It’s a common practice when logging an area to first cut down
the trees, then trim off the branches, and then haul the bare trees
away. This creates the beginning of a clear cut. To be truly clear,
though, the loggers will put the branches into large piles about 20
feet high, let them dry out, and then burn them. These piles are
called slash piles; while they are drying, they provide homes for
birds and rodents, and once burned, the ashes enrich the soil for
future growth.
Surrounding each section of clear cut, there are trees
that provide a buffer zone to protect the newly cleared areas from
wind, which can blow away seeds and even seedlings. Wind can also
disturb the top, rich layer of soil that is imperative to the new
growth’s well being. An organized tree farm will stagger the
areas they cut to maintain a buffer for the next generation of
trees.
Usually, the new trees are planted amongst the stumps
because, as mentioned, the decaying wood helps the soil and the
baby trees, both deliberately planted and “volunteer”
trees which grow without human intervention by seeds fallen from
trees before they were cut or moved by rodents and birds.
Sometimes, however, the loggers will bring in bulldozers and push
all the debris into one large pile. Branches, dirt, shrubs, and
stumps all get piled so the slash pile is the size of a small hill.
This is most often done in conjunction with creating a new road or
trails.
As
you’ll see when you get close to where your GPS leads you for
this cache, that was the case here. The slash pile is the size of a
small hill. One of the things you might notice as you climb the
slash pile / hill to reach the cache is that despite being pushed
here by heavy equipment, most of the stumps are upright. I have it
on good authority that they actually come out while the pile is
still fresh and rotate the stumps so they are root-down. This,
apparently, aids in the degeneration of the wood so that it rots
properly for the betterment of the soil.
But
once here, you won’t really care about the roots or even the
stumps or how it all got here, because the views are amazing.
You’ll be thankful the stumps have been turned upright
because they provide a great place to sit or stand (or place a
cache) while you take it all in.
Gorgeous, isn’t it?
Only exceptionally rational men can afford to be absurd.
Allan Goldfein
Congratulations to CorvetteKent on getting FTF!