Roads & Summer Plots Doing Well

The brown-top millet is coming along.  Nathan and I just added the nitrogen so we are hoping for rain.  Thankfully it is in the forecast for this week.  The education seminar is scheduled for August 27th so it should look good by then.

The largest of our summer food plots is looking great.  In one month they have really produced thanks to all of the rain.  The deer are working these and they are getting about 17 to 21% protein.  Will this have an effect on the rack sizes next year?  Only time will tell.

Summer Plots Are Great

We have always wanted the bottoms planted in summer crops and this year we have been able to accomplish that with help from Nathan (son), Jay and Abby (daughter and son-in-law).  This is the field I want to hunt  this fall and winter. 

This field, well fertilized, is planted in soybeans, grain sorghum, and sunflowers.  The deer are starting to use it and the bucks are getting protein like they have never before.  It is going to be an interesting year seeing if this higher nutritional level will have and effect on the deer herd. 

This field at the kudzu patch is about an acre and a half and it is planted in chufa, brown-top millet, sunflowers and some soybeans but the deer have eaten most of the soybeans and sunflowers already.  In the background the corn is looking good with all this rain we are having.

Last year was the worst food plots for wildlife we had ever had, this year we are going to have the best!

This has not just happened, it has taken a lot of money, time and good rain fall.

Forest Roads Project

We have the forest roads project underway.  Thanks to the U.S. Forestry Service for their expertise in putting this practice in for the demonstration to be held this fall. 

Now the task of planting summer grass where all the sol has been disturbed is next on he agenda.

This is a join project between the US Forest Service, NRCS, Alabama Farmers Federation, Clay County Forestry Planning Committee, Alabama Tree Farm Committee and the Alabama Treasure Forest Association.

There will be more post on this project coming.

Why We Manage

 Look at these two pictures.

Both were made on the same day.  Which stand is seven years older than the other one? The older one has never been thinned or had a fire run through it.  The younger stand is fourteen years old and has had wood sold off as chips at ten and now at fifteen they are thinned again with some chip-n-saw but mostly pulpwood.

The bigger the tree the more valuable and the more management the better aesthetics.

By now you can guess which is older, the small trees that have not been managed, seen in the top picture.

Four New Wildflowers Added

I have added four new wildflower pictures to "Wildflowers".

Ground Cedar, Horse-Nettle, Oakleaf Hydrangea, and Venus Looking Glass

This makes 102 different wildflowers I have identified on Dewberry Lands.

Classroom in the Forest 2014

This year we, along with our forest planning committee, decided to have all fifth graders from our county attend our "Classroom in the Forest".  This was a two day event where we had about two hundred students from Lineville Elementary,  Ashland Elementary, Clay County Christian School, and First Assembly Christian School along with their teachers and a few parents.  The two days were great!  It is always a pleasure to share our forest with others that might not have the opportunity to GET OUT IN THE WOODS.

Feeding the catfish and watching the dragonflies catch other insects is always fun.

The hike through the forest is always fun.  This year one group saw three deer watching us as we moved alone the trail.

The last thing we do is have lunch on the ground.  Nothing like a picnic!

This event would not be possible if it were not for the many great volunteers we have on or local Forestry Planning/Treasure Forest Committee.

This is the best part of the day, when we see the last bus departs and we thank GOD for giving safety to all and knowing that maybe we have helped make a difference in the lives of these young people.

Tree Farm Assessment

Last Friday we had visitors to our property: Karen Boyd, a forester and the State Tree Farm Director, Tim Browning, a forester with the Alabama Forestry Commission and a State Tree Farm Committee member, Joann Cox, contract auditor with Price Waterhouse and Coopers and a forester, Nic Jordan, behind the camera and Clay County Forestry Commission ranger.  Joann was here to look at our forest management plan and review our property to see if we were following the standards for Tree Farm Certification.  This assessment allows us to sell certified wood from our property that is sustainable.  

Our assessment turned out well.  The assessor was very pleased with what we are doing on our property.  She gave us some of the best complements a Tree Farm owner could wish for.  She was very impressed with our outreach efforts to educate others about sustainable forest management.

They liked our signs and wanted a picture in front of them.