Posted: 1/10/2008 11:44:12 AM EDT
|
Question. For some of you that have BOLs that are many acres in size and are planning to live off the land somewhat in a long term TEOTWAWKI situation. Do you manage the property with conservation in mind, do any clearing, prescribed fire treatments, check streams for cleanliness, or do any basic monitoring of the wildlife (i.e checking for tree/animal diseases, watershed pollution, feeders)? I was just thinking, with some large BOL acreage and some minimal conservation management, you could turn the wilderness area into a very productive system. Seems it would be smart to prepare also in that sense, because a healthy ecosystem around you will take alot better care of you if properly managed before/during time of need. |
|
Stewardship of the land is an old concept that needs to be renewed. When we aquired our property the first thing I did was to clean up the JUNK that was scattered all over. Decades worth of stuff was left, not so much dumped, just left. Next was habitat management. When we cut firewood we'd pile the brush so it would provide shelter for rabbits. Some of the big Maple trees required clean out. Years of ice storms had left broken branches hanging up in the tree tops. I'd climb up & knock them out as best as I could & those would be added to brush piles. We establish trails for foot & 4 wheeler travel. I hand dug a trench to drain some areas that had become blocked from the neighboring farm practice of plowing through a ditch. Another project has been to plant seedlings in the open patches. Pretty much every year I try to add another hundred or so seedlings. I've also taken to gathering nuts from various hardwood trees and planting them randomly around. My hope is they'll take hold. I've also planted apples & pears in the same way. Black raspberrys take well to wild lands around here & each year they provide a few quarts for jam. In my daily travels in the spring I "rescue" turtles from the middle of the road and transport them to the pot holes (small natural ponds) on the land. |
|
It is the timber management that is allowing me to build next year. There are a lot of Gov. programs you need to look into. You can profit, meet the locals, and have a innocent appearance to all. I almost forgot, it was with one of these programs that put a two acre pond on the property. The Feds. paid for everything with the concept that it would help prevent flooding down stream. Fish for dinner anyone? |
|
I do some of the things mentioned above. I plant apple trees, pear trees, grapes, red and balck rasberries, rye grass, etc. I pile up the brush, and choose the poplar trees for the woodburner rather than using up the good oak. Walking trails, quad trials, shooting lanes, etc. It's all fun, and gets you out and about. |