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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Now is the best time to find white and red mulberries, especially in the Hudson Valley. Kingston seems to be a hot spot for finding wild ones. My favorites are some of the white ones that are actually “white” when ripe. They taste kindContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Shortly after Memorial Day or so & into August marks the best time to peel bark from hemlock trees. Hemlock bark was traditionally used in the Catskills–and many parts of the eastern US–for making tanning liquor from. Bark is grinded up and water addedContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Last week I had about an hour to kill before sunset and didn’t feel like going for a walk. Instead, I grabbed my camera, climbing line, and harness and found the tallest nearby tree in order to snatch a photo of the sun settingContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Well, it’s at the point now with this tree–white ash–that in some areas, the only ones alive are the few we chemically inject to kill the larvae of the emerald ash borer. June is a full month spent “saving” ash trees via CFA’s TREEContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It’s not perfect, but if you’re looking for an all-around pesticide to apply to your apple trees, perhaps Surround WP might work. Surround is mostly kaolin clay and is far less toxic than other pesticides. It forms a barrier or film that protects theContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I mostly plant fruit trees around the house. People are often surprised that I don’t grow vegetables. The fruit trees, chickens, chasing deer, and tapping maple trees are enough. Besides, the forest has some good vegetables already growing in it. Trout lilies are oneContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? More charcoal. While walking off-trail near Cross Mountain, I came across some charcoal hidden on the forest floor. Another place that must have experienced fire in its past. Charcoal doesn’t really breakdown & will be there for a long time. Often these tiny littleContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? At CFA, we often install owl boxes for members. We can’t guarantee tenants since these animals are unpredictable. Also, most forests have plenty of competition for rentable rooms inside large, decayed spaces of dying trees. Still, these boxes offer one way to attract owlsContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? The apple tree pruning season is now far in the rear-view mirror, but I came across this photo taken on the last day of pruning somewhere near Margaretville. Pretty cool tree to leave off on. The photo doesn’t really do it justice, but thisContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I like fishing most for brook trout in small, remote mountain streams. Often, these streams dead-end at the head of a hollow in a beaver meadow, miles from the nearest beaver encampment. I wondered if I’d ever see a beaver in transit or commutingContinue Reading