WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? One of our members emailed this photo to us yesterday morning. It appears to be a bobcat “thinking” about going after a deer. Not sure whether the deer is concerned or not in the next frame. Bobcats are all around, yet they are rarelyContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Soap that’s “from the forest.” Just got done mixing some deer fat (about 37 oz.), coconut oil, olive oil, balsam oil, and lye in order to make some soap. We’ll see how it comes out this time around. Deer fat isn’t known to beContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? If you want to add some variety to your established apple trees, you can by “top-working” or grafting other varieties on to them. However, now is the time–during the growing season–that “scionwood” is gathered for future spring grafting. Scionwood are last summer’s growth thatContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Alright, so the Christmas tree came down on New Year’s Eve, now that Santa is all finished this year. Our tree was a balsam fir, and I love the smell of those needles. At the same time, I’m in the process of making hand-soapContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Eastern red cedar is actually not a “true cedar.” It’s a juniper. It seems this tree is full of misnomers. It also grows blue “fruits” that apparently take 3 years to grow. Since this tree is a conifer or evergreen tree, the berries aren’tContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? There is something comforting about the sight or smell of wood-smoke outside, or the glow of embers from a woodstove inside. No matter the weather outside; whether it be a nor’easter winter snow-storm or a frigid arctic blast settling in at night, the woodstoveContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Saw 2 of these little guys while deer hunting recently; One was near a stream and the other by a marsh. It’s the mink. I remember while camped out and lounging along one stream a few summers ago, I watched one of these littleContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It’s that time of year again–Christmas. We got another nice fir tree for the living room from Bell’s Christmas Tree Farm near Kerhonkson, Ulster County. I counted the rings, and this tree was 9 years old. Good things take time I guess. Besides time,Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? The view from “my office” (or campsite) when I was an Assistant Forest Ranger in 2004, 2005 on Giant Ledge. I got a chance to take a quick hike up there last week. I’ve stayed away from Giant Ledge for awhile, since I spentContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I’ve been looking at this oak tree for 35 years. The first time I can consciously say I was aware of its presence was as a Kindergartner’s pressed face against a yellow school bus’s glass window. I remember staring out the window as theContinue Reading