Site Discussions

Great article!  Lots of information I never knew.  Gives me a broader view of a critter I had seen as an unmitigated pest.  Hope I can see their nesting behavior next spring now that I know to look for it.

Wondering what effect the decrease in the blackfly population over the past few years is having on the flycatcher nesting success and population.  (Maybe the blackflies seem numerous in your area, but I bet you don’t find as many in your eyes, nose, mouth and ears as you used to!)

I have two dwarf Japanese Maples, one for only a year.  While the older tree leafed out a month ago (May), the other has yet to do so even though it has buds and is green beneath the bark.  Is there anything that I can do to stimulate its leaving out?

Sue B

Firewood: What a shameful use of larch!

I have been watching with interest the activity around a red maple which we felled last year. The tree probably would have survived, but I didn’t realize this process of what was ‘killing off’ the tree, fungus & borers, but this is a splendid creature & fascinating. Thank you for this information which was sourced by a member of our Gardening Group.

I use a handy reference book published by Reader’s Digest called Book of North American Birds. I have been able to recognize over 25 species using it. No more, “they all look alike” for me!

I struggle with this duality every day so am glad to see someone capture it, as I’ve been unable to express it coherently.

Today I left a badly high-graded Woodlot feeling sick from what I’d seen, but on the way home I helped a spotted turtle across the road into a pond and I found some peace of mind…“Domineering” when it comes to ticks and mosquitos and “a cooperator” in the case of turtles…thanks for your thoughts Dave.

Thanks for the informative article.  I’m surprised the writer didn’t mention ironwood or hop hornbeam, because it retains its leaves as well in the forest understory, much more so than oak, at least in Ontario. I tell hikers that if they see leaves persisting in the forest in winter, then the tree is either beech or ironwood.

What an excellent article!  I remember Euell Gibbins and some people joking about eating the weeds.  But the interest in wild foods, wild-crafting is definitely on the rise.  Just stay away from the poison ivy!

Right on, Dave Mance. The woodlot/farm philosopher within us. I don’t read a lot of blog musings, but I always make time for yours. Write on.

Hey! Anyone could explain me if there is any difference between “structural diversity” and “structural complexity”? And if there are, what they are? Thanks!

My sense, Jason, is that a burn would provide some short term relief. Ticks thrive in deciduous leaf litter, so burning off the duff layer would probably help. The catch is, as soon as the next crop of leaves fell, and the shrub layer grew back, the ticks would reappear. In fact, the burn might eventually help them, by stimulating a thick layer of growth on the forest floor.

I would like to know if controlled burns would aid in the reduction of the tick population.

This article helped me sort out my problems. I was looking for tips on how to install a wood boiler into my existing oil boiler heating system with 4 heating zones and using the oil boiler as an back up which will automatically jump on if the wood boiler fire goes out.

I was so happy to come across this article. I have so much respect for my Grandmother Helen L. Burns and miss her terribly. To see her in this article and be able to share a story about her past with her Great Grandchildren is just the best feeling. Thank you!

Please describe the easiest way to determine the volume of lumber in a given stand of either 5 or 10 acre increments.

Michael Caduto was such an inspiration to me as a fourth grade teacher AND human being! I read his books to my students and we implemented as much of his philosophy as possible in a public school system which was overburdened with state and national requirements.

Loved this article and hope you will have more by him.

Thanks Andy for the question.Yes, certain wasps (most or all in family family Cynipidae) can induce swellings or galls in plant tissues. The most commonly seen example is probably the so-called “oak apple”. Yes, the wasp locally stimulates tree metabolism which provides habitat for the wasp larvae. Now this won’t sound very scientific, and it might just be my personal usage, but I use the term “gall” for smaller, fleshier or softer growths and “burl” to mean something large enough and firm enough for a woodworker’s saw. I know, we still say that large burls are caused by the “crown gall” bacterium, honoring several centuries of usage. Nature doesn’t always fit into our neat categories, but here is a good example of convergence by very different organisms to affect tree physiology to meet their own needs.

I have often heard that certain non-stinging wasps can induce burls when they lay their eggs in or under the bark. Is this true, and does it correlate with the viruses, fungi or bacteria mentioned in the article?