Observation - Snow in May

What a wonderful weekend!!

I walked uptown, about 45 minutes. By the time we got to where we were going we had walked in the rain, snow, sleet and more snow.

It has been a long winter so when the next day the boys were out playing basket ball in the warm cloudy weather, they got a little surprise.

Big snow flakes and basket ball go together in Timmins.

Delta class teaching old Muddy Mark

Once again the Delta class from Timmins High and Vocational School came for a tour of the greenhouse complex.

I enjoy having the older kids that ask good questions and have that keen interest to understand the forest.

I was surprised that they knew the White pine is Ontario's arboreal emblem, our provincial tree. 

Wonder about the other Ontario Emblems and Symbols

It was a perfect day for the class to come. In true teenager style they wore running shoes and even one in shorts, while the dusting of snow fell from the sky onto the muddy, very muddy ground. You just got'a love rubber boots!

While walking from the back to the front the class taught me about (oh I know I am not going to get this right but here is my stab at it) potoku, a cree word. It is the area between the snow and the ground where the mice and little creatures forage for food.  We could see in the field where this happened this past winter. You could see the trail on the ground from hole to hole.

The greenhouse is green and very hot. It is wonderful to come into the greenhouse on such cold days. Ask the people working there how nice it is . . . cloudy days are not bad, but it can get pretty hot in there on sunny days.

I wonder what they were impressed by the most?

Spring in the bush

I got to go to the bush this week. !!!!!

That makes me happy. I was out to look at the roads and harvest area. Lots of water. All the snow is gone in the cut over area, but there are still pockets of snow under the trees.

A pair of sandhill cranes flies up as I come over a hill walking on the road. I had my camera and my camera-binoculars, but I was not fast enough to get a picture of them flying away. 

Starlings were super loud. There was a big flock of them moving across the cut over, jumping from standing water puddle to the next. Mixed in with the group were chickadees and sparrows.

A couple of ratty looking butterflies came lofting along the muddy road. They would land, I would chase, they would not let me get very close. I think they are Mourning Cloak

It is good to be out walking in the sunshine again.

The dog is covered in mud up to his belly and my boots are covered in mud. the side of the road is soft at the puddles and my boots sink 25cm, not deep enough to go over the top.

Green in the Greenhouse

I just love it when the everything is green.

The smell of spring is strong, and the snow is still melting outside.

Mindy is taking care of her young charges. She has given each a name, jack pine 01, jack pine 02 . . . jack pine 231,348 . . . jack pine 

Earth Day Media

Front page of the Timmins Daily Press.

You can see the story and pictures on line.

Take a look

It turns out my face is on the front page of the Daily Press 2 days on a row. The paper is taking random submitted pictures for the front page.  I sent a bunch of the kids and 1 of me. Turns out I got picked.

They say things happen in 3's - I hope I am in the paper again for winning the lottery and not in the crime or obituary sections!

My Earth Day

Where I work at Millson Forestry Service we like to say it is Earth Day everyday.  Everything we do is for the forest, for the trees, for the Earth.

First thing this morning I printed out a large "Oxygen Certificate" for our Earth Day meeting at the Days Inn. Two for one special at the store.

A phone call from the Timmins Times got me down to the Days Inn a little early.  Pictures and information for the reporter. Next the Daily Press photo opt. Finally Persona channel 3 dropped in to get the information about what was going on.  Very busy hour for Carman (manager of the Days Inn) and I.

Todays issue of the Timmins Times has a great article about our event. the Business of Earth Day. 

Back at the greenhouse I am working on a little project to cut jiffy pellets up so we can reuse them when potting seedlings. Potted seedlings will grow bigger and better, which will suit the urban tree planter. A reuse project on Earth Day, just another day at the greenhouse. Earth Day is every day.

A gal, Tammy, at he greenhouse is a bit of an artist and has a history of making t-shirts. Daystar Stitching supplied the shirt and Tammy supplied the artwork.  

Look at us in the pictures - but more important - look at all the green in the background. there is close to 2 million tree seedlings in the greenhouse now. I think we have over 6 on the grow right now and more to come.

    

      

Earth Day 2009 Timmins, Ontario

The Business of Earth Day

Two locally owned businesses come together to help our earth

Timmins, ON (April. 20, 2009) – Days Inn & Conference Centre - Timmins is pleased to announce the implementation of an employee awareness program based on the Natural Resources Canada Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC). This program will encourage staff to maximize efficiency by enhancing energy performance while reducing operating costs in the workplace.

