Spoiler alert: A tree actually falls on Jason in this video

Spoiler alert: A tree actually falls on Jason in this video - Volunteer juniper thinning for ODFW

Рет қаралды 8,325

4 ай бұрын

Jason of ‪@PrimalOutdoors‬ and ‪@vancamping‬ held his annual member campout with a twist this year: it included enlisting in a volunteer work party for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. The task at hand was thinning juniper trees within the Phillip W Schneider Wildlife Area.
This crew of novice lumberjacks cut down a LOT of trees across roughly 8-acres of mountainside terrain on a single Saturday. This video shows how we prepared, explains why we were doing it, and features lots of satisfying tree felling footage. Oh, and yes, a tree really does fall on Jason...and yes, I caught it on film.
Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife volunteer opportunities:
www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/vo...
Jason's Van Camping member site:
www.van-camping.com/
Links to the gear I use:
softroadingthewest.com/gear
--------------------------
If you enjoy my work and would like to more directly support my efforts, consider joining my Patreon page with a small monthly contribution. Patrons receive access to exclusive extra content, messaging priority, and other benefits:
/ softroadingthewest

Пікірлер: 99

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

If you feel compelled to comment with some kind of criticism of safety practices here... Yes, I'm sure you're a better & more experienced tree feller than these volunteers. No one here is claiming to be a professional. The training class was close to two hours long and covered - in excruciating detail - every single relevant OSHA regulation. While a few of the guidelines weren't always perfectly followed to the letter by every single volunteer, what I observed over and over spanning the day was common sense being used by everyone and a deliberate, conscious effort by both chainsaw operators and limb pullers to maintain awareness of safety steps. Nearly every tree I saw felled was executed with an assessment of where the tree would want to fall, and a decent notch followed by a back cut inching up to holding wood. You see it numerous times in this video. Clearly on smaller trees, this got neglected a bit, and these relatively inexperienced tree fellers didn't always perfectly judge where to pause their back cut. But the effort by everyone to maintain safe practices is evidenced by the fact that 6 hours and some dozens of trees later, there was not a single injury. Honestly I expected to see far less adherence to the guidelines we were given and I was thoroughly impressed by how much everyone did their best to remember and apply everything we were taught the day before. Before flexing your tree-cutting superiority in comments, please remember, these are amateurs who have generously volunteered their time to provide a service, who did their best to operate safely. Thanks.

@gringo3009 4 ай бұрын

Donald, that has to be the kindest, most professional way I've seen to invite the keyboard warriors to STFU. lol.

@GratefulOverlander 4 ай бұрын

This sounds like a written excuse for someone to get hurt and everyone is suppose to just be ok with that?? This is one of the most dangerous tools in the world, the environment never makes it any safer either. Using an excuse like a short training course is assinine to me! Is that what you're going to tell the family when someone dies doing this with y'all? No one out there had any business running a chainsaw! Period!

@nmelkhunter1 4 ай бұрын

Great comment. I wish OSHA and MSHA would get out of their offices to experience the real world. Just my thoughts. Best of luck! 🍻

@gringo3009 4 ай бұрын

@@GratefulOverlander God's gift to the chainsaw has spoken!!!!! lol.

@PrimalOutdoors 4 ай бұрын

Dang, Donald, you make the best videos. This came out so good. I also want to continue to thank the Van Camping members who came out. This was hard work, and every member did an incredible job. I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of them. Jason

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Jason. From the filming to the edit, putting this together was a fun & interesting project (and forced me to hike miles back and forth up and down those ridgelines capturing footage 😆). This really was a great idea for your meetup and it was clear everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

@sagebrushbob2321 4 ай бұрын

You know who the dedicated KZfaqr is when the first thing Jason says after getting off the ground is "did you get that on film?" 🤣

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

Oh he was not even off the ground yet...he was still mostly buried by the tree, but had managed to poke his head out. 😂

@roblunnen1653 4 ай бұрын

and you know who is a friend when he drops the camera to check on his friend @@softroadingthewest

@om617yota8 4 ай бұрын

1. Glad Jason's OK, top priority. 2. Thank you to the whole crew for their work on our public lands. 3. Donald, you could be a professional cinematographer. Fantastic work!

@CraigG21 4 ай бұрын

Jason is definitely a YT’er - his first words were “did you get that on film?” 😜

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

That's when I knew he was going to be okay. 😆

@idahoverland_208 4 ай бұрын

If a tree falls on Jason in the woods and no one else is around to hear, does Jason make a sound?

