Site Discussions

Hi Dan,

I feel your pain—i’ve got a big silver maple that looms over the west side of my bedroom that might someday crush me as i sleep. As someone who’s cut a lot of trees down in my day, i’m at peace with the poetics of all this.

Seriously, though, no one can tell you what will happen for sure. I’ve seen perfectly healthy trees snap, and i’ve seen mature “V” shaped trees that defy physics and somehow stay together against all odds. I’d call an arborist and ask them to come look—they may be able to cable the tree in such a way that if it does fall it spares the house. Otherwise, it’s all up to you how much risk you want to take. If the prevailing wind is towards the house, and the tree looks stressed, you might cut it down and replace it with a fruit tree. If you’re a gambling man who loves the tree, make your peace like i have.

We had a terrible time getting rid of a nest of flying squirrels in the ceiling and they made bad urine stains. I finally took the ceiling down nest and all. There was a mother and four young ones that I could see. I gathered them up and took them down the road about a half mile. When I finished sweeping up I found a fifth young one which I left there for the night. In the morning it was gone. All the young ones were new born and could not go anywhere by themselves so I must assume that the mother returned.

I have a 175 ft pine on my land and in the past few days I heard a cracking sound every 2-5 min. Couldn’t find out where it was coming from. Long story short, it was the pine. I noticed their was cracks in the bark (about 5 ft up) and sap leaking out. I put my ear to the tree and it was very scary. Sounded like it was coming down soon. Now the tree, which is not on my side of the prop is aimed towards my house. Should I be concerned? The tree seems healthy, but could cut my house in two. I do understand about the cold temp we have been having might have something to do with it. Thanks if you can help! SOON!
                                        Dan-

I have a white pine that lost branches on its southwest side because it was shaded by another white spruce growing next to it.  Bothe were planted in 1965.  I cut down the one causing the shade and now i want to add some small sprigs from last years growth to the trunk of the remaining tree to make it look better and fill out the blank space.  Is this possible?  Last winter I drilled a 1/8” hole 1-1/2” deep near where a branch had been cut off from cut a new shoot off that had grown the Spring before.  It was a very healthy shoot and I stripped the bark back 1-1/2” inserted it and sealed it with some pine gum.  I was a very mild winter last year and the transplant did not survive.  Can you help me with this as I would like to make my tree look beautiful again.

Ron Lehman,  Orangeville, ON

I am interested to know about the degree to which our local creeks were polluted by the tanneries here, and if remaining sediment poses a danger to the local populace from tainted water and wells.

You answered my question about beech leaf retention. Since you are really into trees, wondered if you know what a “Cork” pine is—actual species or type of White pine. I have one that I bought at a nursery in New Jersey—does not look like a white pine—bark definitely looks “corky”.

I have seen a large cat out in our woods before but never thought about it much until neighbors started talking about seeing a catamount. This was about 11 years ago however there is still reports at the local store and school of siting off and on. 

My husband just called me from the road and told me that someone just hit a catamount on Route 4 near the Castleton exit. This was this morning at 7:30 on Jan 21, 2013.  He said that it was no house cat or dog or any other excuse people come up with to hide the fact that there are large cats here, it was a catamount. I hope to see it on the news later today.

Ahhh, we’ve got these buggers all over my mother’s property, rural pine forest with some firs, near the river. They get quite noisy in the summer! but I’ve never had one land on me or bite me, thankfully. Sounds painful!

Very informative, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article. I was wondering if you knew of any books with images and methods for harvesting and utilizing these plants are available in authentic Abenaki tradition? Thanks in advance, Misty (Roaring Brook)

Today, January 18, 2013, I was driving east on Rte 105 about a mile outside of the village of Enosburg Falls.  A large cat ran across the road in front of my car.  It ran across the meadow towards the Missisquoi River.  The cat had a smooth reddish brown coat, no spots; a round face, small ears for the head size, and a large, long round tail.  It was about 30 to 36 inches high and about 6 to 7 feet long from head to tail tip with the tail almost the same length as the body.  I would say it weighed more then 80 pounds.  I call the Game warden who said they would take a look at tracks but reminded me that “officially” Catamount are extinct in this state.  I can’t say it was a Catamount, but I will say it was definitely more cougar then anything.  Definitely not Bobcat.  What I saw had no spots, a long tail, shorter ears then a bobcats.