On April 22, to help raise awareness for Earth Day and coincide with the launch of its employee awareness program, the team at Days Inn & Conference Centre - Timmins will be giving all guests and dining room patrons a tree of their very own. Mark Joron of  Millson Forestry Service states that they “ have supplied white pine (Ontario’s Arboreal Emblem) tree seedlings today, these trees are similar to the “oxygen trees” planted”.

Days Inn & Conference Centre - Timmins has also joined forces with Millson Forestry Service who will be planting a tree for every two guest rooms sold during the month of May. “We are pleased to be partnering with Millson Forestry Service and are dedicated to raising awareness for this great cause,” said Carmen Swartz, Operations Manager, Days Inn & Conference Centre - Timmins. “Together we are stepping up to the challenge and will work hand-in-hand with Millson Forestry Service to help the environment.”  

For Millson Forestry Service, Earth Day is everyday.  To celebrate Earth Day Millson Forestry Service is offering a two for one special until April 28th.  When purchasing an oxygen tree you will receive a certificate indicating that two trees were planted for you, your friends, your family or client.

It was last year on Earth Day that Millson launched it’s new website and webstore. “I know that people from all over the world are looking at the site every day” said Mark Joron. “ You can buy seedlings, cones, burls, essential oils, birch bark and now firewood”.

In support of the employee awareness program, the Days Inn Timmins has been retrofitted with energy efficient lighting, launched an internal recycling program and installed waterless urinals in the men’s restrooms. Ceramic mugs have also been provided to all staff in order to reduce the usage of disposable cups.

For further information please contact:

Mark Joron

Forest Technologist

Millson Forestry Service

Tel: (705) 264-3426

email: info@millsonforestry.com

OR

Carmen Swartz

Operations Manager

Days Inn & Conference Centre - Timmins

Tel: (705) 267-6211

Email: carmen@daysinntimmins.ca 

Birds Back to Timmins

Spring is in the air! Just look up!

Standing in the driveway yesterday chatting with a friend, when suddenly "wait, quite, listen". Being a little bit of weird bird Ivan thought nothing strange in the way my gaze reached to the cloudless sky after I silenced him.

Sandhill cranes. Sandhill cranes in my backyard, ok in the airspace above my backyard, but that counts.

This is the earliest I have seen them here by about 3 weeks. Summer is going to come fast and be hot!

Earlier in the morning a pair of robins were playing on my side patio. They are early by at least a week or more. Summer is coming fast and is going to be hot!

(if I say it one more time do you think it will come true?)

You can read more about the sandhill crane at Environment Canada.

You can hear the call on the site too, or go there now.

Read more about the Robin or listen now.

Muddy Mark
Learn more

Forest Research Partnership in Timmins

The Forest Research Partnership has a project here in Timmins, just 24km down Pine street south.

Highlights for me include the discovery of 400 year old white cedar and bird study part of the project.

The block also has the biggest white pine in the area. (see the Honour Roll of Timmins Trees)

Three different orchids - I will have to follow up on what those three are when I am in the same place as my notes.

A wonderful yellow birch stand was discovered in the block and management techniques were used to continue the health of the stand. This is the only yellow birch managed stand in the north, since yellow birch is at the northern edge of their range.

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The project team is working to merge high-tech inventory with leading-edge forest modeling and silvicultural science with operational practice, to set the standard for the credible implementation of enhanced forest productivity. Specifically, integrated harvest-to-harvest sequences of best practices are being implemented that include components such as:

1. State of the art spatial modeling to aid in prime site selection.

2. Enhanced forest inventory to optimize operational planning, including block and road engineering.

3. Careful, high-utilization logging

4. Thorough mechanical and/or chemical site preparation

5. Timely planting or high quality stock, including the best genetics available and species matched to microsite.

6. Timely and effective vegetation management.

7. Density regulation defined by long-term crop plans.

Within each of these components, new knowledge and tools are being fully implemented to operationally test and validate their integrity.

See the newest report and past reports.

Beauty in the Boreal

Snow is beautiful, you have to love it! If you do not love it you may cry.

March 29th here in Timmins a snow fall record was broken. 20.0 cm of snow fell, breaking the old record of 16.8 cm which fell March 29th, 1975.

