What Makes a Forest Healthy?

What Makes a Forest Healthy?

Landowners always ask me is: “is my forest healthy?” While this seems like it should warrant a simple “yes” or “no” answer, the question almost always makes me pause, my eyes glazing over. Like many parts of our world, the deeper we dig into forests the less clear things become and judging if a forest is “healthy” or not is profoundly complex.

Inevitably, EAB arrives in Chittenden County

Inevitably, EAB arrives in Chittenden County

On the morning of Oct. 21, I got the call I have been expecting and dreading. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been detected for the first time in Chittenden County. State forestry officials positively identified characteristic serpentine EAB larval galleries below the bark of infested trees on private property in Richmond.

The mystery of mast years comes from tree communication

The mystery of mast years comes from tree communication

If you’ve been walking through the woods this late summer, you’ve probably noticed acorns in the treetops, hanging from low branches, littering the ground. Acorns, the fruit of oak trees, are the most visible of our tree seeds, but they’re just one example of “mast.”

A regeneration story

A regeneration story

Believe it or not, every big tree was once a little tree and, before that, a seed. Yes, those massive trunks and branches that took decades or centuries to grow were once acorns lying on the ground or aspen seeds blowing in the wind. While we value our big trees, we often forget the small trees and seeds we see today are what will become the massive maples and oaks that our great-grandchildren will admire. 

Into the Woods: What is Silviculture?

Into the Woods: What is Silviculture?

When I tell someone that I am a forester, their response is usually “great!” This is generally followed by a brief pause, and then, “What does that mean?” We foresters are confused with loggers, park rangers and arborists, in addition to many other professions. What defines a forester is that we practice “forestry,” the management of forested ecosystems.