This “cedar,” like most of the many other trees given that name, is not a cedar at all. It’s a juniper. And despite having round, blue fruits that look just like berries and not at…

On a June day in 1986, you could have driven for 50 miles through oak-dominated forests in Pennsylvania and not seen a single leaf, except on a black walnut or tulip tree, which are just about the…

Violent windstorms are common in the Northeast, and they often leave behind blown-down trees that need to be removed. But before you charge in with your chainsaw revving, a careful assessment of the…

The prices reported here are those that log buyers—mostly sawmills and wholesalers—are paying for logs. Because these are prices paid for delivered wood, landowners need to adjust the…

A late summer day in New England brings the opportunity to relax and have fun poking through the woods or along a quiet dirt road looking for things to eat. Just the experience itself demands that you…

Did you know that the eastern cottontail was introduced from the southern U.S. and may be displacing our native New England cottontail? Or that eastern newts can use Earth’s magnetic field and…

Chances are you have seen a victim of white pine blister rust. I think it’s safe to say that most big dead white pines – the ones with the remains of large crowns, not those that were…

Autumn is closing fast. Right now, my lawns and fields are sere, and snow will soon blanket the scene. Whatever summer life they held has vanished, and all is quiet. But come spring, when the snow…

A generation or two ago, buying locally was the only option. Before the interstate system and shopping malls, and way before 800 numbers and Amazon.com, the goods that people needed in their daily…

For people in New England who grew up with only Bullwinkle to remind us that moose existed, the proliferation of Alces alces in this region over the past 25 years is an exhilarating lesson in wildlife…

I once had a college professor who said he could predict the weather by playing woolly bears like dice. He would pick up a woolly bear, which immediately curled up, then shake the fuzz-ball, blow on…

I’ve seen this mountain many times before, but only from across the Connecticut River. From Bellows Falls, Vermont, Fall Mountain is a wall of trees, towering over the falls that give both the…

If you haven’t been thinking much about maple sugaring these past few months, well, who can blame you. This is the season of McIntosh apples, golden pumpkins, and venison stew – not the…

The other day I performed one of my favorite autumn rituals: watching migratory hawks above the Connecticut River. When viewed from the fire tower on Gile Mountain in Norwich, Vermont, one of a dozen…

Long live the queen! Most of the bumblebees you see flying right now are young queens preparing for winter. Each year in the bumblebee kingdom, only a juvenile queen will carry the colony’s…

There is a plant found near streams and rivers in our area that has almost magical properties for little boys. It is almost as if grown-ups can’t see it. Little girls see the plant differently…

Spring, summer, or fall – you’ve probably seen your share of one or more of the three species of tent caterpillar that are common in this area. The cyclical populations of fall webworm,…

Most people know that old-growth forest is rare in Vermont and New Hampshire – nearly every patch of forest hereabouts has felt the saw at least once since Colonial days. But what far fewer…

An unusual number of sugar maple trees throughout their range are in decline, meaning that they aren’t growing well or generally showing much vigor. Explaining exactly why this is happening,…

I met up with an old acquaintance the other day. His son and mine were friends in school. We’ve been friendly, though not close. Over the years, his family has defined the word…