Walking through the woods on a crisp December day, I spotted a flash of green amongst the rocks, snaking up through the snow. Greenery in a forest full of gray and white is a treat, and so I stooped…

The blast of a gunshot: a deep bass roar she feels in her chest, followed by a treble ringing in her ears. The buck drops. The hunter remains in her crouch, watching the animal’s last breaths…

Nancy’s background in design, library science, and education lends well to her role as advertising ace, information curator, and community outreach champion. She has lived in the Upper Valley…

Found in the woods: This piece of metal is a portion (maybe one-fifth) of a longer object that was a crucial part of an old piece of equipment. What is it?

In winter, raccoons will sometimes take on roommates. Shared space means shared body heat, and avoiding conflict over desirable real estate. Porcupines may also spend time together in winter dens,…

Beechdrops are dainty little plants, and easy to overlook in summer. This time of year, their forms stand out against fresh snow. Their relationship with the American beech is parasitic, they make…

Have you ever found a freshwater mussel in the shallows of a New England lake or pond? They seem so secretive, pressed closed in their dark shells, their soft bodies hidden from view – so often…

Michael R. Canfield’s Theodore Roosevelt in the Field is not so much about Roosevelt’s conservation policies or his presidency as it is about the growth and evolution of Roosevelt’s…

Editor's Note, a Farewell by Dave Mance III; Where Do Forest Birds Go in Winter?; Musings of a Firewood Aficionado by Joe Rankin; A Fish of Legend: New England’s Arctic Char by John…

I was sitting 20 feet high in a thick red oak, the forest floor spread out below me. My lofty perch afforded a view not available to a ground dweller. From the ground, brown brush, thick and tangled,…

“Consider all this; and then turn to the green, gentle, and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself?”…

One of my favorite things about writing for Northern Woodlands is that I get to meet so many folks who are incredibly passionate about forestry and equally “woods smart.” Al Robertson of…

Red squirrels store food in the ground that they can access whenever they need it. When they die, the squirrels typically leave large quantities of uneaten food behind that can be inherited by…

For many years, scientists have wondered what factors influence how tall a tree can grow. Much of the research has focused on how high water can be transported internally from roots to leaves, but a…

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…