WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? If you want to add some variety to your established apple trees, you can by “top-working” or grafting other varieties on to them. However, now is the time–during the growing season–that “scionwood” is gathered for future spring grafting. Scionwood are last summer’s growth thatContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Alright, so the Christmas tree came down on New Year’s Eve, now that Santa is all finished this year. Our tree was a balsam fir, and I love the smell of those needles. At the same time, I’m in the process of making hand-soapContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Eastern red cedar is actually not a “true cedar.” It’s a juniper. It seems this tree is full of misnomers. It also grows blue “fruits” that apparently take 3 years to grow. Since this tree is a conifer or evergreen tree, the berries aren’tContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? There is something comforting about the sight or smell of wood-smoke outside, or the glow of embers from a woodstove inside. No matter the weather outside; whether it be a nor’easter winter snow-storm or a frigid arctic blast settling in at night, the woodstoveContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Saw 2 of these little guys while deer hunting recently; One was near a stream and the other by a marsh. It’s the mink. I remember while camped out and lounging along one stream a few summers ago, I watched one of these littleContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It’s that time of year again–Christmas. We got another nice fir tree for the living room from Bell’s Christmas Tree Farm near Kerhonkson, Ulster County. I counted the rings, and this tree was 9 years old. Good things take time I guess. Besides time,Continue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? The view from “my office” (or campsite) when I was an Assistant Forest Ranger in 2004, 2005 on Giant Ledge. I got a chance to take a quick hike up there last week. I’ve stayed away from Giant Ledge for awhile, since I spentContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I’ve been looking at this oak tree for 35 years. The first time I can consciously say I was aware of its presence was as a Kindergartner’s pressed face against a yellow school bus’s glass window. I remember staring out the window as theContinue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? CFA’s Forest Program Manager was on a member’s property near the Rondout Creek in Ulster County when a bald eagle dropped off and stashed this animal’s hide in a nearby tree. If you zoom in, you can see that it is a deer hide.Continue Reading

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Over the weekend, especially if you were over about 1,700 feet in elevation, parts of the Catskills saw their first snow. I was over near Claryville by the Red Hill Firepower when I ran into a few inches. Temperatures seemed to climb down inContinue Reading