What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

Mystifying Misfortune

What happened to this maple tree?

Answer

A failed attempt at girdling. This wolf maple was double-girdled with a chainsaw a few decades ago but the cuts were either not sufficiently deep or did not completely ring the tree and enough cambium was left to keep the tree alive. New growth has partially grown over the girdle cuts. Girdling is a common practice in forest management for killing trees while leaving them standing and is often used on larger trees that are too dangerous or time consuming to fell. Girdling trees frees up resources and growing space and also creates standing dead trees, which, over time, can provide important wildlife habitat.

This week’s contest winner was Helen Johnson