Brrrr, I am shivering as I sit down to write this month’s blog post. Many kudos to you who have headed out in your woods these last few days. My skis and snow shoes are beckoning me, and I see some 20’s and 30’s on the horizon, so may have my chance soon. For those […]
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An old man’s love of his woods
The practical uses for a woodlot don’t have to conflict with the aesthetic values a forest provides. I have some really good memories working in the woods with my wife’s grandfather. Arnold was a retired farmer who was still gardening and harvesting trees for firewood when I first met him. For the next twenty years, […]
Tracking changes to your trees and woods: Seeing the forest through the trees
This post is the third in a series about watching your trees grow over time. In our first post, we talked about how to identify trees . In the second post, we talked about measuring individual trees , including diameter, height and site index. It’s time to look at your woods as a whole, by […]
What the kids want
Figuring out what your kids would like to get out of your woodland is the first step in getting them passionate about it. My sister and her husband purchased some forested property in Vernon County a few years ago, and would spend most of their time there if they could. They were originally looking for […]
Tracking changes to your trees and woods: Measuring growth
In previous posts, we recommended that landowners get out into their woods to keep an eye on any changes that might be taking place, whether that be changes to the health of your trees or boundary problems. We also suggested you keep track of physical changes to your trees by watching them grow and change […]
Dealing with storm damaged trees
Often a storm will leave a tangled mess of trees that require patience and special attention to clear safely and efficiently. A while ago I wrote an article about my efforts to process three trees that had fallen into a pile following a windstorm. This past summer, a storm swept through the area that caused […]
Safely felling problem trees
There are some simple things you can do get hung-up trees on the ground safely and efficiently. A family project in the woods can be a great opportunity to reconnect with relatives you haven’t seen in a while, and get a good deal of work done. A recent work day at a family property was […]
Tree identification: terms you should know
In last month’s blog post, we introduced a few ways you can track changes in your woods. Knowing which trees were, are, and will be part of your woods is one way to watch it grow over time. When I was a student in my forestry program, Professor Guries would test our tree identification skills […]
Tracking changes to your trees and woods
In previous posts, we recommended that landowners get out into their woods to keep an eye on any changes that might be taking place, whether that be changes to the health of your trees or boundary problems. You can also keep track of physical changes to your trees by watching them grow and change over […]