If you have spent any amount of time in the woods, you have undoubtedly noticed damage to trees caused by insects. The damage could be in the leaves or the stem, under the bark or in the roots. It may seem alarming to you, but, to a tree, this is an everyday occurrence during the […]
Blog
Author: Bill Klase
Engaging the Next Generation: Let’s Get Kids Outside! by Jamie Nack
Imagine my delight, when my daughters (9 and 11) complained about not being able to go outside during the polar vortex back in February. School had been cancelled due to the extreme cold and we were “stuck” at home and inside. My husband and I have made it a high priority to connect our children […]
An Action Plan
At one of the classes I recently held for woodland owners, a couple approached me looking for some guidance for the property they recently purchased. This was the first forested parcel bigger than an acre they owned and were understandably unsure as to where to start. They had all kinds of ideas for things they […]
Tree planting and maintenance
by Randy Mell Last Saturday I found myself walking the woods with a good friend. Today was one of those perfect mornings that you remember in the dead of winter that picks up your spirits. I have had many walks in the past with him through his woods. On those walks he would express his […]
A stand apart
I had the opportunity recently to walk through a woodland owner’s property and offer some advice. We had in-depth discussions on what she wanted to get from her woodland and how we were going to make that happen. She, like many of the woodland owners I work with, saw her woodland as one uniform forest, […]
The soil between your toes
I have had the pleasure of working in forests on a wide variety of soil types. The ones I have the most experience on are the clay-loam at the family farm and the sand that makes up our home soil. What I have learned is that you can’t ignore what is under your feet when […]
Strategies for controlling invasive plants
I, and the rest of our clan, spend as much time as we can in our woods. Our time is split among harvesting trees and other forest products from the woods, having a good time, and keeping an eye on trees and property boundaries. Every time we are in the woods we watch for changes […]
Improving Your Trees Through Pruning
Winter is the time when our family enjoys the warmth from the firewood we have gathered, and prune the branches on the trees we planted. This is the best time to prune because the trees are dormant, and the insects, diseases and fungi that would normally infect open wounds in trees (like those created when […]
Choosing the right trees and shrubs to plant to attract wildlife
A landowner approached me looking for some advice as to which trees and shrubs to plant to bring more wildlife into her property. Before I could give her a list to procure, I needed to know a bit more about what she is looking to attract and what the conditions are like on their property. […]
Ode to a Leaf
I am often amazed by leaves and their varied looks and feels; how they work; the role they play in the overall health of the plants, insects, fungi, and animals in our forests; and their ability to move us without even trying. Their texture ranges across the spectrum from the roughness of elms to the […]