Blog

Controlling invasive species in your forest

They keys to controlling any kind of non-native, invasive plant infestation is to attack it early and keep at it until it is completely wiped out. There are a number of ways to go about it and you can choose the methods that best fit you. We do a lot of work on our family […]

Protect and Maintain your Planted Trees

The mistake many folks make is thinking they can just sit back and watch the trees they planted grow without doing any kind of maintenance on the plantation. This decision has led to the demise of many a planting. A good understanding of what threatens seedlings and how to control or reduce these will ensure […]

Find the Best Logger for you

Loggers have a lot riding on their working relationship with the landowner, so it is a good idea to understand where they are coming from and what you need to do to find the best one for you. After spending a modest amount of time felling trees with a chainsaw, I have grown to respect […]

Splitting Firewood with Power

Hydraulic log splitters are great tools for making your firewood production fast and efficient. However, a plan needs to be developed on how it will be used to ensure safe operation. For most of my life, I have been a maul man. I thoroughly enjoy and get much satisfaction from splitting rounds with a maul. […]

Brush piles for better wildlife habitat

Use the small branches and tops for wildlife habitat rather than firewood. It was many moons ago, that an argument took place in the woodlot that changed forever how we utilize the wood from the trees we fell. I was in my early years of tree felling and processing, and so was still taking advice […]

Stackology – The art and science of stacking firewood

It is not often that my trusty assistant (who shall remain nameless) and I get into arguments, but the stacking of split wood for drying is one place we constantly butt heads. He argues that the way they have always stacked wood has worked just fine, so why change. To which I counter that he […]

What are my Trees Worth?

There are a number of factors that play into what someone is willing to pay for the trees on your property. I just finished a series of classes for woodland owners on a variety of topics, and one topic that continued to be of interest to the participants was the value of trees. Specifically, they […]

Trees and fences and good neighbors

The ownership of trees that grow on property lines and those that fall across property lines can be contentious, but there are ways to simply and easily resolve this. I am occasionally asked questions by woodland owners that stump me. One is about trees that have fallen or were blown down onto a neighbor’s property. […]

Ode to a clearcut

Clearcutting is one of several harvesting systems utilized in the state to achieve certain goals create conditions to favor certain tree and wildlife species. When done correctly, they can maintain the long term sustainability of a forest. If you hadn’t already guessed it, I am an advocate for active forest management. And by that I […]