<div class="ck-content"><h3>I <span style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);">♥️</span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(15,20,25);"> </span>Spring</h3><p>Whenever someone (besides me) complains about the whether, my reply is “It's the best weather in the entire universe, every single day.”</p><p>I am out in the woods almost every day, which gives me the privilege of watching the changing seasons on a very gradual basis. So much to appreciate. I love all seasons, but I think I love spring the most. </p><p>A few days ago, I saw my first wisteria leaf. That wasn't the high point of my day. But today? My first sighting of an oak leaf. And that filled me with joy.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1rHrG96hL7A4ySe8Tr7hpRw_XzY0ZxZr0&sz=w300-h200"></div><p>There's something about oak leaves. So many varieties, so many different shapes, some with rounded lobes (white oaks), others pointy (red oaks), so…exuberant. That's how I feel about them. </p><p>It's a joyous time out there in the real world. Get out there and celebrate with our non-human friends! </p><h3>Your donations bought saws</h3><p>Last week, I expressed my joy at receiving my first donation via the Rewild Earth <a href="https://rewildearth.net">website</a>. And invited others to join in. You did! I received another $250 in donations, and immediately put half of that to very good use. Last Sunday, I had over 30 UNC students hacking down privet. And we ran out of saws. I did not like that feeling. Apparently 15 saws are not always enough. Go figure. So I ordered more, but decided to try something new. Rather than buying a fixed blade saw, which then also needs a scabbard (safety first!), I've decided to try larger folding saws. I picked <a href="https://fannosaw.com">Fanno</a>, because they have wood handles, are inexpensive, and are made in the USA. I'm going to start with 6 and then if they work out, buy more.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1XWJTnFzWMWey0PSJ81ZCldCSUBfZJtRJ&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="500" height="240"></div><p>My thanks again to my generous donors, and do feel entirely encouraged and welcome to join the party! Just go to <a href="https://rewildearth.net">https://rewildearth.net</a> and click on the Donate button. Two notes:</p><ol><li>Your donation is <i>not</i> tax-deductible.</li><li>If you'd like to skip GoFundMe entirely (and thereby avoid paying them a fee out of your donation), you can use Paypal or a check as well. Just send me an <a href="mailto:steven.feuerstein@gmail.com">email</a> and I will give you the details.</li></ol><h3>Real-Time Tree Rescue (and major privet removal)</h3><p>On Saturday, seven experienced volunteers returned to an area of dense, mature privet along Old NC 10 in the Brumley South Preserve. And they demolished it. It was incredible. Such an efficient crew! All three Katanaboys were put to use, with Tate and Libby joining the rarified ranks of the Katanaboy Healers Club (soon to be officially announced; membership card must be created).</p><p><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_Nbtrw9MdR-OVFOYmfG1tac3HebDAUu2wQJEtFf-SWqjsCxXjb86bzsSv5n9v4Mqn-MC2M4U7ZGkmZBEsarpWwmUEadfO9P_0_b13c67eArR1wuifQ7H6gbUjuk7Oh0O_bueRUQjjy2bt-Y=s0-d-e1-ft#https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1XTJarOqMNOBriMD6zabnH9O9zRyLxP9P&sz=w550-h400"></p><p>The privet didn't stand a chance. The crew quickly fanned out. Paul grabbed the Katanaboy to re-enact his previous master performance, tackling trees that would otherwise call for a chainsaw. Holly, Tate, Hema, Amelia and Libby each locked onto an area of 10-20 ft tall privets and attacked. It was wonderful to see how comfortable everyone had become with taking down such big trees, painting the stumps, and hauling the remains over to a pile.