I WOULD NEVER HIRE AGAIN NOR RECOMMEND Mark Schuetz/Watershed Dynamics for forest thinning. I have since hired other local guys/companies with insurance/licensing for forest thinning that did a far better job at a lower cost to me. In my opinion, Mark Schuetz was the worst contractor hire of my entire life. You couldn't pay me to have Mark Schuetz to do work on my property again. I hired Mark Schuetz in 2019 to thin a section of my 20+ acre property in Taos County. I cannot undo the damage Watershed Dynamics did to my forest. (1) Mark Schuetz did not mark trees with me as he said he would do when I interviewed him, and WATERSHED DYNAMICS CUT DOWN MANY TREES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION, AGAINST MY INSTRUCTIONS AND OUTSIDE MY MARKED BOUNDARIES FOR THINNING. This exposed the view of my house to the roadway. (2) Against my repeated and specific instructions, Mark and his crew felled dozens of gamble oak trees within my oak copses (example photo). When one cuts down a gamble oak, many spindly shoots take its place, creating more fire fuel & leaving an unsightly bushel of crowded oaks. As a result of the February snow conditions, I did not notice that from day one Mark and/or his sawyer(s) cut down oak trees. The felled oak trunks were hidden beneath juniper and piñon trunks so I could not spot the problem during the thinning process. (3) Mark and his crew cut down many large (12+ inches) juniper (example photo) and piñon trees that he did not have my permission to cut down, including large trees along the creek edge that were needed to help with soil erosion. Felling large trees was not part of my thinning plan, nor was taking out beautiful soil-stabilizing juniper trees. Mark also removed far too many trees in areas leaving several areas with too low basal area for a forest & also soil erosion problems on the slope. MARK REPEATEDLY CHOSE TO IGNORE MY DIRECTIVES AND THIN MY FOREST THE WAY HE WANTED, NOT THE WAY I WANTED. (4) Mark's crew severely burned a ponderosa pine because their burn pile was too close. Nearly all their burn piles caused damage to nearby save trees. Mark and his crew put burn piles around and in the creek bed. Afterwards Mark repeatedly told me to hide those creek burn piles so that they would not be visible to the Forest Service. (5) Mark's crew trimmed branches too close to the trunk multiple times, causing those save trees to weep sap (example photo), attracting bark beetles to infest the trees already stressed by his aggressive thinning. Mark or his crew topped the main trunk of smaller piñon trees, so that after the snow melted, several trees were weeping sap from the severed trunk (example photo). (6) Mark's crew left stumps between 6 to 12 inches high throughout the area they worked (example photo). These tall stumps prevented trucks accessing the area for easier removal of the felled tree trunks. Much worse, these tall live stumps continued to bleed sap. Subsequently, bark beetles swarmed on my property for even over a year after Watershed Dynamics did the thinning, & I discovered that the bark beetles were breeding in almost all of those live stumps (example photo). To kill the bark beetles breeding in the tall stumps leftover from his thinning job, I had to remove the stumps. (7) Mark's bill was much higher than his quote price. Mark's charges were higher than what two other insured and licensed tree companies subsequently charged me to thin larger areas on my property even with wood chipping instead of burning the slash. read more

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Mark Schuetz/Watershed Dynamics has done land restoration and management for us continuously since 2008. He is knowledgeable, dedicated, and diligent in his working practices. We have always been pleased with his recommendations and results. He cares deeply about the pastures and forests in our area. read more

Mark Schuetz (Watershed Dynamics) is a Land & Water Whisperer. He is a Master of all forms of land restoration & maintenance, and has helped us beautifully restore our 5-acre property in Taos, NM. Mark has made a life-long study of how to bring out the best in the land; has in-depth understanding of the soils, climate, & water; and is not only intelligent but wise, not just analytical but intuitive. Mark is totally committed and passionate about making the land productive as well as beautiful, which I really appreciate. And, Mark is one of the hardest-working men I've ever encountered. He routinely works 10 & 12 hour days, and is sometimes seen out in the fields after dark, finishing up some aspect of watering or maintenance. Finally, Mark is honest and fair. I have always found his billings for work performed eminently reasonable. In sum, you could not find a better partner than Mark Schuetz! Paul D Phillips read more