This year to date 340 cm have fallen on the trees here in Timmins. That is the amount that has fallen on my driveway too. I have moved a lot of snow this year.

Today another 10 cm fell and more is coming.

Ya just got'ta love it.

Earth Hour 2009 Timmins, Ontario

Earth Hour 2009 Timmins, Ontario. Our first time at participation.

At our place we dug a hole in the snow and placed our fire pit base there. We started the fire a little early so the young ones could roast some hot dogs.

From 8:30 - 9:30 no lights were on in the house and anything else we could think of that used power was turned off. Candles burned in the front window, the bathroom and the living room.

Outside the fire burned to provide heat and light. It was a little cold, minus 5 away from the fire.

Kid number 1 and I sat at the fire for half an hour and talked about life in her fast lane. i really enjoy our talks.

Powerwise, only the fridge and furnace working this earthhour

Wind and Solar Power at Gillies Lake

Gillies Lake now has a wind turbine and solar array that soon will be producing green energy.

It is new!

It is smaller then the wind generators in the wind farm I visited in Sault Ste. Marie, but it is still very impressive.

I am told it is a Skystream 3.7. This summer you should be able to visit it and see how much electricity it is generating. The power is wired in to the building and I think there is also plans to have it into the grid to reverse the meter!

What a great idea. It was pretty windy when I was there today and it was quite, much more quite then the big towers in Sault Ste. Marie. I am really looking forward to all the information it will be able to show. Will have to follow this once it is fully operational and displays in place.

You can follow the link below for more information on the wind generator there is also links to MRCA and Wintergreen Fund for Conservation. There is a picture of the wind farm in Sault Ste Marie.

Skystream
MRCA
Wintergreen Fund for Conservation

March 17 a record breaker

March 17th was a record breaking warm day in Timmins.

The old record set in 1968 was 10.6. Much of the snow melted and water ran everywhere.

The mountain of snow in my back yard did not go down very much but seemed to just get a little stronger and slicker.

Today it is one big chunk of ice as the temperature has fallen again to -15. Looking forward to spring, the flowers the birds, the walking trails to explore.

Greenhouse is turning green

Spring has come under the plastic. I love this time of the year. You can step out of the -30C outside temperature and into a tropic moist warmth that fogs my glasses instantly. Soon the benches will be just a sea of green.

We have been seeding in the greenhouse now for month. The little seeds of white pine, white spruce and jack pine are starting to germinate. You can see in the pictures the seed coat has not yet fallen off some of the seedlings. The seed coat will fall off as they get bigger.


I see I will have to work harder at getting better closeup shots.

















millsonforestry.com
Timmins Honour Role of Trees

Biofuel created by a wood hog near Timmins Ontario

See the video Mulcher Wood Hog Timmins Ontario. You can take a look at how the slash left over from a harvest operation is turned into a fuel that will be burned to create electricity.

This harvest operation is what we call mechanical. Fellerbuncher fells the trees, then a grapple skidder pulls the bunches of trees roadside. Once roadside the tree is either processed or delimbed, sometimes both.

What is left behind from that process is the tops, branches and leaves. It is this biomass that is placed in the mulcher to create a material that can be fed into power plants.

The Centre for Energy is just one of the very many Canadian site on the topic, but it has a very good general overview of the bio energy sector.

The material from this block is destine for facilities operated by Northland Power. One facility is the Kirkland Lake Generating Station, the other facility is the Cochrane Generating Station.

muddy mark webpage

Seeding Machine - Soon the greenhouse will be all green!!

One day this week I was in the greenhouse helping on the seeding line.

I was at the "front" of the machine. My job was to place the template on the top of the growing medium before it passed under the seeding machine. What does that mean?

The growing medium (in this cased jiffy pellets) are contained inside a plastic insert. The template lines up so that the seeds will fall, one seed into each container.

Once it passes under the seeding machine the template is removed and the, now seeded, containers move forward under a gentle spray. Two of these inserts are placed in a plastic tray and then forwarded onto a conveyor that will take the tray down the bench.

Millions of tree seedlings are started this way.

Coming soon, the greenhouse will turn green. I love going into the greenhouse when it is -30C. My glasses steam and the moist air smells wonderful.

Watch for picture of the greenhouse turning green.

Skidder Operator Now

It is always good to learn new things. The last couple of months in the bush I have been a grapple skidder operator. It is a John Deere 748 GIII.

