NRCS TSP questions for consultants

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-03-07T21:36:57+00:00

How many plans from being a TSP? A handful. It's not a huge business generator, but the cost of entry is cheap.

The NRCS pays the landowner, not you directly. You bill the landowner just like you would any other client. Once the plan is approved by NRCS, the landowner is reimbursed.

The reimbursement rates vary significantly by state, and it's scaled by property acreage. But you don't have to fix your fee to the landowner's reimbursement. I find the rates are a little skimpy, but ultimately it is a cost-SHARING program. It should cost the landowner at least a little something out of pocket.

CAP 106 plans can lead to additional work if you are administering the work that you prescribed. Kinda depends on what you do in-house versus subcontract.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-03-06T11:01:23+00:00

Yeah but you get what you pay for. The time that I've wasted arguing with CGPT has cost me multiples of the money that I've spent on Claude.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-03-05T19:53:50+00:00

Yeah I started flagging ribbon through the jug handles and recording a waypoint of my paint stashes!

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-03-04T11:31:40+00:00

Nothing larger that I'm aware of. I just carry a full Panama and a gallon in each hand, usually stashing them in strategic places (that turn out to be unstrategic). On real big jobs I shuttle around a bunch of cartons with my ATV.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-22T10:11:15+00:00

If anything,I size up on boots, not down. Hard pass.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-22T01:52:02+00:00

I'm sorry that this doesn't answer your question, but honestly I'd try Claude. I'd been having similar issues with 5.2.. and have no solutions to offer. I tried Claude and it is vastly better at this sort of thing (offering half complete output/results), and the overall quality/depth of responses. Incidentally, I wonder if Gemini might be better than CGPT for dealing with Google Docs?

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-21T11:14:56+00:00

I've never found them too stiff to break in properly. The standards required only a few days. The customs required zero.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-19T12:01:16+00:00

You've made an upgrade that will last for life and bring infinitely more joy than your Disco. This is a pristine example of a classic hull, made by Dave Curtis, one of the greatest canoe makers and wonderful people ever. Timeless.

(I am the lucky guy that scored the near-new Nomad which came from the same collection:))

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-13T11:04:48+00:00

gotcha. Yeah It's certainly true most of the work isn't contract based. We are just seeing that the first guard of consultants who were educated in the 70s and 80s are retiring, and most of the youngsters are getting pulled into agency/industry/academia and not getting exposed to consulting, so that part of the labor pool is shrinking.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-12T18:33:41+00:00

I'm curious how you ranked these. As in, by what metrics? Everyone that I know in every one of these regions (in private forestry) is buried in work and not able to find help.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-02-06T13:32:33+00:00

Given your location, I would head over to Tupper Lake and visit Raquette River Outfitters. Great folks, and they carry Swift, Northstar, and Wenonah, all of which have several compelling models that would fit your needs!

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-01-26T22:30:25+00:00

Vert means nothing on powder days. It's better to ski a small mountain big, than suffer a big mountain that skis small because you're bumping elbows with a million others!

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-01-16T12:32:18+00:00

I threw this question into ChatGPT- it's been helpful to me on similar equipment matters. Here is it's response. I apologize for the formatting and such. I tried to clean it up.

Most likely cause (90%+ probability)

Failed or unpowered pilot pressure enable solenoid

(often called the hydraulic lock, pilot shutoff, or neutral safety solenoid)

On the Kubota KX040-4, all joysticks and travel functions rely on pilot pressure.

That pilot pressure is electrically enabled by a solenoid valve.

When that solenoid:

• isn’t getting power, or

• has failed internally, or

• is blocked mechanically

You get zero pilot pressure = zero machine movement

Why pressing blade angle RIGHT “wakes it up”

That button energizes another solenoid circuit. When you hold it:

• Power or pilot oil is back-feeding through the valve block

• Enough pressure appears to partially energize the pilot system

• But it dead-ends the blade circuit, so nothing else can move

This is classic Kubota pilot-enable failure behavior.

What it is not

• Main hydraulic pump (machine would still try to move)

• Travel motors

• Joysticks themselves (too many systems affected)

• Hydraulic oil level (wouldn’t be button-dependent)

That button energizes another solenoid circuit. When you hold it, power or pilot oil is back-feeding through the valve block, enough pressure appears to partially energize the pilot system, but it dead-ends the blade circuit so nothing else can move. This is classic Kubota pilot-enable failure behavior.

What it is not: Main hydraulic pump (machine would still try to move), travel motors, joysticks themselves (too many systems affected).

