A Texas Woodlot

Every woodlot needs a place to stay

2011-07-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted anything because I have not had a chance to go out to the property. One of those reasons is the lack of shelter for the rest of the family or for spending the night. We tossed around the ideas of constructing a permanent tent site with a pavilion, cabin, buying a small home that went up for sale down the road, and even selling the place and buying closer to be able to sleep at home. Five hours of total travel time really kills the chance to get in a good days work. Relaxing ends up being out of the question, and what do we do with a 2 year old daddy's girl when he has to use dangerous equipment? We decided on a travel trailer since it can be used elsewhere for vacations, self contained(ie no utilities), no work to do at the property to be useable, instant climate controlled room to contain my daughter, and no tempting structure to steal stuff from since we will be towing it back and forth. The only hassle will be when I need the tractor and trailer together; so I may start casually looking for a later model 1 ton flatbed to put the tractor on the back and tow the trailer with. It is why I specifically looked for a tractor that was small (8' long) and light weight (1000lbs).

Used tractor implements

2011-03-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

A used heavy duty tractor implement is a better buy, in my opinion, than some of the cheap looking new ones out in today's marketplace. The box blade you see to the right is a prime example. It is the proper width of 42" for my little tractor, uses captured pins for the 3 pt hitch instead of the common single sided ones, has a hinged tailboard with bolts to make it fixed, and weighs much more than the current crop of SCUT and CUT sized box blades. The only downside is the cutting edges are worn and have already been reversed. I am looking forward to a little seat time leveling out some of the forest road on our place and the funky off camber slippery slope next to the pond that keeps me out of the woods in the truck any time it is slightly damp in fear of sliding into the water. If we get a dry spell, I will be using it to cut a mud dam the beaver pushed up. My wife will also enjoy the smoother, level paths I can now make. I would also like to give the dealer a plug for going above and beyond. Zimmerer Kubota in Denton is where I found this little gem. They gave me the 3 pins to mount it, which were not shown in the internet listing. They also retapped the rear tailgate bolt holes and fitted new bolts with lock washers. I also had a chat with Len(sp?) Zimmerer about my tractor and the box blade since they opened when the B6100 was new and this box blade brand and style was the model they rented with it when interest rates were so high nobody could afford to buy. It is not every day you get a history lesson and a little implement refurbishing after you purchase something.

Removing a beaver from a pond: Step 2

2011-02-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

I made it out to the property yesterday to set up 2 Conibear 330's for the beaver. New sign was everywhere; so it is definitely still around. I had a lot of help from one of the moderators over at The Pondboss forum. I am not sure I would have safely figured out how to set them, or place them properly. He had a simple rope method to set the springs that left our digits out of the danger areas if it should trip. The traps were set in places where the beaver was entering and leaving the water with the trap's top just higher than the water level. We used sticks to block off any other routes to the spot making the beaver go through the trap. A little pile of mud was placed at the shoreline and a twig was some castor lure was stuck in its top. Now it is a waiting game until the beaver decides to use those two pathways or investigate the lure. I hope step 3 will be the removal of a beaver from a trap and not resetting traps to catch a wiley beaver or more beavers; so stay tuned.

Removing a beaver from a pond: Step 1

2011-02-07T11:13:00.001-08:00

A beaver can wreak havoc on a forest. Providing one with a nice pond for a home increases the chances it will settle in for the long term. Unless you like the looks of the picture at left, making it leave or removal are the only options. Previous visiting beavers left because of the fluctuating pond water level. Beavers do not like changing water levels. The current resident beaver has pushed a little mud around and, combined with a little silting in of the spillway channel, has managed to establish a stable water level on the pond for now. It has set up a nice lodge on our dirt pile at the western shore. We have been lucky that the beaver seem to prefer the green ash and willow growing along the pond shore and have only chewed a few larger green ash junk trees in the forested areas. I could try to induce it to move, but that would require quite a bit of dirt work redigging the spillway channel. Digging the channel does not create the fluctuating water level, droughty summers combined with it do. The only guaranteed way is removal. Many do not recommend shooting as they get real hard to catch or shoot with a missed shot. Trapping is the solution I am going with. A couple of conibear 330's and a castor oil bait are on their way. I have had lots of help from the folks over at http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php . In fact, one of the members may be able to help me out on site in setting the traps. These are large traps taht are dificult to set and can really hurt you; so I would not recommend setting one without help and first hand knowledge. You may also want to check up on any local laws dealing with fur bearing animals and trapping. I hope to provide the follow up post on the removed nuisance beaver in a few weeks.

The orchard site

2011-01-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

I have decided an orchard is the best option for an area north of the pond that has a few trees, lots of grass, and almost no regeneration. Best managment practices say you should not cut trees near streams and other bodies of water. I would not want to plant a tree that I knew would be cut down in the future. Especially since the recommended BMP buffer zone is only going to expand in the future as more people veiw the land as something to protect and not another harvest. The orchard site is in a V between the inlet stream and the outlet stream for the pond. In the photo, you can see the site and the scattered trees that must come out. A bit of land may be useable on the eastern side of the outlet stream as well. A delimna has risen over what to plant. These are not just a yearly crop so you don't want to get it wrong. Mayhaws were my first thought, but the problem is marketing the berries. Jelly and other retail products would be easier, but take a $10k certified kitchen to produce legally. I have begun studying other fruits to grow organically, but run into time, quality, and sitability issues. Pecans are starting to be the front runners now. They have the most proven organic research. A lot of support is available in Texas, including marketing. It is also wide spread and accumulators are present in many locations that buy from small producers. The trick now is figuring out if a small scale operation can make enough money to justify the required equipment. Oh well, more reading to do while I prepare the site by cutting a few trees and starting mowing it down real low in preparation for planting next winter.

Clearing a piece of overgrown pond shore

2011-01-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

I would have loved to have spent a day on the tractor, but the job at hand took priority. A skid steer with a mulching head would have been the perfect tool if I had the cash. Free manual labor had to do this time. The original pond must have been rectangular with a dam around all 4 sides. On the north side, it is mostly removed with a big peninsula on the west as pictured below and a smaller one on the east. The smaller one would make a nice secluded campsite. We need room for a tent pad, fire ring, and sitting area. It is relatively flat and overgrown with small trees and lots of thorny vines. You can see how dense it is on the edges of the photo. The brush saw would not stay running for long, but once I started taking the chainsaw to things I realized most was to large for my brush saw anyways. I had about 3 1/2 hours to do some clearing after a quick walk around the place to check everything. One more day should do it on the clearing and then I can take a sharp mattock to any offending stubs and mow the vines. We had a delimna deciding what to do with the brush: burn or chip. Burning is easy and can help clear those vines when done right on top of the clearing. Chipping gives us mulch we can use on paths and the tent camping site. Once all of the cutting is finished, we are going to rent a chipper and make mulch. We might as well make sure there is a full days chipping if we have to rent one for a day. I plan on cutting the larger trunks into firewood for use at home and here. I have a few other topics of interest that warrant a seperate post that I will post in the next few days. They will be about beaver that is still there and starting an orchard in some clear areas at the north end of the property.

The reason for the tractor

2010-12-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here is part of my reasoning behind finally purchasing some form of tractor. The picture shows a peninsula that semi-seperates the main rectangular pond from the northern shallow pond. It is at a strange angle, overgrown, and generally unusable. I believe it is from excavating the pond and allowed the excavator to reach further portions of the pond during renovations in the past. it is shaped sort of like an inverted V with the north side steep and the south side sloping gently towards the water. I want to shape it with a flattened top, leaving the steep north side, and creating a possible building site or at least a packed gravel pad for my wife to enjoy the pond. A small cabin would have a great view from here of both parts of the pond. I cleared the brush over a year ago with a brush cutter, but the vines and a few trees are coming back from the roots. I am heading out to mow the year old shrubbery before they grow enough next year to require a rotary cutter. A middle buster/sub soiler combo at TSC will be picked up soon for busting up that grass and other gardening uses, maybe while I am out mowing. I will then go over it with a box blade and level it off. The next post should be of my mowing results and maybe a little logging/sawmill action if time allows.

