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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? My wife and I just finished this “Indiana Jones” hat. This leather was hemlock-tanned from a deer taken 2 years ago. I do the tanning process on the deer, taking it from blood and guts to leather. She does the sewing which takes quiteContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This is apparently a lithograph of the hamlet of Samsonville, Ulster County in 1855 which Historian Harry Haring said was “the most important town in the entire Catskills” in its heyday. The largest employer was Henry Samson’s tannery that employed over 70 men! HeContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This map shows states with Prescribed Fire Councils (PFC). Forming a PFC is one step a state can make to bring “good” fire back to field and forest to meet a variety of goals (i.e. ecological, safety, wildlife, forest health, etc.). It’s also aContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Never tried this before. This year will be the first year I’ll be hanging my deer for at least a week–with the hide off–in a walk-in cooler at around 36 degrees to improve tenderness and taste. I’m curious about the results. If it doesContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Old “crop walls.” Find a lot of these in the woods while hunting. Instead of neatly squared off rock walls that were probably used to fence in livestock, these walls were just thrown together after plowing. Sometimes they are really wide and sometimes lookContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This was certainly a historical find. One of our members in Otsego County has existing on his property, perhaps the last pile of hemlock bark leftover from the barkpeeling days of the 19th Century. Hemlock bark was used to extract tannins to make leatherContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Found this large red oak recently while bowhunting in Ulster County. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but it was probably around 45″ in diameter at breast height. Even more impressive was the health of its crown; It didn’t seem to be slowing downContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Finally got out to bowhunt without swatting flies or sweating too much. Leaves are still on in most places, restricting sight of deer movement. Soon enough, those leaves will fall, leaves will crunch-up, and bucks will become frisky enough to move does around. EarlyContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Got a chance to do some metal detecting beneath a canopy of mature trees. Hidden beneath leaves and a century of accumulating soil, I found what appears to be an old scythe and cooking pan. Hard to believe that this extremely remote and “wild”Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? After 10 years, CFA’s grafted apple tree in the front yard has grown from a pencil to this year bearing almost 15 gallons of cider. Last Saturday, CFA demonstrated making apple cider.  May the Forest Be with You,     Ryan Trapani Director ofContinue Reading