I Feel Rather Full Right Now

"I feel rather full right now and don't want to be bothered"

Those were the words I imagined coming from the doe reclining alongside the remote road we were traveling in quiet Waushara County.  The nonchalant lady was being shepherded by a yearling who, although  being somewhat disturbed by our intrusion, had no intention of leaving his mom or, for that matter his soon to be born siblings.  Although he was unaware, it was apparent from the doe's dimensions that she would be delivering in a matter of weeks.

This mother and her year old offspring appeared healthy and well nourished, as did the hundreds of other whitetails we observed off the road on a recent weekend.  The snows were deep in the woods, but unlike the topsy turvy winter and spring of last year, the weather did not seem to adversely affect the health of the wildlife community.  Our observation of various species, including deer, coyote, raccoon  possum and multiple more frequently observed furry friends seemed to bear out that all are doing quite well.

All we need now is for Mr. Spring to melt the three foot deep snow in the woods so we can visit our coniferous and deciduous friends to see how they coped with Mr. Winter.

“I’M AS MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE”

This post is merely a parenthetical expression of discontent totally separate from our stroll through the woods.

Those were the infamous words uttered by commentator Howard Beale in the movie NETWORK. It also came to mind when I saw my last two utility bills. I also noticed that the wood pile at the cabin is diminishing more rapidly than usual. There must be a common thread and I thought it worth pursuing. But I immediately decided that it would take a book rather than a blog to do it….which I am ill prepared to do.

However, retrospectively, I recall that the size of the woodpile did in fact grow smaller in proportion to the cold of the winter. BUT not at the same rate as our utility bills have increased. Am I imagining a disproportionate growth in utility costs or is it reality? Or possibly it could be just a veiled start of someone’s “redistribution of wealth” program. He just misplaced many of us into the wrong category. I do, however, remember buying gasoline at the DX station on Teutonia and Fairmount in Milwaukee at 6 Gallons for a dollar. The station is now closed.

I sure would appreciate your candid reactions so I can place my brain on the proper wavelength in case it has wandered asunder over the years. Meanwhile, I’m going out to chop same more wood. I suppose we’ll have to pay the damn utility bill too.

A Climb Up into the Hardwoods

From a seeming nursery of young white pines, shepherded by a stately stand of giant mother trees, we trek easterly up the hill into an entirely different scenario.  Rather than a crowded forest,of pines, the relatively open hill has allowed sufficient sunlight through the canopy to support a stand of hardwood.  Predominately Black and White Oak, the stand is interspersed with various common species of Birch, Beech, Ash, Cherry and Ironwood.

But our attention is given to the predominant Oak.  Some saplings a mere one or two inches in diameter, some nearly two feet in diameter. (Remember the DBH we discussed earlier in our walk?)  This oak stand is estimated to be about fifty years of age  with a smattering of much older trees which were never harvested.  Although a great disparity exists in the size of the stand trees, they are all about the same age.  Location on hillsides, soil conditions and available sunlight penetrating the canopy will enhance the growth of some and retard the growth of others.  Survival of the fittest applies and they survive to provide the fruits of propagation, the mighty acorn.

But would you believe....they do not produce their first crop of acorns until they reach maturity-between twenty and fifty years of age, depending upon species.  And, incidentally, we can find over six hundred species of oak trees spread widely over our planet.  Our earliest forms of life through to our current living species have relied upon the fruit of the oak for basic subsistence.  And to this day, we can still harvest the acorn for a palatable food source, although a bag of salted nuts may be more convenient.

While some of our native american tribes relied primarily upon corn or rice as their main food staple, others relied upon various nut fruits including the acorn.  The common white oak was the main source since it contained lower percentages of tannin, making the meat sweeter and more palatable.  If one should desire to pursue the harvest of the acorn for food, help and advice is always available on the internet, but, as I previously opined, a bag of salted nuts may be more convenient.

The White Pines

Did I mention watching where we step?   STOP!!!  We are in the white pines, a relatively small two acre plot of pines which were planted about 54 years ago or so.  In that time, they have grown into pretty big kids, averaging sixty feet in height and a foot or so in diameter, commonly referred to as DBH or diameter at breast height.  All of which means we shouldn’t have to watch our step because they are difficult to step on. 

But these mature trees have produced a dense undergrowth of little white pines—a cute family of fast growing seedlings creating a blanket of little guys numbering in the hundreds per square foot, all living in a thick bed of pine needles and oak leaves furnished by the surrounding adults.  Thus the reason for watching our step.

A recent stroll happened to coincide with an annual migration of cute little critters, seldom encountered, but frequently heard by anyone enjoying the evening concerts of our common Wood Frog.  One step could have crushed as many as fifty of these little guys as they were returning from their spring hatch at a nearby ephemeral pond to their summer through winter abode….yes, beneath the needles and leafy ground cover of our little white pine forest.  I can spend hundreds of hours in the woodland without seeing one of these wonders, but on this one stroll, we could count many thousands heading home on migration.  And they will stay in their home in the pines throughout the coming winter and into early spring, when they will awaken from their “hibernation” only to return to the “home” pond to complete the reproduction cycle. 

How do these little guys who can fit on a dime survive our cold winters?  Would you believe they produce a glucose within their little bodies which prevents them from freezing?  More can be discovered about these and other close relatives in our woods simply by delving into the internet.

Next, we walk through the hardwoods.  A whole different story ensues.

The Clear Cut

Uniform in size, standing at attention like a 4^th grade class, except with 10,000 students.  Thick enough to preclude the possible growth of invasive under story like the all too common buckthorn and blackberry which had occupied this clear cut field 30 years before.  This was my initial impression as we entered the pine stand we refer to as the Clear Cut.

Much in tidy hand-planted rows, but not all.  Spontaneous self-seeded growth from the old forest created a restless, meandering trail through the plot, which will not make it any easier for eventual harvest crews.  But, alas, a small sacrifice that only enhances the pleasure of our walk through the pine garden. 

For this is truly a garden which we have watched develop from a stump ridden, rock strewn clearcut to what I consider a sublime, or more appropriately, serene pathway to repose.  How is it possible that a few shovels of dirt and placement of tiny seedlings could develop into such a garden of peace and tranquility?

That question you will have to answer yourself, but walk through the garden before you arrive at your conclusion.  And, we must remember it has been through twenty-five years of evolution.

While you wrestle with that one, we will proceed to the next parcel—next time.  But “BEWARE”--  for some of these strolls were in warmer temperatures and we must be careful about where we step, musn’t we?  Of course we must!

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.