Site Discussions

Dave, you really know how to put things in perspective, and I’m so happy to see there are other people with magazine addictions besides me. My husband laughs at me, because, as we sit in bed reading, him from his iPad, and me from an honest to goodness magazine (Northern Woodlands of course!), I tell him that never in a million years can he convince me that reading from a lit up screen is better than, as you so eloquently put it, the excitement I get from opening the mailbox and taking out my much anticipated magazine, and finding a cozy spot to read it.

He says that I will eventually succumb to the technology. He’s a technology guru and it’s what he does for a living so he is constantly for it, but I tell him that there is no comparison to stacking your favorite magazines and books beside your bed and flipping through ink scented pages; even the ads are better on a printed paper page. And as you said, there is no tearing out of a favorite article or photo with an iPad.

Eventually he did convince me to switch from my 35mm camera to a digital camera and I even love the photos from my iPhone. (I still think my old 35 mm camera takes better photos!) But he will have to pry a paper magazine from my cold dead hands if he wants to put a 1 lb. piece of lit up heavy metal in its place. Yes,it may save some trees by eliminating printed material, but the love and nurturing of a favorite book or magazine, cannot be replaced with that insane piece of technology.  Call me old fashioned, and I will bask in the compliment.

A couple years ago we found a cecropia caterpillar in an apple tree over our driveway.  It had little white dots on it that I figured must be tachinid eggs.  I took them off with a needle, but the next day they reappeared.  We finally wrapped the branch in netting to keep the flies off.  The caterpillar pupated, over-wintered over the driveway, and emerged the next spring.  There are some photos at http://www.pbase.com/plbh/cecropia_moth

I never even heard of this stuff until my 5 yr old son and I riding in the car.He brings sticks and rocks he finds with him sometimes when we go out in the mountains. Well, he was playing with his stick and broke it over his knee as I was driving. He told me that when he broke his stick, a bug bit him and within minutes he was crying worse than I have ever seen anyone before, and breaking out with bumps all over his legs that went into muscle spasms. I have never seen or heard of anything like it. Once we were at the hospital, they couldn’t find the bite and he only has a scratch. I go and grab this stick and its a petrified peace of this hemlock.  I have never even heard of it before. He is fine now and that is all that matters, but I figured I would write about this so maybe someone out there might beware. Thanks for your time.

Scott

Those interested in old growth should check out The Native Tree Society, http://www.nativetreesociety.org/ and it’s bulletin board at http://www.ents-bbs.org/index.php

As a teacher, I am looking for free posters to create tick awareness in my school.
If you know of free material, could you share the info?

I’ve been told that birch season fires up right after maple season ends. So once the nights stop getting below freezing and the buds have started to break. Put in your birch taps as you’re pulling your maple taps.

Be very careful boiling the birch sap because it burns a lot quicker than maple sap does. It contains different sugars, which caramelize at lower temperatures.

Abby van den Berg is the researcher at Proctor who’s leading the study referenced in this story; Mike Farrell at the Uihlein Forest in Lake Placid, NY is conducting a similar study. Either one would be a good source for your tree physiology question.

My kids and I have often talked about trying to make a batch of birch syrup, but were always too busy with the maple sugaring.  I didn’t realize that the season runs later.  Why does the birch sap run differ from the maple sap run, and when exactly should birch trees be tapped?

Thanks for the post.

It is sad that our beloved pet dogs do not often enjoy a life as long as the captive Raccoon or Red Fox. That’s just wrong!

I have maple tree in my yard that is infested with these things. Will they attack my kids?

I hear you with your frustration about jargon, Bruce. I hate it when people use the word “community” to mean anything other than the town they live in. Every time I hear the phrase “ecosystem services” my eyes glaze over and I want to hit my head against the wall.

But why not make your point without sarcasm? And why take words as a personal insult? We’re on the same team here.

