Belated Post for SFT North

Sustainable Forestry Team North Finishes Strong

SFT North powered through our last hitch. We spent eleven days working along a Forest Service road in the Routt National Forest outside of Steamboat Springs, just a stone’s throw from Wyoming. We cleared trees that were encroaching on the road as part of the Forest Service’s “Hazard Tree Removal” program. Working in swamper/sawyer pairs we packed everything we would need for the day and hiked down the road from our campsite. The pairs cut down trees and bucked and limbed them as necessary, then dispersed the wood back into the forrest where it could decompose naturally.  We cleaned up the several mile stretch ahead of schedule! It was a great finish to an excellent summer.

Chainsaw work is tricky and dangerous, but education and a focus on safety kept us free from harm all summer (not unusual for SCC crews). On top of that our crew got along fantastically. We grew into a close family in only a few months, and I think everyone is sad to be leaving. I will miss the crew the most, but the chainsaws come in a close second. I don’t think that Oberlin College would appreciate me cutting down trees on campus, even if they do pose a hazard. So I will enjoy the last few moments of bar-oil covered companionship before I travel home to Virginia, but I’ll take comfort in the fact that, with any luck, SCC will have more saw work for me next summer.

-Alex Totoiu

SFT Crewmember