Latest battle in Birch-Softwood War

Some time was spent today in another spot with way too many trees crowding each other out. Something had to be done to resolve the intense competition between yellow/paper birches and some softwoods, mainly balsam fir. As this latest brush cutting before/after shows, the good guys won again, thanks to the power of the Stihl FS 250 and the 8-inch saw blade.

The picture looks to the north, so the conifers in the distance won't bother the birches that just gained lots of more room to grow and absorb sunlight. Maybe our small chainsaw will execute the remaining larger conifers at a later date.

Turkey confused by snow

Two turkeys were out yesterday morning. After walking up our south hill for a bit, the big male took a break, seemingly bewildered by late April snow.

Turkeys getting active

We are starting to see some turkeys. This one was just south of the house, perhaps looking for food to take back to young ones. The babies are really cute for a few weeks, then turn ugly!

A brush cutting case study

The brush cutter went to work today for the first time in more than five months. The before and after pictures below show a spot where some weeds and paper birch were thinned to provide more light for four remaining paper birches (remember they are brown before they are shiny white!) The forest benefits from such thinning, because the survivors will grow much faster than if they had to compete with so many other little trees. We won't waste the whacked little birches; they'll end up as great kindling for the next burning season, which we are always thinking about in April!

Sunny warm up

Our streak of sunny days continues. Snow is still out there, but many more patches of ground can be seen just in a few days. Here are some pics showing the vastly different amount of snow cover we are seeing in places. The first pic shows lots of snow along one of our many old stone walls. The last of the four shots offers a glimpse of yet another young paper birch making the transition from brown to peeling, shiny white.

From yellow to silver

How magnificent is yellow birch! Interestingly, the tree's bronze bark starts to turn silver in old age. That's why silver birch is a nickname for this utterly awesome species. This old fellow stands very close to our north property line (note the red marker on the upper right of the photo). The spot is about 1,600 feet from the house, with an elevation drop of more than 200 feet. Big Freaking Sugar Maple, a tree our long-time blog fans will recall, is another giant on this part of Hardwood Hermitage.

As you can see from the pic, we had tremendous sunlight today. Solar surpassed 35 kw/hrs by 4:30 p.m. The thaw has begun in earnest but the walk back from taking the picture still required lots of plodding through some snow. Well worth the effort!

Three more inches of Sugar Snow

We've learned that "Sugar Snow" is white stuff that falls in the early spring -- the traditional time of maple syrup production. The latest band of snow dropped three more inches on us overnight. The sun is breaking through now, and temps over the weekend may be close to 60. So no more pictures like this, at least for this season! Just two weeks until the brush cutter fires up, hopefully!

More April snow

About three new inches of snow fell yesterday and overnight. The really wet, sloppy precip clings to the trees this morning, but temps will be on the upswing, so the new snow will likely be melted in a day or two. Then it's just a matter of getting through the rest of the snow still out there!

This is April????

Another walk on the snow this morning. Doesn't really look like April, does it? The snow is still about 18 inches deep in many places. The brush cutter's winter break might extend into May. Oh well. There's plenty of interesting things to see. Many critters have been out lately, based on the fresh bobcat and turkey tracks seen. And woods with snow just seem so lovely.

Even though the brush cutter gets a few more weeks off, this pic is an example of some of the work that will be done. Paper birches and sugar maples will benefit from wacking several red maple stump sprouts.

Chaos rules a forest. Nature's winds and ice an create damage, especially during a longer than usual cold season. This red maple took a dive about 100 feet from The Jut. We'll likely take a trip with the saw(s) and process this for firewood -- EVENTUALLY!