The Tulalip Tribes Forester now has a PSCC Ranger that accommodates him to check members dangerous trees. I was fortunate to have accompanied Tulalip Tribes Foresters for a couple years as he looked at trees at PSCC. What is amazing is that some of the Western Red Cedar trees and Douglas Fir trees are between 200-300 years old. The thick bark and deep tap roots of the Douglas fir allowed some to withstand a fire that our Forester said swept through this area. The mills in this area that process trees over 36 inches have shut down. Any large tree would have to be shipped to Oregon or to Vancouver, Canada. (Which is not cost effective. ) If a healthy big Evergreen tree is cut down at PSCC, it is just firewood. If you are lucky to have one of these healthy grandfather specimens in your greenbelt, please consider a limb permit if you are not receiving TV/satellite reception. Also sometimes the lower branches die as the tree grows. The free limb permit at Administration allows you to hire Doug Wesson Tree service, the only TulalipTribes contracted allowed limb cutter above 18 feet at PSCC. These old giants are slowly being culled from the PSCC forest..... The roots of these 2 types of trees are substantial, thats why they have lived for 200-300 years. Check your trees for ants, bugs, Woodpecker holes, (the big ones from Pileated Woodpeckers, not the small ones in a line from sap suckers....the sap suckers makes a hole & licks sap, not really hurting the tree.) Shavings coming from holes that may be bugs, lots of fungus growths, and other tree diseases. These are the trees that may fall during a storm. If the tree does not lean towards your site, the Forester will quite often allow nature to use the tree as an wildlife tree. If there is a rotted tree that appears to be eminently about to fall on the roads around PSCC, call Maintenance. Most of the ancient Cedars and Douglas Fir are healthy....just massive and stately. But The Western Hemlock, our State tree, has a shallow root system that grips the stoney mountain rocks. We havent the stones for Hemlocks to grip at PSCC, & quite often this tree with shallow roots will succumb to the wet soil & winds. (Our Forester stated the shallow roots are why we dont have many older Western Hemlocks.) I have Douglas Firs that are over 100 years old at one site....I wish I had a couple of the ancients as several birds only nest in the old ones. Myth, tradition, inspiration, culture, religion, and many other aspects of human life are written into the rings of history within a trees trunk. Trees would do just fine if humans ceased to exist—but humans would most definitely not survive without trees. They reduce carbon dioxide while producing oxygen, moderate ecosystems, prevent erosion, and provide shelter, energy, and even nutrition. They are simply amazing.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:30:41 +0000