We often find scenes in the woods that move us to pause and consider the stories behind them. Forester and Somerset County SWCD Board member Jon Doty shared this one with us last week.

Although its song is not uncommon at the Yankee Woodlot demonstration forest, the Black-throated Green Warbler is not easily spotted. They feed and sing in the forest canopy, making it a challenge to catch sight of them despite their flashy color.

A 12-year-old bridge over a seasonal stream on our property was in need of replacement and Friday turned out to be the perfect day to get to work on it!

Images from Yankee Woodlot Demonstration Forest, May 2020 by J Brockway

So last week when I needed to find and tag ash trees for an Emerald Ash Borer awareness campaign, my children came along. There’s plenty of learning to be done on a woods walk - even math.

Over the years I have varied my approach to how I cut these smaller diameter pieces to stove length.  About 6 years ago I settled into the design pictured.  I combined two sawbuck designs …

Are you interested in improving your old run-down field for wildlife habitat? Native grasslands provide habitat for a multitude of birds, native pollinators and other wildlife. Somerset County Soil & Water Conservation District’s Laura Suomi-Lecker offers some tips to get started.

I was expecting to learn a few curious facts about my favorite place, the forest; and I did. But there is so much more within this story — so many connections and reminders relevant to the pandemic and our societal response to it. I was looking for an escape, but I found a little bit of hope.

If you have some time on your hands this weekend here are a few ideas to keep you busy!

Browntail moth biology makes winter the safest time to undertake control measures for browntail moth, and its relatively lower numbers in Somerset County means landowners can have a real impact on limiting local populations by taking management action now. 

I have the privilege of walking my property - 24 acres of fields and forested wetlands - every day (several times on a good day!), granting me the opportunity to notice even the subtlest of changes brought on by weather and wildlife. Unlike the subtleties of fanciful ice crystals or a downy feather, though, sometimes things can change a lot overnight.