Tag Archives: tree farm

Controlled Burn…Managing the Family Tree Farm

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We recently did a small controlled-burn on the family tree farm. This was the first time all 3 kiddos had been out there to help at once. In this scenario I was just there to take pictures and supervise the munchkins. My Father-in-Law and Mr. Fix-It were managing the burn itself. The tree farm is a couple hundred acres of longleaf pine, mixed with some cultivated fields, a beaver pond, and hardwood edges. Longleaf pine is native to this area, but is now found in less than 5% of it’s … Continue Reading…

Being Outside at the Tree Farm All Day…the Daily Farm Adventures {120}

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We were outside all day on Saturday, doing some extended yard clean up at the tree farm and taking a family hike. Mr. Fix-It’s father, sister, and family were visiting for the day as well. It surprised me how much the kiddos have grown. I didn’t pack a ton of snacks, no changes of clothes, no extra hat and gloves…of course, we were right around the corner from home! But it’s amazing to think how far along this parenting continuum we’ve come. They each had a bottle of water, an apple, and … Continue Reading…

On the Trail of the Beaver, Part 2…the Daily Farm Adventures {112}

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So on Monday I started to share how we spent all of last weekend scrounging through the woods on the tree farm looking for beavers. They’re damaging and flooding out young pine trees–which is the main product on the tree farm. {smile} But our adventure stopped just short of finding the new beaver hut… Well, here’s what we found–not just a den, but an entire new ecosystem! There are three different dams built to create a two-tier pond system.   Of course, Coal the Cattle Dog had to immediately jump … Continue Reading…

On the Trail of the Beaver, Part 1…the Daily Farm Adventures {111}

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You might think that tree farming is about the easiest farming there is. I did at first. I mean, you’re growing pine trees, and surely they don’t need much supervising…right? Wrong. For crying out loud, sometimes it feels like growing those trees takes more work than raising our human children! {smile} You have to cut, mow, burn, plant, pray for rain…mow, cut, thin, spray…and then the predators…rabbits, mice, rats, voles, disease…apparently everything that doesn’t eat meat loves to eat trees! And now beavers. I wrote before that we’ve found some beaver damage … Continue Reading…

Sign of the Beaver…the Daily Farm Adventures {103}

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No, not the book by Elizabeth George Speare (although we like that too!). I’m talking about the real thing. Brown. Wet. Big flat tail. Makes ponds where there should be no pond. Beavers. He was here… And here… We’ve got beaver problems at the tree farm. We’re not immediately ones to campaign against the local wildlife. We try to have a live-and-let-live philosophy. We only target wildlife that is specifically damaging our resources. For example, we know there’s coyotes around here–but none have ever bothered our stock, so we don’t mind sharing … Continue Reading…

Over the River and Through the Woods…the Daily Farm Adventures {76}

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This weekend was the weekend we had planned for our Master Club hike with our church junior group (4th-6th grade)…so naturally it rained. {smile} We didn’t let a little foggy, cold, misty, rain stop us! Nope, we loaded them up on the bus and headed out! We took them to the tree farm and walked around for a couple hours talking about growing trees, forest life cycles, wildlife habitat, environmental concerns in the Chesapeake Bay, and what is means to respect the land they visit for hiking or camping. We … Continue Reading…