Climate models predict that certain tree species will likely migrate northward in the coming century. But two studies led by researchers from the National Park Service and the University of Maine…

With much of the forest’s output subject to commodity pricing, survival for mechanized loggers depends on the efficiency and economics of big machines. Justin Lathrop is the machine guy at his…

“I captured this image of a heron at sunrise from my kayak in northern New Hampshire,” said photographer Chris Mazzarella. “I used my 70-200mm f2.8 lens to create an exaggerated…

British soldier lichens are among the first wild things I remember being able to identify as a child. I loved spotting this lichen during forays into the woods – on a giant boulder or atop a…

Burlwood is sought after by wood connoisseurs for its potent colors, swirls, and textures. It is rare to find and impossible to propagate. I often quip that if anyone finds a burl they should…

I fall in love easy. I’ve been mad about river otters and star-nosed moles, and of course the venomous short-tailed shrew. But my first love was a creature that is almost mythical, a shadow…

What caused the growths and dead needles on these branches?

Nate McKeen, forestry district manager at Vermont’s Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR), recently reached out to us with a request to share a job posting. We were happy to oblige,…

Your October photographs included late-season caterpillars, a gathering of moose, and quiet waterside scenes. Brook trout spawned, a great egret snacked, and a slug gave a mushroom a hug. We’re…

Woolly bear caterpillars seem to be everywhere these days – creeping across the lawn, along the road when I’m walking the dog, hidden in the wilted cut-back of the perennial garden. Last…

Last year, I showed up to work on October 31 in one of my old park ranger’s uniforms, torn to fake-bloody shreds in an imaginary bear attack. One year earlier, I drank smoothies for breakfast,…

What caused this branch to break from the canopy of the tree above?

Our annual Northern Woodlands Conference, held this past weekend, was a gathering of old friends and new, and an opportunity to meet with a fascinating mashup of great speakers. In lieu of the usual…

Tom Thomson shared these painterly images of hobblebush in fall color. He took these photos high on Mount Cube in Orford, New Hampshire, where he and his wife Sheila manage their land for both timber…

Years ago, when I was on the Yale campus for a half-year teaching gig, my colleague Yajie Song called and asked, “How’d you like to go to China?” My immediate response was,…

The group of fungi known as stinkhorns are aptly named, as their foul odor is easy to detect. All stinkhorns first appear as egg-shaped structures that can be up to two inches high. When the eggs…

Turning acorns, walnuts, wild rice, and other autumn staples into food requires time, tools, and expertise. For weekend foragers used to picking berries and greens, this labor can make autumn foraging…

On spring evenings, just before dark, I used to hear a faint drumroll coming from somewhere off in the wooded hills. It sounded to me like an old tractor starting up, although it seemed like an odd…

Where I live, autumn typically starts in late August, when pockets of red maples start to turn scarlet around the marshes and lakes. Uh oh. As they say in Westeros, “winter is coming.” But…

Is this a topping of black pepper on the hophornbeam (also known as hardhack) leaves, or something else? There’s a hint in the photo.