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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Another fire set on private land in New York State. This one was in Dutchess County to improve wildlife habitat & learn about fire behavior. Thank you to Zach Prusak of Tall Timbers who came up from Florida to show us how it’s done.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, Ulster County surely is a blast from the past. It’s the last of the 19th century mountain houses that were once popular throughout the Catskills (and Shawangunks). The Shawangunk Ridge was “the mountain” that I grew up lookingContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Storm damage. This red maple split last week when that nor’easter made its way into the area. These large tight crotches–where 2 leaders or trunks come together–are normally where trees “fail” or tear apart. If this tree was pruned to 1 central leader whenContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST When I first moved to my current house in 2012, I cut out all the poor-quality trees surrounding the property line. I left behind this kind of sorry looking red maple. It wasn’t harming anything since it isn’t too tall. It’s multi-stemmed or extremelyContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Sometimes this tree can be confused–when the leaves fall off–with oak; Its bark is similar when it reaches old age. But it’s really big-tooth aspen or as some might call it, “poplar.” If you see it growing in a mature forest, it can beContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Recently was looking for that special, long-lived perennial forest herb–American ginseng. It likes to hide. The section of forest I was in was looking so “shangy” that I thought it would be easier to find, but it rarely is. This plant was hiding besideContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Well, as many of you are aware, we’ve been getting some rain lately. And with all that rain brings mushrooms. Is this the biggest giant puffball you’ve ever seen? I know it’s the largest one I have. Kris McShane found this puffball in NewContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST White pine makes the “naughty list” when it comes to trees near your home. This large tree has a beautiful crown that often sticks above the surrounding crowns of neighboring trees. While this is beautiful out in the forest or in a field, thisContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST Last year wasn’t the best season for finding mushrooms; Seemed pretty dry. Over the last week, it has rained quite a bit and brought out more mushrooms than I can remember. The mushroom I’m holding in this photo is golden chanterelle; It’s my favoriteContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST One of the tallest trees in the eastern US is this tree–the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides). Normally this tree is found in the larger valleys or floodplains of the northeast like the Hudson River Valley. This cottonwood was found by its lonesome on aContinue Reading