The best tree ever!

Quercus macrocarpa, the mighty Bur oak. This particular specimen holds a near and dear place in my heart. It is my favorite tree on Arington Tree Farm. But if we can keep that a secret between you the reader and myself, I would appreciate it. I would hate to be waylaid by a branch from one of the jealous Boxelders that bookend my special oak.

Making the video!

Earlier this summer, before the National Tree Farm Convention, a videographer visited the Farm. He spent the day interviewing Joe, chatting with the grandkids, and watching Arik work in the field. The footage was edited and turned into this little ditty, which was used to announce Joe as the National Tree Farmer of the Year:




Here's the lowdown on what that day was like "behind the scenes!"

Fish fry on the Farm

Last week we invited our Tree Farm friends and family over for a night of food and music. Similar to our wine night back in June, we wanted this to be a fun, social outing - bringing people together and to the Farm not necessarily for an educational purpose but to relax and enjoy the outdoors. (And give a hip-hip-hooray to Joe on his award!)

However, the weather forecast was predicting Mother Nature was finally going to give us some rain, so we moved the event indoors. On the flip side, our barn cleans up awfully nice!

Joel helped us with a delicious cheese course and we had our new, beautiful mugs on hand to hold everyone's drink of choice.

Thank you Deneen Pottery - we couldn't love the mugs more!

About the time the caterers had the fish fry ready, some ominous clouds started rolling in. 

It's a bird.. no a plane!.. No, definitely a hot air balloon

This morning Arik ran into the office yelling "Holly, you don't want to miss this! And grab a camera!"

Arik never yells... or runs... so I knew this was serious! I grabbed the camera and followed him outside. This is what we saw:

When things don't go as planned...

Arik is taking advantage of the dry August days by using the Bobcat to mow some typically swampy areas. I wanted to capture this for the blog, so headed down Husker Road hoping to catch him action. And I did get a couple action shots:

And then, this:

My stint as a Bird Habitat Assessment intern

Aaron and Graham, students from UW-Madison, are conducting a bird and reptile habitat assessment on the Farm this summer. Early each morning, they observe birds at various points around the Farm; the inventory they're creating will help us understand what birds are using our property and how we can further enhance the habitat here. An absolute novice, I was curious about their work so on Tuesday morning joined them in the field. Here's how it all went down: 

5 AM – My alarm goes off. Snooze!

5:47 AM – I've made it to the Farm and eat a quick breakfast while the Keurig brews a hot cup of joe.

6:22 AM – Where are these dudes?? We were supposed to meet at 6 but I don't mind waiting. It's a beautiful morning on the Farm. Mist is rising off 4 Winds Pond and the bullfrogs are shouting to one another. 

4 Winds Pond, 6 AM - a little piece of heaven.

6:28 AM – Graham and Aaron arrive, offer me some binoculars and talk about the morning's agenda. They have hit the majority of the 80-some observation points plotted around the farm. I bought new rubber boots last night and am anxious to get them dirty and wet, so I request some points that are in the marsh. Request denied - they hit all those points the day before.

Introducing the... "Name that Pond" Contest!

The contest has been extended a week! Get your submissions in to win!

As mentioned, we're working with a couple pond experts to do some work to two of the ponds on Arington Tree Farm:

Aerial view of ponds at Arington Tree Farm.

·         “Pond A” is the largest pond on the farm and was dug about 15 years ago. It is spring-fed and during the spring, Canada geese love to raise their young here. Our plan is to make it bigger and deeper, install aerators to keep the water oxygenated and eventually stock it with fish (maybe saugeyes?)

Partial view of Pond A

·        "Pond B" is a smaller, more hidden pond on the farm. Nearly entirely surrounded by trees and brush, ducks like hanging out in this spring-fed pond. Our plans for this pond are less intensive but include creating better access for more wildlife viewing and perhaps a canoe "ramp" for easy in/out.

Partial view of Pond B

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…

Photo Gallery: Blizzard of December '12

Last week's blizzard dumped 18" of snow on us, leaving no question as to whether this year would be a white Christmas! It was a heavy, wet snow that stuck to whatever surface it landed upon. This type of snow makes for very beautiful scenery, but as you'll see below -- isn't the best for the trees! 

Mystery Boxes - Make a Guess!

