Filed under: January 2013 | Tags: desirable trees, fluffy flakes, sugar maples
Hoss and Knight headed for the woodpile
January 6, 2013
It is snowing this morning just like in a snow globe. The big fluffy flakes are neat to look at as the fall to earth. The warmth overnight has shrunk the level of snow we had. The new accumulation is only supposed to be an inch or so. It should be a good day to work horses.
Yesterday, we found two trees that had blown over in a recent wind storm. We will try to work them up today. They are not large trees, but will make a good addition to the woodpile. We are nearing the end for this year as far as for the home stoves. I am well into my pile for the 2014 sugarhouse wood. It takes a lot of wood, but we have a good start already.
I swear, we could work every day from now until June and we would still have more to clean up in our woods. The limbs shed like hair on a big dog. I know this because King sheds faster than my wife can sweep 😮 and she is at it steady!
It will be a very long time before we will need to take down any live trees for firewood. I will, however, be making a small timber harvest just to remove some cull trees growing in the wrong spot. These cull trees are shading and stealing nutrients from some nearby sugar maples and small oaks. The culls will be removed to encourage growth of the more desirable trees.
The treetops of the cull trees will provide firewood to mix in with the shedded limbs. It makes for a good balance. The best thing is to get a year ahead of the wood you need. Then the dry, cured, stacked wood makes more heat and you actually use less wood. Being prepared pays off in many ways.
We will have fun today, of that I am sure. A little work, lots of laughter and great team of draft horses…it just doesn’t get any better than that … despite what the beer commercials would have you think 😮
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
RicelandMeadows 