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Reading the forested landscape

Started by woodroe, February 07, 2021, 07:14:03 AM

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woodroe

Found this stuff really interesting, could also be called woodland forensics as it deals with
historical events , some man made such as rock dumps and rock" fences",  as they call them, introduction of Merino sheep to the land, cradles and pillows , and other events related to storms dating back centuries. Based in central New England but study could be applied anywhere with forests.
For those of you who like to roam on the back 40 watching this 3 part series could turn you into a forest detective.

Tom Wessels: Reading the Forested Landscape, Part 1 - YouTube

Tom Wessels: Reading the Forested Landscape, Part 2 - YouTube

Tom Wessels: Reading the Forested Landscape, Part 3 - YouTube
Skidding firewood with a kubota L3300.

thecfarm

Interesting is right. That explains why my paper birch grows crooked. I knew about the pine weevils, I think @SwampDonkey told me that. We cut some big EWP on a pasture that my Father told me he use to pick strawberries on.
Only had time to watch one, for now, I bookmarked it to watch the rest. 
He could be on my land talking about the rocks.  :D I have piles and I have miles of walls.  :D
My Father grew up on a small farm. I get them a Get Me By Farm. Only a couple cows and a few chickens and enough horses-oxens to work the land. They use to can maple syrup for their sugar.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

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SwampDonkey

Yep, forensic forestry. Any forester that has worked with woodlot owners and writes up prescriptions for plans or just talk with them will discuss past events, current events and make projections forward in time. It's part of coming up with a model of what has gone on, and what might take place now to predict outcomes down the road. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Old Greenhorn

Fascinating stuff well explained. Always I am looking at stuff in the woods and wondering 'why?'. I will be playing #2 and 3 in the shop today as I clean up. I got sucked into #1 right away and watched the thing.
 Years ago I found a new book written about our area called "The Catskill Forest: A history" written by Michael Kudish. Mike was a longtime professor at The College at Paul Smith teaching forestry and other things. A fascinating book, so much so that I wrote to the author with some detailed questions assuming I would likely not hear back. To my delight, he replied with a 5 page handwritten note with detailed answers to my questions. He is now retired and lives here in these hills again full time and has established a nature center to teach children. Anyway, I never managed to pull the trigger on meeting him in person but I did follow what he was up to and missed a few speaking engagements over the course of the years. Finally, 3 years ago, he was giving a talk on determining stump age in old growth cuts at a local forest festival. I went and met him before the lecture and babbled on about how his book had such a huge influence on how and what I see in the woods now. He said "Is that old thing still around and out there? And people still read it?" I explained I bought it within weeks of its publication, made a special trip right to the publishers office after calling to make sure I could get a copy. He seemed non-plussed, but he had a great sense of humor (I believe he has written 4 or 5 other books about the train systems in our area and other historical subjects.) Anyway the lecture was fascinating, the man's knowledge is vast. Can't wait to see the rest of these videos and perhaps check out his books too.
 Thanks for posting this, knowledge is power.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

woodroe

Sheep fever is a piece of New England history I wasn't aware of. Lots of woodland 
cleared for raising sheep. Merino Sheep were the cash cow of the early to mid 1800s.
Skidding firewood with a kubota L3300.

SwampDonkey

And also fields of flax for linen up this way, gone away now. Linda Heinrich wrote of book on using flax to spin linen yarn to make cloths. But that was one of them colonial things, like raising sheep. You gotta have clothes in the cold. ;D

There's some rather steep hills around that was for sheep, all grown back to spruce woods up this way.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Out in the middle of nowhere, like 40 miles from any town, are some cement works on a site. Never a mill there, nor town. Might possibly have been something there during the war, like a concentration camp. But never heard of one out there. And there would have been only trail, no roads in that region until the 50's and maybe not until the 60's. They was not logging that far out of towns before then and maybe not until the 70's. When I was a kid in the 70's we first was able to drive out in areas we never could before because of industrial scale logging and also budworm spraying and fire suppression, had to get chemical/fuel to the little air strips out in no man's land.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

woodroe

We have a combination of rock piles and rock walls also . None of the walls are 
more than a couple feet tall in places. Some of the rock walls zig zag which has me baffled a bit.
But not far away is a county line with a massive rock wall 3' tall 4' wide.
There is a mature pine stand here now in one area of a few acres where there are a few rock piles in 
close proximity. Evidence of past farming throughout this property except on steeper slopes. 
After watching those videos I'll be looking at things in the woods a little differently.



Skidding firewood with a kubota L3300.

SwampDonkey

A few years ago I was working on a 200 acre property. There were several sections of old grown up farms with existing cedar rail fences all around and the forest was grown up mature softwood, mainly fir and spruce.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Old Greenhorn

Sunday I spent the day watching this guys videos while I was out in the shop and he really gets into some pretty heavy stuff. I think I watched every video I could find. He is a very well studied gentleman, but I don't know if I buy all of what he is selling as far as society goes. I am still pondering on it.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

John Mc

I have a book he wrote by the same title. I think it came out 10 or 15 years ago. Really good reading.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

florida

Great videos, thanks for posting them! I watched all 3 in a row then when my grandson came over we watched the first one again. In the meantime, I watched 3 or 4 of his other ones. Great stuff!
General contractor and carpenter for 50 years.
Retired now!

mike_belben

Great vids.  They linked me to this equally inspiring eastern old growth vid. 


The Lost Forests of New England - Eastern Old Growth - YouTube
Praise The Lord

Plankton

Read that book a few times over fascinating stuff. Tom really knows his stuff, don't know if he still does but he used to do walks in different patches of woods and explain all that stuff in the field. Particularly in a old growth black gum swamp about an hr north of me. Never made it to one but a friend of mine did and said it was great.

On the zigzag stone wall I believe that comes from the old zigzag split rail fences and the farmer piling stones along the fence then the fence rotting away eventually leaving a zigzag  wall.

Plankton

Quote from: mike_belben on February 15, 2021, 06:33:17 PM
Great vids.  They linked me to this equally inspiring eastern old growth vid.


The Lost Forests of New England - Eastern Old Growth - YouTube
Small world my dad has done a bunch of old growth measuring etc. With Bob in that video.
We do have some awesome old growth pockets in this corner of the world.

woodroe

Quote from: Plankton on February 16, 2021, 07:28:18 AM
On the zigzag stone wall I believe that comes from the old zigzag split rail fences and the farmer piling stones along the fence then the fence rotting away eventually leaving a zigzag  wall.
Hadn't thought of that, thanks for the input and the old growth video. 
Skidding firewood with a kubota L3300.

woodroe

Another interesting 1/2 hr from Tom Wessel and a walk in Pisgah State Park In New Hampshire
through some old growth forest. His new book promotion too for those who would like to check out some
new jaunts in the New England area.

New England's Roadside Ecology with Tom Wessels - YouTube
Skidding firewood with a kubota L3300.

HemlockKing

I watched these videos about a year back and learned a lot from them, Tom is a great teacher, I wish he could come scout my land and help me, I can only see 30-40 years into the history of the landscape, he could tell you everything about the landscape
A1

woodroe

I you liked the other videos posted above and have 35 minutes to spare then
you will probably enjoy this one.
The setting for this one is Mt Sunapee in New Hampshire with some Tourist and logging history of the area along with the purchase and preservation of old growth forest there.
The biggest tree found there is a 4' dia. Yellow Birch and the oldest tree is about 350 yrs.
A nicely done video .

The Forgotten Forest Primeval - Rediscovering Mt Sunapee's Old Growth - YouTube
Skidding firewood with a kubota L3300.

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