+Vinny & Sue Team Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 I have just noticed an article in the news reporting that Forest Service officials on the east coast plan to burn 400 acres of National Forest land in an attempt to destroy suspected caches in the area which contain ammunition and explosives. You may read one report on the bizarre venture at this link. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Heck, why stop with just a piddly 400 acres? Why not burn the whole Pisgah National Forest? Or just burn all of North Carolina. It's a matter of public safety! It's for the chilruns! Quote Link to comment
+WatchDog2020 Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 If he stashed his ammo and powder correctly the fire wont even touch it - Here go the Govenment 'experts' again. Quote Link to comment
+Vinny & Sue Team Posted December 9, 2008 Author Share Posted December 9, 2008 Heck, why stop with just a piddly 400 acres? Why not burn the whole Pisgah National Forest? Or just burn all of North Carolina. It's a matter of public safety! It's for the chilruns! Ahem... You spelt chilruns wrong! It is properly spelled as "chinldren" as in "geolclashing hates handicapped chinldren". Quote Link to comment
+J10fly Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Wow! That is bizarre! It sounds like they're really just trying to burn out the underbrush so they can spot the stuff not necessarily just blow it up. Quote Link to comment
+trainlove Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 If it's Fort Devens, then they had an accidental fire about 5 years ago that burned about 100 acres on their live fire amunition range. Those 'caches' are not quite the caches that we look for. As a matter of fact, some high school student from around there once brought a piece of a mortar into school, that was the last thing he ever did, it blew up and killed him. Quote Link to comment
+mertat Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. Quote Link to comment
+J10fly Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. True, they do that a lot in FL and even up here in the Pine Barrons. Up here they do it because it apparently helps the trees grow better. Not sure how that all works myself but I guess when the pine trees get scorched it helps shed something off and regrow. And in FL I know they have done it to prevent major accidental fires. Quote Link to comment
GPS-Hermit Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 (edited) I didn't see any desription of what they are calling explosives. I truely hope this fool didn't set any traps for intruders. I often fear discovering a meth lab and what the result would be. We don't need these kinda folks in the woods. Good grief. I suspect a desire for a controlled burn allready existed and this is an excuse to do one. If hunter drops un-shot bullets in the woods - what happens to them in a fire. I am sure they would go off. Right! Edited December 9, 2008 by GPS-Hermit Quote Link to comment
+WatchDog2020 Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 (edited) If hunter drops un-shot bullets in the woods - what happens to them in a fire. I am sure they would go off. Right! When I was younger we tried to set bullets off with fire. We used everything from .22 up to a 300 Win mag and .410 - 10 guage. with out the shells being compressed (read - barrel) non of them went more then a few inches. The shot shells were the most productive but hardly a threat without a gun. Edited December 9, 2008 by WatchDog2020 Quote Link to comment
+J10fly Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 If hunter drops un-shot bullets in the woods - what happens to them in a fire. I am sure they would go off. Right! When I was younger we tried to set bullets off with fire. We used everything from .22 up to a 300 Win mag and .410 - 10 guage. with out the shells being compressed (read - barrel) non of them went more then a few inches. The shot shells were the most productive but hardly a threat without a gun. Never thought about that. They wouldnt have any of the back pressure or anything around them projecting them in a particular direction like a barrel. Quote Link to comment
+mndvs737 Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 If hunter drops un-shot bullets in the woods - what happens to them in a fire. I am sure they would go off. Right! When I was younger we tried to set bullets off with fire. We used everything from .22 up to a 300 Win mag and .410 - 10 guage. with out the shells being compressed (read - barrel) non of them went more then a few inches. The shot shells were the most productive but hardly a threat without a gun. Mythbusters did this a while back -- dumping live rounds straight into a fire, with targets around to be able to assess any damage and potential for lethality. Like WatchDog said, without the barrel of the gun to trap the gas behind the bullet and propel it, the likelihood of fatality is low. Amazing, more damage was done by the ruptured casings (with sharp edges) than by the actual bullets. More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(...on)#Hot_Bullets Quote Link to comment
