Site Discussions

Hi Steve, thank you for raising this point. You are correct that many soil microbes are heterotrophs which respire CO2, and that climate warming can accelerate these rates of respiration. However, microbes are also an integral part of healthy soil ecosystems, which function overall as “sinks” where organic carbon can be stored for some time without being released back into the atmosphere. Temperate forests play a key role in soil carbon storage, particularly because of their colder winter temperatures that inhibit the rapid respiration and turnover that occurs in tropical regions—like you say. However, that doesn’t mean that killing or altering microbial communities will necessarily lead to more carbon storage because they aren’t respiring. This ongoing snowmelt experiment shows that removing the insulation provided by snow cover destabilizes these communities, resulting in changes to nutrient cycles and gas exchange and shifting the kinds of processes that microbes carry out. While respiration and production of CO2 do go down at colder temperatures [caused by soil freezing], in the longer term these changes could potentially drive the release of more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide, reduce nutrient availability for plant growth, and release carbon bound to soil mineral surfaces. The role of microbes in the carbon cycle is extremely complex, and that’s exactly why we need more research to understand what changing winter conditions mean for our forests.

We have a beautiful beaver lodge in the brook which flooded a lot yesterday after torrential rains. Are the beavers ok in their lodge during a flood?

Wow! This will really help me with my science project, thanks!

Just a couple of corrections. They are Eastern Wild Turkeys, not wild eastern turkeys. They don’t “tend” to have only one brood per year. They have but one brood. It would be impossible for them to shepherd their brood and lay eggs and incubate another brood simultaneously.

A wonderful informative essay on the beautiful little Song Sparrow.  So very well written and so very well organized.  No hype or exaggerations, just the scientific facts to give us a better understanding and a new appreciation of this little traveler that heralds the coming of Spring in most of our northern areas.  Thank you!

This is an excellent article and thank you for doing. Seems like we all have to find a way to “thread the needle” balancing climate and community values. One of my concerns is making sure that companies like this have local staff/representatives so that the company is well-positioned in the local community and I hope that happens. LandVest does credible work and the most recent previous owners seemed to moving things in a good direction. I truly hope that balance is attained. Fundamentally, good climate management can also produce both climate benefits and good logs for high quality local value added production. Wishing the parties good luck in finding solution - we (and the world) need it.

I have long seen these shaggy trees near my house, and I spot the nuts all over the ground in autumn. Nice to know that they are edible, I’ll definitely be trying some this fall!

A very timely article, well written and exquisitely illustrated. Heard the first call of the season this morning.

I really enjoyed this piece — the way Sydney Lea connects walking in the woods with writing and reflection feels so vivid and grounding. It reminded me how powerful nature can be for sparking creativity and helping us slow down in a world that’s always rushing. I came away wanting to spend more time off‑trail with a notebook in hand.

Fascinating article! I have always wondered about ice along waterways . . . but never thought to look up the details.

Allaire Diamond enchanted me with her description of Frullania. I’ve read this over and over just now.  Who needs to write poetry when words in a sentence can draw pictures in one’s mind.  Thanks for doing this article.

The article perfectly describes the joy and magic of walking alone in a snow filled woodlot bathing in the silence and beauty of nature.  It is especially magical if it is snowing and the sounds of the adjacent properties and human undertakings are muffled to the point of total silence.  I hope that during my winter walks I will one day have the privilege of seeing our resident bobcat (who takes advantage of my snowshoe tracks) striking a pose similar to that described in the article.  Thank you!

Thank you for this imagery that takes me back to still, sacred moments in the Vermont woods of my childhood. That feeling,  and realization, that we are part of a bigger, wilder community is so precious, and essential,  for us to experience. If every human could have that experience,  and share about it with others, what a beautiful,  hopeful thing that would be.

Joan, I thoroughly enjoyed your objectivity and your willingness to talk about the pros and cons of both your profession and the state of forest management and the forest products industry in your area. Congratulations on your personal accomplishments and your optimism. You are a beacon for the profession.

I remember Joan from when I was on the faculty at SUNY ESF (retired for 24 years).  She was very energetic, interested in many subjects and had a good, positive outlook.  Glad she is doing well.

I loved reading this interview — it gives such a vivid feel for how Daniel Mason approaches North Woods, blending human history, nature, and even the voices of birds, beetles, and trees into one sweeping story. It makes the book sound like an exploration of place and time as much as a novel, and really highlights how deeply the land itself shapes the lives of its characters.

Algea and other microbes in lakes can create the seed for ice formation. I think this is published somewhere, but the anecdote I heard during a presentation was that scientists on board a Great Lakes ice cutter had water samples in coolers on the deck of the ship. The filtered samples had not frozen while the unfiltered water froze..

Fascinating. Thank you.

The writer skillfully draws our attention to the complex ecosystem at work under the layers of winter snow. Understanding how soil stores or releases carbon is useful and essential, regardless of the percentage, especially if it is changing. I found it interesting. Thank you! P. Graham.

Typically, winter microbial activity leads to a surplus of just the right nutrients during the growing

“If these processes are slowed or altered, plants will take longer to put out fresh growth, dragging stick season into mud season and leading to increased uncertainty about when to plant crops.”  Well written article, and I’m glad for the study.  But, the study seems to be about winter snow and forest soil.  Can this be translated to meadows, agricultural fields?  Thanks!  Carol Kulp