Dj Davis

I can say as a wildland firefighter that your fruit and nut trees don’t have to be limbed to any serious height. I would recommend only limbing the coniferous trees, even thinning them out as they get closer to your house. Orchards on the other hand are some of the safest places to be as the irrigation makes it unlikely for fire to carry there. They are often noted as possible safety zones. Keep the vegetation from touching your house, the wood pile far away, and mow the grass within a hundred feet of your home. A sprinkler on each corner should be sufficient to stop fire moving through short grass so don’t bother discing especially if the soil is rocky anyway. A trail down to mineral soil around the property would help. As for smoke there’s no vegetation that will filter it out. You’ll have to get an air purifier.

Whoa that’s awesome!! Thanks for the info. Surprising affordable too.

Hi Everyone,

I have recently taken a position with a non-profit in Olympia, WA to head a project supplying our homeless population with safe and clean burning heating. My org is partnering with the regional housing council (RHC), regional air quality authority, and the local fire departments for this project. Included in the scope of the project is also waste management and water purification. I think most people in the RHC are envisioning things like propane tanks and fire pits, but I know from my contact with this community that rocket mass heaters are much more efficient in their use of wood and burn cleaner. I was wondering if anyone here would like to collaborate on  a proposal to the RHC to build these things instead. We would need to prove that they are safe, efficient, and cost effective to build. If anyone would like more info, knows someone I should be talking to, or wants to work together please respond and we can start working!

If this pilot project is successful there's a real chance that we can use permaculture principles more broadly in our response to the housing crisis in Olympia. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here, but I can envision copices, perennial gardens/food forests, and a more dignified life for those of us priced out of the housing market.

Hey all,

I’m looking at buying around five acres in the Morton area. Currently live in Tacoma. I would love to meet and talk permaculture with you guys and see what it’s like in Lewis county, government and community wise.

Is there potential for an online PDC?

Absolute newbie to gardening so this might be a stupid question. With the potato tower, what if with successive layers you also added more seed potatoes? Would that result in tubers throughout the tower? Or would the potatoes added higher and higher up amount to nothing?

Mr. White Cloud, I was wondering if you could list here some of the books, study materials, and projects you recommend for beginners. I’m in the same position as the original poster when she made this post and I really value your input.

Also, I’m in Washington state. Do you know of any good courses available out west?