Bushcraft Ethics and Spotted Gum Harvesting

H

Howling Dingo

Joined
Aug 11, 2012
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Hey guys this is a short film I made...In bushcraft we talk a lot about what is the best knife or axe.But seldom do you hear anyone talking about using these tools ethically.

I am really angry and upset at some of so called bushcraft videos posted in you tube.Some people seem hell bent on killing trees and destroying there local wild habitats.

I think that wild foods and natural materials should be gathered ethically.The way some "bushcrafter's behave in the woods is little more pure vandalism.Some videos show several 30 year old trees being cut down just to show how good the axe is.There also bark being cut and striped from living trees to demonstrate a survive food.

[video=youtube_share;0ZCRymeOAF0]http://youtu.be/0ZCRymeOAF0[/video]
 
You make some very solid points. A person cannot appreciate being outdoors without being respectful to the surrounding flora.

I have seen some very nice photos of shelters and campsites made on this Forum. I do hope people are disassembling the camps before leaving and erasing their presence.
 
Many of the structures and other activities you see here are done on private land. So if you are out and about and see the remanents you are likely trespassing. While I would not want to see hacked trees and brush shelters in public parks (where they are likely illegal anyway), I have no problem with a person using such practices on their own property. In fact, they can cut and sell any or all of the timber and bulldoze the property for a pasture. Or use it to build their remote cabin. Generally speaking, trees and brush are renewable resources. The earth will reclaim them eventually anyway.

ETA: I am deaf/hearing impared and use close captioning as often as possible, augmenting that with some lip reading when possible. Off topic I know, but for a glimpse of this "survival skill", watch the OP video with the captioning turned on (CC).
 
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Codger_64 said:
Many of the structures and other activities you see here are done on private land. So if you are out and about and see the remanents you are likely trespassing. While I would not want to see hacked trees and brush shelters in public parks (where they are likely illegal anyway), I have no problem with a person using such practices on their own property. In fact, they can cut and sell any or all of the timber and bulldoze the property for a pasture. Or use it to build their remote cabin. Generally speaking, trees and brush are renewable resources. The earth will reclaim them eventually anyway.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking.
 
I use public lands almost exclusively - national forests, BLM, state wildlife areas, national grasslands.
So I follow a fairly strict Leave No Trace outdoor ethic. I don't pack my poo home, but even after camping for multiple days in the same spot there's no obvious evidence remaining that I'd been there. I'm confident that the average person walking though a day later would not know anyone had camped there. No fire ring, no trash, no clearing, no purposeful destruction or impact to living plants, no wood chips or shavings...

Good topic.
:thumbup:
 
Absolutely. In fragile ecosystems and in high traffic areas on public lands, even the taking of that portion of deadfall tree branch in the OP film would be frowned upon, if not subject to a fine. In some places I visit, one can be fined for foraging wild edibles or taking small stones from a stream. There are places like in the Grand Canyon where "pack it in-pack it out" extends to poo and poo-paper as well.
 
Good reminder for us. Native species need to be used with care and not wasted. Here in MN we have an invaive tree that gives us fits, the European Buckthorn. It is a murderous thorny tree from a nightmare but the wood can be put to some use and there is no shortage. Removing it allows native trees to reestablish since the Buckthorn shades the ground in thickets so that our native seedlings do not thrive with it over them. If you ask around there is a good chance of finding something comparable in your locations. Learn to identitfy such plants and see if you can find uses for them as long as they are not toxic or some other reason to leave it alone. That takes ethical use to another way of thinking beyond the OP's good point.
 
I look at these films and was just left asking why and what a waste.

[video=youtube;Rt0PrB19k3U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt0PrB19k3U&feature=plcp[/video]

[video=youtube;9YamGGNmOZc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YamGGNmOZc&feature=share&list=UUj-VMOj3D8tovxJoyndhX0g[/video]
 
Bob W said:
I use public lands almost exclusively - national forests, BLM, state wildlife areas, national grasslands.
So I follow a fairly strict Leave No Trace outdoor ethic. I don't pack my poo home, but even after camping for multiple days in the same spot there's no obvious evidence remaining that I'd been there. I'm confident that the average person walking though a day later would not know anyone had camped there. No fire ring, no trash, no clearing, no purposeful destruction or impact to living plants, no wood chips or shavings...

