New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Forestry

Timber Stand Improvement: Helpful Enough, Or Too Helpful?

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Adirondack Mountains from the top of Whiteface Mountain courtesy Wikimedia R khot“If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.” David Henry Thoreau’s statement, funny in a way, also brings to mind the grave harm done to cultures around the world by Western powers in the guise of “helping” them.

In a less horrific sense it applies to how we’ve “assisted” nature to disastrous ends. Cane toads in Australia, mongoose in Hawaii, Kudzu in the Southeast, and Asian harlequin ladybeetles that invade our homes each fall are a few examples of being too helpful. [Read more…] about Timber Stand Improvement: Helpful Enough, Or Too Helpful?

How Trees Cause – and Mostly Prevent – Pollution

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Eastern Cottonwood courtesy Wikimedia user Laurent BélangerIn 1981, former President Ronald Reagan famously pronounced “Trees cause more air pollution than automobiles do,” a statement which garnered endless ridicule.

Even though he also said “Facts are stupid things” during a 1988 interview, it turns out his claim about dirty trees was partly correct. [Read more…] about How Trees Cause – and Mostly Prevent – Pollution

Indulging Reforestation, Protecting Woodlands

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15-year-old reforested plot of land courtesy Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and EnforcementAs a child in a devout Catholic household I was intrigued by “Indulgences,” a way for sinners to avoid penalties in the afterlife by paying a fee commensurate with their bad deeds. This was years before Heaven went digital, of course, and as a youngster I assumed these bookkeeping adjustments were made in such a way that God didn’t notice the erasure marks in the Eternal Ledger. [Read more…] about Indulging Reforestation, Protecting Woodlands

Preventing Oak Wilt: Painting Our Way Out of a Corner

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Aerial photo of oak wilt damage near St Paul MNIt’s normal to tune out all the Chicken Littles (such as yours truly) who run around squawking about this or that invasive forest pest or disease that pose a threat to trees. I mean, how many times can the sky fall, anyway? But the real danger is when we feel so overwhelmed that we throw up our hands. Thinking we can’t make a difference could result in more harm to forests than the pests themselves. [Read more…] about Preventing Oak Wilt: Painting Our Way Out of a Corner

Understanding Our Old Forests

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Old ForestDecayed wood crumbled underfoot as I stepped on a mossy log. The ground was almost hidden by a lush, diverse growth of wildflowers and ferns. Brown scapes of wild leeks poked up above mottled leaflets of Virginia waterleaf and heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger. A green canopy of mostly sugar maple and yellow birch towered overhead. As we climbed higher on the mountainside, the trees increased in height and girth. We were in an old-growth forest, a remnant of the forest that blanketed the Northeast before European settlement. The extremely steep slope had likely allowed it to escape the axe and saw before it was protected. [Read more…] about Understanding Our Old Forests

Spruce Blues and Wet-Weather Woes

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Blue Spruce tree courtesy USDAWhen I’m asked to diagnose tree problems, folks naturally want the remedy. Sometimes the only solution is tree removal; other times it’s a cable brace, pest management, corrective pruning or fertilizing. But increasingly, the diagnosis is climate change. If anyone knows how to solve that through an arboricultural practice, please let me know. [Read more…] about Spruce Blues and Wet-Weather Woes

Science Behind Our Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Outbreak

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gypsy moth caterpillar by Karla SalpThis spring, there has been larger-than-usual gypsy moth populations and leaf damage in several parts of New York State. Gypsy moths are non-native but are naturalized, meaning they will always be around in our forests.

Their populations spike in numbers roughly every 10 to 15 years, but these outbreaks are usually ended by natural causes such as disease and predators. Because of this, the State typically does not manage them and does not provide funding for treating gypsy moths on private property. [Read more…] about Science Behind Our Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Outbreak

Use Local Firewood: Avoid Spreading Invasives

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Many people take campfire wood from their backyards or neighborhoods as they head out to a favorite camping spot, not realizing the wood may be hiding the eggs, larvae, spores, adults, or even seeds of invasive threats. Hitching a ride on infested or infected firewood allows these pests to spread faster and farther than they could have on their own.

A variety of invasive species can be transported on firewood, from wood boring beetles and defoliators to fungi and diseases.

[Read more…] about Use Local Firewood: Avoid Spreading Invasives

Lifeways of the Yellow Birch

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TOS_YellowBirchOne summer, I took a nature drawing class, and we hiked up Vermont’s Stowe Pinnacle to sketch in the cool, mountain forest. I chose to draw a big yellow birch that had established itself on the steep slope. For a couple of hours, I stared at the base of the tree, trying to capture its intricate detail: the way the trunk leaned to the right and its large, supporting roots spread over the ground; the variable colors, patterns, and textures of its bark; a hole at the base that might be home to a mouse or chipmunk. I wondered how old the tree was and what it had witnessed in its lifetime from its perch on the mountainside. [Read more…] about Lifeways of the Yellow Birch