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kaijin
Jun 1, 2004, 9:05 AM
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HELP! Has anyone been involved in an erosion control and restoration project around white birch trees?
I recently visited a favorite bouldering area I used to frequent a few years ago and discovered that its recent growth in popularity has begun to expose tree roots, especially in the perimeter around the most popular boulder. The trees are mostly Oak and also White Birch, which I understand grow as an interlinked system, not as individual trees. I'm afraid that disease or other damage might quickly spread to a large area of the forest.
I would like to organize a project to deal with this. Only problem is, I am an expat living in an asian country. I speak the language pretty well but reading and writing poses serious challenges. It would help me to have some solid background information before getting started, and would help this project get taken seriously.
There are several climbing organizations over here, but nothing like the Access Fund to support conservation of areas.
This area is in the middle of the woods and only climbers go there, but it's in the middle of one the most famous climbing area in the country. Not exactly a wilderness area, but still a very natural setting. Maybe comparable to what Fontainbleau is to France? It looks like the beginning of what could become a widespread problem if not dealt with now.
Can anyone help with advice or ideas? What would be most helpful is relevant scientific data on those trees, technical information on how to go about protecting the ground- I don't think that voluntary closure is much of an option. Would putting down a cover such as woodchips, as be good or bad, etc. That kind of information would be really helpful!
Also any leads on documented cases where climbers have voluntarily reduced their usage and/or otherwise mitigated their effects on an area would back this idea up!
Arigatou in advance!
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barefeetnochalk
Jun 1, 2004, 12:10 PM
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Man, S.T.F.U nature boy, erosions happens, its enivitable, you cant stop it and will never be able to control it. I used to think that all climbers were cool, but you sure are the exception.
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rngrchad
Jun 1, 2004, 2:14 PM
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Yam,
Your concern seems genuine, but an effort to prevent errosion when the main culprit(as you say) is climbers would only be to prevent climbers from entering this area. If I remember right, the White Birch is a tree that is short lived anyhow. Most birch are a sun-loving species w/ a requirement of extremely moist fertile soils. These requirements go against one another in nature. Sun loving/moist soils. This equates to an inevitable doom which will kill these birches within 80 years. In dendrology terms this is a very short lived species either way you look at it. I don't know that I helped but....climb-on!
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supe
Jun 1, 2004, 2:20 PM
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Dude, barefoot, you are the one that needs to shut up!
Sure, erosion is a fact of life but it is a known fact that humans contribute to it and speed up the process. It is also a known fact that when decent human beings work together to try to stop it and avoid being ignorant, arrogant retards that they can greatly slow down the process!
I'm sorry but I have no ideas on how to stop this other than maybe making a large ring of rocks around the trees. At least this would stop people from walking on the newly exposed roots. Good luck, I hope it all works out.
And barefoot... if I ever see you walking off the trail or encouraging erosion where I am at I am going to KILL YOU! Understood?
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far_east_climber
Jun 1, 2004, 3:16 PM
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In reply to: Man, S.T.F.U nature boy, erosions happens, its enivitable, you cant stop it and will never be able to control it. I used to think that all climbers were cool, but you sure are the exception.
We need more people like him. Nobody really says anything to people who are always blabbering on about starving children, worker exploitation and general 'human rights' - but then when someone comes along and tries to save a tree or a lake everybody makes fun of them and calls them 'Greenies' or 'Hippies' or 'Tree Huggers'. What's with that?
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kaijin
Jun 2, 2004, 1:45 AM
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In reply to: Man, S.T.F.U nature boy, erosions happens, its enivitable, you cant stop it and will never be able to control it. I used to think that all climbers were cool, but you sure are the exception.
Thanks, pal! That really helped. I feel the same way about you!
Point is- I take care of what I use. If my car blew a tire, I can and would fix it. Same thing goes for rocks, man. It's more than just that- people are tripping all over the place because of the exposed roots. If I have to break my ankle I'd rather do it going for a boulder problem than just trying to get to one.
I don't really care what you do, as long as you stay in the gym. I wasn't asking for opinions, either.
rngrchad, supe and far_east: Thank you very much for the advice and the support! Glad to hear that I'm not alone.
Will let you know what happens.
