Someone, get me some cheese.

It's Christmas, yet again, here on the farm.  Our cheese boards have arrived. If you can't tell by the look on Arik's face, we are thrilled.

Arik eyeing up the goods.

The cheese boards were made using the wood of one of our beloved trees that was taken down in December of 2012 due to safety concerns.  It was a big oak and it stood here on the farm for approximately 200 years.

The Big Oak.

Each cheese board is unique and beautiful in it's own way.  The big challenge is going to be picking a favorite.

No two alike.

The finishing touches of adding our logo will be underway soon.  Once complete, these lovely cheeseboards will be looking for new homes and some delicious Wisconsin cheese to accompany it.  We'll be sure to keep any of you folks who may be interested in one posted.


While I'm here, I'd also like to introduce you to our newest employee, Dennis (aka "D").  He recently moved here from Wyoming and started here on the farm last week. He's a great addition to our team and has been a huge asset to us already, mostly assisting Arik.  We are happy to have him and look forward to our journey ahead.

Welcome "D."

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.

Makin' some lumber

On Monday, Rachel and I took a road trip to the sleepy little town of Johnson Creek, Wisconsin. The purpose of our trip was to use a bandsaw mill to saw two white oak logs and to view a lumber drying kiln. 

The Alaskan chainsaw mill that we have put to work on Arington Tree Farm has given us a stack of live edge, slab lumber. Unfortunately, before we can build anything with it, we will have to get some moisture out of the wood. The passive approach would be allowing the lumber to air dry. However, with the thick slabs that we milled, it would take years to dry to a workable level - approximately 6-8% moisture content for interior applications. 

Chainsaw mill is up and running!

I got a heads up that Arik was running the Alaskan chainsaw mill today so I ran back to take some photos. He and Joel were busy slabbing up the Big Oak and a black oak.

I had never seen a chainsaw mill in action before, so it was very interesting and educational to watch! While Arik has used the saw solo, it's definitely helpful to have an extra pair of hands on deck.

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.