A Stroll Through Past and Future

The sun was filtering through the needled branches of the 24 year old pines.  We were strolling down a very familiar trail which we had, over time, hewed out of a newly planted nursery of tiny pine stock.  It wasn't a typical work day tour through the woods, but instead was a mandatory property evaluation required by the Wisconsin Managed Forest Land program.  This was a survey by a certified forester which would result in a management plan which will be followed for the next twenty five or fifty years under the MFL program.

Could it be possible that we have been working-or perhaps more appropriately said- “enjoying” ourselves on this property for twenty five years?  Indeed we had, and indeed the contract is due for renewal.  Thinking back, the memories are vivid, the exploits many, the experiences rewarding and the thought of our ongoing challenges and undertakings exhilarating.

One would think that after twenty five years of raising our little forest there would be little left to discover.  But, to the contrary, a stroll with a qualified forester can be very much a post-graduate experience.  We were accompanied by Buzz Vahradian, a Wautoma area forester, active in woodland programs and also with a Wisconsin DNR background. 

In future reflections, I will attempt to convey the many interesting perceptions unleashed as we wandered the trails of our treasured woodlot. A Stroll Through Past and Future.