| Forest
and Wildlife Improvement at the Long Family Farm |
| This April our
family met at our farm in Greene County,
Illinois to do some forest management with the
objective of promoting wildlife habitat.
We cut undesirable trees, made wildlife
openings, and planted bare root seedlings. Below
are pictures of the weekend. |
Above are some of the openings we created,
cutting mostly sliver maple and box elder.
The objective was to provide cover for deer,
promote oak regeneration, and to increase forest
diversity. |
This tree was girdled instead of cut down.
It will provide food and shelter for insects,
birds, and small mammals |
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Trent girdles a box elder, making a great
wildlife tree. This tree is larger than
the tree above, giving it better potential to
become a wildlife den. |
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Chris and Trent discuss chainsaw safety and
techniques before Trent starts clearing the
area. They covered saw inspection, proper
starting, the dangers and avoidance of kickback,
and tree felling. |
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Trent makes his face cut. |
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And then the back cut. |
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SOME, hanging and and having fun in the woods. |
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Dad's project included
grading and seeding to improve drainage and
camping. |
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It was only in the 70's on this day, but the
first hot spring days feel just as hot as a good
summer day.
Mike cools down and takes a
drink after the chain saw work. |
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Here is Julia planting bare root seedlings with
the dibble bar. |
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Julia and Kathy work together planting bare
roots. |
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Chris and Nathan head to another area to plant
some more bare root trees. |
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| Below Nathan
takes a tree from his tree bag and sticks it in
the ground. |
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| While Chris uses
the hoedad to plant the trees. |
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Grandpa and Amelia spending some time together,
playing in the dirt. |
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