Since the dawn of history, humans have made great use of leather. They’ve worn it, walked on it, sat on it, wrote on it. Turning animal skin into a durable product requires processing, and…
Features
Honeybee House Hunting
The Backstory In May 1949, shortly after the end of World War II, Martin Lindauer, a biologist at the University of Munich, happened upon a swarm of bees hanging in a bush outside the Munich…
A Man With a Mission: Mike Greason Preached the Gospel of Silviculture
A strong voice for our forests went quiet when Mike Greason died on March 8. Mike had a passion for forestry that invariably entered into any conversation with him. Sure, he had all sorts of…
Woods Ghost: Bobcats on a Comeback
Chances are you remember where you were when you saw your first bobcat. Maybe the moment seemed haunted, the cat little more than a ghostly flash of cinnamon and yellow in a spruce thicket,…
Seeds of Hope
Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there and I am prepared to expect wonders. —Henry…
A Place for Wolf Trees
“There is but one tree in the pasture,and [the cows] are all collected and now reposing in its shade… It shows the importance of leaving trees for shade in the pastures as well as…
Of Trout and Trees
In southern Appalachia, they still call brook trout the “hemlock trout” because they’re mainly found in the cold water and deep shade of the hemlock forest. These spectacularly colorful…
A School of Hard Knocks
There’s never been a summer school quite like this one. Instead of cinderblock walls, picture an outdoor classroom where towering white pines overlook a beautiful lake. Instead of bookbags…
Saving Herbie: New Life for a 217-year-old American Elm
There was no saving Herbie, at least not literally, not after its caretaker saw the unmistakable spread of Dutch elm disease in the upper reaches of its crown. Frank Knight – he’s 101…
Too Many Whitetails?
Bill Schmidt, of Elysian Hills Tree Farm in southeastern Vermont, says his current deer problem is not as bad as it was twenty years ago. Back then, the deer had a habit of congregating in his…