Crown gall, the common name for Agrobacterium tumefaciens, is one of the most famous plant diseases in the world. This bacterium can cause galls in more than 600 plant species, some of which are…

While chainsaws have evolved over several decades to become safer, there is no mechanical solution to the problem of fatigue. Since fatigue is a major contributor to chainsaw accidents, an operator…

Two winters past a pair of Carolina wrens frequented our bird feeder. The male greeted the dawn with an ebullient “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle.”  After sunset, the intrepid…

Over the years in Northern Woodlands, we have revisited the subject of “selective cutting.” When loggers advertise their services, they often use the phrase, selective harvesting or…

My third-floor office window overlooks a hillside a quarter-mile south that rises steeply into Montpelier’s Hubbard Park. The slope, steep enough to discourage buildings but not trees, supports…

What could be better than helping a child find delight in the natural world? Here are three books that can make that happen. Eggs, by Marilyn Singer, illustrations by Emma Stevenson, is an outstanding…

Those white paint-like bands across the bark are lichens, and they are as normal and natural a part of healthy forests as are warblers. There are several others present on this tree and throughout the…

Snow: Love it if you ski, but hate it if you have a long driveway. I happen to cross-country ski and like lots of snow, and so far, two weeks into the new winter, I have few complaints. Maybe it will…

Let’s say you’re a rational, educated person with an appreciation for nature’s ways. The summer you were 12, you went to Camp Hi-Dee-Ho, where you were introduced to the forest by…

While browsing a newspaper recently, I was encouraged to read the headline: “State moves to regulate ‘captive hunting.’” It detailed the fact that after 10 years of debate, the…

Happy New Year from Northern Woodlands!

Written by award-winning science journalist Alan Weisman, The World Without Us is an imaginative blend of science and fiction. One early reviewer dubbed it “an audacious intellectual…

The other day I noticed snow fleas dusting new snow around a maple trunk. These minuscule creatures — broadly known as springtails — are out early this year, and I didn’t hear them…

A non-profit group in the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Council, is making it possible for ordinary folks to do something proactive about global warming. For a minimum of $25, you can purchase a tiny…

They are essentially introverts, yet they hunt and feed and breed in plain view in our own backyards. They can be ruthless predators, merciless vandals, or unwitting comediennes. Sure, they’re…

The dog and I have a fairly regular loop we walk. From the dooryard, we head uphill – in winter, that means we first scramble over the hard-packed snowbank at the edge of the driveway –…

Wild swings in the price of home heating oil and propane have caused many residents of Vermont and New Hampshire to dust off and fire up their old woodstoves. Those who have looked into buying a new…

Our Autumn 2008 issue features a beautiful photo essay on our forest friends building their food reserves for winter called “Harvesting in a Time of Plenty”. Our website now boasts a…

Wood is looking good these days when it comes to home heating. The supply is local, the price is relatively stable (at least compared to oil), and the carbon in wood does not contribute to climate…

With patches of snow on the ground and wood smoke drifting in the air, late-autumn changes are everywhere. Many species of birds have left for southern warmth; weasels and hares have put on winter…