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

LOLOL...believe me, I tried and tried and tried to find a way to shorten that to use as the title of this video 😆

@roblunnen1653 4 ай бұрын

yes the sound is "did you get that on film?'

@johndewolfe9411 4 ай бұрын

Another great video! As one of the participants, it is really nice to be able to see a bigger picture around all the tree cutting that went on that day. It was work, but it was fun work. Thanks to all the other members that came out that day to help the ODFW with this project. For those that don't know, this wildlife preserve is something like 80,000 acres and there are only 2 ODFW assigned to manage it!

@GratefulOverlander 4 ай бұрын

It's amazing no one got seriously injured. The amount of bad cuts, uphill falls, bad pie cuts, etc etc etc.....yall got lucky

@barnetts9812 4 ай бұрын

"Did you get that on video?" A true youtuber 😂

@SeanStewart88 4 ай бұрын

Well edited. Truly felt like a short documentary. Also ignore the haters, this is KZfaq. You will always have people who are better,know more than you. Always.

@nevv8581 4 ай бұрын

Good job guys and gals! Glad everything worked out well.

@THEBOULDER236 4 ай бұрын

Great video! I'd love to see more of this. Volunteering like that is a great way to learn and help out i bet

@nmelkhunter1 4 ай бұрын

First, and foremost, I’m glad Jason came away unscathed. Secondly, as a life member of the MDF and RMEF, thank you to the volunteers who helped improve critical habitat. I’m sure they’ll agree the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie makes the sore muscles all worthwhile. Here’s to them! 🍻

@TBI-Firefighter-451 4 ай бұрын

Wow I've had rollers before too, Awesome that your doing Fuels Reduction and Being Good Stewards of our Public Lands. This Retired Wildland Firefighter Thanks all You Good Citizens, Volunteers Make America Great

@stevevick9946 4 ай бұрын

Great video Donald, I still think you need a job with PBS or something doing videos like this full time

@mquetel 4 ай бұрын

Really good storytelling, Donald. 🍻

@stacfunk 4 ай бұрын

This was a great experience! Well done, Donald! GREAT Footage! 😊

@flatwaterflatlander5937 4 ай бұрын

Strive for flat cuts. Sloping backcuts often result in the kind of unpredictable fall that happened to Jason.

@lelu_colleen 4 ай бұрын

A fantastic group. Overlanding with a purpose!

@Introverted_Outlander 4 ай бұрын

Sounds like a really great way to put in some volunteer work and build community

@midnightadventureswa 4 ай бұрын

Well done on the video and glad that Jason came out of that incident, safe keep up the good work and thank you Donald for going out and making the video

@24Alisonall 4 ай бұрын

Fabulous video that made me wish I were there to help. And I'll bet Jason thought about that incident for a long time afterward!! Thinking about what he might have done differently, etc. So glad he is ok. Thanks again, Donald!

@KnittedSchnauzer 4 ай бұрын

Interesting project. It would be interesting to see before and after pictures of the changes to the vegetation. Wonderful story.

@marcericdavis 4 ай бұрын

I can smell the Juniper saw dust and 2 stroke oil.

@allentisthammer4763 4 ай бұрын

Thank all of you.

@redhillsoverland 4 ай бұрын

Happy to see and hear that Jason was unharmed from the tree fall! I fought wildfire full time for 5 seasons and junipers are a b****. I definitely miss the project work season and am readily available and willing to help cut the next time you’re doing this!

@johnwalker3263 4 ай бұрын

I’ve seen this happening in the Ritter area and wondered why. Thanks for the explanation!

@mikepierson3097 4 ай бұрын

That was a great video, Donald!

@subjectadventure 4 ай бұрын

Great video Donald! Your time and effort to document our journey into amateur tree felling is appreciated! We all had our jobs that weekend, and without each and every person on that mountain it wouldn't have turned out as well as it did. Kudos to you, and to the rest of the crew! And thank you Jason for putting it all together, there are certainly some great campfire stories that emanated from that trip. See ya next time...

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

Great to see you guys!

@brandtdaniels 4 ай бұрын

I’d love to be a part of something like this! What a wonderful experience!

@NorthwestBronco 4 ай бұрын

Keep up the good work out there!

@the_meagan_channel 4 ай бұрын

Great video Donald!!

@JCreole 4 ай бұрын

Very cinematic 👍

@marcomcdowell8861 4 ай бұрын

Man, to get just one of those felled trees in the stove would be great!