It takes a little getting use to. For a person that is use to seeing the trees from ground level, walking gently on the forest floor, this is a bit of a change.

The grapple skidder is used in most conventional harvest operations in the boreal forest. After the layout of the block is completed a fellerbuncher harvests the trees and leaves them in bunches in the harvest patch. The skidder backs up to the bunch and pulls it roadside.

The idea is to have the trees piled a couple of bunches high to make it easier for the next machine, which is a delimber. To get the pile high you drive over the previous placed bunches. Sometimes the machine does not go where you want it to. Sometimes it gets a little sideways.

Sometimes you have to call a more seasoned operator to get the machine off the pile.

One picture below I am stuck and have to get Peter to get the machine out of the pile. When the front tire was up in the air, it made me just to uneasy.

In the second picture I have the machine stuck in the pile when I was attempting to flatten the branches to be able to drive over the pile from behind.

Guess I need to show you a fellerbunch and delimber, I will get some pictures next week. If you want to see processing of the wood in the bush you can see the youtube video.

My Favorite Bird - Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus.

Today was a very bright very cold day. All the snow on the ground and in the trees reflecting everywhere.

Then, there swooping across the road, a familiar bird. It is the unmistakable flight path of the Pileated woodpecker. I call to another machine operator to look at the bird, just as it glides across the road again. He tells me it looks like a bird to him.

I have been trying to get a good picture of the bird for many years, so many years that it was back in the film days when I finally got close. I was armed with a 200mm lens on my 35mm camera traveling almost silent on a trail with cross-country skies.

A pileated woodpecker swooped in just in front of me. I was able to ski very close. Closest I have ever been able to get. The bird "worked with me" turning the head and showing off the bright red colours in the sunshine.

I smile and only take a couple of pictures, which is unusual since shooting off a roll of film during a ski was easy to do.

I smile and talk to the bird asking how he knew. "How do you know?" "What little birdie told you?"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW I HAVE BLACK AND WHITE FILM IN THE CAMERA TODAY!!!?"

I did put the picture in the forestry yearbook I did at Sault College. Ever couple of years when I flip the pages and see the picture it still mkaes me smile.

eNature

All About Birds

Ancient Forest Research Report No. 15

Summary of Forest Management
Guidelines for the Provision of Pileated
Woodpecker Habitat

Muddys' Emporium

the biggest tree in the world

At over 2000 years old, El Arbol del Tule, which is actually an Ahuehuete Cypress, is amongst the oldest living trees in the world. With a 10 meter (33 feet) diameter trunk it is also considered by many to be the broadest tree in the world. The circumference of the trunk is an amazing 54 meters (178 feet) It is over 40 meters (130 feet) high.

read more | digg story

Spring in the Greenhouse

Just a quick post to let everyone know the temperature has been turned up and soon you will see pictures of green as the tree seeds start to sprout.

The greenhouse is washed and neat waiting for the hassle of the seeding machine pumping out tray after tray of seeded containers.

Got to love it when spring comes early, even if it is just under a huge section of plastic.

Watch for it!!


Muddys' Emporium

25 Seriously Twisted Trees Growing Over Objects | WebUrbanis

Trees and plants have a kind of flexibility that is both disturbing and inspiring. Left to their own devices they can wrap around objects and create strange works of unintentional art. Properly pruned and cultivated they can be made into curious, compelling and useful shapes of all sorts.

read more | digg story

Crafty wood products

I can make one of these for you!

If you want a piece of cedar painted green with a couple of holes drilled in it I will do this for you, and and i will do it for half of the $160.00 price tag on the one I saw in the magazine. Just tell me how green and how long you want it.

A stick stuck in a piece of wood, I can do this too! I will do this at least then half price. $225 to paint a branch and stick a couple of candle holders on it. I can do that!

What else made from wood would you like to see me make. I will be busy this summer working on these product, but who will buy???

Hollow White Birch - What is it good for?

Solid birch stem that is hollow due to rot. What is it good for? What can you do with them?

You have seen the pictures I have of birch bark with all the wood rotted out. The birch bark has natural oils and chemicals to preserve the bark from rotting. In the case of these pieces of white birch the rot has started in the base of the stem of the tree and rots from the ground up.

What is created I call a "culvert" Cedar and spruce can also produce these culverts.

So what are they good for.

