The Black Flag Cafe©

No sir, I'm still waiting.

August 2010. Sheldon Reservoir Texas , three miles of cut stump treatment on Chinese Tallow in a ditch.





August 2010. Front yard near Hobby Airport Texas. Two Loblolly pines and a 70" DBH Green Ash I don't want to talk about.

70" DBH

Now that's a man's tree.

coldharvest wrote:

70" DBH

Now that's a man's tree.

Agreed - particularly for a green ash!!!

Hitoru wrote:Mosquito hell ,toxic plants, spraying diesel/ herbicide mix with a 100 heat index . What's your rate ?

Financially not feasible. LOL.

I did it for $ 30 per hr today, but it was only 90* and low humidity. But man the mosquitoes are intense, my pants tore and they were tearing my thigh up. I also had a sharp stick go up my nose and break off. We had to use the pliers on my leatherman to remove it.

Hitoru wrote:I did it for $ 30 per hr today, but it was only 90* and low humidity. But man the mosquitoes are intense, my pants tore and they were tearing my thigh up. I also had a sharp stick go up my nose and break off. We had to use the pliers on my leatherman to remove it.

Wow - nearly have had my eye poked out, even gotten tagged pretty hard in my ear (I was wondering if I punctured it for about 2 weeks), but never had any sticks get in my nose! Leatherman: never leave home without it.

Mosquitoes are almost completely gone up here. I saw one yesterday. Of course, its getting into the 30s at night now too - 20s forecast for Sunday night.

Is $30 the going rate down there for arboricultural treatments?

Edited to say I just noticed the rip. Damn.

I pay my labor $12-20 per hr for herbicide application depending how tough the job is. I demand $24-40.
I can't count the number of times I've been poked,stabbed or debris stuck in my eyes. I had a mosquito stuck in my eye a couple of weeks ago and it got infected.



When the Insulting Forester is around he makes us wear our vests, don't you like his Martha Stewart hat ?

Awesome. The San Jacinto Battlefield is a real Texas treasure, thanks for helping upkeep it.

This thread is full of awesome. Thanks, Hitoru.

One of the main reasons I stick with this kind of work is we get the easy jobs on occasion. Like clearing the trail of tallows and removing trees from the ditch.

11/05/2010







Now a sucky job.

June 8 2009 Nassau Bay Tx trying to eradicate penta's beloved tamerisk :



11/11/2010 The new view of the same tamerisks:




Here now we are having to hunt down every live tamserisk and cut to them ground level-in the mud,while fireants swarm up the stalks where it is drier resulting in the ants/mud getting sprayed in your face when you are cutting.

Conservation
Invasive Species Control

The Texas Gulf coast is host to several exotic species that you may be familiar with, some of the most notorious and invasive of these being fire ants, grass carp, nutria, hydrilla, water hyacinth, and Chinese tallow trees. A more recent invader that has the potential to be as damaging as Chinese tallow is Brazilian peppertree, which was discovered not too long ago on Galveston Island.

Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius)
Brazillian Peppertree

The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) is engaged in a project to eradicate Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius) from Galveston Island. Brazilian peppertree is a non-native, invasive plant species that was brought to Texas as an ornamental plant and is considered one of the greatest threats to native biodiversity. This opportunistic species quickly forms dense thickets, shading out native vegetation and drastically affecting plant and animal communities.

The current and largest-scale phase of the control work began at the end of August 2010 and will continue through September 2010. Control work is focused on four areas on and around Galveston Island—the I-45 corridor, Corps Woods, Ten Mile Road, and Pelican Island. Following control work, GBF will continue to monitor the treated areas and re-treat new growth.

This project is funded by grants from the Texas General Land Office Coastal Management Program, NOAA, Galveston Bay Estuary Program/TCEQ, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program.

GBF became involved in the control of Brazilian peppertree just after it was first discovered on Galveston Island. In 2005, GBF, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Restore America’s Estuaries, and NOAA partnered on an initial control project that resulted in the chemical treatment/removal of Brazilian peppertrees from all known locations of infestation at the Sweetwater Nature Preserve, Galveston Island Municipal Golf Course, Scholes Airport, and 17 private residential properties. As part of this project, GBF produced a one-page fact sheet, "Brazilian Pepper Tree on Galveston Island: The Next Chinese Tallow?," available in our Publications.

Corp Woods, Galveston 11.23.2010
Yarr


Coast Guard HQ in background


Typical Pepper Tree Thicket. I have to keep reminding my guys no one has been snake bit in 20 years of us doing this type of work. So just climb on in, and damn the snakes.


The total circumference of the base of the tree must be coated to prevent re-sprouting.


Or cut the whole tree off and treat the stump.

Hitoru wrote:August 2010. Sheldon Reservoir Texas , three miles of cut stump treatment on Chinese Tallow in a ditch.

Here is quick video Micheal took. I'm @ 1:07

He is supposed to be dragging all the cut tallow into the woodline and treating the stumps.

We have to low-cut the stumps so as a tractor mowing won't deflate their tires.

What can you expect from 19 year olds ?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11206232@N07/5209723966/

Hitoru wrote:June 4 2009 East End Park, Kingwood Tx. Restoring grasslands by girdling Loblolly Pines Pinus taeda

Hahaha good lord man I used to camp out and drink cheap booze at East End

I'll bet you and your guys are loving this weather.

That is some pretty cool work you got down there. I like it.

Jump in the bush and paint the stems.

No snake bites in 20 years. Great record, because looking at the bush - looks like a good snake lair and hornet nest spot - but I guess not many hornets down there...?

No snakes here to speak of at all. Good luck even seeing a Masassauga 'round here - rare as hens teeth unless you're specifically looking for them in the few spots they still exist.

My cousin has snakes every year at her place West of Waco. I think they hibernate under her crawlspace.