I Want a Pulaski

By Adam R. Moore

“I want a Pulaski.”
“You don’t need a Pulaski.”
“Well, you asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and that’s what I want.”
“Look,” said Melissa, my exasperated wife. “You are not a wildland firefighter. We don’t live out west. You’re not going to use it.”
“Well, that’s what I want. And look, Forestry Suppliers is selling them for $53.75 each,” said I.

Half axe and half hoe, the Pulaski bears the name of the forester who designed it, the famous Ed Pulaski of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. Forester Pulaski is known for saving all but five of the forty-five men under his command during the terrible “big burn” of August 1910 in the National Forests of Idaho. Forester Pulaski led his panicked men up a hill and ducked them into a cave for safety. The inferno swept up the hill, but spared most of the men, thanks to Pulaski’s leadership and courage.

As to the tool, the Pulaski is most useful. When swung as an axe, the Pulaski cuts branches and roots and fells trees—all essential tasks in creating firebreaks. When wielded as a hoe, the Pulaski can be used to dig trenches and dig out fire lines. It can be used in trail work or gardening, and is a practical choice anytime roots or vines need to be cut, which is often on Martha’s Vineyard.

I had been thinking about the Pulaski for some time before I asked for one. To be frank, I was quite captivated by the fetching photos of the Pulaski in the Forestry Suppliers catalog. I believed that, if I had a Pulaski, I would put it to good use.

I had also been thinking about the Pulaski, however, because I had spent several months on a committee tasked with creating a plan to reduce the risk of wildfires here on Martha’s Vineyard. The effort was organized by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and the finished plan is called the “Dukes County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The plan is quite extensive, and can be found on the website of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

The plan calls for a range of activities for Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and other Island organizations to undertake, including, potentially, the return of prescribed fires on appropriate properties. A prescribed fire is a burn that is intentionally set, with the goal of burning off flammable vegetation —such as thickets of scrub oak—that pose a risk of fueling a wildfire. A few prescribed fires here and there help to avert the chance of a much larger, much more damaging, catastrophic forest fire.

Other recommended activities include better training and coordination for firefighters, providing adequate water sources, and continued mowing and grazing of fields and other firebreaks. And naturally, there are tasks for the Pulaski: thinning of dense vegetation, lopping off dead branches in thick stands of pitch pine, and cutting tangles of vines.

Having asked enough for the Pulaski, I let the matter rest. I patiently waited through the season of Advent, and tried to dismiss all thoughts of my wish. On Christmas morning, I woke up, and found myself as eager as any kid hoping to find a BB gun or model train or any other classic gift.

Sure enough, there beneath the tree was a gift, quite long, wrapped in paper, with my name on it.