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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Yellow birch is an interesting tree. For me, it’s the ability to metamorphosize bark over time. When it’s young, the bark appears a shiny, papery gold. An old tree’s bark resembles that of a black cherry, kind of like burnt potato chips, but completelyContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Paul Misko recently installed this beautiful black cherry slab for CFA’s lobby in the new office. The board came from a cherry tree in Woodland Valley, Ulster County. Notice how the tree’s rings are growing fast near the middle when it was younger andContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This photo was taken back in 2023 on one of my favorite streams. It’s located in one of the most remote areas of the Catskills, yet it’s highly infected with hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA); A devastating insect brought into the US sometime in theContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Just planted this little shrub last fall. It’s a goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora) and bearing large amounts of fruit already. I’m a fan of autumn olive–a cousin of goumi–but others consider autumn olive and other Elaeagnus plants (i.e. Russian olive) to be invasive. Goumi apparentlyContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Found some relict American chestnut trees last week while hiking on the Shawangunk Ridge. Due to a legacy of human-caused burning on the ridge, American chestnuts aren’t uncommon there. Like oak, American chestnut has vigorous roots that resprout readily after being top-killed from cutting,Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Last week I was cutting some trees down for a member near the house when I almost walked over this little guy recently “dropped” from his mother. Didn’t see the mother nearby, but I’m guessing she’s downwind of me and using her amazing senseContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Last week, I got a chance to burn again at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Burning occurs there to maintain pyrogenic habitat conducive for preserving the Karner blue butterfly. About 30 people were there to burn about 30 acres. Maybe someday, we’ll burn someContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This hemlock refuses to die. I was out treating some hemlocks for hemlock woolly adelgid and found this cool stump, healing over. This obviously dead hemlock had been cut down a few years back. I assume its roots are grafted to neighboring hemlocks stillContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? One of my favorite flowers is that of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Some have been devastated from dogwood anthracnose, a disease that has wreaked havoc on this small-statured tree. Many can still be seen lining forest edges in the lower elevations of the Catskills.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? April 24th marked our first outdoor cookout as temperatures approached 80 degrees in central Ulster County. Peach, ornamental cherry, and pear flowers are popping, grass and kids are growing like weeds too. It’s nice to see the green permeate the lawn and forest afterContinue Reading