Bagging the Season and Getting Ready for the Mother of all Fire Summers!

[mtnjunkie]

The woods industry for the most part have been shut down, locked out. Saw mills have been steadily closing the doors. Every timber sale has been leagily challenged by the greene / judge combo 1-2 punch and it has been effective. Throw a now week economy on top of it all and equipment operators (loggers) go into survival mode, working what ever they can pick up for cash flow. A lot of them are are letting the bank repo their equipment effectivly going out of business. This is the light at the end of the tunnel for the ones that can hold on.
Forest circus pays good for all sorts of equipment needed in fire fighting.

Not here they don't. They will rarely let equipment in to fight fires around here. They bring in a few thousand firefighters and hand dig lines. Guess how much good it does, and how much money it wastes. We've tried to get them (as have others) to let us cut a fuel break or put in fire lines with our logging equipment. Not happening. For the Castle Rock fire a couple years ago they brought in thousands of firefighters and did everything by hand and by plane and chopper. And of course it jumped most of those lines. And this is tree hugger central.

 

[WingNutRacing]

hmm

Like I said skidoogirl, all they'll let us do is stand at the locked gate and watch. Believe me, I'm all for loggin, but they just won't let us will they???????????

Bad rating????????????

 

[skibreeze]

It will truly be interesting to see what the full effect of the beetle kill will have on the forests here in Co.and the West. There are entire forests that have been devastated and entirely dead. How long will that fuel remain, 50 years, 100 years? With the fuel remaining, any fire has the potential to be huge. How much bigger will these fires end up being? I just wonder how soon we will find out.

 

[WMD]

I hope we do have a good (bad) fire season.

Burnt trees = fat bank account for me.

Besides, I am tired of working in Mexifornia I want to drop some water in Idaho and Montana this year.

I hope you loggin boys get to come play also, nothing puts in line like a feller/ buncher.

If you see that big red and white Huey (N66HJ) sittin in a field next to the smoke this year, come say hi.

 

[WMD]

This Huey, if it attached. I forgot I don't get a avatar now.

 

[CatWoman]

There is nothing quite like the sound of a Huey dropping down to grab water amongst the mountains!

The beach side is at Big Creek Campground, other side....the Mountain in the background is Huckleberry, in Glacier National Park (boundary is the center of the North Fork of the Flathead river). This was one of four choppers pulling water there (along with numerous water trucks).

WMD........I'll watch for you if indeed we start burning again.

 

[CatWoman]

Wrong way to pull in to get water......rookie driver. They had to get a big semi tow truck to get this guy unstuck.

This is a pic of 2 trucks.....often there were 3 at a time in the boat launch area. They just left their hoses there and ran all day from early morn to dark. About 6 different trucks running for quite a long time.

 

[jthussey]

The weather pattern needs to change. I plan on going to SW montana 3 more times but its not looking like that will happen. I only have 8 days of riding out west this year. I need my fix! BAD!

 

[ragincajun]

its been HORRIBLE here in MT. i was just up at Lost trail pass today and they have probably 3 feet tops. if it turns 80* in may or so i give it 3 weeks before its all gone. and with all this beatle kill its gunna he one smoky summer! but then again i have talked to some people and they can remember a year with realy crappy snowpack like this year and they said it rained 5 outs 7 days a week on the summer. hope we get some moisture SOON!!! i have saif eff winter and went and bought a dirt bike to get my 2 smoke fix...still isnt the same but its fun.

 

[SLDHVN]

snow is "in the forecast" this coming week, keep prayin for it

we've been able to find some

 

[SLDHVN]

thats the sound of snow falling in MT!
some of our local spots have almost gotten a foot since last night! Just another reason why MT is the sh*t! Keep prayin for it! Riding pow tomorrow!

 

[EagleRiverDee]

Well, I'm no weather forecaster, but I do know that often weather in Alaska moves west through Canada and then comes screaming down through North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana.

If that is the case, you should get a load of snow in about a week, because we are FINALLY getting some snow. Had a snowstorm last Friday that was averaging 8 inches an hour. Got over 3 feet in many places. It started snowing again yesterday and hasn't stopped yet. Got avy's all over.

Cross your fingers.