Tree Farmer - May/June 2009 - (Page 26)

By easley PAul Degrees for Tree Farmers You get the idea: If someone goes to town to get a loaf of bread, the population could drop to zip. It was a chilly day and when we got there everyone was huddled up in Dan’s cabin with a fire going. The camaraderie is a big part of these events, but today the formal schedule called for us to learn about: • Bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard control • Tree felling, backing, and skidding • Chainsaw maintenance and sharpening • Waterbars and erosion control • Tree identification • Preparing wood blanks for making bowls on a lathe The first task was walking up a steep hill to get to the demonstration site. That will warm you up on a chilly day! Dan had chosen a site for tree identification and a discussion on garlic mustard and bush honeysuckle, both of which are nasty, invasive weeds. Once these two get hold of your woodlot, you are destined to have your spring wildflowers choked out. Control of mustard and honeysuckle begins with a heck of a lot of work. Cutting, burning, pulling, and finally spraying with herbicide will help knock it down to some degree. Smaller infestations should be detected and pulled by hand. If the ground has some moisture, it is easy to get all of the plant. Do not throw it down! Remove all of the plant from your woods, as seed ripening will continue even after the plant is pulled. We have both of these as well as Japanese honeysuckle vine on our farm. It is nearly impossible to completely eradicate. Continuous mowing is all but impossible, so the next steps are repeated burns and herbicide. These plants continue to grow long after the natural vegetation dies back, and they are the first ones to get going in the spring. This will give you an opportunity to use an herbicide The 1990 Illinois Tree Farmers of the Year Paul and Kathy Easley own and manage Oak Leaf Wood ‘n’ Supplies, 210 N. Main St., Moweaqua, IL 62550; . Free tools & techniques 26 Tree Farm field day workshops are absolutely the best educational tool that we can get, and they are generally free. it does not matter how well educated you are, you will find something interesting. Generally, it will be a new or different way to do a particular job. There is nothing like hands-on experience. if you have not participated in a Tree Farm event in your area, i would encourage you to get involved and do so. If it were not for us attending our first Tree Farm field day many years ago, it is unlikely we would have had a very successful wood business. It is the willingness of others to share their ideas that make these events so great. Many times I have been asked where I received my education in forestry and wood. There was no school or college — 95 percent of the education Kathy and I have gained has been on the ground with our boots on. We have been to hundreds of field events like this, and after all these years it is still fun to go see what others are doing. And we always go home with new ideas. Last fall we attended the Illinois Forestry Association workshop at Hillview, Illinois. I was excited about this workshop since it was hosted by Dan Schmoker on his Tree Farm. Dan has been a great Tree Farm friend for many years, and I have always enjoyed his valuable input. Dan’s farm is in a remote area just east of the Illinois River, surrounded by small communities with names such as Beecreek, Pearl, and Haypress, some of which I am not sure you can get to from here. Tree Farmer MAY/JUNE 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - May/June 2009

Tree Farmer - May/June 2009
Contents
Cover Story - Farm Bill: What’s In It for You
Tree Farm: People Are Our Greatest Asset
2008 Western Regional Tree Farmer of the Year
Taxing Issues
Wildlife Matters
Tools & Techniques
Sharing Your Experience
Gadgets & Gear

Tree Farmer - May/June 2009