Filed under: August 2020 | Tags: environmental stewardship, horse logging, timber harvest, woodland, woodland stewardship
August 23, 2020
Recently, I was involved in a tree harvest in a woodlot that I had thinned and improved over ten years ago. The light and space created by my thinning and removing undesirable trees, allowed many trees to grow like mad. This Tulip Poplar that I am standing in front of, was only 18 to 20 inches in diameter ten years ago. It is a beautiful timber tree and has reached its time for cutting.
It is a very sound and healthy tree. One of the main reasons for harvesting this tree was due to a recent clear cutting on the next door neighbor’s property. The absence of trees next door, caused these beauties to start blowing over. The selection method we used this time, was to take down the tallest, most vulnerable trees that were prone to blow over.
This was a very tall tree. In her understory were several nice hard maple saplings. The next harvest in this woodlot will be that of mostly hard maple. In the meantime, the land owner can tap those trees for maple syrup. This sort of planning, preparing and good stewardship, will make a pay day several times before the next trees need harvested.
As sad as it was to see these giants come down, the promise of sweet things to come made it worth it. Horses pulled the logs out of the woods. Directional felling protected the growing young trees and good environmental stewardship protected the streams and wetlands found in the woodlot.
I am pleased to have been part of this harvest, but even more delighted to see my earlier efforts have such a positive effect on this forest. Now, I will guide the landowner in matters of maple syrup. What a wonderful life!
Filed under: August 2020 | Tags: horse logging, horse training, Log skidding, selective cutting, timberstand improvement, woodland, worst first tree harvest
August 1, 2020
Bree, our young filly got her first haircut with the noisy clippers. She is just over 3 months old. She was not impressed by the noise, but in just a couple of minutes, she let me trim her bridle path, without even flinching. I ran the clippers all over her body so she could hear the noise and feel the vibration. I talked to her the whole time in a calm voice. She took it all in stride, knowing that no harm was in store.
Last week I spent time in a woods that I had worked in ten years ago. I did a timber stand improvement project using a worst first, crop tree release approach. This current harvest is a selective cut. We are removing large trees crowding the under story of growing trees, mostly hard maples. These bigger trees are mature and now prone to blowing over due to the next door neighbor clear cutting his forest.
We are using logging carts and even a winch cart in this open woodlot. The winch cart handles heavy, long logs with ease.
The horses enjoyed the cooler temperatures, worked steady and made it look easy!
I was very pleased to see the progression of the forest. This harvest is a big one, but in 15 years this woodlot will be ready to harvest again. Sustainable, restorative logging is the way to go. This woodlot owner also has the potential to become an Ohio maple syrup producer. He will have an outstanding sugarbush in 2 to 3 years. Just the right time frame to tap a few trees and work out the growing pains of the industry. In no time this woodlot will contain 500 plus maple taps with more coming into production every year.
If it turns out that maple syrup isn’t his, “thing”, then the hard maple lumber harvest in his future is promising too. All of the standing trees will have some clear, very desirable furniture grade lumber in them. In the meantime, he can enjoy nature, birdsong and the peace found in a woodland holding. I know I sure do!
Filed under: October 2017, Uncategorized | Tags: hickory nuts, Mother Nature, nuts, Trees, woodland
October 16,2017
Chris Pidcock asked me, “You got any big hickory nuts up by you?” I said, “yes, we have one real nice tree. The nuts are good sized and very sweet.” He told me that he would give me some nuts from a tree that his grandfather had planted, if I wanted any. Then he showed them to me. Holy Crap!!! I don’t have anything like these at home!
I made my way home from Nelsonville, Ohio with a bag of these babies on the floor of my truck. I smiled all the way to Akron! I have just the spot to plant a “Pidcock Hickory orchard” on the farm. I don’t know if I will live to eat from those trees, but hopefully my grandchildren will.
These hickory nuts are almost the size of walnuts. The meat inside is light and sweet. The hull opens easy and the nuts are pretty easy to crack, especially for a hickory nut. My son’s great grandfather on their mother’s side, used to sit and crack hickory nuts much of the winter. His wife would make sweet, yummy, hickory nut cake. I so wish I could have shared some of these awesome nuts with him.
