We’ve been working weekend by weekend to cut trees, move brush into piles, and rake the matted ground down to dirt. We are very motivated to clear the hillside for fire control and to put in a horse trail. The hillside has not been maintained, and it has taken us 17 years to focus on this specific area, our outer-most zone. We have had oaks trimmed, but never removed the poison oak, berries, and scotch broom. It is so nice to see our giant oaks. We plan to hire a tree company to come in this year to thin the huge oak limbs.

Cutting down many small trees, such as oak, bay, and fir to improve light and overcrowding.

On the other side of the hill, we have done a lot of clearing of scotch room, poison oak vines in the tree tops, and berry roots. The goats came in first for two days to start the clearing, then we went in to cut and rake. Now, we are hauling it out to the dump.

I bought common/red redwood fence boards from my miller friend, 1x6x9 for $7 each. I coated each board with linseed oil to help them last. I’m excited for a new, improved look to the farm.