One cold spring morning, a turkey vulture soared across the sky and landed high in a tree behind my house. I soon noticed another vulture, most likely its mate, in a nearby oak. This one was perched…

In his work as a timber frame builder, David Bowman seeks out trees specifically suited to the structures he’s creating. He harvests from his own woodlot in western Massachusetts and from other…

As happens every spring, we received an April flood of great photos, many showing birds. In Biddeford, Maine, Paula Jean Schlax discovered a summer tanager in the process of growing in its spring…

We came across this interesting seed-like clump amid unfurling leaves along a wooded path in New Hampshire this week. What is this?

Beneath the forest canopy, or overstory, of towering trees is a second layer of vegetation known as the understory. It is composed of shrubs, saplings, and understory trees that grow in the dappled…

There’s been considerable focus in recent years on enhancing bee habitat through meadow restoration and gardening with pollinator-friendly plants. But forests are also important to many bee…

For more than a century, biologists have utilized bird banding for studying avian migration, survivorship, longevity, and reproductive success. It’s an essential tool, but one with a significant…

The largest butterfly in North America has expanded its range from the South and Midwest during the last decade and is now appearing in much of New England with regularity. The eastern giant…

When thousands of acres of oak trees across southern New England died following an outbreak of spongy moth, (Lymantria dispar, formerly known as Gypsy moth), from 2016 to 2018, a team of researchers…

The number and size of trees that can occupy a given area has been a key metric in forest management for decades. It’s vital to ensuring the health of forests and the effectiveness of policies…

The life cycles of the three species of stream salamanders native to New England – northern two-lined, northern dusky, and spring – are closely tied to the small streams where they are…

Northern Woodlands reader Ciel Setterstrom was hiking on the Nipmuck Trail in Connecticut and spotted some “fuzzy looking stuff” wedged into this tree hollow. What is it, and why is it there?

As deputy director of the Forest Stewards Guild, Amanda Mahaffey supports programs including Women Owning Woodlands, Foresters for the Birds, and the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange. Through that…

Every spring, after the last of winter’s snow has completely melted and as I start the wonderful, dirty work of turning the soil of my vegetable beds, I find myself gazing often to the…

Birds use a wonderful variety of materials and techniques to create their nests. Some nests are small and tidy, like grass baskets lined with cozy feathers. Others are large and messily blobbed with…

Northern Woodlands reader Harry Zane discovered these “strange white threads” in an oak log he was splitting. What are they?

Your March photos still included many snowy scenes, but a cheering number of spring sights as well, including spotted salamanders, trailing arbutus, osprey, and a beautiful comma butterfly. Michael…