+tomfuller & Quill Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. True, they do that a lot in FL and even up here in the Pine Barrons. Up here they do it because it apparently helps the trees grow better. Not sure how that all works myself but I guess when the pine trees get scorched it helps shed something off and regrow. And in FL I know they have done it to prevent major accidental fires. I found a plastic cache within a Forest Service prescribed burn about two weeks ago. Luckily, it did not melt. As for the reasons for prescribed fire: 1. Removing "ladder fuels" which lead to crown fires which kill large numbers of trees quickly. 2. Getting more light on the forest floor so that seeds in the seed bank can sprout and thrive. 3. Makes it much easier to replant if natural regeneration doesn't happen. That said, the Forest Service does have a record of having prescribed burns escaping and burning many more acres than they intended. While I was working as a Forest Lookout late this summer, a USFS burn intended for about 400 acres was left at about 6PM on the day it was lit. When they returned about 11AM the next day it was burning about 50 acres outside and by the time it was all done it was nearly 4000 acres. If you have contact with the Pisgah staff you could have them contact the Deschutes NF in Bend, OR and ask about the "Wizard Fire". As for unfired bullets, I've only found one in a cache and one on the trail down from a cache. Deer hunters sometimes lose a bullet while unloading. Tom Fuller Part-time Forest Lookout and geocacher Crescent, Oregon Quote Link to comment
+tomfuller & Quill Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. True, they do that a lot in FL and even up here in the Pine Barrons. Up here they do it because it apparently helps the trees grow better. Not sure how that all works myself but I guess when the pine trees get scorched it helps shed something off and regrow. And in FL I know they have done it to prevent major accidental fires. I found a plastic cache within a Forest Service prescribed burn about two weeks ago. Luckily, it did not melt. As for the reasons for prescribed fire: 1. Removing "ladder fuels" which lead to crown fires which kill large numbers of trees quickly. 2. Getting more light on the forest floor so that seeds in the seed bank can sprout and thrive. 3. Makes it much easier to replant if natural regeneration doesn't happen. That said, the Forest Service does have a record of having prescribed burns escaping and burning many more acres than they intended. While I was working as a Forest Lookout late this summer, a USFS burn intended for about 400 acres was left at about 6PM on the day it was lit. When they returned about 11AM the next day it was burning about 50 acres outside and by the time it was all done it was nearly 4000 acres. If you have contact with the Pisgah staff you could have them contact the Deschutes NF in Bend, OR and ask about the "Wizard Fire". As for unfired bullets, I've only found one in a cache and one on the trail down from a cache. Deer hunters sometimes lose a bullet while unloading. Tom Fuller Part-time Forest Lookout and geocacher Crescent, Oregon Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. According to the linked story... “In the interest of public safety, we're going to do a prescribed burn of the underbrush to make sure there are no more firearms or ammunition or gunpowder still out there.” They are destroying the forest for the above mentioned reasons in the quote. I've no problem with the benefits of a prescribed burn. Quote Link to comment
+trainlove Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Burning in nature also returns lots of carbon and phosphates to the 'soil' for the next generation. Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 (edited) Lots of caches in the Pink Beds, lots of caches. Hopefully many of them are ammo cans with trinkets and not ammo. Edited December 9, 2008 by wimseyguy Quote Link to comment
XC_Tracker Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 My buddy has found geocache ammo cans during prairie fires. He said usually the inside has melted plastic lining the bottom and the log book might be a little charred - if not melted together with plastic from zip-locks. I don't believe you can call a fire nature a destructive device - more of a refresher for new growth. Quote Link to comment
+WebChimp Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Up here they do it because it apparently helps the trees grow better. Not sure how that all works myself but I guess when the pine trees get scorched it helps shed something off and regrow. One of the big benefits of prescribed burns is that they remove the undergrowth that competes with the trees for soil nutrients. This is done a lot in pine tree forest management. Quote Link to comment
