After Vernon cleaned up the old buildings, he turned to cleaning up some brush. This area has been known as the Double Crossing since teams and wagons had to ford the Nowood River twice in this spot. When I first came here, riding your horse through this brush was doable. Sure, some areas were thicker than others, and I’m not discussing the trees yet, but over the years, the brush has grown. The center of willow patches have died. Willows grew so close together, a horse would be reluctant to go through, though an ornery cow may have chosen to hide within. Vernon went to work.
Grabbing the dead brush, he piled it up. The willows are not dead, simply pruned back.
Boxelder trees were similar… dead limbs lay about…
Around some, he piled other limbs.
The same applied to sagebrush.
While we spend a great deal of time fighting summer wildfires, fire is still a natural and important tool in the cycle of vegetation management. Selectively choosing where and when to burn is key. Fire will clear out the old, make way for new, and encourage grasses to grow.
My first thought was. “Fire???” Then I wondered if that was snow on the ground. That might prevent the fire spreading. Have to be careful here in the West. but fire is an important managing tool.