Number 1 - they make great natural growing pots. Last summer two very large "culverts' were bought to plant trees in for a Grand Opening. A bottom can be put on them to be used indoors, or just put them on the ground to give elevation to some of your plants. Sit on the patio and plant a tree in it.

Number 2 - a great natural table leg. One would be wonderful with a glass top sitting in the living room. Two beside each other with a glass top would be twice as good.

Number 3 -stand it up and frame something special. You will have to stop it from rolling, but sit it on a shelf or a piece of furniture and let it frame that special something you have. I have tipped one up and and placed some of my natural treasures inside. I have a turtle shell, natural bored rock, and arrowheads that would look nice displayed in the hollow birch.

Number 4 - I think it would make the nice face to a clock.

When I get a chance I will get more pictures of them close up and put them on the Muddy Mark webstore.

Can you think of other uses?

Muddys' Emporium

Same place - different temperature

My computer has been in the shop, I have it back now but it is going back to get fixed properly.

Timmins has been in a cold snap. I grabbed my snowshoes and went for a walk down to the lake where I had been in September. Roll'n lead the way for a little while. The snow was too deep for him to travel easily, so I ran past him so he

could get into my snowshoe tracks. Roll'n, like many dogs, wants to be in the lead.

It has been cold!! Not record breaking cold, but the wind sure

makes it feel record breaking.

January 14th the temperature was recorded at -35.9C, the record cold was set in 1994 at -41.0C
January 15th the temperature was recorded at -37.6C, the record cold was set in 1965 at -41.6C

Both days the school buses were cancelled due to the wind chill. The wind on both days made it feel below -45C

Not much activity in the bush at those temperatures. Harvest equipment that was parked over night would not start the next morning. The birds are on the move as they continue to look for food. The moose tracks that are common in the area are wind swept and days old.

Summer photo mapped
Winter photo mapped

Christmas Trees - Real vs. Fake

What is the best for the environment? What is better in the long run?

Well, there is plenty of information out there. It all seems to confirm the best way to go is REAL!

REAL is best.

What is making a move to even more environmentally friendly is the rent a tree movement. Some bigger centers are starting to offer rent a tree. It is a live potted tree that can be rented.

Even better is the large potted tree that would be planted after christmas.

At the office we have a real tree in a big pot. It is more of a bonsai Japanese black pine, but with decorations it looks like a great christmas tree.

The City of Timmins takes the real tree one step further. Trees are collected and mulched, which makes them useful again!

Plan ahead for next year. Find a source for a real potted tree and reserve it now.

I have a spruce tree on my front lawn, now 20 years old, that spent about 6 years in a pot before being planted. It gets the lights every year outside, but for one year it was a great tree for Santa to put presents under.

Christmas Trees Growers of Ontario
The Great Debate
Statistically Speaking a US website
Rent a christmas tree

Oh deer - they are only metres away

The kids and I had fun building a deer blind in the back yard.

Every evening at about 5:30 the deer walk through the woods at the back of the yard. We built a wall and put a sheet over us so the deer would walk right past us.

Worked great he first night when the first group of deer walked close to us. When the second group of deer came close a strange sound that seemed to be coming from behind caught my attention.

I could not resist I had to take a look. When I ducked out from under the sheet it must have spooked the gang of 9 deer. While walking up the hill I dicovered the noise I was interested in was actually the daughters stomach. We should have eaten before we came down.

The next evening 3 deer ran through the yard just as I started to go down to the blind. We waited for an hour for the big gang to arrive, but they never showed.

Roll'n had to sit this one out. The first evening we were here he got to chase the deer, but they are so fast he only get of look at which direction they went and never saw them again. He did not run after them for too long.

Hope everyone is having fun this holiday season.

What kind of trees are these?

Yesterday I went for a nice long walk with Roll'n. We are in Richard's Landing for the holidays. We got on the snow machine trail and walked for a couple of hours. Made a round trip out of it, the GPS tells me we walked more then 9 km.



A very different forest here then what I see around me in Timmins. Shagbark hickory and Sugar maple are not found in the Timmins area. Other trees I know what they are but there are some that I have to collect the buds to take home to confirm what I am looking at. The forest here is mostly hardwoods, I am rusty at hardwood identification.

One other common thing seen today on my walk was the long clear rubber tubing connecting the Sugar maple. It is these lines that in the spring will carry the sap to a central location to be boiled down to maple syrup.

