I finally noticed my smoke source was harming the hillside

Always picked up free oak from a spot near my house. The trees started looking sparse last fall. A neighbor mentioned the land owner was cutting too much. I looked into farmed wood for my smoker. Now my brisket gets flavor without hurting the woods.

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4 Comments

gavin_kim6mo ago

Wait, "hurting the woods" seems a bit strong. How much damage could one person with a smoker really do? That land owner cutting too much is the real issue, not you grabbing some fallen branches. Oaks are tough, they grow back. I've seen spots look thin one year and thick the next. Maybe you just saved yourself some hassle buying wood, but I doubt your free wood was the problem.

3

ninaw236mo ago

@gavin_kim is right that one person isn't the problem, but it's the mindset that spreads. If everyone grabs 'just a little' free wood, the woods do take a hit over time. Fallen stuff isn't waste, it's part of how the place works.

2

oliver8555mo ago

Ever wonder how much wood gets taken that way?

10

the_jake6mo ago

Take @gavin_kim's point that one person seems harmless. But multiply that by all the folks who might have the same idea, and suddenly the woods feel it. Good on the OP for seeing the bigger picture and switching sources.

2