WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Looking at the weather forecast in central Ulster County and the high & low temps are looking like great maple sugaring weather (if it was February or March). The problem is that it’s November! Some people–believe it or not–haven’t been able to wait thatContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Fall foliage is pretty much done in central Ulster County barring some oak trees. A couple of weeks ago I snapped this photo of a sassafras tree. Normally they seem to turn a brilliant gold, showing up any sugar maple tree. However, this year,Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Maple trees–red and sugar–are beautiful; They give us those brilliant red and golds. However, maple seems more finicky and sensitive to wind and rain and loses its leaves after a storm. Oaks aren’t as bright, but beautiful in their own rite. White oak hasContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Went to a member’s property the other day above Fleischmanns, Delaware County to check on their apple trees and saw this sugar maple. I had to go back to the truck & get my diameter tape. The tree measured 58.5″ in diameter at breastContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It seems both Mr. Heron & I were after the same thing, the little brown trout. Dinosaurs may be extinct, but I imagine the blue heron seems pretty “Tyrannosaurus Rex-like” when it hovers its crane-like neck and beak over the stream. It’s long, narrowContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Remember playing in leaves as a kid? I haven’t thought about it much until I came back to pick up my kids and found one of my daughters (Maple Amber) hidden among the maple leaves. Fall is here! May the forest be with you, Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? When I first moved to our house in Samsonville in 2012, I thought about cutting this red maple tree. It is stunted looking and it’s form is “okay.” However, I can’t think of a red maple with better foliage; It’s always a brilliant redContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? If you’re not familiar with this tree, you might want to; It’s pawpaw. They make large banana custard-like fruit. What’s just as good is that deer don’t seem to browse the foliage for some reason. The pawpaws I see contain leaves down to theContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Sometimes I get called in to a member’s property to assess whether a tree is hazardous to property and people. This one I saw near Woodridge, Sullivan County & had to turn around and snap a photo. I’d say there’s some slight side-lean toContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I am constantly amazed at how difficult it can be to plant and establish a young apple tree and yet, once established, how tough these trees can be. I snapped a photo of this apple that just refused to quit near Monticello, Sullivan CountyContinue Reading