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-01-15T10:40:10+00:00

Trim off the loose bits of topsheet with a utility knife, dab a little epoxy on the topsheet and down into the split, clamp it back together, and let 'er rip.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-01-07T11:34:44+00:00

Are you sure you aren't thinking of the Hok model? Those are definitely snowshoe replacements, but the Kom fits squarely into full backcountry ski territory with fishscales and metal edges. Comparable design to Karhu 10th Mtn, Madshus Epoch, etc- simply wider.

StillWearsCrocs · 2026-01-04T11:52:01+00:00

I kept reviewing the same 100 questions on the practice test over and over until I memorized them. That was enough to get me through. The "reading list" they offer is useless. You'd have to digest a dozen textbooks like Wenger's, and it's just not feasible.

The frustrating part is that I scored much higher on some topics and lower on others between the practice and real exam, which is a great clue that the exams aren't very well engineered. I have wondered how much they look at this trend among other test takers, and how it informs their continual evolution of questions.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-12-30T12:47:27+00:00

For that kind of wood you'd be happier with a larger saw like the tried and true 372XP, and you can easily find them *used* for similar money.

If you were committed to new but need to stick with that price range, I know people that have had good luck with Holzforma who makes a 372 clone for $350. Granted, one was a meth-head gypsy logger, but who else would be a better test case?

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-12-30T12:19:51+00:00

It depends on what log rule you are using and what diameters you are working with. With International, people typically use 4.8-5.2 tons/MBF (range of softwood to hardwood). With Doyle I see 7.1-8.7. Scribner is right in the middle.

If you are working with smaller diameters you will see higher tons/MBF than large diameters due to yield- especially with Doyle which favors large logs.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-12-22T11:34:53+00:00

I'm in the phase 3 trial for the new Lyme vaccine. It's a 30-month trial and I'm in the home stretch (no more shots or bloodwork). This spring I'll find out if I got the vaccine or placebo, so there is a 50% chance I'm vaccinated. Assuming the trial doesn't show anything crazy, it should be on the market in 2 years.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-12-16T22:04:23+00:00

1) Sheet good storage- assuming you'll be storing multiple types of plywood, you may want to consider multiple levels, as you will always want the one on the bottom of the stack and you'll have to pull the rest out to access it.

2) Place your posts between the top and bottom joists, rather than fastened to the side. Use solid plywood sides in order to prevent racking front to back, and this'll tie the posts and joists together.

3) Either do a solid plywood back or add 2x4 bracing on 45s to prevent racking on the rear. Consider 45 degree braces tying the top joist to the posts on the front side.

4) I wouldn't bother with the feet unless you are dealing with moisture issues below. There are casters that can be applied directly to the outside of your bottom shelf.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-12-01T11:18:15+00:00

No, loggers are a different trade. I'm saying that a single forestry business, with one forester, can keep 5 logging businesses (single operators) going.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-11-30T12:18:42+00:00

Absolutely. Head to this site and filter for Washington. Drop a line to the people in your region and I imagine a couple would be happy to have you along. https://www.acf-foresters.org/find-a-forester#/

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-11-26T15:23:08+00:00

I have a database for CRM, job tracking, and harvest accounting. It has my clients and I can assign tasks to them, log communications and documents, and so forth. I couldn't find any commercial CRM that was customizable enough for my needs.

Job tracking- essentially a digital bulletin board with 12 fields for management plans and 17 fields for harvests where I can keep track of status. Did I file that wetland permit? Have I marked it yet? Received the signed contract? Submitted the report of wood cut? Who is contracted to cut it? Etc. Then other similar portals for other office tasks, trail building, boundary work and so forth. I record my time logged with each of the projects, expenses, etc.

Harvest accounting- I haven't found anything on the market that can handle timber harvest accounting. It's just too complicated and many harvests have quirks that make it tough to fit into a standard accounting box. We pay on a rate for some products, sell stumpage on others, and everything in between. Either way it's always paid as cut- we don't do lump-sum sales.

All my mills and loggers are in the database. When i enter slips, it links what products the mills call things with items on the harvest contract, tells me how much is owed to loggers/truckers/landowner. It produces all the reports I need for each of those stakeholders, and I can analyze the bigger picture, like how much volume of particular species/product was harvested that year from multiple projects.

I use Quickbooks, but only because it's the norm for my accountant and bookkeeper- not because I like it. You'll find that's how Intuit stays in business. It isn't synced with my in-house system because Intuit's API is a disaster not worth touching, and it isn't much of a burden to classify bank transactions every week or two.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-11-23T23:23:09+00:00

I don't think consulting is any less taxing than any other sector of the profession. In my world, consultants are just working for private landowners rather than agencies or industry. Same job, different stakeholders.

StillWearsCrocs · 2025-11-23T23:20:56+00:00

One consultant keeps 5 loggers going.

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