Well, yippee-ca-yay!  I was actually interested in this article until the author called “blow down”, “WINDTHROW”!
Just like the new fad of calling a FARM, a CSA. (Community Supported Agriculture for you old schoolers).  Changing the names of things, or making up new ones like WINDTHROW, seems to validate these peoples sense of importance or knowledge or something. I’m sick of the jargon!
By the way, SAW LUMBER out of an increment bored tree, and tell me that that process does no damage to the trees inherent value as lumber, or its NATURAL lifespan. Woods grow, oh, wait….I mean FORESTS. Humans use the trees at all stages of their lives for many many things, and have for millennia. Likely will continue to as well. I don’t need someone to tell me if a tree is “OLD” or not. As a responsible land owner, (and logger) I don’t cut the “Big Boys”. We all know they both act as “seeders” and are beautiful, majestic, homes to a myriad of life. And that the hearts are often rotted. But then again, nowhere in the article did this SPECIALIST tell me that the trees were beautiful, and majestic. Maybe they really are not. Sure hope someone else graduates college so they can tell me the facts .  All sarcasm aside, sell these stories in NYC, NOT in the northeast woods. You keep romanticizing our lives up here, and more twerps will come and tell us what we can and must do with them. Land and its usage included.

Yikes, this stuff is wicked. I am trying to clean out my over run raspberry patch and this weed seems to find the soil perfect there.I was not prepared for the reaction I got when I brushed up against it. It has been an hour and I still have the welts where it touched. I tried vinegar and that seems to have calmed it down. Looks like I will have to dig it out to get rid of it. It is really bad.

An important feature of Japanese knotweed that you might want to know is that this plant is one of the richest sources of the antioxidant resveritol (also found in grape skins and seeds) known. By eating the plant, you are not just helping to curb its invasive activities. You are treating yourself to a wonderful supply of anti cancer and microbial agents.

I suffer from chronic Lyme disease and need all the anti microbials I can get. Thus, I rinse and dry the stem tips and whitish roots that come up when I pull the plants. Once dry, fill a mason jar to within an inch of the top with the product, then fill with the strongest (150 plus proof) vodka, tequila, or rum you can find and soak it.
Being nightshade sensitive, I do not use vodka (from potatoes).

Let it stand several weeks, filter out the plant debris and store it tightly covered out of the light in a cool, dry place. Use a few drops daily (up to 30 twice a day, but start with 5 and build up to it gradually) in 8 oz water, iced tea, or a smoothie to add these fantastic nutrients to your healthy diet.
To your good health.

Meghan, I SO hear you on the Japanese Knotweed topic. When I travel over the Smuggler’s Notch road onto the Stowe side, this noxious invasive starts to appear on the sides of Rt 108S like a radioactive tsunami. I’ve watched over the years as it has almost entirely taken over most of Stowe’s roadways all the way to the bottom into the village. I hope (and I think) they are aware of its presence, but I’m afraid there is little they can do about it now it is so pervasive. I’ve noticed a large patch of it in my neighbors back yard and so want to address the issue with them about how bad this plant is. And it’s mostly selfish as I do not want it to make its way onto my woods and fields. What to do, what to do? :^(  Thanks for the culinary article!!  Penelope

Thank you for this advice. I am about to plant some trees.  I recently had a huge poplar crash to the ground. I then noticed wire through it - it may have been there for decades.

Call a consulting forester and have him or her walk your woodlot with you. He’ll give you a sense of the trees’ value, local markets, good logging contractors in your area. http://forestry.msu.edu/extension/extdocs/consulfor/consult.htm

I own a property where a tannery once stood.  Whenever I dig near that sight I smell a distinctive noxious odor.  Could that be from residue of the hemlock tanning process that was dumped there? Is it hazardous or just obnoxious?  It was probably active in the late 1800’s.

Very insightful article, well done ;)

I have 30 acres of mostly sugar maples, I have what I think are many straight veneer logs,  How do I go about getting a fair price for my trees?

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  From what I can see in reading commentary on this bill is that it brings nothing of real value and has potential for much trouble.

Bob Z