Tractor for work and pleasure

2010-12-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

I bit the bullet and purchased a real, albeit small, Kubota B6100E tractor for the property. I had to find one small enough to keep in the backyard for security, and transport it back and forth. It came with a finish mower and a 25 gallon sprayer. The mower means I can actually get the front entry and pond mown and usable. The sprayer has a wand and two nozzles in the pointing down. I can treat the turf areas for weeds and spray the pond edge to kill the hook stealing vegetation. After a little work, we should be able to play a little easier next year. A box blade will need to be purchased for trail maintenance, and renting a few other implements when needed will make structures and access easier. I can't wait to start leveling out the lumpy area in front of the pond and maybe starting on a gravel road to get the truck further in. It slips on slick clay where I must turn and go uphill just feet from the pond edge and keeps the truck confined to the entryway. We don't need that kind of structure in there. I am going to make a hitch connector for the Logrite Junior arch to pull the larger logs. The Junior may be able to handle a 16'x16" log, but it ways a bit much to pull very far by hand. I plan on getting out there within a week and getting some mowing done to start with a fresh cut next year. A few of the plants growing are shrubby perennials and vines that need to be knocked down now before I must cut them and growing grass. It will also clear out the matted down dead grass. I only have 14hp to work with and no rotary cutter. A rotary cutter may be on my rental list once I know I can keep up with the current grassy areas. We also plan to use the tractor for some foodplots on ours and my fathers future property.

Fall Woodlot Report Part 3: Evaluating the pond

2010-12-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Having the pond on the middle of a forested area has been an interesting learning experience. Trees bring all sorts of extra issues to a pond. They can die when flooded, they drop leaves that make muck in the pond bottom, they reseed all over the pond shore, and they are attractive to beavers. A beaver has set up a homestead on the pond. All that great timber to chew on and a nice convenient pond to live in has inticed one to stay. I had passers through before, but they left when they could not keep the pond level stable. It has been stable for over a year now and this beaver has not left, I think. It has built a den (see photo), tried to bulldoze mud into the overflow pipe, and who knows what other damage I am going to find. Luckily the den is not in the dam; so no tunnels have been found yet that might undeermine it. A conibear trap is in order I believe to get rid of the nuisance.

Trees can be a problem around a pond. I have a large dead area that floods to much and will need more flood tolerant trees like bald cypress and tupelos. These areas also make a nice wetland zone between the seasonal creek and the pond. Sediment is trapped in this area and extends the life of the pond. Leaves from the trees can build up in the pond as well creating a 'pond muck'. It is an anearobic sediment of rotting vegetable matter. I have researched aerators and microbes to act against it. The microbes are more in line with my budget and I may try some next year to get the eradication process started. The microbes you add are the same as the ones added to septic systems. They work anearobically to break down the plant matter. Aeration is quicker, more expensive, and needs elctricity usually. Finally, the trees around the pond make plenty of seeds to sprout around the pond. Usually trees on a dam are bad, but I have been told mine is fine by an expert dam consultant. My issue now is they block access and views. I hope to clear some out completely and clear brush/prune under others to make fishing and viewing spots. Willows and buttonbush are another concern of mine. They can take over the shoreline quickly. I will be using an appropriate herbicide on any I find. These grow very close and in the water; so a proper herbicide for around water is needed to prevent damage to the pond itself. My next post will be on the TSI work I am doing salvaging dead trees and cutting culls to make construction wood with the sawmill for projects on the property.

Fall Woodlot Report Part 2: Utilizing dead trees

2010-11-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

In part 2, I will be discussing how I am utilizing dead wood from the flooded area. Trees are continuing to die in the flood prone area as their roots succumb to the lack of air and they suffocate. Trees have different abilities to survive flooding. The bald cypress I planted are extremely flood tolerant, and their knees are what allow them to breath when the majority of the root system is underwater. The willow oaks and nutmeg hickories that have died can only withstand 6 months or so of standing water. A few are on slightly higher gound allowing them to last a few years longer than others, but I believe they will all die eventually in this area. I have started trying to get these down before they die or after they are dead but still sound enough to take down. Wildlife trees are also important and the ones I cannot get to or were already damaged will remain for this purpose. The eastern red cedar's flood capacity is not known to me and I am leaving any live ones and taking any dead ones. Luckily, they do not rot and can wait around as dead standing trees until I get to them. Bugs love the hickory so much that the one I took down still had leaves on it and had bugs all the way to center. Smaker and firewood is all these will be good for. I have not taken down any willow oak that died this year. The cold weather should hold off the bugs until spring. I hope to salvage some timber for projects on the property, but they may become firewood if the bugs are to bad. The nice thing about the mill is I can cut down to the heartwood and make lumber while cutting up the sapwood into firewood if the bugs have only made it a little ways into the wood. The cedar I took down was beautiful, and one had a really interesting ring of sapwood inside the heartwood. It is going to become a picnic table for the property since it would be a waste to turn it into posts. Three hours of labor netted me 6 nice cedar saw logs, a short cedar elm, and a hickory that will become firewood. I have to more large cedars to get out and several small ones. There are also several willow oaks to take down that recently died and my not be full of bugs. Two may be to large for the log arch even. All told, I believe I can get quite a stack of lumber out of the dead trees with at least 7 more sawlogs of cedar and hopefully 9 of willow oak if the arch can get them all. I believe those willow oaks are going to be my pavilion posts, perlins, and such since there will be no ground contact. Well, that is enough on salvaging dead trees. Part 3 will be on the pond.

Fall Woodlot Report Part 1: Forest Health

2010-11-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

I am splitting up my recent observations and tasks into multiple posts. Today, I will cover the the health of the trees and the seedlings I planted. I suspected this spring that several more trees would die from the high water in the pond. The water was still in the forest and several cedars, oaks, and hickories had succumbed to the flooding. A few cedars I thought were in danger made it through and should not be in danger. The previous owner's modifications to the pond in 2006 must have affected the water level, and the addition of beaver trying to raise it over the last couple of years has raised it even further. There is hardly any sign of terrestrial plants where there were many when we purchased it. The flooding backs into previously forested areas the entire year, except maybe drought years, where the trees will continue to die unless I make changes to the pond. The new wetland areas are nice and I believe I will keep some for diversity and the fish. I am going to continue planting flood tolerant trees where the forest is continueing to die off. Bald cypress is doing well where I planted them 18 months ago. A growth rate of 4-5 feet in that time seems excellent to me. The photo is an example of those planted, albeit not the straightest but the driest to get to. I believe I will mix in some tupelo and sycamore in the next planting. I also planted mayhaw trees at the same time. Those have been flooded to the point I cannot spot any and are probably dead. I hope a few survived. Cottonwood was this years planting near the far north end of the dam. I found a nice series of mud puddles along my planting path and no sign of the cuttings. They should have been moist enough and were growing well earlier this year. I believe the hogs pound their roots to be a tasty treat. The entire area I planted was to wet to inspect, but at least 3/4 of them appear to have been eaten or killed. A few more of the oaks on the fringes of the pond have died since this spring as well. I had time to salvage the cedars, and it looks like I may be able to salvage a few of the oaks. The cutting and utilization of these trees will be part 2 of this series. Part 3 will be about the pond and its management.

2 trips in 2 weeks, amazing!

