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…

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,…