Recent content by KWolf12

In SoCal, where I grew up, regular fires were good "grooming" for the understory. Is the ecosystem in this part of Oregon the same in that way? And if so, does it suffer from the old 75-year policy of fire-suppression?

This question has so many layers to it. At the core, when people ask this question, there's at least some amount of anthropomorphizing going on. Are plants in any way equal to "people"? Do they have feelings like me? Can they be affected by pain the same way I am? We tend to assume that the...

Heartwood is variable in its properties compared with sapwood, varies a lot in different species, and those variations are especially important to bowyers and boat-makers. However, what fascinates me is that for oaks, heartwood eventually can become a liability, and its removal is of benefit...

I was an electrician apprentice for three years, and you get respect for your fellow tradesfolk very quickly, or else you end up causing stupid conflicts that just slow up the job. Imagine walking into a 10,000 square-foot "room", bare concrete floor and ceiling, exterior concrete walls in...

Sure thing, Vanadium 50, why not? In my case, it takes going back four hundred years to get past the first ancestor I know was engaged in stealing other people's land and shooting anyone who objected. I doubt that guy sprang out of innocence, so screw his parents, too. Ultimately, I just go...

Thanks for the welcome, berkeman! Hello, BillTre! That would be cool, to hear about threads I might fit in with. It's my intention to wander around looking at conversations and figuring out the format for a while, before starting anything of my own. I think the only question I've been trying...

Hello, Folks. My degree is in biology, but after that, I've been constantly educating myself about everything that interests me. Most of those interests are related entirely to the non-human components of the world; fungi, plants, protists, animals, nutrient cycling and soil-building. I'm...