Fall Work

 We have been busy preparing our fall wildlife openings.  Jay and Abby have really helped me out this year with food plots and in firelanes.  This lane is next to forty acres of longleaf pines that are one year planted and fire will be run over them this winter.  We are seen some good bucks in areas that are planted in longleaf pines.  

Happiness is riding the four wheeler and playing in the branch while mom and dad are working. 

The sawtooth oaks and mountain chestnut oaks are dropping acorns now and the wildlife are really enjoying this.

The ground is covered with acorns.

There are lots of caps on the ground where the acorns have been eaten by the deer and turkeys.

Saturday we found this tree that a buck had worn out.  He had pushed the tree over and had rubbed it all over.  You can tell he has a sticker rack because his antlers really chewed the tree up.  Good one!

This is another sighting I found.  This buck had already made a scrape and broke the limb off above it.  This is really early.  I first thought it was turkey scratching but with further observation and looking at the limb above it confirmed it was a scrape.  It looks like a good season coming up!

Random Shots

Doe this morning at the lodge watching us unload supplies.  I also saw two large bucks this afternoon while checking on property.  They are enjoying the hint of fall in the air

Pawpaw pulling a cedar log out for use in the lodge construction.

The kitchen in the lodge where some of the cedar off of  Dewberry Lands has been used.

A castle I built out of wood for Selah.  She and Mattie really enjoyed playing with it.

Some baby turtles we rescued from dirt at the lodge where we were working on landscaping.

They were released at a small stream just below the lodge on Dewberry Lands. 

The top of the cell tower being installed on the land.  This is the light that will be on top.

It was finished today, 320 feet.

Surprised!

I was surprised yesterday when I checked the mail.  I had this publication in the mailbox that goes out to all Tree Farm owners in the U.S. and I always open it up and see what articles are in it and read many of them. I hastily flipped through it and there next to the last page was an article about "Keeping the Forest in the Family".........

and there was a family of five generations pictured in this publication that I knew.  There was not any mention  of our names just the article.  I thought this was so neat that we were the family they used to stress the need for our government to do what it can to help "Keep the Forest in the Family".

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It has been a busy time this summer.  There are random pictures on this post of some of the things we have been doing.  A few weeks ago we were in Nashville for the Farmers Federation Presidents Conference.  We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and got to attend the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night.  This will be my last presidents conference because I am about to complete my five year term.  This will take some of the pressure off of me for a while!  

Last weekend we were in Mobile for the Farmers Federation Commodity Conference.  We were on the forestry tour and visited Weeks Bay Estuary.  This was very interesting seeing how important this bay is to sea life.  It was amazing to me that the bay averages only 4 feet, this was brought out in the presentation when we were out on the bay in a boat.  I recommend anyone that can visit this educational site to go there and see what weeks bay has to offer for young and old.  

We learned more about cogongrass and the trouble with it.  I hope it stays in south Alabama.  There was a fire tower at the the Baldwin County Forestry Commission Office that I had to make a picture of because these are fast becoming a thing of the past.

At the conference Lisa did a tablescape promoting the Wildlife. 

This is a picture I made the other day as three planes flew over Dewberry Lands.  There was a tanker refueling two C-130's.  They changed places over the land from one being fueled to the other.  It was neat seeing this actually happening.

This is why I am behind on updating the blog.  We are building a lodge where we can spend time and have family, groups, or just a place to relax.  My goal is to add educational exhibits in the lodge to teach about nature.  We are so excited about this project.

One final note.  While working on the lodge we were able to buy SFI wood.  What is SFI certified wood?  It is the certification of the wood we grow and most all the wood in Alabama that is certified is SFI.  When you buy wood or paper look for the SFI logo that is in the picture below.  Certified Tree Farms are SFI certified.

During this busy time I was able to get a peaceful picture in our backyard after a summer shower.  I am so thankful for our forest.

Farm Bill

The Farm Bill has now passed the Senate and looks good for forestry.

Points attached:

What's the good news? The Senate's Farm Bill includes:

• Consolidated, streamlined working lands programs that make sense for forest owners
• Improved access to important conservation programs, like the Conservation Stewardship Program
• Continued support for programs that combat invasive species
• Continued support for cooperative forestry and extension programs
• Strengthened direction for the forest inventory and analysis program, which researches market and forest health trends
• A Fix to the Biobased Markets Program that allows the inclusion of forest products, strengthening markets for home-grown, American products

Information taken from American Forest Foundation Email.

American Tree Farm System® are programs of the American Forest Foundation.

Week of June 11th

Last week I had a Forestry Association Meeting that Felicia and I attended in Alex City, Alabama.  The main talk was about what came out of the State Legislature this year.  One thing that was mentioned positive was a uniform permitting system for logging operations.  This will keep some of these counties that have county commissioners that forget they work for the people from destroy jobs of the working people in their communities.
Then on Thursday I worked on roads on the property.  I shaped up water bars and turnouts to help keep erosion under control.
On Saturday morning I was asked to speak to a loggers school held here in the county.  They asked me to speak on what we are trying to do to get a pellet manufacturing facility here.  After that they asked me to share any information I had on the new permitting law with the group.  This group of people are about work and doing what is right in the forestry business.  I respect these people, of whom many I know, because they are what American should be all about.

Wildlife Are Not Hungry Here

Our corn looks good and the rain this weekend is like icing on the cake.  This is going to be the most we have made in several years. 

Most stalks have two ears on them and the rain is hitting it just right.

There were a group of young gobblers enjoying the brown-top millet above the cabin corn patch. 

The acorns on the saw-toothed oaks are growing fast.  Since everything is so much earlier this year, I wonder if they will mature and drop early. 

This is the best we can do in the sunflower and grain sorghum field.  Every sunflower plant looks like this. 

The corn down at the kudzu patch is being eaten by the deer before it can mature.  Some of these deer are going to have to be removed this year. 

More damage. 

They ate the tassel out of some of these plants and are eating the plants.  The damage they are doing here is really amazing. 

The turkeys are glad we sprayed this field.  They have several wallows or dusting spots here.