Fromme 2013 Conditions (merged)

Looks like we're going to get our new cross mountain trail in the form of a DNV Fire Break.

http://www.dnv.org/article.asp?a=4010[HTML_REMOVED]c=44

Pic of trails to be affected:

Lower digger ( no loss anyway) Lower Crippler, Lower Boundary

Lower Ladies

Looks like we're going to get our new cross mountain trail in the form of a DNV Fire Break.

I'm surprised it has taken this long, municipalities [HTML_REMOVED] the province have been working on this since the big Kelowna fire and that was back in 2003.

The big fires up in Northern Alberta reminded them of the issues.

The Okanagan Mountain Park fire, during the 2003 fire season, was the most significant interface wildfire event in BC history. The fire's final size was 25,600 hectares. Much of BC was affected by the fire but the communities of Naramata and Kelowna suffered the largest effect when the blaze caused the evacuation of 33,050 people (4,050 of these people were also evacuated for a second time) and 238 homes were lost or damaged. The fire also claimed 12 wooden trestles and damaged two other steel trestles in the historic Myra Canyon.

From:
http://bcwildfire.ca/History/LargeFires.htm

This is likely why they are working on it now:
http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2012/12/wildfire-protection-funding-change-helps-communities.html

So just to understand, is everything within the yellow lines to be chopped down?

I would think just thinned and crap on the ground cleared out. This has been done in Whistler near the bottom of Tunnel Vision. Actually makes for good riding in that you can see better, fewer trees to collide with etc.

Expect a great hue and cry from certain local residents about killing the "ancient great bear rain forest" causing irreparable harm to the pristine natural habitat.

If you click on the DNV link, it talks about what they've done in the couple of pilot projects already completed.

Or I suppose similar to the thinned out areas along mtn highway between 2nd and 3rd.

Hopefully its just a thinning. When they first started talking about this they wanted something that could accommodate firetrucks… but that would have been too expensive.

Looks like they got some money! Hopefully just enough for thinning!

From Sharon's DNV link, it is the Hyannis plan, looks like Fromme has the same proposed treatment plan.

"
_The proposed work is designed to be sensitive to our forest and streamside ecosystems and reduce ignition potential and vulnerability to the risks of wildfire through the removal of excessive quantities of understory ladder fuels and surface fuel accumulations. The small diameter coniferous trees which currently comprise the ladder fuel in the understory will be chipped and the chips either spread onsite, or used to resurface nearby trails. Larger quantities will be hauled offsite to a facility which recycles woodwaste. Coarse woody debris greater than 10 cm diameter (logs) will generally be retained on site to capture their ecological value returning nutrients to the soil and providing favourable habitat for a variety of wildlife. Likewise larger trees which are assessed as hazards to the workers, trail users or nearby residential properties will be modified to mitigate potential hazards and wherever appropriate the main stem may be retained to create wildlife snags.

Following completion of this work, those treated areas where soils have been disturbed, or where there is sufficient sunlight, will be replanted with a mixture of native deciduous shrubs and understory trees such as Beaked Hazelnut, Cascara, Dogwood and Vine maple. This restoration planting will help restore the natural biodiversity of the area and replace the virtual monoculture of Dwarf Mistletoe infected Hemlock understory (ladder fuels) which currently presents the elevated risk to wildfire. _
"

So I would not suspect any changes to trails or mass forest clearings…

Please, let Digger deal with that.

Morgman, did Digger specifically say he does not want anyone else to clear blowdown on Ladies, or are you speaking on his behalf???

I figure if Shaloamer was already on his way into clear the blowdown, then its a bonus to have it done asap.

Suspect Digger has no shortage on his plate…

And no sense in discouraging help on trail maintenance.

Morgman, did Digger specifically say he does not want anyone else to clear blowdown on Ladies, or are you speaking on his behalf???

I figure if Shaloamer was already on his way into clear the blowdown, then its a bonus to have it done asap.

Suspect Digger has no shortage on his plate…

And no sense in discouraging help on trail maintenance.

Yeah, I didn't really get this either…
What is the difference between Digger clearing it, or someone else clearing it and leaving it at the side of the trail for Digger to use at his leisure?

Snow on SB 3 and 4. A little snow between 4 and 5. Snow on 5 and mosty pushing from there to the entrance to Ladies.

Beginning of Ladies has about a foot of snow on the trail (see photos). However, once you pass the Ladies Only sign on the saw blade (about 100 metres in) there is no more snow.

Blow down - big tree (1.5-2 ft. diameter just past the left hand roller about 100m past the sign I noted above.
Large puddle in the bermed section. second tree down just past where the trail turns slightly left, after the berms, and the creek is on the left hand side down the gully. Tree is not that large, but there are a lot of branches.

Lots of water in the Heron ponds.

Otherwise, it is in great shape.

In my not so learned opinion, taking the trees down could be done by anyone with good saw knowledge. this is not trail work, just tree clearing. If someone can do this asap, why not?

Why is lower diggers 'no loss anyway'?

Why is lower diggers 'no loss anyway'?

Just one person's opinion, that's all.

If you're gonna go zip a tree out, go with the "leave no trace" protocol, including the internet. And that's the word from Digger directly.