We inherited an over grown forest, thick with small trees fighting each other for survival. The forest floor was full of debris from fallen trees and branches. This pile up of forest debris is a great fire risk
First we cleared the debris and sorted it into piles for garden mulch, wind blocking piles and burnable wood. Thin trees were thinned and used fire wood and fence materials. Larger trees can be made into building material. To accomplish this, we acquired a wood mill with a saw blade that can cut logs up to 2 feet wide. Most of the trees we are milling are only one foot wide because large trees cannot grow in a dense forest due to competition for sunlight, water and soil.
Vedic Eco Village is surrounded by forest much of which needs to be cleared as part of Forest Management to help in the healthy growth of the forest as well as to help prevent forest fires. Last year alone wildfires destroyed 1.2 million hectares of forest with 1,300 fires engulfing the province costing B.C. more than $574 million, the largest total area burnt in a fire season in recorded history (1.3 % of BC total area) and the largest single fire ever in British Columbia. This year, the numbers were even higher, although the fires were further away from us.
"Just like in the forest nobody goes to set fire—it automatically takes place—similarly, in spite of our good wish that we want to live peacefully in this world, there cannot be any peace. There will be fire.... bhava-mahā-dāvāgni." Purport of Bhagavad-gītā As-it-is 3.16-17
