Group recycles forest fodder into birdhouses and teepees

Photo by Michael Woodward, Reporter

GNARLY FLOWER POT: President of the Paul Bunyan Conservation Society Steven Peloza shows off a piece of “character wood” that could be sold as a planter or as a water feature in someone’s garden.

Tucked away in the back corner of the Epperson Bros. Auction and Flea Market at 21005 Fig Tree Road lies the Paul Bunyan Conservation Society village.

More specifically, the village is a menagerie of wood products for sale made from salvaged, thinning material of area forests.

Steven Peloza, president of the society, creates birdhouses, fountains and teepees, among other items, using only the wood that he has culled from the forest. Peloza logs the timber, and hauls it back to the nest in a pick-up truck.

“All our products are from neglected, overgrown forests,” Peloza said.

When stands of trees become overstocked or become a fire hazard, Lassen National Forest allows selected harvesting of the forest, according to Paul White, District Culturalist at Lassen National Forest.

Peloza said that forests are healthier and more fire-resistant when they are thinned out. He wants to build his teepees in the various national forests like Lassen and Whiskeytown.

Peloza stressed the environmental message of “utilizing overgrown forest” rather than building cabins with new timber.

Peloza and his mother, Wilma Peloza, founded the society five years ago. The society sponsors two Adopt-A-Highway locations on I-5. Their goals include wildlife conservation, improving and protecting the environment, and environmental education.

The Village is open Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.