HOW TO RENOVATE A WOODLOT

 WOODLOT BEFORE RENOVATION...

...AFTER RENOVATION

Sunday, 8:15 AM.  58 degrees F at the ferry dock, 61 0n the back porch.  Wind SSW, calm at present.  The sky is cloudless and azure blue, but the humidity still 91%.  The barometer is falling, now at 29.86", predicting a chance of showers Wednesday and Friday.  It is a Perfect Ten morning.

   Like it or not, sometimes Mother Nature needs some help, if only to make her easier to live with.  Overgrown patches of woods are everywhere in Bayfield and elsewhere, dense vegetation regimes that may serve an ecological purpose but are full of hanging dead branches and dangerous trees, that are havens for invasive species, and that harbor diseases and litter; an unaesthetic mess.

   One way to deal with such areas is to clear cut them, but that leads to other problems, such as needing to mow them regularly or face the woods growing back thicker than hair on a dogs back if the stumps aren't removed.  So how should one proceed? Carefully, for sure, and much as one would approach trimming a tree.  

   First, identify the major woody species, watching the woodlot through all four seasons.  Next, remove dangerous and dead wood and diseased trees, hiring a professional certified arborist if necessary; it can be dangerous work.  Don't worry too much about cutting shrubs, they will grow back if the roots are not damaged.  Cut material in a small woods can be chipped and spread out on site.

   Then, identify rare or unusual trees and shrubs that can be encouraged by removing some competing vegetation.  It pays to know something about woody plant succession in your ecological region, and which plants to give additional light and room to grow.
   It won't hurt to look at  the woodlot with an artist's eye, emphasizing strong vertical elements and longer sight lines. Nature isn't neat but it won't hurt to tidy it up a bit, and you will be pleasantly surprised when a native herbaceous under story of wildflowers, ferns and grasses makes a robust return.
   Finally, decide which trees, shrubs and under story plants to add to your woodlot to make it more ecologically diverse and attractive, using native plants, of course.  Woods throughout much of the Northeast can usually use additional under story and woods edge trees such as mountain ash, Juneberry and ironwood, and in our area shade tolerant trees such as hemlock and yellow birch as well.
   The renovation project can be as simple or as complex as you desire.

OFF THE CUFF

   Ford Motor Company has announced it will soon produce all of its American made small cars in a vast new state-of-the-art plant in Mexico.

   Ford has an international presence and it can move such production out of the country if it wishes, but it is poking its finger in the eye of the American worker, and I will reciprocate by never buying another Ford product.  I encourage all Americans to join the boycott.
   A Trump Administration would impose a  30% import duty on such vehicles.  Smart!