[OB1]

Ooops, I cut one

(NC newbie from CA) So what's the deal? We were out riding yesterday around Wilsons. I noticed LOTS of downed trees/branches. What rules do we have to follow if we want to clear the trail a bit? Someone mentioned that you could be jailed for bringing in a chainsaw(I know...fire danger). What about tieing a chain to a tree and yanking it out of the ground? Not that we had a need to do that....but you get my inference. Where is the line drawn guys.

 

[Maida7]

If you yank a tree outta the ground in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? How would the chain help? After tyeing the chain to a tree, do you then pull the chain with your bike? I've seen horse riding people in Pisgah with a chainsaw doing trail maintenance. It seamed Kosher at the time. I even thanked them for helping to make the forest a better place. I have no idea what the law is. Maybe somebody with real info will show up and enlighten us.

 

[man w/ one hand]

OB1 & I had this discussion already. Legally, the FS, (FS = Forest Service) says you MUST complete a FS chainsaw course & before you can use said FS chainsaw course skillz, you must have another person present w/you, also schooled in the FS chainsaw course skillz, before you can employ said FS chainsaw course skillz. Probably gonna need to apply fer a permit as well....or you could just go an' cut the obstacle out of th' way. You would be taking a chance though....:madman:

 

[Mike Brown]

By law- you have to been through a chainsaw certifcation course sponsored by the FS and have current CPR/FA certification to operate a chainsaw on FS land. You can do a lot, however, with a folding handsaw that fits nicely into a Camelbak.
Maida- Pisgah Trailblazers has several chainsaw certified trail workers, you probably saw them.
Patrick Scott with the Pisgah District will allegedly soon be a chainsaw-certification-trainer, soon after that PAS will be holding a class. I can set up CPR training through my job, so then we should have plenty of MTB'ers locally who can legally operate the saw.

FWIW, I attended a chainsaw certifciation 2 years ago sponsored by Carolina Mtn Club. It was great, although as a non-club member they ended up not having time for me to fell a tree and complete certification . I was already pretty good with a saw, having heated my home with wood felled on my land by me for several years. Nevertheless, I learned a lot in the class, especially an incredibly safe way to fell trees using a plunge cut. So, you really do learn stuff in the class.
Mike

 

[Maida7]

OK you need to take a class to use a chainsaw but any yahoo can use a hand saw. Good to know . Thanks for the info guys.

What about spraying roundup on the poision ivy that blocks the road up to the top of greens lick? Can I get certified in that?

 

[OB1]

OK you need to take a class to use a chainsaw but any yahoo can use a hand saw. Good to know . Thanks for the info guys.

What about spraying roundup on the poision ivy that blocks the road up to the top of greens lick? Can I get certified in that?

Bingo. Thanks for clarifying my question Maida7. I didn't mean for this to be a chainsaw thread.:lol: As the one armed man pointed out...he and I already discussed chainsaws. I'm wondering what OTHER limitations there are. Like ripping a tree out of the ground with my truck, poisons, samurai swords, kung fu chop kicks, etc. I was hoping for a link to forestry service rules, or the like.:thumbsup:

 

[Mike Brown]

If you want the rules, here's the rules. It is, of course, every individuals choice to follow these rules or not...

Pisgah District: Every trail in the district is assigned to a volunteer group. According to the FS, no group or individual is allowed to work on a trail without this assignment, although exceptions can be made with coordination with the district. This does NOT include simple corridor clearing- in other words, if you just move a rock out of the trail, that's fine. Any work outside of the existing trail (such as removing a tree) not only has to be done by the assigned group, the FS has to receive notification of the action. Use of herbicides would require a full assessment regarding possible groundwater, habitat, etc impact -not likely. All trailworkers have to wear a helmet or hard hat, work gloves, and closed toe shoes. Also, they will not give any individual or group credit for a work without being reported, so any "bandit" work by MTB'ers never happened in their eyes and MTB'ers continue to have the mislabel of not being involved. Plus, anybody hurt doing trailwork not part of a sanctioned effort will not be covered by the FS insurance, although they will be if part of a sanctioned volunteer group. These are all reasons why it's so important to be part of the group effort...wait, wait, I got to get off the soapbox....

Grandfather District: Has a less formal Adopt-a-Trail program. Any group or individual can request a trail if it is not already assigned. Through the program, a sign will be posted giving the group or individual credit for the trail work. The group or individual agrees to at least three (spring, summer, fall) corridor maintenance days as well as being available for "emergency" maintenance such as the removal of downed trees. This is much less formal than the Pisgah District volunteer agreements. FWIW, the individual who does the ORAMM is in the process of adopting HeartBreak Ridge/Star Gap and another area group is considering adopting Kitsuma, although that trail is so blown-out that the group is a bit worried about the size of the work which needs to be done. Again, trail work beyond simple clearing of debris and obstacles is not supposed to occur outside of this program, but Grandfather District appears to be much less formally managed...

It's a federal bureaucracy- the rules are nightmarish and are implemented differently in each district. I happen to work in a different cog of the vast government machine, so I'm pretty used to having to deal with ridiculous rules...but still, these are pretty amazing in their ridiculousness.
Individuals interested in becoming involved in these efforts should, of course, join Pisgah Area SORBA.

Peace,
Mike

 

[OB1]

If you want the rules, here's the rules. It is, of course, every individuals choice to follow these rules or not...

Pisgah District: Every trail in the district is assigned to a volunteer group. According to the FS, no group or individual is allowed to work on a trail without this assignment, although exceptions can be made with coordination with the district. This does NOT include simple corridor clearing- in other words, if you just move a rock out of the trail, that's fine. Any work outside of the existing trail (such as removing a tree) not only has to be done by the assigned group, the FS has to receive notification of the action. Use of herbicides would require a full assessment regarding possible groundwater, habitat, etc impact -not likely. All trailworkers have to wear a helmet or hard hat, work gloves, and closed toe shoes. Also, they will not give any individual or group credit for a work without being reported, so any "bandit" work by MTB'ers never happened in their eyes and MTB'ers continue to have the mislabel of not being involved. Plus, anybody hurt doing trailwork not part of a sanctioned effort will not be covered by the FS insurance, although they will be if part of a sanctioned volunteer group. These are all reasons why it's so important to be part of the group effort...wait, wait, I got to get off the soapbox....

Grandfather District: Has a less formal Adopt-a-Trail program. Any group or individual can request a trail if it is not already assigned. Through the program, a sign will be posted giving the group or individual credit for the trail work. The group or individual agrees to at least three (spring, summer, fall) corridor maintenance days as well as being available for "emergency" maintenance such as the removal of downed trees. This is much less formal than the Pisgah District volunteer agreements. FWIW, the individual who does the ORAMM is in the process of adopting HeartBreak Ridge/Star Gap and another area group is considering adopting Kitsuma, although that trail is so blown-out that the group is a bit worried about the size of the work which needs to be done. Again, trail work beyond simple clearing of debris and obstacles is not supposed to occur outside of this program, but Grandfather District appears to be much less formally managed...

It's a federal bureaucracy- the rules are nightmarish and are implemented differently in each district. I happen to work in a different cog of the vast government machine, so I'm pretty used to having to deal with ridiculous rules...but still, these are pretty amazing in their ridiculousness.
Individuals interested in becoming involved in these efforts should, of course, join Pisgah Area SORBA.

Peace,
Mike

Wow...dat was.....da perfect reply!

Thanks Mike. It like to fully understand the laws I intend to break.