailing this week...
pps to end on a better note than complaining about my foot, what a nice day it is out... many sky breaks and that bright orb lighting part of the land before the rains return sometime later this evening. (the rains-a good thing too)