I will be stomping these nuts into the mud over the next few days. I will however, map out a sort of grid pattern, spacing them evenly. They will not all come up. The deer will eat a few I bet. If any squirrels hear about these wonder nuts…they will be hitchhiking in from Pittsburgh just to steal some! So, I will space them carefully, but mother nature will put them how she wants them anyway. That sort of “cracks me up”!
Filed under: May 2017 | Tags: innovation, Musser Forest, Small Farming, white oak, woodland
May 19, 2017
This small seedling is a little white oak tree. I planted it in the center of the old tree that took me two years to harvest. The stump crater measures almost nine feet across. The old woodchips has composted over time, inside the hollow tree. The dirt is soft and friable. My hope is that this seedling from a nursery in Pennsylvania, grows to become a giant in its own right.
This tree, if the deer don’t eat it, the beavers don’t chew it and it doesn’t simply die, should bear acorns in about fifteen years. The forest critters will benefit from my efforts. The farm will be graced with a deciduous focal point, a stately tree standing tall on our east borderline. I take no credit for its success, but I will sure appreciate the shade and the beauty it will provide.
Spring on the farm is a very busy time. Planting has been delayed by the weather. We got a very nice surprise with a stretch of great, drying weather. I jumped at the chance to get our corn field prepared and planted. I stayed at it, worked steady and by nightfall on Wednesday, the corn was in the ground. What a relief! I used a new innovation for small farmers. I will blog about it more in day or two.
We were able to put a new roof on our house. The old roof hadn’t started leaking, but I didn’t want to have to install a new roof on a fixed income after I retire. It was a little planning, a lot of saving, but worth every penny!
So today I am a bit under the weather, but at the same time, very satisfied with the accomplishments of the last few days.
Filed under: March 2017 | Tags: draft horses, habitat, maple, Maplesyrup season, tapping maple trees, woodland
March 9, 2017
After a very short season, we have the trees untapped. We had to dump full bags of maple sap. The bags were full but the quality was not good. The trees have budded, so the sap has an “off” flavor. I would rather dump it on the ground than make “buddy” syrup. It has a strong offensive taste. I can sell it to a few buyers who use it for pipe tobacco and animal feed, but the price they pay is low. It is so low, that I would be better off selling the firewood it would take to boil the sap. I would get more for the firewood, than I would the maple syrup.
Thanks to the horses and several guys we untapped in a matter of a few hours. It is a great job to have behind us. It has been a funny year. It has been very warm. It was a very early maple season and very short. We did make a good amount, but were hoping to make more than we did. I will get everything cleaned and put away, then wait patiently for next year. It pays to be a Cleveland Browns fan…..there is always next year!
It was a beautiful day to be in the woods. Yesterday, we had high winds that blew at speeds of 50 mph. There are several trees uprooted. The forest floor is littered with down and dead limbs. The whole woodlot could use a good cleaning. I will salvage what I can for lumber and firewood. I will build some nice brush piles for woodland creature habitat and I will burn some of the slash. The old, mostly rotted wood, I will push into piles to finish rotting to enrich the forest. This is one job that I will never complete, but I refuse to stop working at it.
Filed under: September 2016 | Tags: beef cows, deer plot, draft horses, memories, Small Farming, woodland
September 2, 2016
Last night, my grandson helped us do chores. He likes to ride with his grammy in our side-by-side vehicle, so why not do chores as we go? We fed the sow herd and pastured piglets. Then we moved on to fill up the cows water. He wanted to be with me, so I help him as the cows came to investigate.
The little cow Mable is very tame. She stood while we petted and talked to her. My little buddy talked a blue streak of what only he and the cow could understand. I got the idea though that he likes the farm, the cows and especially the horses. He had no trouble telling the little cow all about it.
I realize that for this farm to continue, it will take the generations after me to be interested. Its nice to me, that my grandsons all like different parts of what I do. Some like the farming part, while others like the environmental and woodland part. It is great for me, because I can spend time doing what I like, while spending time doing what they like.
Hopefully, we are making memories that will serve them their whole lives.I don’t know their direction, but I sure hope that I will have a part in shaping it. I’m thinking that with time spent petting cows and making deer feed plots…I’m on the right track.
RicelandMeadows 