Logging Operations Return at Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad

Dec 03, 2012 No Comments by

FISH CAMP, Calif. The sounds of train whistles have fallen silent at the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad now that the season has ended, and instead have been replaced with other sounds that haven’t been heard there in nearly a century.

Logging operations have commenced in the Sierra National Forest at the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, the first time the forest in this area has been harvested since the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company ceased operations in 1931. While the area has a rich logging history, the methods used today are far different than the clear-cutting operations of decades ago.

“Today it’s selective logging, where the US Forest Service timber crews come in and mark trees scientifically. They determine which trees need to be removed,” said Max Stauffer, owner of the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad.

“They leave the larger trees and the good seed trees so they can replenish the forest,” he said.

What many people don’t realize is the logging operations are also beneficial for the forest. The logging operations thin the forest, allowing more sunlight in for healthier growth like fire used to before the region was settled. The logging also helps prevent larger, more dangerous fires.

“It prevents the catastrophic fires where the buildup over the years because of preventing forest fires actually creates a situation where you have more catastrophic fires because you have more fuels,” said Stauffer said.

An added benefit is with the thicker undergrowth removed, guests can appreciate the forest even more.

“You can see the large trees, you get a better view of the mountains. Aesthetically, it’s much more pleasing,” Stauffer said.

Work will continue for a few weeks, depending on weather, before the crews move on to other areas.

Agriculture, Headlines

About the author

Business Street staff writers desk to email about this article Editor@BusinessStreetOnline.com.
No Responses to “Logging Operations Return at Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad”

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.