Woodland Maintenance Around the Farm
Outdoor winter chores are in full swing at my Bedford, New York farm.
During the last several weeks, my outdoor grounds crew has been very busy with woodland maintenance and cleanup - clearing dying or broken trees, knocking down weeds, brambles and thorny barberry bushes, and pruning all our fruit producers. The brush is then collected, chipped and spread right back into the woods. Any desirable tree trunks are cut up for lumbering, and rotten or irregular trunks are reserved for the tub grinder - everything is always put to good use.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The woodlands need regular cleanup during the colder months. Here is Dawa removing some of the branches and brush and placing them in a designated location that can be accessed later.
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- After purchasing my farm, I planted an entire mixed-variety pussy willow grove in an area behind my main greenhouse. These get pruned every couple of years, to promote better growth and to keep everything neat and tidy. This is a pussy willow tree before its lower branches are pruned.
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- Pete uses pair of pruners to cut off the lower overgrowth.
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- And here is the tree all cleaned up – it looks infinitely better.
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- There were also a ton of brambles in this area, which Pete and Dawa have now cleared. I often ride my horse through this area to see how my trees are doing – clearing makes this much easier to do.
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- Closer the the stone wall and deer fencing, brambles are removed carefully with pruners, so as not to damage the fence netting.
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- Dawa carries more branches to the designated pile. He wears appropriate goggles to protect his eyes from any flying debris.
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- We try to be very neat when doing any chores on the property. It is easier to stack all branches for removal or chipping right in the woods.
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- In another area, Chhiring weed whacks more barberry. There are many brambles, weeds, vines, and useless seedlings growing in all the woods. These must be whacked down so there is room to plant and cultivate seedling trees that will be beneficial in the woodland.
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- Everyone on the outdoor grounds crew wears helmets, ear protectors and appropriate eye and face gear whenever using weed whackers and other tools – the crew’s safety is very important to me.
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- The crew is also careful not to whack near any of the young seedlings – easily identified by the stakes planted next to them.
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- The SavATree company has been helping me with my trees for many years. They do shaping of trees, developmental pruning, removals, and chipping.
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- They also pile the branches in a central location that is accessible by their special machinery.
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- SavATree uses their equipment to carry the heavier branches to the chipper.
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- Several trees needed removing because of old age or damage from storms, etc. It all contributes to the ever changing appearance of a woodland. I try to keep the trunks of large trees as long as possible so we can cut them into long boards for construction.
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- SavATree comes with three or four men to do the difficult tree removals. They also come equipped with their own chipper.
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- Another big chore we always do during these colder months, oftentimes in between other farm projects, is prune the berry bushes that grow in the gardens around my main greenhouse.
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- Here is Wilmer pruning the raspberries. Raspberries are unique because their roots and crowns are perennial, while their stems or canes are biennial. A raspberry bush can produce fruit for many years, but pruning is essential. Wilmer trims the vigorous second year growth, snipping it to about 24-inches from the ground.
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- This is a healthy cane that just needed trimming.
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- He also prunes all the old, weak, diseased, and damaged canes at ground level.
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- This is a dead cane – it is hollow inside and appears gray in color.
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- Wilmer stops to sharpen his pruners. It is very important to work with sharp tools, so the job can be done efficiently.
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- Pruning the berries takes some time, which is why we do it over a course of days in between other more time sensitive tasks. Here’s Fernando carrying trimmed branches to the all-terrain vehicle. They will be taken to the compost yard and added to the pile for chipping.
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- Look at all the pruned berry branches – and this is just from one section.
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- The upright posts at the end of each raspberry bush row are made of granite and they have heavy gauge copper wire laced through them to support the berry bushes. The wire can be tightened or loosened depending on the need.
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- Once Wilmer is done pruning, Fernando goes through the area with a leaf blower to clear any leftover twigs and leaves.
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- It is a much prettier area now. One section down, a few more to go. What winter chores are you doing around your home? Please share your comments below.
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