Psoriasis of Spring
April 2nd 2010
Hi Dave: Just want to comment on your Psoriasis of Spring. I really enjoy your vivid analogies of this year’s spring or rather pre-spring. It seems particularly true this year because of the early departure… Read More »Psoriasis of Spring
April 2nd 2010
Nice piece, Dave Mance. Yes winter is long and brutal and hardest part comes at the end; darkest before the dawn. Emerging from a car wreck analogy is apt… We emerge cautiously, squinting in bright… Read More »Black Birch: Betula lenta
March 27th 2010
How much is it to buy black birch wood for use? Read More »A New Threat for Peregrine Falcons?
March 26th 2010
What was unexpected was the amount of deca-BDE in the falcon eggs. Although total PBDE remained steady over the 10-year study, concentrations of deca-BDE, once thought to be too big a molecule to cross cell… Read More »Why Sap Runs
March 22nd 2010
Charlie Levesque, of Antrim, NH, submitted the following comment, which was otherwise blocked by our website security filter: Great technical review of the physics of how we get sap for maple syrup making. The one… Read More »Why Sap Runs
March 22nd 2010
the air space inside a maple tree is what makes sap flow possible; most other trees don’t have the same internal arrangement, so they don’t “run.” this air space also keeps a maple from exploding,… Read More »Beware of Encroaching Forests
March 22nd 2010
James: When we converted a similarly sized area of pine to pasture about 4 years ago, we had an excavator pop the stumps and then a bulldozer with a grill-like rake mounted to the blade… Read More »Beware of Encroaching Forests
March 20th 2010
Commendable and readable essay by C.W.. As to the question posed by Jim, I don’t have an answer, just some thoughts. I haven’t seen what a mulcher leaves behind, but landscape mulch, such as shredded… Read More »Why Sap Runs
March 19th 2010
This is the most complete explanation I’ve seen to date, but I’m having trouble envisioning the physics of it. In most situations, the expansion associated with the change in state from liquid to solid would… Read More »Beware of Encroaching Forests
March 19th 2010
For James in New Brunswick: a controlled burn works quite well to reduce and consume the mulched brush, and this method leaves the nutrients behind to go back into the soil: a win-win. Read More »Beware of Encroaching Forests
March 19th 2010
Not only are the woods constantly growing and creeping in on us but also they have a tendency to fall down on our houses, power lines, and cars. Definitely a reason to beware the encroaching… Read More »Why Sap Runs
March 19th 2010
Thanks for the info. I’ve always wondered how it works! Read More »Which Bird Made That Nest?
March 19th 2010
This is a very well thought-out article. I’m doing some research on birds for a Cub Scout project. I found some info in here that will help as I work up an outdoor adventure for… Read More »Beware of Encroaching Forests
March 19th 2010
I have 72 acres in New Brunswick, Canada, which was clearcut about 3 years ago. It is a back lot with a right of way. Thanksgiving last, I had a mulcher cut in a road… Read More »Clearing the Air: Outdoor Wood Boilers Face Regulation
March 12th 2010
Getting back into the fray….Those who make complain that “Outdoor Wood Burners” (OWBs) are smoke and pollution belchers are unfortunately for the most part quite correct. I have one. It produces lots of smoke, sometimes… Read More »What Do Tree Roots Do in Winter?
March 11th 2010
All parts of a tree grow relatively slowly, so no, if you trim a tree’s root system, the roots you cut will not grow back in two weeks. I’m not sure i understand the whole… Read More »Predicting Fishless Lakes
March 11th 2010
The trees may hang on for a little while, but they will eventually die (check out all the dead tree stems in a beaver flowage for a real-world example.) Read More »Clearing the Air: Outdoor Wood Boilers Face Regulation
March 7th 2010
Great article! Gasification wood boilers are often left out of discussions about OWBs and wood burning regulations. I have been using a Tarm gasification wood boiler for the last 4 years and constructed my own… Read More »Predicting Fishless Lakes
March 6th 2010
Question: I want to construct a farm pond and will have to remove some trees. If I left some of the larger trees, 1ft - 3ft in diameter, mainly oaks and maples in the pond… Read More »What Do Tree Roots Do in Winter?
March 6th 2010
Can you give me any info on tree root growth in warmer climates. My mother had a problem with her sewer line and a plumbing contractor came out and charged her to clear the line. … Read More »