I have made maple syrup in the past but have used buckets to collect the sap. Don't do the boiling down in the house, it gets sticky everywhere!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday.




Picture is looking south from 16-0726484-5129082 Map It

New Video on Youtube

This is my 5th video. 1 is just Ben, the others are all millsonforestry.com related.
I shot this video last week and just finished the creation this evening.
Take a look, leave a comment!

See the video now

or paste this if the link does not work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTLaRnme1wE

Muddy Mark Goes to School

went to school the other day. My kids class was interested in how I became a Forestry Technologist.

I like to think the impression I left them with was that they had to be totally interested in what they choose to do with their future.

If you pick the correct path your job can just be an extension of yourself. Find the best part of your job and do them the most, while making the best of the parts of the job that are not your favorite.

Also very important here in Northern Ontario is to be able to speak french. I can not and I wish I could. The kids are teaching me, but they are better students then teachers!

Classmates, please leave a comment!

Going to school

I am going to my daughters class on Tuesday. I expect they will all have looked at this and be able to ask interesting questions and be able to answer questions. Important questions about the forests of Northern Ontario.

While in class I might ask questions like :
1. What is the provincial trees of Ontario and why is it important?
2. What forest products are made here in Timmins?
3. What is a better construction material, wood or steal?
4. What tree species are found in and around Timmins.
5. What is the biggest tree in Timmins?
6. What is the oldest tree in Ontario?
7. Where can you buy a piece of hollow birch bark?

Questions that might get asked of me so that you sound smart might include:
1. Do you think it is working in the outdoors that keeps you looking so good!?
2. Who cuts your hair?
3. If I make a mark on a tree at 1 meter when I am 10, how high on the tree will the mark be when I am 20?
4. If I get lost in the bush how do I know which way to keep walking, which way is north?
5. Are you afraid of bears, do you get to see any?
6. How do you get seeds for growing trees?
7. How important are trees to the carbon footprint I am creating?

Hope the class is prepared. I will be there with as much 'hands on' stuff as my dog and I can carry.

Winter WonderLand

Snow has arrived in the Great White North.

The white pine, which is the arboreal emblem of Ontario, look good with a dusting of snow.

In the background is McKeown Lake. Today Roll'n and I walked about 5 kilometers in the snow. The snow is not deep enough for snowshoes yet, but sometimes the snow is up to my knees. Roll'n needs to jump sometimes making him look like a running deer.

I do have my snowshoes in the truck with me now, just in case I need them.

Black-capped chickadees and a single woodpecker traveling together worked their way past me while they searched for food in the trees.

New Addition to Timmins Honour Role of Trees

Don Buck from OMNR has found the biggest Aspen and Tamarack trees. They have been added to the Honour Roll. These trees are the first of each species to be added, but Don and I agree the record will not stand for long.
I am sure this summer a bigger Aspen will be found.
Just a note about Poplar and Aspen. Typically, in this area, Aspen (specifically Trembling Aspen) is called Poplar, while Balsam poplar is also called Poplar (sometimes called black poplar or just Bam).

Timmins Honour Role of Trees

Tree Planting in Northern Ontario

I am over here on YouTube and there is this connection to my blog. I wonder if others can see this link when looking at the video?

This video is of tree plant last summer. If there is a tree plant next summer there will be another video. I am working on the next video about how a seed is extracted.

I will show the process of how a seed is extracted from a cone, cleaned, tested and stored.

Come spring the video on how to grow a tree seedling will be in the works. Please stay tuned.

Comments and suggestions always welcomed. Is there something you want to see or learn about? Let me know

White Cedar Strip Down to Show All

What is going on here?

I have been seeing this in young cedar over the last couple of years. Maybe I just never noticed before , but now I seem to see it a lot. Seemingly healthy young cedar are shedding their bark in strips.

In many cases the bark has been striping around the entire tree. I always thought that if the bark was removed from around the entire tree - it would die. It seems these guys are all doing pretty well.

So what makes this happen?

Will they survive?

I hope someone will be able to help.

I will continue to search for the answer when I find it I will post.

What else did I see today? Just a little snow, but most of the shallow still water if frozen. I Roll'n chase a red squirrel that I was sure was in his mouth at one point. Those little critters are fast!! He loves the chase and sure would like to do more catching.

