Site Discussions

Nice.

Over in Southwestern Vermont one logger friend of mine is getting $700 a load. This works out to about 7 cords, or $100 a cord. Word on the street has it that wood is a bit cheaper over in Brattleboro on account of last year’s storm damage.

I first heard of Ms. Thomas and her book when she was a guest on a local radio, call-in program. She continually voiced the fact that she gained her vast knowledge about deer by looking out her window as they ate the food she left for them. She encouraged those who called in to feed deer. This despite the fact that the NH Fish & Game Commission discourages the feeding of deer, to maintain healthy herds.

I am not a hunter but am not against hunting. I like to see deer on my property but the spillover from these deer that congregate to be fed, cause much damage to native plants and shrubs and even trees that I am trying to grow and maintain.

As indicated, there has been undue publicity for this book. Our local Shopper had an item about her speaking at the Harris Center an important Conservation Center in NH. After due consideration they have agreed to have someone present to give the position of the NH Fish & Game Commission to balance information given in her book and presentation.

Wow. The things you can learn from reading this magazine. It’s only my first issue and already I’m amazed. I had no idea that our birds molted and changed their plumage to suit various purposes. How is it possible that I’ve spent so much time in the woods over the past 10 years (hunting wild mushrooms, primarily) and just heard about this fantastic magazine? Who knows? But I’m glad I finally found it.

Hi Lora,

I was there Friday with with a chainsaw filing, safety,and felling demonstration. I hope you can make it November 19-21 for the Low Impact Forestry (LIF) weekend.  It’s not a job, but an adventure! I’ll be there training novice and experienced chainsaw operators.

Thanks,

Pete Tracy

This is also my first time seeing Indian Pipe.  In my case I found it in what seems to be an unusual place.  It is located in a partially shaded area beside pine trees that are less than 15 years old.  The soil in this area is very poor.  After testing our soil the state agricultural agent said that the only thing we didn’t need was dirt.  Everything I’ve read about Indian Pipe says that it should only grow in deep shade with very rich soil.  Comments?

I periodically buy a logging truck load of mixed hardwood [not saw-log grade] to buck up for firewood. How can I find out going prices to know I am paying a fair price?

Thanks for mentioning that Indian Pipes turn black after ripening. That solved a mystery for me: I had found blackened pipe shapes under a beech tree and wondered if it was another type of non-choropytic plant or just a dried up mushroom like Dead Man’s Fingers.

I expect a post hunt update, Dave.

Brad from Charlevoix? How do I hook my hot tub up to my wood burner? I know I can do it, just can’t find instructions on how? ;o)

All of Vicky’s comments are nullified by the fact that she thinks global warming is true.  It is the biggest crock in the history of man kind. Yes some of the early OWB built in peoples garages put off a lot of smoke.  My OWB puts off so little smoke that I have to check it periodically to make sure it is still on.  And it always has been.  I could use old cars as a case for why we should outlaw cars because of the pollution they put off, but that would be as unintelligent as your reasoning seeing the modern cars emissions have been totally revamped.  Also just an FYI even without reduced OWB emissions, burning wood is carbon neutral as a log decaying in the woods puts off as much of a carbon foot print as if it were burned.  So either way it is the same.  All the liberal power-hungry people in government want to find more ways to regulate, so when ignorant people cry and whine about a practice that is as old as the world (burning wood for heat) they jump on the regulation band wagon.  Very sad.

Visit my site for new information on insect outbreaks.  I would be interested in your comments as I am not quite sure that I am right in my evaluation of the cause of outbreaks.  My site is loneresearcher.blogspot.com.

Thank you

I would encourage the burning of wood, and do…BUT…responsibly. A simple test of ANY wood burning appliance, to see if it is efficiently burning ...is…if a lighted rag or torch is placed at the outlet of the chimney, and IF the smoke burns, you have less than complete combustion. NOW, in practice, this may result in a chimney fire OR explosion in the flue/chimney. The point is, 30+% of the available energy in dry/seasoned wood is in the gaseous volatiles produced from the initial burning process. Hence, who in their right mind would buy a tank of gas and then pour a 1/3 of it on the ground..???

