With so many good tracking books already available, you might think that all has been said on the topic. But Linda Spielman’s new addition to the field, A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the…

Being fond of plants, I expected to like Anita Sanchez’s new book about Carolus (Karl) Linnaeus. What I hadn’t expected was my emotional reaction – I found myself a bit teary-eyed…

I hope to live long enough to see catamounts come home to the Northeast. Not just one or two mountain lions, mind you, but viable breeding populations that haunt deer, ratcheting their attention,…

Small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and voles play a surprisingly significant role in determining the tree composition of most forests. That role is based largely on their choice of which…

Applying salt to snowy roadways is an effective way of melting snow and ice and making driving safer. But what happens when that salty snowmelt runs off into nearby lakes and ponds? It has long been…

What do bear fur, deliquescent mushrooms, wasp nests, antlers, and stones have in common? Yes, these things can all be found in the forests of the Northeast. But more curiously, they’re also all…

While driving down from Isle La Motte in early December, my son and I noticed a fine skim of ice floating down the Alburg Passage. As it collided with the Route 2 bridge supports, it broke into…

The anchors on the early morning television news were discussing Groundhog Day this morning; the weatherman suggesting that the groundhog might see his shadow, the peppy young anchors cheering the…

Thanks to Anne Huntington for sending along this photo. The picture was taken (in Wayne, Maine) after a heavy rain that was followed by a cold snap. What’s going on with this tree?

Your photos this month hewed to landscape and ice scenes, reflecting the stillness and extreme cold that began the year. Flooding and freezing along the Androscoggin created an icy high water line,…

Every winter, as part of a general effort to raise funds for our nonprofit (and amuse ourselves),  we put together a Woods Savvy Quiz: a tricky multiple choice test that refers back to content…

On the night of December 3, 2017, a moon rose that was unlike any other of the year. Not only was it full, but it was at the closest point to earth during its orbit. Astronomers refer to this orbital…

Several years ago I was traveling through the mountains of central Mexico and was impressed with a simple rope firewood carrier that virtually every rural household used. Children had a scaled-down…

At about 9:00 on an overcast November Saturday, a group gathered at the edge of the Hopkinton/Webster Transfer Station (hereafter referred to as the dump, since that’s its real name and will…

Sadly, we witnessed a bird meet its demise this week by running into a window. Can you tell from these photos what kind of bird it is?

Irwin Post, a longtime contributor and friend of the magazine, passed away last Sunday. Professionally speaking he held a lot of titles: forest engineer, consulting forester, logger, sawyer,…

Many wild animals have a fondness for edge habitat, but foxes especially so. It could be the edge of a meadow, or a lake, or the transition where one forest type meets another. These areas offer some…

On a Tuesday morning near the end of the school year, a half-dozen students move purposefully through the woodshop at St. Johnsbury Academy. Machines whirr, and the sweet scent of sawdust sifts…

I have spent about a decade as a backyard birder and have learned quite a bit in that time. I can instantly recognize the call of a red-winged blackbird and the sweet summer song of the wood thrush. I…

“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others.” -WILSON BENTLEY, Vermont…