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May 1, 2024
Yu is back with a post this week about visiting a prescribed burn with NC State Forestry Extension. Such an exciting opportunity!
Yu is back with a post this week about visiting a prescribed burn with NC State Forestry Extension. Such an exciting opportunity!
I am a forester at heart. I love being in forests. It doesn't matter if it is raining, snowing, or sunny. When I have a chance, I am always walking through trees. I am proud to have three degrees in Forestry from universities in the Southeast. I can identify almost all trees around here where there are more than 100 common species.
I volunteered for the NC State Forestry Extension to participate in the prescribed burn at the Bentonville Battlefield. It is hard work! I was excited to ignite a fire. At the same time, it was so scary to be surrounded by fire. It is a lot harder than you think. First, the drip torch, tool, and backpack get heavy as the day progresses. Second, we are not walking on trails. We just walk into the woods at a certain distance apart and start burning. I got trapped by vines (and yes poison ivy), branches, and shrubs while everything else around me was on fire. And it is not easy to keep up with others, especially when the forest is dense and I can't see other folks. Third, it is hot!!! There were certain times that I couldn't even stand at the edge of the stand for a second to ignite my drip torch.
But I felt good. Honestly, when the guys yelled at me "we are going one chain apart," I thought ah... I was a forester. Who in the world uses the word "chain" as a unit in conversation other than foresters? (Note: 1 chain = 66 feet)
It wasn't particularly a good day to burn. It was cloudy with a forecast of rain. Plus the relative humidity was so high. But with the right amount of wind, wind direction, and the amount of fuel on the ground, once we ignited, fire got going so fast!
I am looking forward to participating in burning in the fall!
The very next day, I drove to Pisgah National Forest for the Pisgah Project Day. I volunteered to pull out invasive weeds around the North Mills River Campground. We were mainly taking out autumn olive, porcelain berry, and English ivy. Within 4 hours, we were able to accomplish a lot. At the end of the day, they treated us with a large burger and a glass of beer. I was so hungry and didn't even take a photo!
Volunteering has many benefits. It is a great way to give back to the community and to help us stay mentally and physically healthy. I am so happy to have these opportunities. And I got a lot of steps!
Here are this week's updates for the Miles For Wellness Challenge. If you want to see the map of the stadiums, go to https://oshr.nc.gov/miles-wellness-challenge-29 for the interactive map and to see where we are in relation to teams all over the state!
Here are the rest of the pictures from Yu's trip. Thank you for sharing, Yu!
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