Scouts team up to remove fire hazard

FALLBROOK - Neighbors Josh Corbin and Dale New agreed a cluster of 30-foot high eucalyptus shoots near their property line was a fire hazard. Regrowth from trees that had burned in the 2002 Gavilan Fire, their presence was beginning to make both the Corbin and New families exceedingly nervous as they saw the shoots being blown about wildly by this winter's dry Santa Ana winds.

New, having helped to save his own home and those of his neighbors on Santa Margarita Drive during the big fire, knew firsthand just how flammable eucalyptus could be under such conditions.

But New, as a former Boy Scout and father of an Eagle Scout from local Troop 737, saw something more in the shoots than just a fire hazard. Tall, slender and relatively straight, he saw poles ideal for making a teepee or building an outdoor shelter.

New remembered, while on temporary assignment with the U.S. Army in Ethiopia, he had seen how the people in the countryside purposely cut back similar trees for use as building materials on their farms.

New contacted Chuck Reeder, the present Scoutmaster of Troop 737, to see if his troop might be interested in the young trees. Reeder immediately saw an opportunity to accomplish a number of unit goals and responded yes to the offer.

The troop could use the eucalyptus shoots for pioneering projects, but it also had a candidate for Star Scout, Zack English, who needed to complete a service project in order to qualify for the rank advancement. Without delay, Reeder discussed the possibilities with English who agreed to organize a Scout work party to cut down the shoots and strip them of their foliage.

Organizing a group of Scouts for the purpose of completing a service project is not a simple task. In English's case, he had to develop a plan to both prepare for and carry out the project. This included coordinating the project date and time with Corbin and New, preparing a description of the work and a work schedule, recruiting fellow Scouts to participate in the project, securing the necessary tools and safety equipment, ensuring that each volunteer had transportation to the jobsite, and arranging for the water and refreshments to be provided to all members of the work party.

On the agreed date, Feb. 10, work commenced. English arrived early with his mother, Mary English, so that he could set out safety markers on Santa Margarita Drive, lay out tools, position water and refreshments and set up a participant sign-in table.

Arriving to help English that day were Scouts Zeke Maletych and Marshall Jordan, Scoutmaster Reeder, and property owners, Corbin and New. Once everyone had gathered, English took time to explain the task at hand, to give safety instructions, and to assign individual job responsibilities. By 8:30 a.m., everyone was hard at work.

As the Scouts took turns felling the young trees, everyone pitched in to strip them of their leafy foliage while they lay on the ground. Once stripped of foliage, Reeder and the Scouts carried away the hefty shoots while Corbin and New set about bundling the leftover branches.

Corbin, having grown up in rural Alaska, was well-skilled in wood cutting. He showed each Scout how to cut a "bird's mouth" opening with his axe in the trunk on the side which he wanted the tree to fall, then cut a smaller wedge out of the opposite side to fell it. He also gave each a lesson on how to tie a line to the tree up the trunk and apply tension so that the tree, if in an awkward position, would be more likely to come down on target. After this instruction, the young trees were coming down with surprising accuracy.

At noon, Mary English arrived with pizza for the hungry and grateful crew. The food worked wonders, and soon the re-energized group was back on the job.

Working against a scheduled 2:30 p.m. finish time, everyone pushed on to topple and strip the remaining shoots. Early in the afternoon, the party received some welcome assistance from neighbor and former Scoutmaster Michael Zinnegar, who rounded up the neighborhood's extra green waste recycling containers so that all of the foliage could be promptly and properly picked up by the local waste management company.

The enthusiasm and diligence of the crew paid off, and by 2:30 p.m., tools were being put away and the Scouts speculated about the great things that they could build with the awesome but hard-won eucalyptus poles that lay before them. Each member of the team left the site with a tremendous sense of accomplishment, especially English and Reeder, who undoubtedly enjoyed sound sleep that night.

Scouts from Troop 737 not only enjoy assisting one another with service projects, but they also seek out opportunities for advancement in general: merit badges, campouts, hiking, canoeing, fishing, and other adventures which the troop undertakes. Older scouts assist and guide younger scouts with advancing within the troop so that they can in turn lead and guide incoming scouts in the future.

Boys who are 11 years or older, or have completed the fifth grade, or are bridging from Cub Scouts are eligible to join. Troop 737 hosts their weekly meetings at the Methodist Church located at 1844 Winter Haven Road in Fallbrook from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Boys who may be interested in joining are welcome to visit the troop during any of its regular weekly meetings. The troop offers scholarships to its scouts as well as fundraising opportunities which make the cost minimal. Also, the troop has plenty of gear which allows its scouts to participate in numerous adventures which eliminates additional out of pocket costs for families.

Contact info: [email protected]