2010-11-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

I made it out 2 times in the past 2 weeks. Hope to make it out again next week to hunt and possibly do a little milling. It sure is looking good out there. Cut some wood for the mill, fireplace, and to deer hunt. I scoped out a concrete pad I am sizing up to build a pavilion on for picnics. The trees were cut for either posts or picnic table for the pavilion. A beaver has been out there but not sure if it is still around. A lot of dirt has been pushed up around the overflow pipe on the dam and I found the den. I checked on the trees I have planted. The bald cypress are doing well with some around 5 feet tall. The cottonwood has been hit by animals, and all that is left is little mud puddles in a neat line where they were planted. The mayhaws also look to have drowned in the high water. I will need to get a closer look with waders or rubber boots to tell them apart from the brushy plants. I will get another post up soon with pics and better details.

A new blog for my woodworking

2010-09-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog to showcase my woodworking projects at http://jtcwoodcrafts.blogspot.com/ . I will be showcasing some projects that use wood from my property and milled on the sawmill.

Finding replacement trees for newly flood prone areas

2010-06-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have come to the realization that the pond on the property is going to flood quite a bit of the timber. I need to salvage what I can, but also find suitable replacements for the species that cannot stand wet feet for a prolonged period. A few more oaks died, luckily junky ones full of epicormic sprouts, and some eastern redcedar that will not rot before I can get to them. I will probably take the few remaining willow oaks that flood because it is only a matter of time before the flooding suffocates their roots. I already planted cypress last year before realizing just how deep and prolonged the high water gets. A few drowned, and quite a few could be seen this spring sprouting above the water or competing vegetation. The competing vegetation needs to be cut down around these carefully. I decided something else needed to be tried to the North of the pond, and was offered some free cottonwood cutting by a fellow from the Forestry Forum. The problem of figuring out which species to put in ended right there. Free trees is the best way to experiment. The area is along a relatively plant free water course exiting the pond along the north end of the dam. I planted them in a strip between the dam and water course where they should have enough moisture through the dry parts of the year. Planting was simple. I just made sure the buds faced up and stuck them in the ground with 2 nodes above the surface. The pic is from a week after planting and they were budding out nicely. a few did not sprout from the late time I planted these and a few were stepped on by animals knocking off the sprouts. If they work out well I plan to find a way to clear out the brush and grass on the other side of this seasonal waterway to make a proper seedling planting area and plant cottonwoods and bald cypress. Well, the time between new posts should be shorter now that I have a plan, simple projects, and some time to get them done.

Suffering as a home body

2010-06-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

I never realized how much I enjoyed the outdoors until circumstances forced me to stay at home. First, our beautiful little girl was born last August, and took up a lot of my time. My wife then developed some medical problems forcing me to stay around the house. Hopefully the end is in sight with a surgery and 6 weeks of recovery. I am amazed at the number of crazy ideas I have come up with during my time at home. Outbuildings, cabins, docks for the pond, all growing in size and complexity as time passed. Harvesting and management plans filled my mind with dreams of getting out to the property more often. Last week I settled down and determined what it would take to spend more time out there. Shelter of some sort would definitely help by letting me take the wife and kid with me, but the budget is tight. I took all those interesting ideas and drawings and filed them in a drawer. They were to large for the budget or to complex for the amount of time I have at the property. As I was strolling through the grocery store, a Mother Earth News DIY quarterly caught my eye. It contained an article called called "Build this Cozy Cabin" which can also be found on their website. Simple, inexpensive, and some of the larger timbers could be made on the sawmill out of post oak to save more money. The loft gives me a nice place for my daughter to sleep when she gets older and needs more space. It can also be found online here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2006-06-01/Build-this-Cozy-Cabin.aspx . Now I have something to plan and budget for that will let us all enjoy the woods! I made time a few weeks back to plant some cottonwood cuttings that were given to me by a fellow ForestryForum.com member Brian Beauchamp, but that is post for another time, with pics!

2010-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

All right, now we are getting somewhere! I took delivery of the Logrite Junior arch recently with the extension handle. It is a well made piece of equipment with everything lining up properly and nice, contnuous, smooth welds. Even the bolts were good quality. The arch can hold up to a 16" diameter log in the tongs and 16' in length because of the extension. I am not sure I would want to pull its full capacity by hand. I can now haul all my firewood as practically tree length material to my firewood pile. It will also hold a log above the ground for bucking into firewood lengths. No more hitting dirt and dulling the chain. I will also start hauling larger, heavier logs to the mill with it. The little lawn tractor was having a hard time dragging much of a log, even with a piece of old barrel as a skidding cone. Cedar was pretty much the limit for it, and short or small diameter pieces at that. I hope to get some use out of it this spring as a lot of cleaning needs to be done and some of those trees will make decent wood for the sawmill. I have been rereading some of my books in preparation for marking and cutting more junk trees to make room for the good ones to grow. I will have a report on how it worked out next time.

Wow, been a while!

2010-01-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I updated this series or been out to the woods. A new addition to the family in the form of a little girl will do that to a person. I had to make time to get out and check on the pond and property. A few items on the to do list had to be taken care of also. The pond was very high when I first pulled in the gate; so a walk around was the first order of business. I shortly found out it was to be a slosh around. Water was pouring into the pond with only 1/2" of rain for the month. The ground was visibly saturated with lots of ponding everywhere a low spot occured. In the back of the property, the culvert leading into the pond had water flowing over it. The culvert for the pond dam end letting the spillway lead into the creek was practically washed out. A large pond has formed where the overflow pipe emptied behind the dam. Drainage needs to be deepened for it as the picture shows.l The standing water there explained the stressed trees in that area. Lots of dirt work is going to be needed in the future, probably to tear out the culverts and add small bridges instead.

I was able to work on realeasing a small area of saplings near the sawmill area. There was a funky post oak and some gnarly, bent cedar elms over topping them. I was able to take down most of them, but time constraints meant I had to leave 2-3 for the next time. I also cut some problem trees that were to close to more desireable trees on the way back. The wet ground prevented me from picking up any of the wood; so I stacked it neatly on the side of the path. I hope to accomplish more the next time I am, barring anymore water damage. I need to finish releasing rhw incomplete area and cutting that wood into firewood. I then need to mark and cut any other bad form trees leading up to that area. I have the property blocked out into 5 areas, and I never really worked on area 1 last year. Twice the work, but twice the fun!

Rains and wood

2009-09-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

I am really glad I made it out. Previously, I had my wood stack float 10 feet closer to the pond during a big rain event. It has rained 2.5 inches in the last few days, and I am glad I picked up everything. A large portion of the wood was the dead cedar I milled. I added a picture of some to the left. It is some beautiful wood. I also picked up some 6/4 cedar elm lumber and the osage stump I milled. I should be set on porject wood for a while, and need to rig up a router jig to plane the osage lumber becuase fo the size and crazy grain. You should check back in the future to see the final results. The cedar elm has checks in the pith, but I expected that from the small, twisted trees I cut. I believe next on the agenda for the woodlot is to set up the mills wood deck and start collecting up another group of logs starting with rot and bug resistant cedar. If I can get the deck set up, then all of the logs can be kept off the ground and in relatively good condition. It will allow me to log for a while and mill them all at once. Stacking the lumber was a pain when I was doing a log here and there where I cut the movement prone cedar elm well after the eastern red cedar. The cedar stacked on the cedar elm would have weighted it down some, but it is a pain to break up a wood stack every time you mill. I hope to mill a decent stack all at once in the future. I still have quite a few dead cedars to go, some more cedar elm culls, and may cut some stagnant post oaks to release some saplings near the sawmill. The ERC is going to be milled into 8/4 lumber for table legs and a certain style of cabinet I want to make. The cedar elm will become more 6/4 that I resaw after it moves during drying into 1/2" stock. The oak will probably just become yard timbers for a raised bed garden at home, and that means I don't need to dry it. Hope to get out soon, but it may be a while with the kiddo taking up my time!