The Red Squirrels look really healthy. Big bushy tails and lots of fur. Big and bushy I think more then normal. I wonder if this means more cold then normal?


UTM 17-0456255-5334832

Wood vs. Steel - Environmentally Friendly Building

I drive by that big honk'n steel structure every day. Over the hill behind the building sometimes I can see the steam rising from the dryer at the Domtar mill. Not only is steel more harmful to the environment in many ways more then wood, but all that steel had to be transported to the north. Shipping all that weight had a cost on the environment too.

There are many sources that discuss wood vs. steel below is just part of one of them.

Life-cycle analysis results for the steel-framed vs. wood-framed home showed that the steel-framed home used 17 percent more energy; had 26 percent more global warming potential; had 14 percent more air emissions; had over 300 percent more water emissions and had about the same level of solid waste production. Analysis results for the concrete- vs. wood-framed home showed the concrete-framed home used 16 percent more energy; had 31 percent more global warming potential; had 23 percent more air emissions; had roughly the same level of water emissions and produced 51 percent more solid waste. ( From : Evaluating the Environmental Performance of Wood Building Material)

On a much happier note I did get a chance to walk along a new logging road today. At one point a gang of chickadees came by. I was not able to get a good picture but I was able to get this poor picture of one. There must have been at least 10 of them searching for food in the cedar and birch trees.

First Snow, Silent Forest

Today things are so quite, so so quite. With the little bit of snow that is covering the trees the sounds do not travel. Even the wind is silent yet strong enough to move the trees.

The snow can not absorb the sound of the chickadees that travel past me searching every nook and cranny for food.

I love to see the big trees on the edge of their range. The black ash is an unusual sight here near Timmins, especial as big as this on is.

Soon I will be on snow shoes to get around in the boreal forest.

In mixed wood stands there is always plenty of bird habitat, nest cavities and woodpecker evidence.

White Spruce - Timmins Honour Roll of Trees

This is a big white spruce, but very short. If we were using the points system of big trees it would not a big point winner.

Growing in a very open area, as you can see from the pictures, it has branches almost down to the ground.

Visit the Timmins Honour Roll of Trees. Hope you can find a tree that will beat any of the trees listed so far.

http://www.nt.net/~gofor/HonourRoll/TimminsTreeHonourRoll.html

Record Breaker - Sunny Day

Summer is here finally!!!

It was a wonderful sunny day in the forest today. My dog and I walked about 5 km, well I walked that far and he must have ran about 10km. I only see him when we cross paths now and then. Sometimes he chases something for awhile then comes to find me to be sure I am not lost.

Heard the blue jays and chickadees. Watched 3 spruce grouse fly up into a tree and sit there watching me as I was watching them.

Pictures are super special for one reason. They all have a ray of sunshine. Even the moose poop looks interesting when shinning in the sun.

Timmins temperature record November 4th 1975 17.8C.

Yesterday we only hit 16.7C

Todays record from 1956 of 14.4C was crushed! Do not have the official high temperature but it was over 19.0C.

I wonder about tomorrow's record 1975 18.9C. The call is for only a high of 12.

Pictures are:

A moss

A pile of moose poop

A white birch growing on a rock

A hollow birch bark

How to make a white birch culvert - just wait.

Birch Bark rots at a slower rate then the wood wrapped inside. It is the wax and special chemicals in the bark. I have a link below if you want to read more.

I found this very old white birch tree, long time rotting , yet still standing at the base. I pushed it over and rolled it around a little. The bark mostly stayed intact and all the totally rotted wood fell out.

It is a natural culvert, or a great decoration piece. I hauled it back to the office and will put it up on the webstore. I know a gal who has a similar piece in her front entrance. Looks great! This one is taller and the bark more intact.

Talking about the webstore - got a call today about the bear jaw for sale on the "Muddy Mark's" part of the webstore. Turns out it is illegal ! Guess I will not be doing that again.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/specializations/environment/components/birchbark2.html

Black Ash - Timmins Honour Roll of Trees

Black Ash - This is a big one.

Amount of Carbon stored : 818 kg

It has been added to the Timmins Honour Role of Trees. If you have a tree for the Honour Roll let me know!

http://www.nt.net/~gofor/HonourRoll/TimminsTreeHonourRoll.html

It was a wonderful day, cloudy but warm for this time of the year. No birds flying south anymore. I heard blue jays, grey jays and many little busy chickadees.