Droppin' Wood

Close-up of moss on a granite boulder.

'Twas another day of felling fuelwood trees marked for death.

How do I decide which tree's 'gottago'? I look up in the canopy to see which trees have a healthy, dominant crown of branches - they stay. They'll improve with room to grow more leaves and have less ground competition for vital nutrients and moisture.

Taking out overtopped trees helps prevent mass tree deaths due to insufficient ground water in dry years. Deerwood has lost many otherwise healthy trees in years past because there are more trees in the woodlot than annual rain falls often support.

The result, hopefully, is fewer, healthier trees which are able to survive dry years, grow into open spaces, and seed future generations.

So please, understand why I cut down trees!

Sap's flowing inside this soon to be ex-sugar maple.

Notice the pool of maple sap collecting on
the stump five minutes after the cut. Sap flows when
it's above freezing during the day and below freezing at night.

Puddle Jumping

Pulaski Axe and Co.

After a very rainy night, I spent the day doing long overdue sustainable irrigation of some woodland seeps.

Every year wind-thrown trees and fallen leaves choke up the flow of water pooling. And then there's...The Beaver Clan.

Leave the standing trees to drown? Not on my watch, babe.

Oh, and if Beaver Clan play their games, I can play mine.

Sketches of clan members from Fort Beaver.
Note small drawing of huge Fort Beaver in the
background as clan members guard the frontier.