These two boxes were delivered to the Farm yesterday. Arik was very excited to see them - their contents will keep him busy, and will also be an exciting new endeavor for the Farm to pursue.

Can you guess what's inside? Leave a comment with your guess! We'll be back in a couple days to tell you all about it...

Big Oak Wake

Saturday we laid our Big Oak to rest with quite the party! Friends and family gathered to watch Beaver Tree Service take down the tree in a process that moved astonishingly fast. It took nearly 200 years to grow to that size, yet only a matter of hours to come down. 

A Tribute to the Oak Tree

Lately it seems like walnut trees have been getting all the attention. And it's well deserved - their high timber value and beautiful wood make them a prized species for growers and consumers. We have a good amount of walnut that grows on the farm and one day, we'll do a post about them.

But today I want to give some praise to a different species. Oak.

Not "The Big Oak" (see below!) but a big white oak on Arington Tree Farm.

Oak is a valuable species in many ways. They're native to Wisconsin, meaning they began growing here naturally, without any human intervention. They are a durable, strong species and have withstood the test of time - surviving the prairie fires started by Native Americans and intense grazing by dairy herds.

Walking in the Forest with Walbridge School

Last week we hosted our friends from Walbridge School for National Walk in the Forest Day. The day, promoted by American Forest Foundation and Society of American Foresters, is an opportunity to engage the community in nature and explore all the benefits of forests. Teaching others about sustainable forestry is one of the goals of Arington Tree Farm, so we welcomed this opportunity to share our woods!

Partly sunny skies and 70 degree temperatures greeted the students as they arrived that morning. (We had originally planned the day for Friday, Oct. 19 -- which was 45 and rainy! Good call in rescheduling!) Borrowing a page from Aldo Leopold's lesson plans, we structured the day around the principles of "observe, participate and reflect."

We started the day off with a walk in the woods - a great way to observe. Arik engaged the students in a tree identification activity, using leaves to identify trees. It was a fun activity and many wildlife sightings (cranes, geese, a stray cat!) made the walk even more exciting.

A majestic Bur Oak, approximately 150-200 years old.

More rain!

At Arington Tree Farm we save many of our indoor projects for the winter months or for rainy days. Needless to say with the drought of 2012, rain days have been scarce. However, the last few weeks have given me plenty of chances to work in the shop. The photo above was taken looking out of the shop door. 

Safety First!

Last Saturday, Arington Tree Farm hosted a chainsaw safety course. The course, a program of Blackhawk Chapter of WWOA, was put on by Jim Olive, an instructor from Chainsaw Safety Specialists. 

ATF Goes on a Field Trip

We have all been putting in some long days on the tree farm this fall (including Saturday’s chainsaw safety course – more coming on that!), so today Joe took us on a “field trip.”

Capturing the Season

This morning’s bright sunshine pulled me outside to capture the beautiful fall morning - despite the frigid 42 degrees on the thermometer! I bundled up with a jacket, hat and mittens before jumping on the buggy and cruising around the farm to document the turning of the season. 

Maple trees.

Badger Barn

Princess

World, meet Princess!

She is Arington Tree Farm's mascot. She is only a few years old so she has a lot of activities she likes to participate in. Princess enjoys long walks on the beach, napping, eating free food, smelling fresh roses in the meadow, and more napping. Princess is a farm cat so she does have the freedom to explore the outdoors, which she is happy to do as long as the outdoor temperature is between 65 - 75 degrees F.

Sunrise at Arington Tree Farm

With the speed of life I know it is sometimes hard to stop and take in what is. It would be easy to miss nature's beauty by allowing the common annoyances of everyday life overtake our attention. I think we all need to take some time to give our attention to the things that really deserve it, and less to those that don't. 

In the footsteps of Aldo Leopold

“Nothing so important as an ethic is ever ‘written’… It evolves in the minds of a thinking community.” – Aldo Leopold, The Land Ethic (1949).

Last week I was challenged to delve deeper into my personal land ethic and reconsider the value of the natural world and my relationship with it.

Along with about 25 others, I participated in the AldoLeopold Foundation’s Land Ethic Leaders Program. It was a two-day program held at the Foundation, focusing on using observation, participation and reflection as methods to explore and deepen our connections to the land.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t know what I was getting myself into! Although I grew up on a farm and have worked on the tree farm and with woodland organizations for two years now, I still feel pretty “green.”