There have been some tense days at 5R Farm recently as we waited to see how the nearby logging was going to affect our views of the forest behind our property. A couple of large clearcuts went in a mile down the road a few weeks ago, and then we learned that the same property owner was going to log an acre of forest behind our neighbor to the west. They would also be putting in a logging road within 10 to 20 feet of our rear property line. Needless to say, this had us a bit on edge. I spoke with the logging supervisor before the logging began, and he assured me that they would flag not only our property line, but also the limits of the road clearing area and trees to be protected during the logging. I was ready with my camera as the bulldozer started clearing the logging road (remind me to tell you the story of how I earned the nickname Ranger Stacy, or maybe it’s self explanatory by now!) The bulldozer operator stayed on his side of the property line and put in the road where they said they would, leaving a small buffer of young alder trees and other vegetation to screen our view of the road. I’m glad that I wasn’t there when they cut down the trees because I think it would have been unsettling to say the least. All in all, the impact to us is not very significant. It opens up the tree canopy behind our neighbor to the west and changes our view a bit, but we’ve still got lots of mature trees surrounding our property. The biggest effect to us is that what used to be a scenic trail starting at the back of our property and winding through the 80 plus acres of forest behind us is now a 15 foot wide logging road with deep tire ruts. I’m hoping that they reclaim the road by regrading it and throwing some native seed on it. If not, we will have one more project to add to our to do list, and by that I mean just the seeding, not the regrading!
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