Woo Wee! Made it out!

2009-09-10T20:37:00.001-07:00

I made it out to the property for a little while at least. I did not accomlish much on the forestry end of things other than some pics for a buddy who's business is Texas Timbers. He wants some cedar elm badly to turn into flooring. The photo shows a cedar elm twig with leaves using my hand for size reference. I remember when I first spoke to him on the phone when he was looking for new woodlots to source wood from. He had never heard of cedar elm and wanted nothing to do with it. Now that he has seen what I have done, he has done a 180 on the topic. I am keeping mine for myself, and he has his own sources. I was able to do a little mowing, caught some fish for dinner and through back a 4lbs largemouth, and made sure everything was alright. I made it home with all of the wood I had cut and it appears to be nice and stright with little problems. One cedar elm board has some bug activity, but I think it will pass like my earlier experiments did. Next on the agenda is make some items with all of this wood for the business. Hopefully I will get enough stock built up to begin doing the local Third Monday Trade Days!

Stuck at home, so testing cedar elm

2009-08-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I am stuck at home with the new baby! I guess if there is any reason to stay away from the woods, it is our new little girl. Another good thing to come from staying home is I get to use some of the wood harvested and milled from the property. Here is a pic of a box out of cedar elm I milled from a cull tree that was crooked and skinny. Nobody could tell me anything about the wood except that it must be similar to other elms. Duh, but how close? Well, this is one tough, pretty wood. The interlocking grain makes it stringy, and it is very tough. Sharp tools are a must with this wood to prevent burning. It has a very light sapwood and a medium brown heart wood, and there is a very dramatic break between the two. The sap tears out much more than the heart, and quartersawn rays are prone. It does show a very nice rayfleck in the quartersawn grain. The interlocking grain in the sapwood also shows a very interesting zigzag pattern that can make the planesawn faces nice. The hardness made it dificult for me to remove swirl marks from some coarse grit sanding. I think I have found a new favorite wood as long as I can get past the burning issue. I hope to be out in the woods working soon, but until then I have some fruits of my labors to play with.

BMP's and a trail through the woods

2009-07-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

BMP's, or best management practices, are a landowner's friend. They keep a property looking good, prevent future damage, and help keep the neighbors happy. Texas does not require following their BMP guidlines. It is voluntary, and you must make sure they are followed on your property when you have it logged. Here is a link to the Texs BMP's: http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/uploadedfiles/sustainable/bmp/bmpbookindd.pdf .
A trail through the woods is always important if you plan on enjoying them close up. The BMP guidelines can be helpful in planning the trail route and it's construction. If you plan it right, you can even convert logging roads into trails for future use. I have an old logging road running around our property in the shape of a C connecting the two ends of the dam. BMP's were not followed when making this road. A few places need runoff control. The stream crossings are also not in very good shape, but are only an aesthetic and vehicle access issue. I am going to start with the runoff problem since it is the cheapest problem. Wheelchair access for my wife creates an extra dimension to the trail issue. We will be making the trail as smooth as possible with water bars created with trash trees to direct runoff to prevent erosion of the smooth path. Erosion control is also important when you consider all of our runoff goes into the pond. Runoff affects water clarity, condition, and content. It is much easier to control runoff on your property athn to treat a pond for turbidity and other water problems. A properly designed trail should be able to accomodate us and occassional vehicle traffic while limiting harmful impact to the woodlot and wildlife.

Taking a forest walk

2009-07-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

We went on vacation in Arkansas and went on some nice drives along the Buffalo National River. One spot that was accessible for my wife to get out was near the Henry R. Koen Experimental Forest. We had a picnic and enjoyed the view of the river and forest. Access to the Koen Interpretive Trail in the experimental forest can be found along the Erbie Loop drive on the following website: http://www.nps.gov/archive/buff/autotour.htm . It is a short and easy trail with a lot of labeled trees. If you ever wondered how they experiment on a forest, here is your chance. It is also worth a drive for the views and the old farmsteads along the way. A beautiful area with some great views of rugged hills covered with forest and, of course, the Buffalo river.
Petit Jean State Park has another wheelchair accessible trail that gave me great ideas for our property. It is a boardwalk to an overlook of Cedar Falls. It was easy to walk on and for her to roll on. I believe it would be a great way to make some of the seasonally flooded areas accessible to everyone. A short raised boardwalk over the water and around some of the pond would be great for seeing some of the wildlife. A boardwalk is a lot of work and needs a large amount of wood, but it may be the best option for the property for making it accessible.

A quick June update

2009-06-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been busy around the house and tough to get out to the property. I planned on releasing the willow oaks and cutting up the rest of the cedar on the sawmill, but mother nature threw a wrench in that idea. The little garden tractor's engine filed up with water from the big rain event we had a few weeks back. I am not sure if the water came up that high or it blew in somehow. However it got in, it took awhile to change the oil/water at the back of the property where it almost seized up. Now it burns a little oil and I am sure its' days are numbered. I started looking at what to use as a woodland tractor. There are lots of pros and cons for skid steers and compact utility tractors. Once I have tallied up all of the responses, I will post all of them here to make a decision. I may not have the money for the best solution, but I will have it stored on here for the future. I also have very few of the saplings surviving in the high water. Once it goes down in the fall, I will make a head count of the survivors.

Rain, rain, go away ...

2009-05-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Rain is the bane of my attempts to work on the woodlot right now with 13.2" so far this month and we were double the average last month. May is usually the last chance to work outside before it gets hot in Texas. I managed to go out and check on conditions. The pond is way up and flooding where the dead oaks are located. We finally have definitive proof of why that is happening. Full pool only occurs in the spring and saturates the soil enough to kill the post and willow oaks. I will need to plan for planting more cypress or another water loving tree there next year as these trees desintegrate and rot. A high water level is killing my newly planted cypress and mayhaw seedlings. They can stand flooding as long as their tops are above the surface. Mortality will be higher, but I expected some. They don't last long when they are a foot under the surface. A lone, sick hickory was the only casualty from the severe thunderstorms. Hopefully, the place will dry out some soon so that I can saw up the rest of the dead eastern red cedar and start on my forestry projects of releasing some sapling areas and culling some damaged trees for firewood and saw up some wood for a dock.

What is a woodlot?

2009-05-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Many farmers in the northeast and midwest know the answer to this question. Landowners in the west will quickly understand that their land is could be considered a woodlot. I have not heard anybody in the South consider their property a woodlot, not even the patch of woods left uncleared at the back of a pasture. A woodlot is a wooded area used by the owner to supply various forest products for sale or use. The various uses range from simple firewood and wildlife uses, to intensive timber management including clearcutting and replanting. I consider most of our property our Texas woodlot because it fits into these ideals, even if Texans seldom use the term woodlot. Texas forestry revolves around plantations and tree farming. I have taken on the mantle of woodlot because of my intended uses and strategies. I plan on using the woodlot for firewood, wildlife, refreation, and personal timber production. Generally, a plantation is intended for timber production only with a possible chance at wildlife in the form of a deer lease for extra income. I do not understand whythe Texas Forest Service is behind the curve on woodlots. Parcelization and the large number of private landowners leaves a lot of unmanaged timber in Texas. Forestry can be performed on small properties in Texas, and I aim to prove the Texas Forest Service wrong.