As I have info on combustion, your OWB should be refractory/brick lined in the initial combustion chamber, and the ‘after’ chamber, or secondary. The stack should be at least 12ft minimum in height…AND…insulated. That allows the unburnt gases to be emitted to the atmosphere…albeit…annoying and rude to any neighbor within 1/3 mile of your installation…downwind.  And, another thing is tending the unit, cleaning often, checking the auto-controls, etc, etc.  The smoke should not be ‘biting, or rancid, or foul’ , but the sweet smell of properly burned wood.

Hi Chris,

We are still moving forward. This year we conducted a test in TN and the preliminary results look promising!

Scott Costa .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Jeff- I’m not sure that’s correct either. I grew up in interior Alaska where temps went well below -40C and treeline is higher than along the coast which has a more moderate temperature. My guess would be it’s a combo of minimum temp, summer temp, moisture and wind that determines elevation of treeline.

Vicky - just wanted to let you know that the Globe has been consistently cooling for the past 10 years and now some of the major atmospheric researchers believe we may be in for a mini ice age.  Global Warming has been a big money grab since it was manufactured.  Although if it is true and the earth is cooling we should encourage everyone to use outdoor wood boilers to SAVE THE EARTH.

I totally agree with Carolyn. She articulated the position perfectly.  I am an animal lover, volunteer at a wildlife rehab center and rarely eat meat for health purposes. If I were to eat meat, I would much prefer to eat an animal that has lived a normal life and eaten a natural diet as opposed to eating an animal that has experienced the cruel confinement of feedlots, has eaten an unnatural diet of corn, chemicals and antibiotics all the while living knee deep in its own excrement and then subjected to the cruelest methods of slaughter. A skilled hunter affords the deer a much more humane and respectful death than our meat industry.

I come from the protected, sanitized suburbs, raised to abhor the killing of anything for any reason (meanwhile virtuously buying my meat in plastic wrap at the supermarket). When we moved to rural Vermont, one of our first social events was the arrival of two deer hunters at our door, politely requesting permission to cross our land to access their regular hunting grounds. The next spring, another one arrived to request same for hunting turkey.

Predictably, I was appalled, but, as a stranger in a strange land, I bowed to their courtesy and returned it. (After all, these were armed men and we live in a remote location. Who knows what could happen if we angered them?)

But these hunters have returned every year for more than a decade to politely repeat their request, in the process becoming friendly acquaintances and teaching us much about the land and animals surrounding us. They have also brought us meat.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have seen jerks in pickup trucks swilling beer, shooting out the windows, and trespassing without qualm. We have found deer carcasses and body parts lying discarded in back corners of other people’s property. I suspect that these folks have formed many non-hunters’ notion of hunting.

While I, personally, find the idea of shooting and dressing an animal revolting, I’ve learned to accommodate it in others. After all, that’s how our forebears survived. And it seems that serious hunters are not only respectful—if not reverential—toward animals and the natural world, they also are honorable toward people and clean up after themselves. They hunt for the challenge of tracking; the intimate experience with the wilderness; and to put food on the table.

Given that the human population has seriously squeezed the animal population into smaller and smaller habitats, overpopulation is definitely a problem “out there” where predators no longer cull the herd. The state agencies responsible for wildlife management carefully monitor and calculate a species’ status and adjust hunting allotments accordingly. In the suburbs, where hunting is impossible, wildlife have become nuisances and disease carriers. Population management is vastly more difficult, and serious accidents on roadways vastly more common.

So I no longer sympathize with townies who romanticize wildlife and blanketly condemn hunting. My ongoing ties with the suburbs and city have shown me over and over that the average resident is clueless about the natural world and cannot speak from direct experience. I wonder if their opinions would change if they were hungry… or if a wild animal took out their pet, or ravaged their garden. Or if they couldn’t call an exterminating service to make squirrels, mice, skunks, and raccoons go away…

I was in the Allegheny National Forest, North West Pennsylvania back in the mid 80’s. We found this plant in abundance in the forest. We used it to mark trails at night because of it slight glowing effect.

I can’t find recipes anywhere for butternuts. Can you help me find at least one recipe if not more? Thank You