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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? What it “all boils down to” after harvesting 3 does this deer season is 3 containers of rendered fat. Spent about 4 hours last week rendering deer fat. Rendering removes water–and other undesirable components–from raw fat, so that it will be cleaner, more stableContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Recently at CFA we have been “releasing” or cutting around this tree–shagbark hickory–a lot. Many of the trees cut are red and sugar maple trees. Shagbark hickory apparently not only gives edible hickory nuts for wildlife but also its “shaggy” bark is important forContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Last week I was up in a tree near Cragsmoor, Ulster County and it was blowing snow. I thought after that, my body would begin acclimating to wintry weather. However, my wife convinced me to bring the kids to Florida to my in-laws andContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Down goes this old sugar maple near Margaretville, Delaware County. I have been watching this maple tree for almost 15 years. Low crotches or tight-unions on large trees like this one are always susceptible of breaking apart since each stem/leader grows into the other.Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Probably when this hunting camp was going strong (maybe before the 1970s or so), this forest held a lot of deer. I can see remnants of old wooden tree-stands here & there. Ironically, this area in Ulster County has fewer deer than it didContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This is my favorite time of year. The weather isn’t miserably hot and things are coming to “fruition” in the form of actual fruit and moving deer. Fall is known for its spectacular colors in turning foliage. After staring for hours from my tree-standContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It happened again. I must have a magnet on me or some sort of scent that makes me attractive to black bears. For the second time–while out bow hunting for deer–a bear has curiously bee-lined his way to the tree I’m sitting in andContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Autumn olives (Elaeagnus umbellata) has a bad reputation as an “invasive species.” However, this time of year is when–I believe–it stands out for its benefits. After most fruits have already begun rotting away or dropped, autumn olive hangs on. Some individual plants are sweeterContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Just when you thought that utility poles had enough to worry about from wind, snow, and falling trees; Now this. This pole is getting its butt kicked by black bear. Apparently, both male and female bears rub their scent on “marking trees.” However, maleContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Here is one of the most under-rated fall foliage trees I know of–the sassafras tree. Although it is a smaller and shorter-lived tree than others, it makes it up in a few ways. The fragrant smell from one of its twigs and roots isContinue Reading