Woodsy Wanderers
We took a little time this weekend to walk our wooded acreage. Every few weeks we walk our trails to make sure that they are clear of fallen trees and branches. Every 15 or so years our woods are harvested for the most mature trees...giving the younger saplings a chance to reach for precious sunlight...hopefully assuring the health of our forest. The treetops left behind become refuge for the local fauna and eventually make their way onto our wood pile. The beauty of this is the fact that we never have to chop a tree down for firewood. Between the leftover treetops and the fallen timber, we have a lifetime supply of firewood. 
We were saddened to find several large Hemlock trees that had snapped in half from Winter wind storms. This particular tree trunk will be cut into segments to use as bases under our five new beehives. A friend told Hubbs that Eastern Hemlocks (Pa's State tree) are succumbing to some disease. This is quite alarming for us as a large part of our forest is comprised of these lovely conifers.
Addendum: Jack did a little research and it seems that the "disease" of hemlock trees is actually and infestation of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a sap-sucking bug from East Asia. Apparently an infestation of this pest can wipe out a hemlock forest in short order, thereby changing the carbon cycle of that area. There is some experimentation with releasing a type of beetle from Japan that will eat the Adelgid. The use of biologicals is not without risk however......we always pay some price for "playing" with our ecosystems.
- Every Woman Should Have Her Own Chainsaw!
Why is it that when I am out working hard...it seems like everyone else is doing this?!...... Yesterday was a day for mowing(yes, I know... I said that I had done the last mowing 2 weeks ago.) and chainsaw work. I love my little girly chainsaw!It's...
- What A Difference A Day Makes
What a wonderful quiet weekend we had...Hubbs and I...and the dogs...and the critters! Saturday was a beautiful day...blue skies with temps in the mid fifties.We set out mid afternoon with Sam and Oakley for a hike in the woods... no jackets! Hiking...
- Heating Self-sufficiency
A couple of years ago, we had a forestry expert come to look at our wooded acreage. We had been noticing a lot of fallen trees after storms throughout the year. He determined that our woods were in need of a bit of logging. Thinning...
- The Ultimate Recycling Project
Here on the farm, we are committed to recycling as much as we possibly can. We compost whatever kitchen scraps we have (that the chickens won't eat). We compost our manure and leaves. We try to find a use for everything. This winter we had several...
- With A Little Help From Our Friends
This past weekend, one of our "kids" (actually now an adult), Amanda, came from college with 6 of her friends to lend a hand on the farm. All of these amazing young adults are students at a local Christian College, Messiah College. They arrived at our...