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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Sometimes I’m asked about which fruit tree to select for planting; The follow-up question is often about how long it will take to bear fruit. Often it might be 5 to 10 years. For some, this is too long, “I’ll be dead by then.”Continue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Spring has sprung and with it the bark of some trees is beginning to loosen up. Last week, I took the bark off a chestnut oak and ran it through the chipper. The bark will be used to make a “tea” or “liquor” forContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I have found both evidence of and presently living beavers far upstream in some mountain hollow or bowl, far isolated from the next beaver lodge. I always wondered how they knew a good spot existed far above them. How brave they must be toContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? My first case of “dumpster-diving” in the Catskills. I have witnessed deer on the eastern slope of the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County (Town of Gardiner) browsing Norway spruce trees one other time. The needles of Norway spruce are extremely prickly and deer stayContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I can’t speak for what works for others. But, in times like these I appreciate even more the forest that surrounds us and can be leaned upon. I can still make maple syrup, cut firewood to stay warm, and improve habitat in the summerContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Yes, I see plenty of deer out there, but this was a first, especially considering where it occurred. I was hiking over near Kelly Hollow when I saw a deer about 40 yards ahead of me on the trail. I figured since the windContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Earlier this winter I had to cut down a hazardous sugar maple at someone’s property near Margaretville. The tree was part of an old sugarbush that I knew had been tapped for many decades. When sawing up the tree into “cookies” it revealed aContinue Reading

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Ideas for Dealing with Coronavirus   Remembering that all CFA members have the same thing in common leads me to put out this note as a way of dealing with the day-to-day humdrum.  With today being the first day where there was no coffee break at the Bun ’n ConeContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I pass by these two old apple trees on the way to work most mornings. You can see from the photos that the branch-union on the right side  of both trees had failed and half to one-third the tree is now mortally wounded. IfContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Just got back from a training near Boston at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum. I had some time before the class to walk around. If you like seeing different trees, this is the place. I couldn’t cover the entire arboretum since it’s 281 acres. TheContinue Reading