When life gives you lumber, make lean-tos.
When Hurricane Sandy blasted Stokes State Forest, it took down thousands of oaks, ashes, pines and maples. To make the best of the disaster, the State Park Service will use the wood for future projects and repairs in parks throughout northern New Jersey.
"The state parks suffered minor damage, but Stokes got decimated," said State Park Service Project Specialist Frank Hennion.
On Sunday, Hennion was recruited to head Stokes' massive cleanup, which was assisted by nine Virginia state park employees to cut, clear and chip the profuse amount of wood in the park's recreation areas, including campgrounds. Hennion and the Virginia crew are being funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"(The downed trees) were (piled) 15 feet high," Hennion said. "It was so dense, you couldn't walk through it. Our state park people never would have been able to do this. It would have taken years."
State Park Regional Superintendent Steve Ellis said it will be months before the rest of the trees are cleared from Stokes.
Further, residents will be invited to go and collect the downed hardwoods -- ash, oak, hickory and red maple -- for firewood. Hennion said residents should go to the park office to obtain a salvage permit before collecting the wood.
http://www.njherald.com/story/20102311/workers-turn-state-forest-downed-trees-into-lumber
When Hurricane Sandy blasted Stokes State Forest, it took down thousands of oaks, ashes, pines and maples. To make the best of the disaster, the State Park Service will use the wood for future projects and repairs in parks throughout northern New Jersey.
"The state parks suffered minor damage, but Stokes got decimated," said State Park Service Project Specialist Frank Hennion.
On Sunday, Hennion was recruited to head Stokes' massive cleanup, which was assisted by nine Virginia state park employees to cut, clear and chip the profuse amount of wood in the park's recreation areas, including campgrounds. Hennion and the Virginia crew are being funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"(The downed trees) were (piled) 15 feet high," Hennion said. "It was so dense, you couldn't walk through it. Our state park people never would have been able to do this. It would have taken years."
State Park Regional Superintendent Steve Ellis said it will be months before the rest of the trees are cleared from Stokes.
Further, residents will be invited to go and collect the downed hardwoods -- ash, oak, hickory and red maple -- for firewood. Hennion said residents should go to the park office to obtain a salvage permit before collecting the wood.
http://www.njherald.com/story/20102311/workers-turn-state-forest-downed-trees-into-lumber