This past week was probably the most fun as well as the most strenuous. We did chain saw work all week long with the Travel Management section of the Recreation department; mostly limbing and bucking of downed slash but we all got to fell some trees as well. This is a particular favorite of ours: felling trees. The main goal of this project was to help reopen several ATV trails through the forest. The last two days of our work week was spent down near Hot Springs, SD working with The Nature Conservancy on a Russian Olive removal project. It was fun but very hot and very tiring for those of you that know a thing or two about Russian Olive.
This week was also the week that we finally at long last got called to not just one but two fires. Ironically our first one was actually up in North Zone so we got to work with a hand crew from that district, a few of whom we had met several weeks earlier during Fire School. It was nice to see them again. Both of the fires we went to were started by lightning from a storm that had passed through the area. Hopefully this coming week will bring several more fires and some hard work.
