Six degrees

The coldest morning of the new season arrived today. Once again, a clear sky and bright sun contrast with the low of six degrees. As always, the stove does the job, with two pieces of yellow birch going up.

In the woods, yellow birch thrives and always catches the eye. The wonderful species only becomes stove fodder when it spring poles or if dieback is occurring. Sometimes even a red oak has to struggle with more shade than desirable if a great yellow birch dominates a neighborhood of trees.