Ski Patroller

On 3/10/2025 at 9:09 AM, Typhoon Tip said:

It's the Internet's fault ...  Well, more precisely it's humanities' fault for their innovation in creating the Internet.

Civility was created after millennia of trial and error, a storied history of many successes that would ultimately destabilize. The end result is merely vestigially carried onward. It was just a matter of time and erosion.  If they managed by without succumbing to external factors, endemic internal factors seem unavoidable to emerge.  The Romans let opulence breed apathy, then it is thought lead piping and toxicity exposure also contributed.  A dumbing down at society scales ... eventually sloth and degradation of virtuosity, all of it, left them vulnerable at last to the Visigoths.

In modernity, we have an incredibly, though probably not originally anticipated, destabilizing influence that resulted when we gave infinitum and unguarded information to commoner peoples.  You know ... in some sort of artistic or idealized vision, one might be inclined to think that's a good thing?  Unlimited information. Yet, there are examples everywhere we look of how this has failed to lead to some sort of generic grand enlightenment; rather, proven a schismatic influence. In present era United States, lowering intellectual returns (different discussion) via a similar opulence feedback on generational development ... creating waves of ill-contrived propaganda and dissension, if not hysteria.

We're asking people not mentally prepared, or even capable really of objectively filtering information that is too vastly beyond ability for effective cognition. Or even recognizing what is objective real.   And that dysfunction is then empowered, as voters, to ultimately make decisions that effect policies at large scales?   May as well be a sociological A-bomb.

Perhaps it takes a PHD dissertation and a pass through refereeing to prove what is probably more academically obvious anyway, but that's unlikely to end well.   More information is not a good thing for more than half the population, not when the information is both differentiating, and affecting.  You probably don't let a stupid kid gain access to daddy's guns.

Any administration rising to power through that the realm of election is precarious.  This particular example?  Given to the history of the United States heredity, its Constitution, ... just the standard of behavior since the Declaration Of Independence and the universal sense of mores and propriety, there is an indictment of something gone desperately wrong.  The Internet sews distrust, fracturing from common acceptances (hence the schism), then, empowered after the fact when these formulating separatist island find one another and embolden their dissent.   Thes etho-chambers of falsity then become the "real".  It's an indictment that suggests that the commoner is simply not intelligent enough to right a decision.  The elephant in the room.  Voting ... fails... in a post modern era of Internet access. 

There's an indictment of moral intelligence.

There's an indictment of virtuosity intelligence.

There's an indictment of 'mathematical' intelligence.

If you've ever heard of the D-Day clock?  The compendium of different risk assessments, that are existential to a special level, include, nuclear warfare, climate change, and artificial intelligence.  Perhaps we can circuit the Internet abstractly through AI, but that's a stretch.  The Internet appears for the time being to be the greatest destructive force effective in a self-determination model.  What is also interesting .. the emerging ramification of the Internets influencing total civility, may trigger any one of those D-Day clock events.  

Well, the clock ticks a fraction of a unit closer to midnight ...

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-scientists-trump-threaten-climate-safety.html

 

 

Outstanding piece of writing right there. Thank you for this and your other posts.

Cutting NOAA staff is another example of the utter chaos brought by President Musk and his portly pet. WTF is wrong with the voters of this great country of ours?

16 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

Great job. My degree is environmental Science.  I believe the cutting in CT greatly reduced our power loss numbers which saves millions. Would selective timber harvest by a forester eliminate the power threat? There has to be a balance.

I agree about the balance. Street trees should be managed by arborists with their very high level of education in tree pathology and risk assessment. Foresters are all about growing trees as crops and their education level is not in the realm of individual tree health. CT recently upped the municipal tree warden education and experience requirements so that 1st selectmen and their appointees (often the road foreman) aren't making arboricultural decisions which often led to bad outcomes. People like their street trees.

I am completely on board with balancing risk in street tree management but we are nowhere near that right now.

On 2/23/2025 at 7:35 AM, Layman said:

@tamarack I was heading up 95N in Maine yesterday and near Kennebunk there was a tree cutting operation on the side of the road for a few miles. Looked to be predominantly pine, all stacked nicely in bundles/piles. 
That stretch has always seemed to flow really well so I assumed it wasn’t for some future fourth lane expansion. I was curious though, does the state harvest the wood to their setback and use that for income? 
It looked to be a good deal beyond what I see when Eversource comes through trimming their ROW’s and was staged very cleanly for retrieval. 
 

I've been involved in this Northeastern issue for several years. It's essentially welfare for contractors as it is grotesque overkill. Federal funding covers 90% of it so state DOT grant managers are thrilled even if it means destroying the landscape aesthetic - their interest is in grabbing every grant they can get, needed or not. The states and federal government could literally save millions by simply having arborists tag hazard trees for removal but they don't do this, they senselessly clearcut. It is out of control across New England and beyond. The income from the trees is insignificant because they are sold below market rate or given to the contractors "for disposal". A recent project in CT produced 16,000 logs pole-to-sawtimber size and the gross receipt to the state was $22,000 ($1.38/tree gross).