+OzGuff Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 (edited) There are actually NO caches within the prescribed burn zone, though there are nine (or so) on the perimeter. Of the nine caches only one is an ammo can -- Festivus -- and it is well marked as a geocache. Two are Lock&Locks, five are crap plastic containers, and one -- coincidentally or ironically -- is a plastic replica rifle. The trail to my Festivus cache is actually still open so I might be able to go out and rescue it. I was in the area yesterday and wasn't able to attempt a few caches due to the prescribed burn. Hiked another trail instead and ran into a guy carrying a Glock. Maybe Hiles wasn't the only guy on the lam and hiding in Pisgah! Edited December 10, 2008 by OzGuff Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 [ “In the interest of public safety, we're going to do a prescribed burn of the underbrush to make sure there are no more firearms or ammunition or gunpowder still out there.” They are destroying the forest for the above mentioned reasons in the quote. I've no problem with the benefits of a prescribed burn. No forest will be destroyed if the burn is done properly. If the under story is so thick they need to burn it to search it, the area needs the burn anyway. BTW its a great area for hiking and geocaching. Gotta get back down there soon. Quote Link to comment
+Tahoein' Bunch Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Is that an area that was used for military tesing? Just curiuos, My buddy was in georgia and they accidentally blew up a beach that was sot on military land and had to clean up the area. took a few weeks. Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 True, they do that a lot in FL and even up here in the Pine Barrons. Up here they do it because it apparently helps the trees grow better. Not sure how that all works myself but I guess when the pine trees get scorched it helps shed something off and regrow. And in FL I know they have done it to prevent major accidental fires.In a pine barrens, the pitch pines rely on fires to knock down competing trees. If you look at a pitch pine with a 12" diameter, it is probably twice as old as a white pine of a similar size. They just plain grow slow. On the other hand, a pitch pine has thicker bark which is more resistant to fire. Pitch pines have a somewhat unique ability to sprout needles directly from their trunks, while most other pines will only grow needles from branches. This means that, after a fire, a pitch pine will be able to photosynthesize much better than another tree if they both get their branches burnt off. Also, their cones will open & reseed faster after a fire. So, after a fire, the pitch pines will flourish, while many other trees will, essentially, be starting from scratch. Not only is it good for the trees, it's good for wildlife. Not to mention, most forests, when left to their own devices, will tend to burn on a somewhat predictable cycle. The pine barrens that I live in the middle of are near the "burning point," so I must say I'm glad the Nature Conservancy has been doing regular burns in the area. The last fire in the area burned several miles of forest, burning from one end of the town to the other. Quote Link to comment
+Hobo2 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 (edited) Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. Right, this is a secluded burn that just happen to be where this guy had his camp. They are not singling out Geocachers at all, as this thread makes it sound. Edited December 12, 2008 by Hobo2 Quote Link to comment
+Bamboogirl Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Destroy 400 acres of forest land because there "might" "possibly" be something. yikes!! Kiss the area's tupperware caches goodbye..... Um, not really destroying forest land - they're talking about a prescribed burn of the underbrush. Right, this is a secluded burn that just happen to be where this guy had his camp. They are not singling out Geocachers at all, as this thread makes it sound. Dunno, this just seems odd and when I saw that in was Vinny posting I thought it was the start of some wild troll (sorry Vinny) But is seems like rather than torch the forest there would be sniffer dogs that could find the stuff. Not that clearing out the understory is a bad thing, it just seems a tad extreme. Quote Link to comment
+Proud Soccer Mom Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Prescribed burns. Fire Departments do prescribed burns every year. Not odd that they would select locations of reported suspicious behavior. I can tell you some stories of what happens to good, hard-working firefighters when these burns aren't done. They aren't nice stories and I tend to cry because I knew these guys. Oh... but wait I forgot the point of this thread: OMGZ GEOCACHING OPPRESSHUN!!! Quote Link to comment
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