01/27/2023
January Update: We've been busy this season expanding previous projects. In Pleasant Valley right now, we are both making the prairie restorations larger, as well as reconnecting them with their surrounding oak savannas. There is plenty of snow to make things really interesting on the bluff slopes right now. And to complicate things even more, in many areas there is also a layer of smooth ice underneath the snow!
Having to work in the snowy, slippery conditions has forced us to develop a few new tricks to make the work go more smoothly:
- When the woody vegetation is loaded with snow, every time you cut something (or even touch it) snow is released. It's going to come down on top of you whether you like it or not. Pro tip: just get used to it! Wear a neck gaiter or buff to keep it from going down your shirt, but your back and neck are going to get damp over time regardless.
What you should ALSO get used to, is the practice of cradling your saw under your body every time this happens, so that the snow doesn't all go into your ignition and prevent your saw from running (unless you want an excuse to go home for the day or to run and get your back-up saw). Some saws even have a winter cover that can be installed over part of the recoil and ignition to reduce these occurrences.
- When it's really steep and icy, it is helpful to temporarily lay logs across the slope from stump to stump to build yourself some bridging/scaffolding. It's incredibly frustrating (even dangerous) to be constantly trying to catch yourself routinely sliding 10-15 feet down sections of bluff slope. We've been doing more than our normal amount of hopping from buckthorn stump to buckthorn stump through patches of ice and snow lately. There is so little secure ground. These scaffold logs really help out a lot. They will at least reduce the length of the sliding runs you will continue to make!
Stay safe out there friends!