Wood cannot be too dry in a catalytic. The smoke is eaten by the cat. I am getting my 2nd buck 91. Moved and had to leave the last one. Some stovemakers never got catalytic stoves right, but Buck did on this stove.

Gail,

Beech trees have male and female flowers on the same tree, so that wouldn’t be a reason. Typically, among trees that hang onto leaves after they’ve turned brown, it’s the younger ones that do this the most. You don’t often see leaves in winter way high up in a big beech tree. My guess is that it’s the usual small genetic variability that explains this. Beech and oak are believed to have originated in more southern climes and it’s been said that these species “have not yet perfected the deciduous habit.”

There are many beech trees behind our house.  Some drop their leaves in the fall & some hold on to some leaves until spring.  They seem to be the same type.  Wondering if some are male & some female.  If so, what is the purpose & which kind holds on to the leaves?

Great questions. I don’t know the answer to your first question, Jessica. On the second, Any given piece of wood has the same number of BTU’s whether it is green or dry, cut in summer or winter. Wet wood burns cooler because it’s using BTU’s to boil off the moisture. As for questions on lumber properties, I don’t know this for sure either, but check out this story we recently did on a similar subject: http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/wood-and-moisture

AnneLouise, check out this story on frost cracks: http://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/does-frost-really-crack-trees

This was very helpful to me as I am buying a land that is sloped and I was wondering if, when I level it down, I would end up with less surface area, because I did not understand how land was measured. This now clarifies that it is not measures by the distant surface.

Thanks for this information; I have been wondering about it for years! And so, what happens- or rather why some trees, like Beech, crack during very cold winters? Do they get so frozen that they are not flexible enough when the wind blows?

Hi Ann,

If it were me, I’d be inclined to keep the weasels. They’ll do a better job killing the mice and rats than the cats will. Plus, barn cats can do a number on an ecosystem—they’re callously killing mice and birds and they don’t really need to because you’re feeding them. I’ve always seen barn cats as exotic invasive species—it doesn’t really seem fair to the wild animals in your ecosystem; the songbirds or the predators.

Having said that, I’m not your mother. So if you really want to kill the weasels, use rat traps—you can buy them in the hardware store. Put a trap under a bushel basket or in a shoe box so it won’t catch a cat. Cut a weasel-sized hole in the enclosure so a weasel can get in. Bait with something fresh and bloody. 

Does this have any implications in terms of cutting firewood in summer vs. winter?  If a tree is cut in winter, is the sweet/microporous wood going to dry more or less effectively than summer wood?  Is the energy available from a summer starchy log equivalent to a winter sugary log?  What about wood used for lumber or lathe/craft work?  Does wood from a tree cut in summer behave differently from winter cut wood?

Reads just like the classic nativist ideology “torch the invaders.”  How about asking why they are here?  What disturbance factors are at work on the system?  How to fill the niches?  What other plants should be promoted?  Eradication is unecological.  Let’s step up the conversation here a little, please.  And move beyond the old eradicate mentality. Not only does it not work, it’s fundamentally non-ecological.

Myself & several family members have seen a weasel in our barn, it is killing all our barn cats, who are pets, & are well feed & looked after. In the last 2 years, we have gone from 20 cats to 5; they have all had their necks ripped open, or are very wet & show bite marks at the neck. This is very sickening to all of us, we have tried live traps, different baits, plugging all the rat holes ( by the way, we have no rats or mice since the weasel moved in 2 years ago). Any suggestions? We really like our barn cats.