Cypress - an alternative crop tree

2009-04-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Cypress brings images of swamps and huge, moss draped trees. A lot of people do not know that it is a fast growing conifer that works well when planted for a future crop tree. The popular image of the swamp full of bald cypress is because of the tree's traits. It can withstand standing water for long periods of time and resists windthrow, important in soft ground. Cypress is often outcompeted on good sites by hardwoods. It is a component of oak-gum-cypress forests, and is usually only a pure stand where conditions prevent competition from other trees. A cypress planted in good soil will grow quickly, have good form, and self prunes well with proper spacing. The ability for it to grow in poor, water logged soils adds to its crop tree potential. I planted an area the pond floods seasonally with cypress earlier this year. We could not get any information from the local forester in time, so we went ahead and planted 200 with 8'x8' spacing. The idea was to replace some dead oaks with a water tolerant species while adding diversity and a tree useful for timber. The nice look of cypress on a pond helped too. Seedling mortality may jump since the pond has flooded most of them, and we may still have a nutria that likes to eat them. Anybody looking for decent timber production in a flood prone area should consider planting cypress. Here are some sites where I researched my decision:
http://www.sref.info/publications/online_pubs/cypress.pdf
http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_parresol014.pdf
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/218baldc.pdf

Mayhaws for problem areas and tasty jelly

2009-04-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

The mayhaw is a little known rural South secret. Jelly made from the fruit of this small tree is considered by many to be the best they have ever tasted. Three different species cover a range from east Texas across the gulf and up into the Carolinas and southern Arkansas. An excellent property of this little tree is a tolerance to flooding. How many crops, orchards, or timber producing trees can be grown on flood prone land? The choices are slim, especially if you want trees. I chose to try out 25 saplings near my pond where we did not want to plant cypress. Spring rains flood this area for 6 months out of the year. We chose native mayhaws because we are at the northern range for mayhaws. Hybrid cultivars with larger fruit and harvests are available, but may only be suitable for the deep South in zone 9. I say 'may' because the fruit is such a new commercial crop that long term tests are not complete and new varieties are coming out. Another nice aspect of this tree is that it is adaptable to many environments. It makes the best crop when planted in an orchard on well drained, fertile soil but can also grow in the understory of bottomland forest where it is found in the wild. Ours will be open grown, but with a flood prone, clay soil. I expect larger harvests than in the wild, but similar growth because of the soils. Mayhaws could be a great choice for southern woodlots by providing an edible yearly crop from areas with low site indexes because of flooding and heavy soils. A great source for more information is the Louisiana Mayhaw Association: http://www.mayhaw.org/ .

Preserving rare forest types

2009-04-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

There are many forest types across the country. Pine/hardwood and Post oak types are fairly common in Texas. It seems like every conceivable mix has a name so it can be categorized and catalogued. The large nutmeg hickory I have has increased my awareness of unusual trees and forests. Evidently, nutmeg hickory is rare and could be at risk of extinction in the future because of it being in mixed forests and rarely in pure stands. The only hickory type we have on the property seems to be nutmeg hickory. I have yet to identify another species of hickory, but I am constantly looking because it seems to associate with shagbark which has a similar bark appearance. I have also figured out that we are at the interchange of post oak forest into the East Texas piney woods. It makes for an interesting mix with lots of nutmeg hickory intermingling with Post Oak Savannah. I like the look of shade tolerant grasses gorwing under the trees, even if they are not Post oaks. Post Oak Savannah is considered a threatened forest type from development and farming practices. It is not considered a valuable timber forest type because of poor tree form and the low stocking levels that let in light for the grasses. I wonder how unusual my forest type is? A threatened type transitioning into a rare type? Texas A&M considers the nutmeg hickory to be important enough to collect specimens from a variety of places for a gene bank. It is the transitional species from pecan hickories to true hickories. I also consider it a beautiful tree worth keeping in my forest. Uneven aged management should provide a wide range of tree sizes to offset any disasters. It also helps that it is a prolific seeder and, with the help of squirrels, provides a good stock of saplings to fill any forest openings. As I make improvements to my forest health, I will allow some of these slow growing, stately trees to have a place. A forest does not need to be a single species or a single age. Here are a few academic sites I found helpful in my search for nutmeg hickory information:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/carya/SPECIES/myristiciformis/myristiciformis.HTM
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/carya/cgc/cgc97.htm

Big trees

2009-04-15T16:10:00.001-07:00

Everybody is awed by a big tree, but some are bigger than others. I have been trying to track down the biggest trees on my place and judge them against the Texas and national big tree registries. Sometimes it is close and sometimes they fall well short. I think I have a winner this time. Nutmeg hickory is a fairly rare and somewhat smaller tree than other hickories. I have one that was not real close to the state champ. Well, I forgot to look at the little date of measurement which said 1974. A tree must be reconfirmed every 10 years. Another tree has taken its place which is smaller than mine. I also checked the national champ and it looks like mine has a good chance at that one! Time to really get a move on and actually measure some heights and see what my trees really score.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-04-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

I will go with the bad first. The state forester came out, looked around for 15 minutes, and said manage for wildlife. I was disappointed that the only two aspects he considers important are pine production and wildlife. The main trees I have, oak and hickory, are good for wildlife and hardwood timber. He said that hardwood takes to long so don't mess with it. I figured I would get a response like this, but not one devoid of any help at all. The good news is the folks over at http://www.forestryforum.com/ have been very helpful with their expertise. I have enough book learning to get a plan in place, and the forum members can help me fill in the gaps and problem areas. The ugly comes in two parts. First is a couple of ugly areas of poor form elm overtopping some nice oak and hickory saplings. The forum members helped me a lot by informing me that it would be a good idea to cut out the poorly formed trees and release these seedlings. The second is the ugly bois d'arc trees I found pushed over may not be good for sawing. I cut up the first on into firewood because of a monster heart check 6" wide splitting the trunk. Combined with the regular exterior checking, the log was toast. I have only trimmed off some of the limbs of the second larger one, but it appears it will be the same. They are going to make over a cord of firewood, so we will have a couple years supply of rot proof firewood on hand.

Milling and finally getting the forester out

2009-03-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, I finally scheduled a date with the state forester. It kind of fell between the tracks between me being patient and them forgetting all about it. April 1st is the day I will finally get some professional help. In the mean time, I have been moving ahead with my plans. I need to get back out there and mill enough bois d'arc for someone. I also have quite a few dead cedar to get milled. I am going to start cutting culls once i have milled these other items. The forest is divided into 5 segments along natural changes or geographic features. I tried to size each to make work easier to plan. Each area has a similar tree density, species types, and problems within it. Each covers an area I should be able to work each year. I will basically have a rotating 5 year work schedule. The first step I am taking is cutting the junk out. The forester will tell me if this is right or wrong, hopefully. I am sure he is going to suggest a clearcut and replant it with pine, but I am not sure I want that. Maybe a small area where the soil is best for pine. I can't wait to see what he can tell me!

Cutting some cull trees

2009-03-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

I managed to make it out during the wonderful weather we were having, but is changing in a couple of days to cold and wet. The main purpose was to cut a couple of culls. One was a bois d'arc I was going to use for some duck calls for a fellow. I was not able to tackle the big one I have because of windy weather so I took down a smaller stump sprout attached to a funky, gnarly one I like to look at and will keep. This one served no purpose, was a leaner, and was not healthy. It made a few nice yellow boards, but was not clear enough for many blanks. The area it shaded had some hickory saplings that I would prefer in it's place. The whole area around this bois d'arc is a hickory grove. The other tree I took down was a small crooked cedar elm with a busted up top. Nobody could tell me what the wood looked like and all I have seen is some sapwood boards I made out of a large limb. I decided to sample some for myself. The pic at the top shows the grain and color well. I love the coloration. This log was only 12" on the biggest end. It should make some really nice turning blanks. I sawed the boards thick to straighten them out after drying since elm moves a lot during drying.

