WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Back in Middle School, I remember making the long trip after school from New Paltz to play Monticello in soccer back in the 1990s. Before that, I never really been to that part of Sullivan County. What I do remember–and found quite intriguing–were theContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST I found this little tree growing as a seedling a couple of years ago inside my fence-in area where I’ve planted some fruit trees. It’s one of my favorites–the tulip poplar or yellow poplar tree. It’s not really a “poplar” but actually within theContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST The significance of this sign seen on State Route 30 in Margaretville wasn’t lost on me. It’s something hopefully that will be more common in the future in the Catskill Mountains and beyond in the northeast. CFA conducted its first–very small–prescribed burn a weekContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Spring sure has sprung pear trees’ flowers this season. From ornamental to fruit pears in my backyard, they’re buzzing with pollinating bees. We’ll see if this Monday’s forecast in the 20s leads to frost damage or not. May the Forest Be with You, Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST The firewood burning season is coming to an end as spring sets in. I haven’t cleaned my chimney in about 4 years since it doesn’t seem to need it annually or more from prior cleanings. Burning dry or “seasoned” wood does help. Also, well-insulatedContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST This is one of my favorite chainsaws; It’s the only Echo I have, but it weighs 5 lbs. and has a slim profile that fits well in tight spots while pruning out densely growing trees. Unfortunately, I ran into muffler issues where it justContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Getting ready to launch CFA’s first prescribed burn in Delaware County now that the Burn Plan has been approved by NYS DEC. Been testing out–with CFA’s Staff–our new fire suppression equipment. As soon as the weather gives us a window in mid-April, we’ll beContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST How cool is this apple tree? This fallen tree was grafted 6 years ago with 3 different varieties. One graft–which was the size of a pencil when it was installed–was large enough to climb into. The largest is a ‘snow’ apple. Despite the parentContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST I guess early spring has arrived. One of the weirdest or more interesting displays of courtship are seen–or rather heard–by this small guy. The American woodcock is one snowbird that overwinters near the Gulf coast. It normally returns in March to access food sourcesContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Pruned the grafted apple tree at CFA’s old office in Arkville today. It was grafted in 2014 where the cuttings or scion wood were the size of pencils. Kind of cool to be able to literally climb into this tree and prune it out.Continue Reading