A visit from the Walbridge School

Yesterday, we hosted Walbridge, our partnership school, here on Arington Tree Farm.  There is a section of the farm that we have designated to them, called fittingly, The Walbridge Woods.  They come 4 times a year to maintain and improve it.  

The Students and Staff of Walbridge.

Joe with some of the kids.

The day started out cold and snowy, but we kept warm by putting the kids to work, hauling wood and brush.

The students made an assembly line to move wood and brush out of the woods and onto the trail.

They then loaded the wood up onto the Bobcat, for Arik to take to the wood pile.




Dennis picked up the brush pile with the Grapple, and took it to the trail head.

 The students then added the brush to a bonfire. This kept them busy and warm, and they had big fun doing it!




After lunch we put them to work building picnic tables, that will be placed in their woods, so they have a place to sit, eat lunch and enjoy all of their hard work.  

It was a great day!! 

 Thank you students and staff of Walbridge.  We look forward to many more adventures with you in the future.

Making room to grow.

It still feels like the dead of winter here in Wisconsin, and with no end in sight, the winter pruning continues here on Arington Tree Farm. Today's winner, The River Birch, located along the beautiful  4 Winds Pond.  

Arik assessing who stays and who goes.

The River Birch were planted in 2004 and have continued to thrive with the great soil and sunny location they are provided.  However, they were planted with the anticipation of being thinned, and with these beauties thriving like they are, spacing is getting mighty crowded.  

Over the past 2 or 3 years, Arik has done a great job vista pruning the River Birch to open up the view of the pond.  But, the time has come to say goodbye to 12 of the trees, so that the survivors can spread out and continue to grow and thrive.  

Arik used a tree sheer to remove the chosen ones.

Dennis then piled up the wood and hauled it away to be used in our boiler.



The finished product is stunning.  It has opened up the view immensely, and it's pleasing to know that the remaining trees will have the opportunity to spread out and grow.

The finished product.


In just 40 short years, they will be mature enough to harvest.
Stay tuned!!