Early Spring Work in the Woodland
Woodland chores continue as my outdoor grounds crew and gardeners also transition to our long list of spring tasks. From now through summer is our busiest time here at my Bedford, New York farm.
This time of year, my team works on many projects, including removing the burlap that has protected my boxwood all winter long, pruning various trees and hedges, and preparing our garden beds. But there is also work being done in the woodland - moving cut trees closer to the carriage road, so they can be hauled to our big compost pile in the back field, chipping branches and twigs, and staking up young trees for added support and visibility as they grow. There is always so much to do on my working farm.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- This is the great big sycamore tree and symbol of my farm, Cantitoe Corners. This tree is among my favorites. It stands prominently on one end of my back hayfield. It is quite old and original to my farm.
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- While I did not plant the great sycamore, I have planted thousands and thousands of trees on my 153-acre farm – at least 20-thousand over the years. I love how they look in the landscape and how they change through the seasons. Most importantly, we need trees for the environment – they help combat climate change, provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, and release oxygen for us to live. This is one of my groves of weeping willows. It is located on a marshy edge of my middle field.
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- I also planted these beautiful larch trees along this carriage road in the back field. Larch trees are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. They are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the far north, and high on mountains further south. Larches are also deciduous, meaning that they lose their needles in the fall – rare for coniferous trees. These are just budding out.
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- And here, smaller, younger evergreens are growing well in the middle field. We plant trees every year, so there are trees in all stages of growth.
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- Younger trees are staked for several years after planting. Brian cuts bamboo canes in half to use as strong tree stakes. Bamboo canes are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about eight feet tall and cut down to half.
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- Brian replaces short wooden stakes with these stronger bamboo poles. These stakes alert anyone working in the area and also provides added support to the tree as it grows.
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- This tree is big enough that it no longer needs its stake. It is sturdy and well-established. Brian removes stakes from trees like this.
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- Brian cuts a piece of jute twine and ties the stake loosely to the tree.
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- The knots used should be very simple. I always teach every member of the crew to twist the twine into a figure eight before knotting, so the tree or vine or cane is not crushed or strangled.
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- Here, in this section of mature trees, one can see clear through the woodland to the hayfield beyond.
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- Such views wouldn’t be possible without some general maintenance work. Every year, my outdoor grounds crew spends several weeks “cleaning” the woods. “Cleaning” the woods allows us to reuse and repurpose a lot of natural materials – and it makes the area much prettier. As part of this maintenance, dead, damaged, and diseased trees are taken down during various times of the year.
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- Once the trees are taken down, they are placed in various piles around the farm. We try to keep all the piles as neat as possible so as not to block any carriage roads or damage the ground beneath them.
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- Any cut branches are gathered and also placed on the side of the carriage road. These will all be picked up later and chipped for top dressing.
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- When piles get too big, we call in our friend Juan from Central Tree Service, Inc. This company in nearby Rye, provides full arbor care for all trees and shrubs including the removal of any logs and stumps.
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- Juan is very skilled at using this hydraulic grapple attachment. He carefully lifts each piece of wood that he has collected and placed into his truck to the big pile in my compost yard.
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- This pile is then saved for the tub grinder, which I call in every summer. The tub grinder reduces the size of our debris pile into much finer, usable nutrient-rich mulch.
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- Many of you ask me why I’ve cut down so many trees. Many of the trees are ash trees – infested and killed by the emerald ash borer. The borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and sugars up and down its trunk. This is a closer look at the damage done by the emerald ash borer under the bark. The ash borer, also known by the acronym EAB, is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in 30 US states since it was first identified in this country in 2002.
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- Any long, straight logs are set aside in another pile for our sawmill, which will cut them down into usable lumber boards for various projects. If I cannot save a tree, it is comforting to know I can reuse the wood left behind.
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- Here are our main piles of debris – leaf mold, clippings, and organic matter made up of manure and other biodegradable materials. Most of these piles are combined and also put through the tub grinder – twice.
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- And out comes this rich compost filled with nutrients. My gardens are so successful, in part, because of the excellent soil, amended with compost made right here. I am so pleased we can use our organic debris in so many different ways – including planting more trees. Share your early spring chores with me in the comments section below.
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