Business and marketing a niche product

2009-02-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

Ah, the joy of coming up with ways my small business can market it's products. I am currently using the mill to make my own lumber from thinnings and cleanings on the property. The higher the end the end use, the higher the profit I can make. The trees were junk to a luber buyer, the lumber I cut could probably be sold for $2.00 a board foot, or I can make a bench out of about 15-20 board feet and a few hours of my time that sells for $100-$200. The cedars I milled on Monday would have been considered junk by any self respecting forester or logger. They were broken 8-12 feet up, most were standing dead, and they showed signs of insect damage. I could see the diamond in the rough. 100 board feet of beautiful, pink eastern redcedar to make all sorts of rustic items out of. I like to build what I see in the wood, not gather up wood to fit to a plan. A nice leaner had perfect slabs for bench legs or possibly book shelf sides. The smaller diameter logs will yield lots of wall shelves or mini picket fences. All from a few junk logs. I still have several larger standing dead cedars to go that are even bigger, and then I can get started on the hardwoods. The trick is to get the logs cut and air drying so that I can get them in the product pipeline. I need to pay for that sawmill somehow since I want this place to be self supporting. I plan on using Etsy to sell the small items, a local flea market once a month, and my website for larger and commissioned items. I may try to sell unusual lumber pieces on Ebay, but I will post it on the website at first. I should be able to start making items in a month or 2 that I can market as 100% Texan, made in the US, and sustainably harvested.

Sawmill is here!

2009-02-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

Well, the sawmill is finally home and set up. We had a problem when picking it up with a faulty drive belt. The owner of Mister Sawmill fixed it. I am really glad I asked for a demo run. The drive pully was out of alignment, and that would have been a pain to fix in the field. I ran a test log after getting it to the property and it works well. There is definitely going to be a learning curve with this tool. I went out this past weekend and cleared out some busted, half dead cedar big enough to mill. They cut into ~100 board feet of nice lumber, and one made an especially nice set of 8/4 bookmatched boards for bench legs. I also had my first busted band right at the end of the last cut. Now I need to figure out why. I did not bring a piece home, but you can look at where the cracks start and see chat it might be. Hopefully they don't start at the back since that means the guides are not set up right. Cracks on the front mean something is wrong with feed rate, lube, dull blade, etc. I hope it was just me pushing to hard, and I already know I was not using enough lube. There are still a few more dead cedars to mill and a 8' tall 12" DBH hickory near the mill. I have been wondering what boke their tops out. I get to start fetching logs from farther off with the lawn tractor after that. It pulled a 5'x8' skid pretty well. Hopefully it will pull a log with a skidding cone.

The Woodland Steward by James R. Fazio

2009-02-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

I am slowly making my way through all of my forestry books to put small reviews here. This is another one of those books. I like this book. The reason I like it is because of the many illustrations. If you are a visual person, then this is the forestry book for you. The book also has a lot of helpful information. It has chapters on all of the pertinent aspects of forestry including inventory, planing, improving, protection, and harvesting. It also has some extra chapters on other ways to make an income through a woodlot and reason other than income for maintaining your woodlot. One chapter in particular stands out in this book. Forestry cannot be pure science. The author goes into the art behind applying scientific principles to a living, growing forest. The one downfall in the book is some of the ideas are a little dated. Fazio's book is very good because of the depth of information and the illustrations, and it makes an excellent secondary book to add to one of the current texts out there.

Weather and new beginnings

2009-02-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Weather seems to be my bane right now. The sawmill from Mistersawmill is delayed again because of the severe thunderstorm blowing down part of their building. First the ice storm and now this. Nature seems at odds with me lately. I have begun construction of my business website: http://www.jtcwoodcrafts.com . If you stop by, please keep in mind it is under construction. The site will be used to showcase some larger woodworking projects for sale and show what I can do for commissioned pieces. I will also be showcasing my new sawmill business there. Since the sawmill is mobile, I will be using it to custom saw for customers at their site. I will be practicing a little before I start marketing this new venture. It should key in well with my small item set at Etsy.com: http://jtcwoodcrafts.etsy.com . The Etsy site is where I have been selling small boxes for a while now. I just need to get more of them built and posted for sale.

The trees are in

2009-02-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the seedlings finally made it in and I planted them yesterday. The 25 mayhaws went together on a 10-12 foot spacing on a peninsula at the shallow northeast end of the pond. I put some near the waters edge and a couple are in the center of the peninsula. Boy, planting in the soft, sticky clay is a chore! The cypress went in on the opposite shore from the mayhaws. A large section there was flooded for a while and killed off some oaks. I was able to get these in between the drying out and reseeding of terestrial weeds. Hopefully I will not need to mow it to much before the little trees grow above the weeds. They are tough to see in a sea of green and I know a few will fall victim to the mower. I also hope the wildlife stays away from them. I am not to worried about deer, but the hogs are a nuisance. They may uproot them to eat the roots. I sure hope not. I also picked up a 1985 Montgomery Wards lawn tractor made by MTD on craigslist for $150, and it works! Well, except for the loose mower belt and the throttle lever I accidentally borke in half while putting it up for the day. Finally mowed a large portion of the areas that really needed it. The wife is happy now that she will be able to get around in her wheelchair. It seems to be a well built machine, and I am going to fix the small problems it has. It should also have enough power to pull a log arch to fetch logs to the mill.

Picking up speed

2009-01-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well, things are really moving now. 100 cypress and 25 mayhaw trees are on their way from Arborgen. The dibble bar should make it before they do, and I should be able to get them in the ground before spring. If they ever call to say they shipped. I decided not to wait for the forester to get around to visiting and helping with a plan. A few areas need replanting to a very water tolerant species, and I wanted to get them in the ground now. The mayhaws are jsut for fun. Mmmm, I can already taste the jelly! I also put a deposit down on a sawmill from Mister Sawmill up in Flippin, AR. http://www.mistersawmill.com It should be ready in 2 weeks. I opted for the Model 21 with the 13HP Honda engine and 20' deck. It should handle almost anything I can find to put on it. I sure hope nobody offers me anything larger than I can handle. It will be used to cut some construction lumber for the property, unique wood to sell, and start a mobile sawmill business in the near future.

Planting trees

2009-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have been reviewing every book I can to find the types of trees to plant in some thinly stocked and open areas near the pond. It floods periodically and some of the areas have dead oak trees where high water suffocated them. I believe I am going to plant some cypress in the open areas. They should look nice from a pond standpoint. I am going to plant them as a crop tree with the thinnings going into my portablse sawmill as small boards for around the place. I may plant some tupelo to mix it up a little with the cypress. The thin areas have a few good trees I would like to leave. A tolerant or intermediate species is a must in this area so the options are a little limited. I came across a book that discussess sycamore as a crop tree. I believe I will try this in a test and see how they do. Sycamore does not naturally occur in groves and is usually in a mixed forest. It grows to 65' in 20 years on good sites, which I have. It is intermediate, so it should work well in the openings created when I cut out the malformed stems this year. I am going to research it some more since the trees will not be planted until next year. I may get a few cypress in this year since no clearing will be needed.