@stephenwilliams681 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Donald. I did the Bend to Alvord trail in August and saw felled Junipers and now I know why. Also - as a young forester I was carrying an idling chainsaw that brushed my leg. Ripped through the chaps, chopped open my jeans, did not even scratch my leg. THAT was a wake up to how dangerous chainsaws are, and how effective chaps are. And thanks to all the volunteers for the hard work.

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Stephen. Definitely a tool that needs to be treated with respect!

@over_and_out_gary 4 ай бұрын

Really good video Donald. I can say this was one of the best camp trips I have ever taken. Ready to do this again. Working the Joe and Jake was a good and educational experience.

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Gary, it was great to see you!

@MattCookOregon 4 ай бұрын

Love this.

@NarleyAdventures 4 ай бұрын

👍👍👍👍👍, Informative and glad to see the stewardship of Earth. Glad it was a successful endeavor.

@michaeltichonuk2176 4 ай бұрын

Well done!

@dalecurrier5631 4 ай бұрын

Awesome job !

@matthewallen841 4 ай бұрын

Loving these videos

@davidcolinstillman5585 4 ай бұрын

HI DONALD & JASON 👋 THAT LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF FUN , TEAM WORK & LOVE OF THE AREA & ALL WILDLIFE ❤ REALLY GLAD JASON / NOBODY GOTTEN HURT ! DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH WATER THE JUNIPER TREES CONSUMED OUT OF THE GROUND . WITH ALL THE DOWNED TREES SHOULD HELP ALL THE WILDLIFE HAVE PLACES TO GET OUT OF THE WIND & EYE 👁 SIGHT OF PREDATORS OR THE OTHER WAY TOO 🤔 DONALD WHICH CHAINSAWS DOES JASON PREFER IF THEY HAD EVERYTHING THE SAME ? THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME / US TAG ALONG WITH YOU ALL ON THIS ❤🙏 BE SAFE 😊 🙏 HAVE FUN 😊 🙏 GOD BLESS YOU ALL ALWAYS ON YOUR ADVENTURES ❤ 😊 🙏

@estruble 4 ай бұрын

I'm jealous, I loved burning Juniper wood. I think it's the best firewood. The smell in unique and wonderful and I think it burns more like a hardwood (hard on grates).

@stanlibuda96 4 ай бұрын

Your pictures are just brilliant

@swidahooverlanding2867 4 ай бұрын

Well done! Thanks for the video! George.

@nickgabrielson8407 4 ай бұрын

Very nice! glad he was not hurt and the project went well.

@Redial2416 4 ай бұрын

Very interesting

@darrylk808 4 ай бұрын

"Did you get that on film?" "Delete it now"🤣 I need a hardhat.

@carolleimbach6407 4 ай бұрын

Really interesting video. I even saw a few faces from Jason's (former) campouts. Thanks for sharing this.

@pala4833 4 ай бұрын

Re: Hard hat; That gorgeous head of hair probably helped as well.

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

🤣

@thewiredfox2691 4 ай бұрын

I was under the impression that felling without burning the juniper actually makes the juniper problem worse. I was thinking that was info from Oregon Forestry. Did they mention that specifically? There was a mention of burning, but didn't make a distinction on if that gets the "best" result.

@bmc_rc6212 4 ай бұрын

Cool video, looks like a fun time wish we had that around here, i would be all over it! I'm glad Jason is okay and i just wanted to point out a few important things i've learned after felling lots of trees and working as a arborist for the past 2 years. You NEVER want to make a angled or "slanted" back cut, this changes everything and makes it very dangerous as the tree falls and can come back and hit you or roll sideways like it did on Jason. Also not good when you need to wedge it too. This practice is not ANSI or OSHA approved and i just want to make sure everyone stays safe and learns the correct way. Anyways thank you for the amazing videos you make, i always enjoy watching them! -Benjamin

@PrimalOutdoors 4 ай бұрын

Benjamin all your points are valid I just want to point out I actually didn’t make an angled back cut the tree just didn’t listen to my polite suggestion. I will say I misjudged the way the tree wanted to fall naturally, so it fell toward the back cut. My intention was for the tree to fall straight downhill but as you can see that didn’t work out. I am sure if I would have left a bit more hinge wood I could manipulated the tree the correct direction, but I got sloppy after 20 or so trees. Jason

@bmc_rc6212 4 ай бұрын

@@PrimalOutdoors thank you. Yeah I totally understand, we all make mistakes. thanks for the response. -Benjamin

@philtelford410 4 ай бұрын

Please be careful,Donald and Jason. Make sure to keep it textbook when falling like that. Juniper doesn't have much weight up top. I'd suggest a clean face cut, over half the diameter. Ease in to the back cut. Don't take chances. I'm local to Eugene and happy to give a free consultation.

