December 12, 2017 11:24 am
Published by Janet Muncy
by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Lumpy Trees Sometimes trees respond to injuries or stress (such as a virus, fungus, mold, insects) by growing wood “burls.” While they look funny on the outside, the wood grain on the inside can be beautiful and is prized by woodworkers. The photograph at the top of this article is my 6-foot tall supervisor standing next to a white oak stump with numerous burls. The... Read More
December 5, 2017 4:57 pm
Published by Janet Muncy
by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Baby Longleaf Last week was finally time to plant a longleaf pine project. The landowner had spent over a year preparing a 17-acre cutover site for these seedlings. Longleaf pine is known for its very long needles, huge pine cones, very strong “heart pine” lumber, and the naval stores it can produce. The longleaf seedlings are in the planters’ bags. As you can see, the... Read More
November 28, 2017 11:41 am
Published by Janet Muncy
by Area Forester Lisa Deaton ‘Tis the Season! Trees provide us with a colorful show every autumn, and then reveal yet more “decorations” once the leaves are gone. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows in the tops of trees. The American holly berries are ripe. Partridgeberry is one of my favorites for its fall berries and white flowers in the spring. Running cedar can form quite a carpet,... Read More
November 21, 2017 9:56 am
Published by Janet Muncy
by Area Forester Lisa Deaton A Day of Double Takes It is still close enough to Halloween that I thought I saw a ghost in the woods last week. Upon looking closer, it was just a tarp, but it was hanging very high in this tree. It protected a hunter’s tree stand at one time. Then a bright red dot on a yellow-poplar caught my eye. I think it... Read More
November 14, 2017 12:57 pm
Published by Janet Muncy
by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Mushrooms! When you work in the woods every day, it can be joyful to see something new. After the rain last week, quite a variety of mushrooms sprouted. The most unusual one I saw was hairy on top. These mushrooms were so tiny I almost missed them. This mushroom is keeping company with a small army of lichens, and perhaps fungi, on the decaying log... Read More
