| Cutting Edge Tool Used On Invasive Plants | |||
| By Vernon Robison Moapa Valley Progress Published August 26, 2009 A unique piece of equipment was brought in last week as part of an extensive clean up of thirty acres owned by the Clark County School District (CCSD) near the intersection of Moapa Valley Blvd. and Ramos Ranch Rd. After a major volunteer effort on Saturday, August 15, to clean the area of rubbish and debris, the heavy equipment was brought in last week and began clearing the vegetation from the parcel. The equipment was developed especially for clearing trees and other tough vegetation in |
 Work crews remove invasive tamarisk plants on CCSD property near the Moapa Valley Blvd. and Ramos Ranch Rd intersection. |
||
| sensitive areas. It is an attachment for a standard Caterpillar excavator. The attachment sports a 52-inch rotating blade which can spin at 1200 rpm, quickly shredding up even the toughest of plant material into a fine mulch. In addition the equipment has a tool that can take hold of the plant right at the ground and rip out the entire root ball of the tree. Thus, in the place of the current infestation of mature tamarisk trees on the property, the equipment is leaving a rich layer of organic mulch.
At the work site last week was the machine’s inventor, John Moffet. Based in Cour d’Alene, Idaho, Moffet has draws on 25 years of experience in running equipment in the forest and logging industry. His invention is the result of many years of trial and error on machine components that are best suited for environmentally sensitive or limited space foliage removal jobs. Moffet has found a high demand for his equipment. In recent years he has sold 48 of the units; each one at a cost of $30,000-40,000. He also keeps busy criss-crossing the western United States taking contracts to operate his equipment on similar jobs both large and small. Before coming to this job, he had been working a project in Southern California. And immediately after finishing here he will be taking his equipment up to Yosemite National Park to clean up a sensitive forest area there. The cleanup of the local property is being coordinated by the Partners In Conservation organization through a grant from the CCSD. Once the vegetation has been cleared, an agricultural fence will be installed and the property will be maintained by the FFA in coordination with the MVHS Agricultural Farm. |