@jaystewart9947 4 ай бұрын

I’d like to joke a little about Jason and his close call with the “widow maker” but all that aside, I’m glad he came out unscathed and a little wiser

@JCreole 4 ай бұрын

The higher ground always has the advantage… -Jason

@davidmutschler9418 4 ай бұрын

Could you let us know how to get on a list to volunteer next time?

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

This wasn't an open event, it was Jason's annual meetup/campout for members of his Van Camping website (which is his alternative to Patreon). Jason used to just hold a campout for a number of days, but this year he decided to integrate a volunteer work party element. Everyone here is a member of Jason's site which is how we all learned of it.

@lelu_colleen 4 ай бұрын

Call Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area and talk to Joe about future volunteering events 😄

@MrUltralight55 4 ай бұрын

As they say one hand washes the other, together they can make a big difference!!

@garretlewis4103 4 ай бұрын

Jason was feeling really bush whacked. Or, should I say tree whacked. 😂😂😂. Glad he was ok. That’s why we wear safety gear.

@travelscotty 4 ай бұрын

Safety second, always ;-)

@scottymac5174 4 ай бұрын

Every tree is its own. individual. challenge.

@Benjamin-David 4 ай бұрын

Oh no!!!!!

@crankshaft007 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video Donald, it’s great people wanting to volunteer to help out. Unfortunately falling tress is very dangerous and clearly Jason almost killed himself or serious injury. Just watching wrranglerstar for years then watching this video it was shocking to watch. I’m not a professional faller but any trades person can tell you a couple hours training is seriously a joke. Clearly these people should have had a experienced professional overseeing the falling. A helmet and chaps isn’t going to help being crushed or tossed like a rag doll by a how many hundred pound tree. Possibly

@Gusgreek24 4 ай бұрын

Wow that could've been the end of Primal Outdoors😮

@clifford_overland 4 ай бұрын

I've know Jason for a very long time and there have been quite a few almost ends to primal outdoors 😂

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

@@clifford_overland 🤣

@bajasoobnut 4 ай бұрын

Poor Jason, another victim of physics lol but glad he is ok. Those chaps are awesome, I used to work at Blount which is now known as Oregon tool, they make chainsaw chain and bars, and whenever you checked out a saw from test lab you got those chaps as well and they insisted that we use them.

@rogerhector5885 4 ай бұрын

are the juniper an introduced species to that area

@softroadingthewest 4 ай бұрын

They are native in this area, however due to many decades of fire suppression, the natural control of occasional wildfires has been eliminated, which has led to the junipers proliferating unnaturally. As they are resource-heavy, sucking a large quantity of already-scarce water from the ground, their accelerated encroachment on this sage steppe ecosystem is harmful to the native plants such as bitter brush and sagebrush that would normally be more dominant here and provide winter nutrition for the mule deer population, which has been in decline for years. The area ODFW is managing here is a minuscule slice of Oregon's vast high desert/steppe/grasslands spanning the eastern half of the state and is a drop in the bucket compared to the lands on which ranchers run cattle for example, or lands that have been cleared to grow feed, or lands where entire swaths of forest are logged in a matter of days. I look at this wildlife area as a tiny winter ranch for deer & elk, where they can take refuge & find food. People aren't allowed into the area during the most critical winter months so the animals can roam and feed undisturbed. The juniper thinning (NOT elimination, simply thinning) is part of an effort to return this little patch of land to what its natural state _would_ have been before human interference such as fire suppression began...grasses, the hardiest juniper trees, an abundance of bitter brush and sagebrush, and a healthy population of deer and elk.

@myronbenware4452 4 ай бұрын

He was standing on the wrong side of the tree.

@IronmanV5 4 ай бұрын

But did he still have clean underwear afterwards?💩 Glad he's okay.

@travissmith6612 4 ай бұрын

Juniper bad, chainsaw good

@meangenemiller3362 4 ай бұрын

I wished Texas had more land to off-road on!

@scottymac5174 4 ай бұрын

Good Juniper and bad Juniper.

@louiskudlak2241 4 ай бұрын

Who doesn’t like playing with chainsaws and acting as mountain men

@jenb.6440 4 ай бұрын

The Juniper trees are sometimes 2500 years old, it's ridiculous to "thin" them, they're beautiful and thinned out ... "Juniper infested" that's completely absurd!

@jenb.6440 4 ай бұрын

Ut is so upsetting to see you people cutting down beautiful, ancient cedar trees, unbelievable! What are you thinking??