A walnut harvest

In the fall of 2014, Joe and I started a conversation about the possibility of a small scale walnut harvest. We had some great walnut trees that had hit maturity and some up-and-coming trees that could use the extra sunlight. Time for action! Our first step was to walk the woodlot with our forester, John. We walked the woodlot deciding the fate of the walnut trees. Three measurements were conducted at each perspective tree; diameter at breast height (dbh), the number of saw logs in each tree, and finally board feet per tree. John sent off this inventory to interested loggers who than had a chance to win the job via a sealed bid process. Both the tree farm and the winning bidder were hoping for a spring harvest, but the weather didn't cooperate. So on November 9th the logging began!

The logging operation was a three man crew. Two cutters, who were responsible for dropping and limbing the trees. A third person drove the logs to the landing with a log skidder.

Once all the logs were skidded to the landing, the loggers were able to closely inspect each and cut it to an appropriate length. They then contacted a buyer who came and inspected the cut-to-length logs. The buyers in turn, arranged for the logs to be hauled away from the landing. After that the work is all mine!

We are doing timber stand improvement (TSI) along with cleaning up the walnut tree tops. The tree tops will be cut into firewood for the shop boiler, and smaller diameter saw logs that we can use for our own lumber needs. The TSI work includes using the tree shear on the bobcat to remove elm, box elder, and buckthorn. 

Rachel and I will be chipping the trees removed during TSI and the slash (left over debris) from the timber harvest. We hope to add trails and hand plant both black walnut and oak in the newly created openings of canopy. Stay tuned for updates.

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.

What grows up, must come down

Arik and I

Through most of this summer I have been working on timber stand improvements on the farm. I have been making my way through the woods working from the ground up. I started by using the brush mower to clear the knee high shrubs and trees. Then, I transitioned into using the brush saw to remove thumb size diameter trees and shrubs. The hand saw (my favorite) came next to cut down small trees (6” in diameter or less). I have been driving the tool cat andusing the bobcat with the grapple. But, up until last week, something had been missing from summer experience.  You guessed it—the chain saw!

While working the Walbridge Woods, I got my first hands on experience with the chain saw. Arik briefly went over the functions and safety of the chainsaw while we were in the woods, and demonstrated how to do a wedge and bore cut on an Elm before letting me tackle my first tree.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I created this image to give a better understanding of what a wedge and bore cut looks like.

Arik started by using the chain saw to score the bark where I would be making my cuts. We discussed what would happen with each cut, about the tension and compression of the cells and how the cuts would effect them.

Arik scoring the tree

Feeding "The Hungry Hippo"

Hi! For those of you who have not met me yet, my name is Lyndsey, and I am a summer intern at the tree farm. I am working at the farm in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Foundation (ALF). I spend three days a week at ALF and two days at the farm. While at the farm I spend most days working with Arik. 

We began working on a timber stand improvement (TSI) project on June 12^th. We are working in the Spruce/ Hardwood stand just north west of the Husker Barn. The stand was planted in 2000 with goals of tall straight hardwoods. The Spruce is planted to increase the straightness of the hardwoods. The plan is to remove the spruce for pulpwood after about 30 years to allow the hardwoods to better utilize the space and nutrients. 

The picture above shows what the stand looked like before we started the project. The stand has rows of Spruce with rows of oak, walnut, and hickory between them. We have been working hard to clean up the rows and remove some of the under story species.

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. 

Why Prune?

This is a post about pruning. Get it... prunes?!?!

Friday humor aside, pruning is important to help trees develop straight trunks (increases their timber value) and encourages healthy growth. Pruning also helps raise the canopy to make mowing easier and keeps the trees looking nicer.

Benefits of Mulch

Mulch:

n.

A protective covering, usually of organic matter such as leaves, straw, or peat, placed around plants to prevent the evaporation of moisture, the freezing of roots, and the growth of weeds.

Putting mulch underneath your trees can be very benifitial, however, if done improperly it can also harm your trees. By following a few simple steps, you can mulch your way to a happy healthy tree.

A sad loss

Technically this black oak isn't a loss. However, the limb you see in the picture is a third of the tree's total foliage. That is a pretty big stress on this tree. The wound on the trunk where the branch broke off is also very large and a prime area for further decay to occur. So while the mess is all cleaned up for now, come winter the rest of the tree will come down.

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.

Timber stand improvement

This photo shows a trail through a 20 acre wood lot. This summer our goal is to do timber stand improvement (TSI).