Most of the contractors have invested in multi-million-dollar specialized machines for clearcutting roadsides instead of hiring manual cutters so the jobs impact of these programs is limited. DOTs say that they are creating pollinator habitat in the deforested areas, ignoring the fact that they are creating sink habitat for insects because, you know, a zillion cars cruising by at 70mph. I've been doing habitat restorations for a living for over 30 years and a key tenet of ecological restoration is don't create production habitat within or adjacent to kill zones. For example, the foraging range of a honeybee is 2 miles (1 mile radius from hive), so ... splat.

Additionally, these cleared areas become densely populated by non-native invasive plants whose #1 vector of dispersal is ... roads. These plants are disturbance-specialists and are highly adapted to quickly exploit the macerated soils of the cleared sites. So these roadside-clearing programs are not only contrary to good science and the landscape aesthetic, they greatly aid in the spread of invasives, a phenomenon called "the greatest threat to biodiversity after habitat loss" by E.O. Wilson.

But to end on a positive note, we just finished a project in NW Maine that permanently protected 3500 acres in the Mahoosucs. Most of it was paper company land and it will now be forever wild. Onward.

JFC. How stupid of me to think that all fellow weather fanatics would universally accept the science of climate change. But at a time when every PhD and university is considered an "enemy of the people" and a kakistocrisy has taken control of the government, I should not be surprised.

Jiminy Peak, 9:30PM, 1.5 hours into the storm. We were all blown away by how good it got in such a short time.

4deg F in NE Litchfield County, CT.

11 hours ago, DavisStraight said:

Best firewood we can get around here, I like Beech too but that's even harder to get.

It won't be hard to get soon. The non-native invasive beech nematode Litylenchus crenatae McCannii is in the process of essentially extirpating the species in the Northeast and the state forestry agencies are starting salvage cutting on state lands and encouraging private landowners to do the same (which contravenes good science but they aren't about science so....). Anyway, add American beech to Eastern hemlock, White ash, American chestnut, and American elm. We're losing the Eastern forest in both structural and functional realms.

NWS forecast for the Berkshires is for 2.5" to 4.5" of rain between today and Wednesday night.

Colebrook, Litchfield County, CT, 6AM, 22.8degF, 0.75" new snow.  Roads are iced up here.

12 hours ago, Damage In Tolland said:

Whoa!! That is Solid. 
1.74 here since Aug 20

Wxwatcher in East Hartford has .90 in that same timeframe 

0.93" in Colebrook for the period. Wicked.

I've been writing conservation easements in New England for over 30 years. We never considered landscape-scale fire issues in the contingencies.  We were taught in forestry school that droughts like this happened here on 600-1200-year cycles.

I just finished drafting the first fire contingency language for a conservation easement project yesterday, allowing 150' of tree clearing from structures, the building of firebreaks, permitted motorized use in firefighting, and allowing fire-control access to water features. Essentially, the California model except we don't allow salvage logging beyond hazard trees. Crazy stuff.

On 11/15/2024 at 9:30 PM, powderfreak said:

I like how Stowe puts out detailed daily reports like this. It informs and builds the stoke. I wish most mountains did it.

22degF at the moment in Colebrook, Litchfield County, CT.

Wildcat reporting 13" of fresh powder in the 6AM Conditions Report and snowing like hell.

Nice app, but no way to the subscription model. Let us buy the darn software.

https://www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/forecasts/#/presidential-range

Avalanche Watch
ISSUED Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - 4:00PM EXPIRES Friday, April 5, 2024 - 4:00PM
What

A significant winter storm, bringing the possibility of 30+ inches of snow and strong wind to the higher summits in the Presidential Range, will create dangerous avalanche conditions.
When

In effect from Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - 4:00PM to Friday, April 5, 2024 - 4:00PM
Where

The Presidential Range avalanche forecast area, including but not limited to Tuckerman Ravine, Huntington Ravine, Gulf of Slides, Great Gulf, King Ravine, Burt Ravine, Ammonoosuc Ravine, Oakes Gulf and steep, open terrain in the mountains that are bounded by US Rt 2, US Rt 302, and NH Rt 16. This includes hiking trails that traverse across steep terrain like Summer Lion Head trail. Similar avalanche danger may exist at locations outside the coverage area where steep, open terrain exists that has collected wind drifted snow.
Impacts

Large, destructive avalanches are likely to occur naturally and spontaneously and will exist throughout steep terrain including hiking trails.These avalanches may be large enough to bury multiple people, do significant damage to trees or buildings, and will likely run far down in paths or to areas that are normally considered safe zones. Precipitation rates are forecast to be heavy, with 1-2 inches of snow falling per hour at times and visibility limited.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions

As the storm develops, expect rapidly changing and dangerous conditions. Strong winds and heavy snow will limit visibility with white out conditions expected. Avoid traveling in or near avalanche terrain.

Assuming that the forecast for the Presidential Range holds, any opinions on the expected quality of the snow? Any chance of dry powder? Thanks.

8.3F in NW CT this morning, and just about 6" of snowpack.

Jiminy Peak may miss the heaviest, too. Hoping that the bullseye moves up into the Berkshires/S. Greens...

On 2/3/2020 at 5:49 AM, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

Had a great weekend at Stratton with firm groomers offering plenty of speed. Even in crap winters there are good days to be had if you put in the time. 

It's almost impossible to predict conditions from home. I'm a ski patroller and way more often than not I bitch my way to the mountain, expecting the worst, and get  nicely surprised.

Colebrook, CT

3.2" today, 16.3" for season