If today's installment of Something Wild fell to my NH Audubon cohorts, it would be easy to feature our national symbol, the Bald Eagle--perfect for patriotic Fourth of July! Instead, "NH Forest Guy" wracks his brain to make a tree connection to our nation's birthday.
Today is the last lengthening day of the year. Tomorrow - Summer Solstice - is the first full day of summer. Hooray! In that sense, today is the "end of the beginning" while tomorrow marks the "beginning of the end."
“Senescent” comes from “senile” – the aging process. The word is disconcerting as we prepare for the summer wedding of my eldest daughter. She wants to start her family… becoming a grandfather is now inevitable. It’s shocking.
Spring blossoms of our largest plants - woody trees - are small and inconspicuous. Trees flower early - before leaves emerge. While showy wildflowers on the forest floor rely on specialized insect pollinators, forest trees do not.
Daylight floods a rural NH valley. A rooster crows in the village. The morning songbird chorus features mourning doves, red-wing blackbirds, a cardinal. The symphony will soon swell with grouse drumming, wood thrush flutes and a crescendo of warbler songs.
WALKING in New Hampshire woods, I'm usually looking up and looking out. Tall trees, flitting birds overhead and the possibility of dozing deer or a bounding bear keep my chin up.
Timber harvesting is regulated by the State of New Hampshire. If you think there are issues with an operation you can call one of the Division of Forests and Lands Forest Rangers. Numbers for the Forest Rangers are available on line at the Division of Forests and Lands, just follow this link.
The Forest Society doesn't make recommendations on who you should employ. Instead, we would prefer you visit with the UNH Cooperative Extention Forestry Educator (County Forester) active in your county. For a list of County Foresters, visit this page on the UNH Cooperative Extension website.
