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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? This hide was hemlock tanned from a deer I got 2 years ago. I cut out the patterns and punched the holes for my wife to sew into a fanny pack. I have to say, she did more work on this project than IContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? And the winner for the most effective chainsaw for pruning apple trees is the Echo 2511T. This is the lightest gas-powered chainsaw on the market. I’ve always used Husqvarna & Stihl, & looked down on Echo, until now. This thing is so light, it’sContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Found some more cairns on a winter walk last weekend. These were above an old field that has grown into mature forest on state forest preserve land. You have to respect the ambition of these humans that moved all these rocks. Also found aContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It’s common to find remnants of prior “work” from a much more gnarly pruner up in an old apple tree. You can always tell when a black bear has been in one. He sits in one spot and feeds the fruitful branches to hisContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Went for a walk on NYS Forest Preserve Land last week in the snow. Found some of these cairns near the head of a hollow about half-way up the ridge from a stream. It seems these cairns are a topic of dispute or discussionContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? We do quite a bit of apple tree from pruning (everyday) from early January into April. The bulk of this pruning occurs on older trees which is done with a simple, Silky handsaw. I now use their smallest blade which measures 8.3 inches. AContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? My prediction that this winter would be cold and snowy has been drastically wrong. Although this January and February were more like March, perhaps March & April will be more like a typical January. Who knows. This photo was from maple sugaring season inContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I mentioned before that January 2nd was the earliest I’ve ever tapped trees. It would then make sense that February 10th is the earliest I’ve ever “pulled” or taken down my buckets. Once you tap that tree–and if the weather remains good for sap-flow–thenContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Working outside–or in this case–pruning & climbing apple trees demands careful attention to staying warm. Good gloves and the right number of layers must be balanced with the ability to remain free-to-move. I find that working in winter while temperatures are in the mid-20sContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Last week I got to experience “sap snow.” This is an unusual phenomenon where snow is falling above freezing (mid-30s), and maple sap is running fast into the buckets. As you might imagine, snow normally requires freezing or below temperatures, while sap demands freezingContinue Reading