An attractive alternative to Prescribed Burning

-Smoke is pollution, short, sweet and simple

-Fire means "Risk".  Risk can mean significant cost or catastrophic results and occasionally waste of valuable resources.

-Fire is a consumer. It consumes valuable organic material which should be recycled into soil to sustain forest yields.   The best way of getting the most benefit from the organic matter is to physically mix it in with the soil.

-Fire has probably been the most abused tool that forest managers have.  While it can have positive ecological effects applied at specific intensities in a mosaic to accomplish specific needs, it has been widely abused in forestry.

The benefits of preserving forest organic material to obtain short and long term soil management goals far outweigh the initially less expensive burning costs.

Why NOT to burn

-smoke pollution, "Global Warming," public disagreement

-risk to adjacent values/ possible excessive costs/ waste

-consumption of organic material (when it's burnt its gone for a rotation)

-consumption of nutrients

-exposure to erosion

-loss of insects (when the slash and duff burns so do the bugs; charred wood is not attractive to insects.)

-increased extremes in temperature at ground level.

-reduced protection for seedlings to wind, rain, snow, animals

-high cost when several of the above factors are considered.   Mechanical treatments are often less expensive

-burning does not enhance the physical structure of the soil or allow shaping of a microsite.

The excavator is the best suited site preparation carrier in existence today.

The lowest impact on the site can be the best treatment.   The mechanical arm of the excavator allowing attachments to manipulate ground conditions while not disturbing 90% of the remaining site makes the excavator the most site sensitive carrier available.  Besides having the lowest ground pressure (4-6 lb. PSI), it can also lift itself over obstacles by elevating the tracks (via the mechanical arm) and walking/swinging/ pulling/ pushing itself up over obstacles.  It can traverse the most severe terrain of all the common carriers.