Apparently from my own research, Hemlock bark harvesting preceded the major commercial timber harvesting at least in north central PA. Hemlocks that still stood stripped or were downed and yet not rotted were harvested for crate and cheap reconstruction lumber…
I have a pile of white pine firewood sitting in the yard and recently noticed the shavings that these bugs produced. When I go out at night now I can hear up to a dozen of them sawing away. If…
I put pieces of yarn out last spring, and was not sure if it had been used in any bird nests, but this spring when pruning my gardenia shrub, I found a nest made of coir strands (probably pulled out…
Good article. I was trying to explain self-pruning to our grandson. We have American Basswood that are 120’ tall – and nary a branch for 60’!! Obviously they DID once. They drop “firewood” pretty regularly. We have Burr Oak that are old enough…
Nancy, from the description given above, it sounds like a shrew! My dog caught one this afternoon. My shrew had black teeth and a pointed head as well. If you managed to hear the capture, it gives out high pitched…
I am new to growing shiitake mushroom and was wondering, how many lbs of mushroom can you expect off of a log? I know it depends on temperature and moisture, but from all I read, the ideal temp is between 5…
I am 52 years old I have lived in a house heated by only wood all but 5 years of my life. When I can’t split wood by hand anymore my time will be up. I believe whether I am swinging…
Excellent article. We see so little of the birds’ life, don’t we? At my office, during the daytime, we looked after a clutch of downy woodpeckers who lost their nest tree. One day while working during…
The graph suggests an interesting evolution of the white pine lumber industry. There are now, in many places, markets for white pine of less than saw log size. Also, there are now log grades for white pine. …
When thinking about white pine then and now, one should keep in mind two things. First, often agricultural land abandonment was done in two steps. Active land was used a pasture before being abandoned completely. Since cows…
I live on a property in the Catskill Mountains. White pine seedlings are the only kind I have, in spite of the fact that most of the mature trees on my property are hardwoods. The deer eat every…
I found a small clump growing in South Orange Reservation, NJ. This is a very cool little plant; I would love to find a way to cultivate them. I am doing a lot of research. I don’t want to…
This morning, a large silkworm moth was struggling to survive in a pet water dish. I scooped it out and showed it to my husband. He had been in a hurry to get to the office but this…
Can someone advise me? Every year I have mourning doves that nest on my patio and raise babies. This year in May that built a nest, laid 2 eggs, after a couple of weeks they abandoned it. The eggs were left…
I remember the oaks that lined our street dying when I was a child. It didn’t change just the side of the street, it changed the feel of our neighborhood.
I’m living in a different part of Maine…
Hope someone reads this: it’s July and no one is probably decorating their Xmas tree! Milkweed fluff makes great “snow” to toss on your tree! Just pick the dried pods before they have been completely relieved of their precious…
From "Hemlock and Hide: The Tanbark Industry in Old New York" »