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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Been busy gathering scion-wood for apple tree grafting coming up this spring. A scion is taken from a desirable apple tree and grafted onto another apple tree (or rootstock). I was fortunate enough to be able to gather from Schoonmakers Farm near Accord, Ulster County. The Schoonmakers are 12thContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Been out cutting a lot of trees recently for habitat management purposes. On one member’s property we were “day-lighting” the white oak & cutting the nearby bitternut hickory trees. These trees were less than 24″ in diameter. After cutting one down, it aged outContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I’ve been boiling quite consistently over the last week until yesterday. After 3 consecutive nights where temperatures remained above freezing, the trees finally quit (sap stopped running). Now, I’m just waiting for another freeze and a warm day. It’s pretty unusual to have suchContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? The winter months have had me working in the woods, harvesting ash trees in my spare time. The Emerald Ash Borer is just over the hill from these trees and they wont be around to harvest much longer. The CFA can aid you inContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? The maple season has begun for me in central Ulster County due to the mild January weather. I collected sap last night & gathered about 1 gallon of sap per tap. Sugar content was 2.5%; that translates into 33.4 gallons of sap to makeContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Spent some of my weekend renovating some old apple trees near Woodstock. This tree was probably pruned by someone 10 plus years ago. The “tree rings” on each sucker removed were about 10 years or more; it’s amazing how much growth these trees canContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Didn’t get a chance to make it into the woods much lately. Instead, the recent snowfall found me shoveling snow & splitting some wood. As you might already know, splitting wood can be quite easier (sometimes) after wood fibers have frozen. The wood “wants”Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Last night’s rain & today’s mild temperatures sure are taking care of any snow hidden here & there. Temperatures are relatively mild going forward into the 10-Day forecast too; almost resembling maple sugaring weather, especially if you’re lower in elevation near the larger valleys.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This morning found me thinking about rural odors; odors that I have to come to like (or always have). For instance, I happen to love the smell of manure; it reminds me that active agriculture is going on. This morning found me taking inContinue Reading