ALF intern work day at the Farm

On Wednesday the Tree Farm hosted an intern work day for my fellow interns at the Aldo Leopold Foundation (ALF). Arik lent us his time and knowledge on some bigger equipment that we do not have at ALF. I have been fortunate to be able to use most of the equipment on a regular basis while working here this summer and I was thrilled to be able to share the experience with my fellow interns: Leann, Cameron, and Emily.

The three of us girls started the morning by familiarizing ourselves with the Stihl brush saw. We worked as a team to cut down Buckthorn and clear the area. One of us used the saw while the others removed the small trees and the other treated the stump with Garlon. We put the Buckthorn in piles in order to practice using the grapple attachment on the 220 Bobcat.

Emily handling the brush saw in the thicket of Buckthorn

Leann cutting out Buckthorn using the brush saw

Cleaning up Husker Road

This photo was taken  about half way through  the project.

Over the past few weeks Arik, Graham, and I have been diligently working on the south side of Husker Road to improve aesthetics and prepare it for future trees. Removing the under story vegetation will allow for more sunlight to hit Husker Road in the winter and allow for the snow to melt more easily. 

This particular area has been habitat to buckthorn, honeysuckle and grapevine for approximately the last fifteen years. The grapevine that we removed was unbelievably huge! 

When the vines get this big they can suffocate the host trees. They climb up the trunk and take over the canopy with their broad leaves shading out the other leaves and  twist tightly around the branches. Arik and I have decided to remove the vine when and where we can.

Here Arik is removing a grape vine and Graham is rolling up a bit of rusty barbed wire.

This stretch of land that we have been working on is not very large, but it has a lot of history and character. We left a couple of neat looking snags and stumps that keep stories from the past alive. We removed an old barbed wire fence that at one point must have been used to outline a pasture for cattle. Along the fence we found glass soda bottles and old Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. It is interesting to see into the past of the people that worked the land before us.

Year in Review and Sneak Peek of 2013!

What a year! As 2012 comes to a close, we have much to reflect on! It has been a busy year – both in terms of managing the farm and promoting the education of sustainable land management.

• Arik spent countless hours pruning, thinning, planting and combating invasives, not to mention manning the lawn mowers and lately, snow plows!
• We tried some new things on the farm this year – including a food plot, trail cams (photos coming soon!) and a hunting system to help all of us stay informed of who is hunting when and where.
• We opened our doors wide in efforts to educate others about the farm. We had over 100 students visit the farm, hosted the AFF Board, threw a party for the farm’s oldest resident, and started this little project!
• We took some time to educate ourselves, too. We hosted a chainsaw safety course in the fall, which Joe and Arik participated in. Arik and I became Land Ethic Leaders, and I also learned more about the Leopold Education Project. Arik participated in the Sinsinawa Tri-State Woodland Conference, while Joe and I both attended the Madison Woodland Conference.

It has been a busy, fun year – but there is not much time to reflect, as 2013 is just around the corner! And we have a lot planned…

Chipping Buckthorn

The safest way to load Buckthorn into the chipper!

If you have ever handled Buckthorn you can understand why I load it into the chipper with our mini-excavator. If you have never handled Buckthorn, take note of the second syllable in the invasive's name. The thorns are not to be dismissed. 

In this picture I am chipping some pretty large Buckthorn (~15 feet tall). They were growing on the edge of a woodlot so they grew out as much as up, plus they had multiple stems. After cutting the Buckthorn, I had a few options: let it lay where it fell, make some brush piles or use our chipper to grind up the brush. 

My experience with this shrub-type of Buckthorn is it has to be chipped. Trying to make brush piles out of it once it is this size and shape can be frustrating. After stacking a few shrubs up, the pile tends to fall over, or the shrubs roll off.

I've also learned that Buckthorn can be slow to decay. If I am removing invasives, I like to be able to walk through the area that my work was done in. These large shrubs left to rot, where they stood, would impede foot traffic for sometime. 

A Bucktorn brush pile reduced to chips will be significantly smaller than a brush pile, and the chips can be used on trails. If I don't get around to using the chips, they decompose much faster than if left whole. 

I recognize not everyone has this type of equipment available for their projects. I am interested to hear what you do with Buckthorn once cutting it, so leave a comment. Stay tuned I will also write about how I treat the cut stumps. 

Ponds revealed!

As I mentioned last week, a pond project is underway at the farm. I'm working on removing willows to make the ponds accessible. They will eventually be surveyed and excavated.

To remove the willows from the site, I've been using the Bobcat with tree shear attachment. Above is an action photo of our tree shear. The shear will cut trees up to 14 inches. It has a grapple attachment that will hold the tree as we move it to either a brush pile or the chipper. This particular model is made by the company Tree Terminator. The shear does get somewhat challenging to use in tight areas. However, it worked great for this project, as this was all out in the open.

And here is a completed photo of both ponds with all the willows removed. The next step in this project will be to have a survey completed and than dig out the ponds to the appropriate size. 

Stay tuned!

A well-hidden pond

This photo shows the start of the project. Hidden inside that tangle of willow trees is a pond. I should mention that due to this years drought all of the ponds on Arington Tree farm are at low levels. This pond, along with a similar sized one right behind it, need to be surveyed. After the survey is complete we hope to be given a permit to have them excavated. Both of the ponds are in a wetland area where Mudd Creek used to flow. However before a permit can be issued or a survey completed the willows needed to be removed. 

Willows - Before & After

Did you know that willow trees are actually an invasive species? Here at Arington Tree Farm, they grow in abundance on the flatland near Mud Creek.

This past week, Arik and I have been using hand saws to trim them back from a trail they were threatening to take over. Cutting back the willows also means the young oaks will have more sunlight and nutrients to keep growing.

Check out our progress!

After 

Before

Learn more about willows here.