Black locust is one of the most rot resistant woods native to North America.  Straight black locust posts and poles are in demand by grape and hop growers, and organic farmers who wish to fence in livestock or fence out deer.  The heartwood of locust trees is the most resistant to decay so larger diameter material will be the longest lasting. 

NYS-DEC considers black locust to be invasive and there are restrictions on planting black locust in certain areas of NYS.  Before considering…

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Ticked Off

The downside of nice weather is that ticks like it too. Blackflies and mosquitoes can take the fun out of a day of hiking or gardening, but a single deer tick can ruin a whole summer if it transmits Lyme or other serious disease. Fortunately, there’s a relatively new tool in the battle against deer ticks: mice.

As recently as fifteen years ago in northern NY state it was rare to find a single black-legged tick, commonly known as a deer tick, on your person even after…

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What is an Arbor, Anyway?



Muskrat Day. Velcro Appreciation Month. Hair Follicle Hygiene Week. Arbor Day. You know it’s an obscure event when the greeting-card trade hasn’t bothered to capitalize on it. I like to think the industry knows Arbor Day is worthy of a Hallmark line, but that they’ve decided to honor its spirit by conserving paper. (C’mon, it’s possible.) While not the best-known observance, Arbor Day has a respectable history, as well as a local… Continue

Theory of Language

I’m amazed how communication, more complex than a spider web and far more fragile, actually seems to work from time to time. Even among those who share a common tongue, each has an internal dictionary, none of which entirely agrees with the next person’s. My wife is francophone, which adds a layer of complexity to the challenge of sharing ideas in a relationship.

But an even bigger issue can arise when folks fail to notice they’re speaking different…

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Nuts are good for your health; they are truly super foods.  Like anything else worthwhile they do require a bit of work to grow, harvest and make use of.  However, doing so can be rewarding and is a way to add some healthy, locally grown food to your diet.  The best adapted nut species for NYS are black walnuts, butternuts, chestnuts (depending on your hardiness zone,) hazelnuts, and shagbark hickories.

Hazelnuts are easy to grow and come into production in roughly 4 to 5 years…

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Dean:  "David, how many logs are left on the landing?"  David:  "Only a few.  I think there are 4 or 5 face cords.  An easy day." 

Eleven face cords later, and the team is still ready for more!

When our partners at Wagner Hardwoods deliver logs, they do it very carefully and stack the pile well off the ground on "stringer" logs so that there is plenty of room for air to flow.  In addition, having the logs off the ground keeps them clean and dry and makes it easy…

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