Good topic.
:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I try to adhere to this ideology as well.. Each trip I try to do better than last time.

I carry out rubbish. Poo is fertilizer so it seems silly to not let this go back into the soil.
 
willseeyalater said:
Good reminder for us. Native species need to be used with care and not wasted. Here in MN we have an invaive tree that gives us fits, the European Buckthorn. It is a murderous thorny tree from a nightmare but the wood can be put to some use and there is no shortage. Removing it allows native trees to reestablish since the Buckthorn shades the ground in thickets so that our native seedlings do not thrive with it over them. If you ask around there is a good chance of finding something comparable in your locations. Learn to identitfy such plants and see if you can find uses for them as long as they are not toxic or some other reason to leave it alone. That takes ethical use to another way of thinking beyond the OP's good point.
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Click to expand...

Excellent point that needs to be taken into consideration by folks BEFORE they come down on someone who posts here.
I have built my shelters exclusively from this nuisance. One shelter is still "growing" as I bent one live one over to form one of the first cross supports. It also burns well after it dries out.
Our local Forest Preserve Districts aggressively remove this stuff. It's pretty fun as they use volunteers all winter. You show up, short tutorial and sign a release then the clearing begins and the piles grow. At the end of the day you sit by a massive bonfire drinking hot cocoa. Some call this a travesty, some call it helping the areas natural flora and fauna, which it does.

My first time thru this spot I startled a Buck and a couple doe's. The buck had a real hard time getting his rack thru this mess. Really surprised he didn't break his neck.
BT2014.jpg


Behind camp, you can see the choking low canopy of green below the towering sick or dead hardwoods.

SeedLmt012.jpg


This area was cleared a few years back. Lots of healthy young hardwoods growing amongst the elders.

BSE006.jpg
 
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Totally agree, a lot of it amounts to no more than vandalism. It's a product of folks that want to like the image of knives, and try to identify with those that use such tools, but themselves have no real practical use for them. It appears contagious as well............ Law doesn't factor into ethics as far as I'm concerned, so who owns the land is irrelevant. I've seen chunks of lovely land bought to be used as dumping grounds for small businesses, in the most recent case it looked like they had skimmed the top off a tennis court and dumped that. Conversely, what this this kid is doing is illegal but it strikes me that he's having a little bit of harmless fun. Its a shame. If there were fewer 'tards vandalizing stuff the planks would have a lot less of a toe hold to barrow on their draconian laws. It's one of the ugly faces of selfishness no more no less.
 
Not much soil in the desert, or rain. Poo can last a long time there and with 5 million vistitors to the Grand Canyon NP annually, just a percentage of them camping can make alot of Poo. Hence, "Pack-it out."
 
Even in non-desert but high use areas, like on Arkansas' Buffalo National River, thoughtful users are beginning to carry rocket boxes even though it is not required by the NPS. Yet. The river corridor is only 135 miles long but had 1,545,599 visitors in 2010. That is a lot of catholes and a lot of poo.
 
In SE Queensland spotted gum tree are almost like weeds. They grow up 2 m a year and you cant kill them. Cut one down and 5 more grow back. I have almost grown to dislike them (on my property). They are great for firewood.
 
I don't care for the senseless destruction, but I have some beavers doing much more destructive "chopping" on trees in one area of my property. Sweet gum is a very prolific tree in the area and I'll "trim" them down some to keep the area cleaned up. Prudence is key and if those on private property do need to do some clearing, those are perfect opportunities to practice bushcraft. We are all stewards and it helps to reinforce that with those around us...

ROCK6
 
In New Mexico and Colorado, public land is everywhere and far outnumbers privately owned land. If everybody built bough shelters and fire rings, there would hardly be a place to pitch a tent especially in the best camp spaces conveniently available. "Leave no trace" is an ethic everybody on public (should) adhere to because the land belongs to everyone and not a lone individual. Nobody is telling you what to do on your own property (so far). LOL

You can see the problems we have in the West when people visit and associate camping out with building personal fire rings and chopping live trees. As you mentioned, some areas have very fragile ecosystems and will never recover even after a single human contact. In my opinion, the biggest battle are high impact campers.
 
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