Pond Boss regional meeting

2009-01-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a group of people with ponds. I attended the regional meeting today hoping to learn a little about fish. I came away with some new friends and quite a bit of knowledge. We went to see two ponds that have not filled. I wish there was a way to redevelop the structure of a pond without removing the water. I discussed the ability to fluctuate the water levels with Bob Lusk. He told me the spawning habits of fish in these situations. The fish want to fill up the newly enlarged pond with a larger spawn. Lowering the pond then shrinks the size and concentrates the forage fish. This leads to larger predators due to increased food. In short, the largemouth bass get bigger faster and could get bigger overall. I believe a project may be in the works this summer so that I can try the principle. The flood would occur just before spawn to open up new spawning areas and flood terrestrial plants for cover. The water would be allowed to drop to the original pond level after the spawn to concentrate all of the new forage. A few bags of concrete, some 2x4's, and a pile of compacted clay in the back should be enough to dam the water in the spillway creek. If it works, then a stronger concrete structure with a penstock may take its place. A big thank you to Chris Steelman and Frank Peeples for having us at their places

Farming the Small Forest

2009-01-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

A Guide for the Landowner by Laurence C. Walker. Ah, another book from my large library of forestry books. I think this is probably the best manual for someone to read as their introduction into forestry. It has the plainest english, the best layout, and is very clear and concise on all of the major issues. Sadly, it is out of print but is readily available used. The incentive programs are out of date, but they do show the reader the types of programs that could be available. Other chapters focus on management styles including their pros and cons. The book has a large administration section that covers inventory, plans and other info. Financial matters are also discussed including timber pricing, appraising land, and costs. Another section covers non-timber management considerations. Finally, the book goes into stewardship. Overall, I feel this is a great book for the new landowner or an aspiring forest owner because of the broad spectrum of forestry information and the topics on financials and land appraisal. Edit: Found a site selling it new: http://www.cspoutdoors.com/fasmfoguforl.html

The Forest Manager

2009-01-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

A Handbook for Farm Woodlot Owners and Others Who Manage Their Woodlands by Dr. Karl Dannecker and published by The American Forestry Association in 1939. The book discusses the topic I have been looking for in forestry books for a long time. Dauerwald, a German idea that treats the forest as a single living organism. The book is actually a translation of the original german text and omits sections specific to Germany, such as laws. It also makes some minor adjustments to adapt the original work to American forests. They actually weigh the options of every management type in the book. You can tell that the uneven aged selection method is favored in specific forms. By selecting the inferior first, you can build a better forest. The inability to regenerate intolerant species such as oak has been the main argument against selection management styles. This is the first book that outlines a method to completely avoid those problems. It is also the only book I have seen that focuses on forest soils as the key to a healthy forest. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to manage a healthy, biodiverse, uneven-aged forest and wants to keep oaks as a component. I believe the reason this method dropped out of favor is it was a German idea in the '30's so American did not want anything to do with it and the Germans actually stopped using it during the war because they needed all the material they could get.

Mike Otto comes for a visit

2009-01-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

Mike Otto, pond builder extraordinaire, came out to look over the pond dam to make sure everything was in order. I sure did not want to build anything that was going to be in the way of any repair work. I had tried to describe the pond over the phone, but he had to come in person. It is one of those "you need to see it to believe it" sort of situations. We walked around the entire pond. He figured out that the drain pipe is only for extreme emergencies and is fine. The main means of removing water is a carefully engineered rerouting of a seasonal creek. It drains directly into the pond until full. The water then becomes high enough to travel north into the creek bed, around the end of the dam, and south again in the original creek bed. No spillway needed and the chances of dam problems from it is virtually nonexistent. He also discussed putting in a gate instead of the culvert at the end of the dam for a foot more water in the pond. It could work to seasonally flood the shallow end for duck habitat. One other important detail he informed me about was trees on the dam. He said they are no problem on my dam. We found 3 very large stumps, and they are not producing leaks. If you need a pond dug in north Texas or have a question about one, then Mike Otto is the man to see: http://ottosdirtservice.com/default.aspx Overall, it was a productive day learning what I should and should not do, and even got a little work done trimming trees around the pond.

Earth Ponds book review

2009-01-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

The book is written by Tim Matson and has seen several editions. I have the second edition. The book starts out in the first half just telling the story of the authors experiences with his and neighbors' ponds. It is entertaining in these chapters, but not very helpful. The second half of the book is the real meat. He goes into the building, maintenance, and restoration of ponds. A little of the info is outdated. He talks about draglines a lot which are not used so much anymore. The information is also focused on New England and traut ponds quite a bit. I would recommend this as a secondary book for someone reading up on ponds. Bob Lusk's books through the Pond Boss magazine site are better, in my opinion.

A day to play!

2009-01-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

I managed to get out out to the woods just to have some fun. No deer, so the freezers going to be a bit empty. A lot of wildlife was out and about, though. Squirrels, a couple of ducks, a big hawk, and lots of little migratory birds. I made sure I searched for some freshwater mussel shells fo identification and found several. These are listed as a rare species by TPWD and can make a property eligible for the LIP program: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/private/lip/ . I also went in to the woods to inspect an odd couple of trees I had not identified. They look like Western Soapberry, but I will need to wait for spring to check the leaves. One more species of native to add to my biodiversity list. Things are looking good to move forward with my conservation plans.

Management and Inventory of Southern Hardwoods

2009-01-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

Another quick review of a book. This book is from the US Deparment of Agriculture Forest Service and is their agriculture handbook no. 181. It was written by John A. Putnam, George M. furnival, and J.S. McKnight in 1960. The handbook has chapters on southern forests including types, preliminary managment, advanced managment, and inventory. There are some great photos and diagrams withn the book. It also has an excellent table listing many of the hardwoods and a few softwoods found in the South with a lot of info about each. The giant tree table at the back is also helpful, though a little confusing until you get used to it. The handbook is very helpful for anyone, even those in other parts of the country to some extenet. As usual, some of the harvest and management information can be a little dated because of the age of the book, but other more recent books specialize in this. I recommend it if you can find one at a decent price used because of the overall picture and helpful tidbits. You can also download it by searching at the Forest Service Treesearch website (which was not working at this time): http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/

Silviculture of Southern Upland Hardwoods, Bulletin 22

2008-12-31T19:13:00.000-08:00

A quick review of a helpful little book. Written by Lawrence C. Walker and published y Stephen F. Austin University School of Forestry in January 1972, it is the sixth of a series of books on southern silviculture. I picked it up because it has some helpful info on the Cross Timbers and post oak forests, oak-hickory forests, and southern black walnut plantations. It is a helpful little bulletin with some very specific information. It would be even more helpful for forest owners in the southern Appalachians and the Ozarks of Arkansas. They discuss regeneration, management, and problems to very specific forest types and regions in the south. One interesting tidbit that is a good example of the info inside is that forking in white oaks may be hereditary. Bad news for anyone with a poorly managed stand with forked seed trees looking for regeneration. I hope to find the rest of this series to see what other helpful info they have, hopefully one on bottomland hardwoods.

Basic Pond Management, the book

2008-12-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

The book is written by Bob Lusk with Mark McDonald. It is a basic primer on pond management with chapters on planning and building a pond, fish, stocking, harvest, habitat, existing ponds, and wildlife. The information is presented well and should be read by any aspiring pond owner whether they will guild or buy one. I wish I had read this before my purchase! I especially liked the chapter on evaluating existing ponds, even though mine was in hindsight. All of the chapters are very informative and will create a knowledge base for your continued education if you feel that necessary. The broad scope does limit the details and a knowledgable pondmeister will probably want to skip it. I have found myself pulling it down off the shelf several times as a starting when I want to bone up on some pond information. It is definitely a book not to judge by the cover, love the '80's shorts and hat, so do not believe the out of date clothes mean out of date info. This is a timeless classic on ponds that can be found here: http://www.pondboss.com/books.html.

2008-12-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the fellow pondmeister david u, here is a link on how to keep those pesky trees from growing back. http://texnat.tamu.edu/BrushBusters/CutStumpsHardwood.htm Useful info anywhere you want to keep a tree from coming back, especially invasives. I used Remedy RTU around the pond because it uses vegetale oil instead of diesel. Go to keep those fishies happy!

Pond work and stump sprouts

2008-12-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ah, stump sprouts. Natures magical way of regrowing a tree when it has been damaged beyond repair above the ground. If you are into growing trees for firewood, then these will be your friend for coppicing. If you are trying to keep the tree away for good, then they are the enemy. I just finished clearing a bit of space on the pond shore with evil multiple stem bodark stump sprouts coming out of 12" diameter 1-2' tall stumps, and to top it all off they had thorny vines growing all through them. Other areas of the pond have large 16" diameter 4' tall elm stumps because of the steep grade and the lazy previous owner. These have resprouted into 20-30' tall trees with 4-10 stems each and a rotten center. Cut at ground level and spray with a strong hebicide, and respray any new stump sprouts. Also, some trees will send up stump sprouts 30+' away from the stump. The fight is not over, I am sure these stumps will send up new sprouts in spring, but for now the peninsula building site has the nice view in the photo.

