Site Discussions

@Steve Steiner nailed it…

Carbon is sequestered through deep roots, not the dander added to the top which primarily feeds the soil microbes, and thereby services the soil health.  Thus, in agriculture, it is important for roots to be driven deep by removing the practice of surface watering or drip irrigation to build soil carbon and nitrogen stores (thereby rely upon stable moisture in carbon-dense soils with moisture pulled upward), and covering the ground for soil health, which will then lead to more nutrient-dense cells in all life produced from it, as well as a more stable micro and then macro climate.

So I wonder how countries or states compare when we consider surface area?  For example, Colorado is ranked 8th in size.  But with all of it’s mountains, maybe in surface area it’s ranked 3rd?

Interesting that honey bees and some flowers brought to here are considered or shown to be beneficial as opposed to most other insects,trees and plants that become a nusance to both humans and the environment.  I still meet a number of folks that don’t realize that bumble bees,birds, the wind and wild animals also contribute to the pollenation process. They believe only honey bees do.

Just ran into some wood nettle today up on Mount Hor. Holy crap did that BUUUURN and then got crazy itchy! At a stream I put mud and wet leaves on and that helped. My bro went off trail with his dogs to avoid a couple with two more dogs and went through a patch with bare legs. He was almost in tears it burned so much. He ran down the rest of the trail (as we had already passed the stream, he wasn’t going back) grabbed the water jug that we bring for the dogs and dumped that over his legs. I could not believe how much that stuff burns! Now I know what to look for on the trail and this is a great article.

Last Saturday I had driven my car about 5 miles from home when I pulled over to make a phone call. As soon as I stopped the car, a Red Squirrel ran out from under my car and headed for some nearby trees. It was at that very moment that I realized he had been riding under my hood. The squirrels are always jumping up on my tires in the driveway!

So it has seemed that hunting coyotes or not hunting this brilliant animal makes little or no difference. These dogs know the holding capacity of any area, and breed or move around accordingly to keep it stable.This means that their table-fare is very flexible as well. Pretty much, live with them in harmony, enjoy the occasional sighting and know that they are masters of population control.

I noticed a week or so ago a brown bird different from the others (house finches).  I realized it was a young cow bird.  It goes to my feeder but only eats a couple of sunflower hearts and flys to the ground where it just hops around possibly looking for food.  I have not seen any other bird come to feed it, possibly abandoned?  When it goes to my feeder the other birds leave. It will let me approach it and talk to it and not fly off.  I don’t touch it of course.  Is this a behavior you have ever observed?

The notion that our petroleum and coal are created by peat bogs is debatable at best. Though it is under-reported and completely untaught in the public school system, abiotic fossil fuel origin has been a theory since the 16th Century.  It has been widely disbelieved, but was pursued by Russian and Soviet scientists. As recently as this year, serious research has been reignited: “Fossils From Animals And Plants Are Not Necessary For Crude Oil And Natural Gas, Swedish Researchers Find.”. ScienceDaily. Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council). 12 September 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2016.

Ha! Red squirrels have always impressed me as little demons, glad I’m not in those crosshairs! Great reading here, thanks for sharing this story.

That is very, very interesting…. And important to know. Is work being done comparing the CO2 release from bare soil vs leaf littered soil vs plant covered soil? Or has that work been done?

Our petroleum and Coal are created by sequested carbon through peat bogs and other anarobic sites and processes one would think. We should be studying those areas for effective carbon capture.

Fungi and other microorganisms have high C:N values, were qualitative microbial assessments taken before and after mulch addition?

Thanks Glyn

The experiment seems odd. Forest soils are crowded with roots; this seems to be nothing more than a pile of leaves on some soil. It seems to me that 20 years of roots growing and dying would be an important variable in determining the % of organic matter that would accumulate in the soil.

One of the ways extra carbon gets stored is by the roots of plants cycling under the increased carbon so, by blocking out root infiltration, they removed a huge part of the natural process. I don’t understand the point of removing the largest contributor to carbon sequestration and then being surprised when it doesn’t happen.

As has been commented, using the correct tool for the job is most important. I’ve been splitting wood for close to 40 years here in the Northeast. I’m near 50 now. When I was a youngster just helpin’ my dad, we had a 90 year old friend of the the family that had spent some 70 years in Adirondack logging camps as a logger. He was most often a river driver whose responsibilities included freeing log jams with two or three tools he carried while being ready to maintain his balance and make it back to shore by rolling the logs under his feet to stay upright and not be killed. He gave my dad some tips which had to be seen to be believed as to how effective they were. Splittin’ was one of ‘em. My dad, no matter the axe or maul, couldn’t split some tough old beech no matter how hard he tried. Our friend’s tips were these: 1.  refinement of technique makes any sort of woodworking or wood processing easy and enjoyable. 2. When splitting, the maul or splitting axe should be treated like a whip and hence a shaped handle is far superior for safety if one can be found for a maul. Usually because the maul handle has to be thicker and stronger it ends up being straight, the shaped handles are left to the cutting axes. The lead hand stays fixed at the end, and the other hand slides to meet the lead hand increasing the arc of the swing, aiding in the physics involved, and combining with hip motion to snap the axe or maul downward and into the wood for splitting. I remember watching my 75 year old 80 pound grandmother who also had excellent technique swing a 6 pound maul and split an entire half cord of wood in just about 20 minutes!
3. Accuracy is key. More work is saved by being accurate than any other.
4. Aim only for cracks that already exist. You don’t open a door by pulling where there isn’t a handle do you?
5. Like mentioned earlier in the forum, a slight twist just as the axe head impacts the wood pops the wood apart instead of sticking the head down in the separated pieces. This technique takes lots of practice to perfect. Be careful as too much twist can make the strike glance away. The twist is subtle and only about 10 degrees at most.

These are the tips I remember and I’m still practicing myself. To witness a 90 plus year old man split with absolute ease (among other things) who had spent his life in the forest and also crafting the wood he harvested was an incredible experience. So much masterful craftsmanship and arts get lost as we rush ahead with technology. Practice and keep on splittin’!

I discovered Eastern Larch (Hackamatck) had been used to roof my barn when it was built in 1825 and was for the most part still in good shape when I re-shingled it in 1972.

Being the only deciduous conifer it is very rot resistant and much prized by boat builders for knees.

In 2007 I put a metal roof over the wood shingles I used in 72 and the boards were all still sound.

When nailing its good to pre-drill it to prevent splitting it.

I have many wild garter snakes and regularly rescue babies from the lawn.  What can I do to help facilitate their chances for survival?  I’m in a heavily populated marsh and old growth forest area with an abundance of a variety of frogs and a variety of predators.  How can I make my property more habitual for the babies survival?  They are so very cute.

The conclusion of the article seems to point to increasing natural beekeeping and the use of things like the Warré hive.
This means smaller colonies, natural comb building, often with smaller cell sizes,  and renewal of comb every year. 

Very good. I’ve never thought of it from this perspective.

I’ve got two pet skunks that were rescued from wild as orphans. My little one was found clinging to it’s dead mother. They make awesome pets, though they’re not for everyone. I spend a lot of time with them, and they both sleep in bed with my wife and me. They haven’t been de-scented, but only the little one has sprayed when the cat jumped on his back.They’re a riot to have around. Don’t let the wild ones eat too much cat food, the high protein is bad for their kidneys. Great little animals to have around.