Wind creates work

Wind storms rule the hill.  We had major gusts Sunday night and most of Monday.  The forest damage was relatively minor, but every major wind event seems to bring trail clearing work.

A neighbor's paper birch took a dive, with about 30 feet of the tree falling onto our lot and across a major walking trail.

The falling birch didn't damage anything, but nearby, a large pine broken in the wind took out an eight-foot oak -- a very sad event.  The pine also destroyed a few small birches.  This big tree is another one we'll cut out of a walking trail.

More baby birches took major damage from a dead tree that couldn't stand up to the wind.

 

Even with the losses, life goes on in the woods.  And, we never worry about a birch shortage!  Look at how lovely they are soaking up October's last sunrise for another year!

 

Good morning!!!!!

Thoreau would love Hardwood Hermitage

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."   

Weekend work

Like usual, time in the woods this weekend focused on gathering biomass to burn.  Two empty containers sent out yesterday morning were quickly filled with birch bark.  Our fans will remember how we gather the bark from downed or dead birches, then use in the wood stove.  The bark is a spectacular fire starter.

This morning, a large amount of red maple was removed from the hill about 600 feet from the house.  The stump sprouts don't make for the best trees, and the wood will help the stove roar.  The first pic below is a spot prior to thinning, followed by the same area from a slightly different angle after the work was completed today.

The deformed sugar maple on the left of this shot should see great benefits after the removal of the red maple clump on the right (west of the sugar maple).

Piles of cut red maple will continue to be made this week before the future firewood is hauled up the slope to the house.

Disappointing can still be spectacular

No foliage season in northern New Hampshire can be called ugly.  Even this year's disappointing results have much eye candy to enjoy.  Warm weather in the second half of September disrupted nature's regular process.  The color is very inconsistent, even at this relatively late stage.  Some trees turned like normal, then quickly lost leaves.  Others, including many birches, have not turned much at all.  Nonetheless, highlights from a walk this morning are certainly worth sharing.  Enjoy the spectacular, yet disappointing, show.

Curious deer

A very curious male deer walked close to the house today.  He was pictured from inside the house.  The deer bolted right after the picture was taken.