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Show . Gat heiiMg firewood is mo picnic tY : ) f .: . - I ' 7 - 1 : i '! j - : , ,J . " ' I- ' ""' , - -. ' r- ' - i X s " . 1 f '-:-nv - . - ... - V I The Heber Ranger District includes all the forest area A'est of Strawberry Ridge to the top of Soapstone Basin including Lambert's Hollow, Wolf Creek, Mill Hollow and Current Creek. This year, both districts offered green aspen permits . which allowed holders to two cords of already cut aspen. iThe wood must dry and is heavier to transport but has a good burning index. Green aspen permits are still available ($2 ea.) from the SCamas District. For those already holding free use permits, the rangers ask that cutters comply with ' forest regulations. There is no cutting permitted within 150 feet of the Mirror Lake Highway or any campground. camp-ground. Trees must be cut to within 12 inches from the ground and chainsaw users are expected to equip their saws with spark arrestors. A spark arrestor is a steel wire screen with mesh no larger than .023", which fits over the muffler. Cutters should also look through their sawdust piles for sleeping sparks before leaving the area. Several fires have been started by sparks from chainsaws. Despite recent rains, campers and fuel wood cutters should be aware that :here is a high fire danger in the Uintas this fall and high winds could make a small mistake into an enormous ane. Gathering firewood is no longer a recreational day in the woods. In the Heber and Kamas Ranger Districts of the Uinta and Wasatch National Forests, fuelwood is being taken in deadly earnest. Fallen and standing dead trees are scarce, the cost of gas is high and the roads into the cutting areas are long and rough. "Those "coming in for firewood should expect to work for it," said a Kamas Ranger District representative this week. The Kamas Ranger District, Dis-trict, whose office is located at the beginning of Route 150 in Kamas, has issued 10,000 firewood permits so far this season. Last weekend, the office was inundated ' with wood-gatherers and handed out 1 ,000 permits. At that . rate the district will surpass last year's total by the middle of October. The season closes Nov. 15 so it is certain that the total impact on the Unrtas will be greater this year. The Heber Ranger District is not offering any more firewood permits this year. Because of heavy impact on the area last year, the district decided to limit the number of permits to 4,000. Those permits were gone by Aug. 1. According to the district office in the post office building in Heber City, the damage caused by off-road vehicles and by taking live trees influenced their decision deci-sion to limit the permits. A representative explained that the firewood policy was originally planned as a way of improving the forest by lessening the fire hazard created by dead trees. Instead of helping the forest, though, inexperienced, cutters cut-ters have done more harm than good. For those then who aren't afraid of hard work and who have the equipment to handle a load on a winding rutted downgrade, there is still firewood to be had. Areas open to cutting in the Uintas located off Route 150 and are reached via the Norway Flat Road (10.6 mi.). Spring Canyon Road (18.1 mi.), Murdock Basin Road (21.6 mi.) and off the Soapstone Basin Road (14.7). The Kamas Ranger District reminds cutters that the road beyond Iron Mine in Soap-stone Soap-stone Basin lies in the Heber Ranger District and requires one of their permits. The district also emphasizes that one green needle on a tree means that the tree is still alive. Citations will be issued to those taking live trees. .... J J Tr-';n u ' , j ! i I ... i ,. -. , YjU i.V 'I't'i'i'i'i' ' ,,',' ' ' ' '''''''' t VV Y. YY |
