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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FORE Found some relict American chestnut trees last week while hiking on the Shawangunk Ridge. Due to a legacy of human-caused burning on the ridge, American chestnuts aren’t uncommon there. Like oak, American chestnut has vigorous roots that resprout readily after being top-killed from cutting,Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FORE Last week I was cutting some trees down for a member near the house when I almost walked over this little guy recently “dropped” from his mother. Didn’t see the mother nearby, but I’m guessing she’s downwind of me and using her amazing senseContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FORE Last week, I got a chance to burn again at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Burning occurs there to maintain pyrogenic habitat conducive for preserving the Karner blue butterfly. About 30 people were there to burn about 30 acres. Maybe someday, we’ll burn someContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This hemlock refuses to die. I was out treating some hemlocks for hemlock woolly adelgid and found this cool stump, healing over. This obviously dead hemlock had been cut down a few years back. I assume its roots are grafted to neighboring hemlocks stillContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? One of my favorite flowers is that of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Some have been devastated from dogwood anthracnose, a disease that has wreaked havoc on this small-statured tree. Many can still be seen lining forest edges in the lower elevations of the Catskills.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? April 24th marked our first outdoor cookout as temperatures approached 80 degrees in central Ulster County. Peach, ornamental cherry, and pear flowers are popping, grass and kids are growing like weeds too. It’s nice to see the green permeate the lawn and forest afterContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Saw something funny while driving around the Upper Beaverkill a few weeks ago. Now that’s one pinched chainsaw. I’m no antique chainsaw expert, but that looks like a saw prior to the 1980s or so. It’s also stuck about 10 feet from the ground.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? 2025 Maple season is a wrap. I finished with about 6.75 gallons from 17 taps or 0.39 gallons of syrup/tap. My average is somewhere around 0.45, so this year is slightly below average. The season was pretty short, but furiously busy during one week.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I learned this simple technique from Jim Waters–former Executive Director of CFA–back in 2007. It works great to make simple bookends for your firewood pile. Just use line or rope and tie from upright pallet on the side and then to the bottom pallet.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Sometimes it can be so frustrating to keep trees alive and vigorous, no matter how careful we are. Other times, trees seem to stay alive despite gross negligence. This eastern redcedar tree–growing on private property near my house–refuses to die, despite this cable wrappedContinue Reading