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charlatan
Jun 2, 2004, 2:33 AM
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Erosion control is a good idea . . . but the solution can be worse than the problem if done wrong. In the Owens River Gorge, for example, people are tearing apart the old historic flume to get building materials for slope stabilization (and bridges to cross the restored stream). So in protecting the slope from erosion, whcih also protects the stream from insiltation, people are destroying archaeological artifacts, which are as deserving of protection as slopes and fish. The stabilization efforts are as much for climbers' convenience as for anything more altruistic, I suspect; regardless, it doesn't excuse the ignorance of the vandals destroying that which they don't understand. Since the land belongs to LA Water and Power, it's not protected by laws covering artifacts on public land, but the lack of legal protection doens't make the artifacts any less valuable.
So protect the birches, but wisely . . .
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kachoong
Jun 2, 2004, 2:45 AM
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straw is better than woodchips...... and make sure you do not place it right up to the trunk, as this can 'suffocate' the tree.... it needs air to get in.
The mulch will stop raindrop impact erosion. Yes, use smaller rocks to keep people away from the roots, but try not to dig them up, only use loose rocks. Maybe some kind of fencing would be better to steer people away. What about climber community encouragment? Communication, signs, letters, emails etc to the climbers to make sure they do their part.
Good luck dude.
....Dave
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bradmc
Jun 17, 2004, 3:24 AM
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a light layer of wood chip mulch or some form of straw matting would work great as said before.
We have used a variety of techniques at areas and hardwood mulch seems to work best in the most areas.
Also; a form of fencing; possibly constructed from a recently downed tree would work. Or you can make a brush obstacle around this area. We have often used this technique when we are closing off pig trails (smaller, non-needed climber trails).
I am not sure the exact layout; but could you possibly detour the trail to another area that is less erodible? If the boulders are immediately adjacent to the birch trees then disregard the statement.
A small sign also like: Stay on Trail may also keep people away. Signs are ok in areas; but can spoil a truly natural area out in the middle of nowhere.
good luck.
Brad McLeod
www.seclimbers.org
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okie_redneck
Jun 17, 2004, 4:04 AM
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For what you are talking about, I'll give you an A+ for good intention. You might take a step back and look at the situation, though. A strong tree with a good root structure isn't just gonna up and die from having people walking around it. Birch and oak aren't exactly the most sensitive trees in the forest. You may not like seeing exposed roots, but there are a lot more under them. What people are talking about sounds like overkill to me. Now, before people start screaming at me, consider that the area in question is the high-traffic part near boulders. Even if a few of the smaller, weaker trees give in, the system as a whole shouldn't suffer. I garuntee there's more traffic where I climb (county park with baseball fields, frisbe golf, public pool, etc), and the trees of similar type are doing just fine. I'm constantly picking up beer cans, whiskey bottles, etc when I climb because there is generally NO respect for the place, even from climbers, who aren't the main users. Bare roots are ugly, but fences, signs, mulch, etc. would simply make things uglier and totally unnatural looking. If you can park your car where you're talking about, more trees were probably killed underneath where your car is than what foot traffic could ever do.
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kaijin
Jun 17, 2004, 4:20 AM
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Registered: May 27, 2004
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Thank you, thank you...
Really good to get info and perspective from all of you. To clarify- this area is basically ground zero of a high concentration of good problems. It gets crowded and people tend to set up right here for the day, dropping chairs, pads and kit everywhere. Most of the other areas I've bouldered at are riverbeds or less crowded areas so it's not an issue there.
Sounds like the long-term damage may not be that bad, maybe the area is just stabilizing? If so would there be any problem in just cutting back the larger roots that stick up above the surface? Besides being ugly they are pretty nasty to trip over...
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oquipah
Jul 18, 2004, 2:16 PM
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Registered: Oct 29, 2003
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Just ignore the stoopid posts.
Erosion is a common problem at most climbing areas. Although more times than not solutions installed are mere band-aids they do help.
I applaud your concern for the entire climbing experience.
Does the area have an established trail system? Or are there just paths everywhere? Establishing a dedicated main trail would limit the area of disturbance. To keep folks from trampling the area off-trail try the police line tape (cheap) or if possible a simple wire fence. Get permission from land owner(s) to post signs directing visitors to use trail system.
The base of any climbing area, as most are aware, receives intense foot traffic and quickly turns to bare soil. If erosion is an issue in this zone, carefully placed rocks, logs and or mulch (wood chips) can help slow the process. This could also serve to eliminate or reduce the tripping hazard of exposed root systems and provide protection for the roots at the same time. Be sure not to pile it up at the base of the trees as previous posts have suggested. Yes birch trees do have a comparitively short life span, but unlike previous posts that does not mean you or any of us should just sit back a let them die.
If you're extremely dedicated, perhaps leading an initiative to start an international leg of the Access Fund could help. Educating other climbers is your first step.
Hope you are successful in preserving the area.
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