UW-Madison Extension Forestry
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to see it, does it make a mess? On a recent trip to my in-laws, I took a walk with my dog in their woodlot. It was a crisp fall day and the wind whistled through the open under-story. Most of the leaves had […]
One of the joys of walking in the woods with a toddler is moving slowly enough to appreciate the little things. I like to walk with my 2-year-old daughter at a State Natural Area (SNA) near our home. She’s got a different perspective from me, due both to her size and her relationship with the […]
While taking a family walk on Mother’s Day, my wife pointed out a female Baltimore Oriole in its yellow plumage. My sister-in-law, who could not ID the bird, was impressed. She sighed, ‘I wish I knew birds…’ Her comment got me thinking. How did we learn about birds and what tips would I share with […]
Creating an opening in your woods to attract wildlife isn’t difficult if you build it right and maintain it. My wife truly enjoys seeing wildlife on our property and at the old homestead. And we do quite a bit to get a variety of wildlife to visit and stay on our land; from creating brush […]
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 […]
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 […]