Why should I have a Forest Stewardship Plan?

2008-12-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

While I could go into it myself, the Forest Landowners Association http://www.forestlandowners.com does a better job in their article here: https://www.forestlandowners.com/files/9%20Reasons%20for%20a%20Forest%20Stewardship%20Plan.pdf . One of the keys to a good plan is a good timber inventory which they also outline here: https://www.forestlandowners.com/files/archives/timber-inventory-managing-timberlands-in-the-southern-u-s.pdf . Look for other interesting articles in their archive section, you cannot get full access to all articles unless you are a member. I am pondering joining this organization, they have some excellent material for the woodlot owner. I am also considering joining the Texas Forestry Association http://www.texasforestry.org/ so that I can get information specific to my state. Check your state, you may have resources in the form of a forestry association also.

A Manual of Forestry

2008-12-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting book online. It is A Manual of Forestry with special reference to forestry problems in East Texas by the Texas Forestry Service, Bulletin 45. It has some dated information, which is to be expected for a book published in 1952. One great part of the book is it is tailored to East Texas, which my property is in the northern portion. It also has some interesting chapters on some subjects rare to the average landowner book. It has a chapter on fire prevention, including the use of fire breaks in your woods and the types and factors of fires. Another interesting chapter is on forest enemies including many insects, weather, and domestic animals. Domestic grazing animals is the other unusual chapter. They discuss in depth how to graze livestock in a forest with as little damage as possible to the forest. It is definitely an intrigueing way to earn more money in certain forests as long as you are not looking fot any regeneration of tree stocks. I recommend this book for anyone with a woodlot in East Texs who has already read the usual landowner forestry books, especially if you also run cattle on the property.

Woodlot Improvement 4-H Club Bulletin

2008-12-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

I have a very helpful bulletin from the Cornell 4-H club. If you are looking for a straight forward manual on improving your woodlot, then look no further. It is a short educational bulletin meant to teach the young club memebers on how to improve a woodlot quickly and correctly. The bulletin goes over what a good lot is, the form and species fo trees to keep, the differences between even-aged and uneven-aged woodlots, making an inventory, and harvesting. The copy I have is Bulletin 43 Woodlot Improvement: Managing the Woodlot by J.A. Cope and Fred E. Winch Jr., of which there are many reprintings. I do not know if the 4-H club has a current edition. The closest I found was this website with some of the bulletins info: http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/management/working.htm

Texas Forest Service forester contacted me

2008-12-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, the new management plan program is not slow! I faxed in the form late last week and they gave me a call today. I guess I was one of the first, because they had some problems with the form and fixed them when I pointed them out. The forester said they would do a walk through after the holidays and give me suggestions on what to do next.

Working With Your Woodland by Beattie, Thompson, & Levine

2008-12-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, this is one of the best books for a landowner to read about forestry. If you can only get one book on forestry, this is the book for you. My only quible is that they concentrate on New England forests, but they at least explain that this is where their experience lies. The authors cover almost every aspect a landowner needs to know. The book is broken down into chapters on woodland potential, foresters, management plans, management techniques, harvesting products, and finances. Each of these chapters goes into depth on the topic without becoming to academic. They weigh the pros and cons of many different competing ideas including management types, competing land uses, and foresters. They also discuss how to decide the future of your forest in the last chapter by weighing all the book has taught you and deciding what end result you desire. It is also the only book I have seen on forestry that goes into the financial side of things, especially taxes. Having perfect trees is wonderful, if they don't cost a fortune to grow. There are many different editions out there, so be wary of the tax info is you purchase an older edition. The appendix will also help New England forest owners with a lot of state info. Read this book, it will pay for itself many times over.

Southern Woodland Trees by James Berry

2008-12-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a quick review of another book I found very useful. It is an old (1924) book, and is easy and cheap to find. The reason I found it useful is it has a very good chapter on identifying trees by their endgrain, bud structure, and leaves. It is a simpler and cheaper option before stepping up to the technical texts. Another unusual part of it is the sections on unusual trees from the south. Unusual trees can be a niche market for their lumber to the hobby woodworker. There is a break down of different oaks beyond the typical red and white. Berry also identifies the property differences among the hickories, which I have not found in any other book. Hickory was much more valuable to industry in the past so the difference in properties was important, especially strength. Each tree species has a geographical and plant description, a drawing of the leaf and fruit, tree form, occurence, distinctive characteristics, wood qualities, and uses. It is also interesting for its historical perspective on tree distribution and uses.

Quick book review

2008-12-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a book I read recently and found helpful on the basics of a woodlot. It is The Country Journal Woodlot Primer by Richard M. Brett. It is a great introductory book on how to manage your woodland. It is a bit old, but most of the information is still relevant. There is quite a bit of information on what a woodlot is and what you can do yourself. I especially like the section on planting your own seedlings, since this can be a high dollar area is someone else does it for you. It also oultines a lot of the equipment you need, just ignore the chainsaw section unless you KNOW how to handle one. I also like how the book goes about the telling you about the different paths a woodlot can take, identifying tree quality, and that it tells you to enjoy your land. First and foremost, enjoy your land and what you are doing to it.

Forester guidance form

2008-12-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

Sent in my form today to the Forest Service, hopefully it does not take to long. I will send in my form to TPWD for technical quidance on the wildlife side of things including the pond and open areas. The guidance will be in preperation for applying to the Landowner Incentive Program(LIP): http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/private/lip/ . Hopefully I will qualify for some state assistance since I have prime habitat for some threatened freshwater mussels, a woodland plant called Arkansas Meadow-rue, and maybe some others. The mussels already live in the pond. I hope to be able to replant the pond perimeter with native plants and get some assistance with some timber stand improvement where the meadow-rue could be planted or may already be. The next chance I have to get out there to work is the day after Christmas. I need to clean up the brush I already cut around the pond into firewood and brush piles built for animal habitat. Many of my books describe there construction, but the Maryland DNR has the best web description: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wabrush.asp .

Texas Forest Service website update

2008-12-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

The website has always had a lot of good info, but they have finally updated with instructions for getting your local state forester out to your property! http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=2012 This is the link ot the landowner section that will get me started on a professional forestry plan. Maybe I will be able to get some professional help after all. Many other states have a forest service or dnr that can provide a lot of information to the property owner. States that have traditionally had smaller property owners seem to support them better than Texas does.

Howdy!

2008-12-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

I would like to welcome you to my blog. If you are not from Texas, do not worry. A lot of information I have been digging up is good for anywhere in the country. I am trying to create a complete plan for my property including management of the forest and the pond together for income, personal enjoyment, and wildlife. Surprisingly, I have found no single book or person that deals with all sides of my plan. I am trying to learn as much as possible myself to properly manage my land. It has been tough since much of the literature is for large properties, other climates, different goals, outdated, or narrowly focused. I own 17 acres in Red River county Texas that has about 12 acres of uneven aged bottomland forest, a 3 acre pond, and 2 acres of open area. The forest has oak, hickory, elm, ash, eastern redcedar, and some other minor species. The pond is stocked with largemouth bass, hybrid bluegill, channel catfish, and crappie. It is also hosting a diverse population of migrating ducks this year. There is also a bit of history to place. The pond was originally dug in 1895 for the steam rail line that is now decommissioned. Coal is scattered around the property along with other leftovers from the railroad days. I will be reviewing the books I read about wildlife and forestry, passing along the good info, warning about the bad info, and generally trying to create what I have been looking for over the past 6 months.