31 new land stewards

Walbridge students have been visiting the farm over the past six years, but yesterday's visit was a bit different, more special than any of their visits in the past. 

We've dedicated part of our woods to the Walbridge students. As we made the announcement yesterday, it was awesome to see the pride and honor on their faces. They've been to the Farm a number of times, but their whole demeanor shifted when they realized they now had a special place here.  

Joe making the Walbridge Woods announcement.

We started the day off by dodging rain drops as we toured around Walbridge Woods. Arik pointed out different tree species, invasive plants and pests, and introduced various management concepts to the students. 

Arik leading a tour through Walbridge Woods.

The future is in our hands

During the last few weeks of my internship at the farm we  spent the majority of our time in the Walbridge Woods. While working on the approximately 15 acre forest, we constantly heard birds calling, saw chipmunks playing and were fully aware that the mosquitoes were alive and well. We even saw a painted turtle scoot across the trail the other day.

1 fish, 2 fish, red fish, blue fish: what's in our ponds?

As shown on our Facebook page, Dave the Pond Expert was out recently doing some testing of 4 Winds Pond and Kitchi-Manitou. This testing included chemical analysis, depth measurements and fish sampling to give us an idea of how we can better manage these water resources.

A beautiful day for pond surveying!

Dave sampled the fish by electroshocking: a pole sent an electric current through the water that temporarily stunned the fish, bringing them to the surface of the pond. Dave then used a net to catch the fish, identify them, and release them back into the water, where the fish went on their happy way.

Earth Day 2013

Mother Nature cooperated (finally!) and our Earth Day celebration went off without a hitch!

Over 130 students, teachers and aides from Cambridge Elementary School and Walbridge School participated in our program, which was held in partnership with Aldo Leopold Foundation and made possible by a crew of great volunteers!

Students worked through five stations, including:

Planting fruit trees and shrubs to create a wildlife habitat area (the walnuts and Kentucky coffee trees we had planned on planting were still frozen in the ground at the nursery!)...

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…

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. 

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.

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.”

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.”

Why Trees Matter

I came across this editorial from the New York Times Opinion Pages yesterday. It was written earlier this year, seemingly in conjunction with Arbor Day as its message is a call to action on protecting and promoting trees.

Sure, we all know that trees are great for shade, help clean the air and water, and are the backbone for Wisconsin industry. But too often, it is overlooked how closely intermingled trees are to the success of all living species, all across the globe.

Jim Robbins does a great job of reminding us that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is today.

Read full article here.