</p><p><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_Nbdl2qefWIIAAHU2Dq4d3PRCNpAcG8v60RbWZN_gdiIP4jYwBUx9OjMBmQJTvOemFkduQvHKzg1GBs_5Reu4uJo3XNR4Bw8vgEFkxD8KsHVxK2OscaLKrLbyMYINeQJIBB4b6WR8Qwqito=s0-d-e1-ft#https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1RP-TsQo2ljFuhwJukVYHoMwqYmetP9UU&sz=w600-h400"></p><p>Some of the trees were so big, it was necessary for me to bring out the big guns: an electric chainsaw. He likes to stick to human-powered tools, but sometimes you just have to opt for machine power. And to prove to my worrying, 91-year old mom that I <i>do</i> take the necessary precautions, I asked Holly snap a picture of me in the always-in-fashion, bright orange chainsaw chaps:</p><p><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NYWJ9QHFWomKOaiSiQ3Gfh4mDQGoUtk5y9SUCfeD-s9_Rd_pdlTrXu1xm0z9NJp09Ps-JHy1WoYulRtPtm5aspQCv6-eXXiXJb-1oYohxoiyG0Z3O1A12cJ63Rej23bcn-kjWTPKWvNnVs=s0-d-e1-ft#https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1oTPxUbhTeaXLTOn24oHZTl1_30yPxQ20&sz=w225-h360"></p><p>I had taken before pictures over a big swath of understory, with hopes that the group <i>might</i> be able to clear it all in the two hours. That turned out to not be a problem. In fact, at 11:50 AM, I called an end to this tree rescue - the entire area and lots beyond it had been cleared. There were no other dense concentrations of privet to be seen. Instead, there were scatterings of privet (some still quite large) that will be tackled by a “wander” on a future Saturday.</p><h4>Tree Rescue For Real</h4><p>I like to call these invasive removal events “tree rescues." First of all, because it's more inspiring to focus on the positive: saving natives, rather than killing invasives. Second, most fundamentally that's precisely what we're doing. Rescuing now and future trees. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree">Trees</a> are central to non-water based life on Earth. Saving trees is just about the most wonderful thing we can do for all the forms of life on this planet. </p><p>Still, the actual rescue isn't always clear or immediate. Dense privet means that there the next generation of native trees have not been able to grow. We remove the privet, and then the natives can get started, so we are in a way rescuing a <i>future tree.</i> Which is excellent.</p><p>Today, however, also offered a very clear demonstration of rescuing trees in real time. As everyone else was tackling the rapidly diminishing supply of privet, I decided to survey the surrounding area for future tree rescues. I noticed at a distance one tree that had a very full, even dense, spread of leaves at its crown. Those could be the leaves of the tree or…that shade of green looked like…could it be…?</p><p>I headed over there and immediately confirmed my suspicion: multiflora rose. One vine, just one, had worked its way up the young hickory and then spread out, enveloping the tree. </p><p><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NZ_tYdCyO_DlcOtKo-0dl9H8kXhWnnCQsa4WC_T_nma86mKgt-Bans0vih8FsCsF5AFR9Ps_JimgmKDtc0LArmfqGX_gknqltn7OfbhWdo07ykIrTDzCrYHjK7E813F6ASq11BkIL0U_rc=s0-d-e1-ft#https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1a6afrImd_pHjMF255Gp85Pt5qMMepJst&sz=w650-h400"></p><p>I quickly cut the vine at the base and painted it. This treatment of herbicide may not kill it entirely - in early spring, the plant is pushing resources up from the roots, so it doesn't pull as much of the herbicide down. Regardless, it'll definitely take a big hit and be weakened, and <i>for sure</i> everything <i>above </i>the cut is dead. Just doesn't know it yet.</p><p>So then it was time to see if I could experience one of those great moments of tree rescuing, when you can pull the whole, offensive, heavy mess out of the tree and <i>completely</i> liberate it (as opposed to something that will happen gradually over time). He grabbed hold of the trunk above the cut, breaking off the rose prickles (they're not true thorns, I've been <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorns,_spines,_and_prickles">informed</a>) and stepped away from the tree, pulling slowly. He soon hit a snag, no surprise: multiflora rose usually wraps itself tightly around the branches of trees it invades.</p><p>Pulling harder is <i>not</i> the solution in these moments. You could tear off a branch of the tree, which is the exact opposite of rescuing the tree (the aim being rescuing <i>all of it</i>). So I pivoted and pulled from different directions, seeing if I could ease it off and little by little it released and….<strong>yes!</strong> It came out intact, without breaking any branches.</p><p><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NbzOMPYxGK4GPHse0CPq8ylJw7v5ZhTx7JTWheJDwMFzK6IA3rBp6B_qtfXvE2nQ0R8lhyiUgK4fQIThSBDRfGf9kd-Hl1e16uR7vKv3PzRUBZQpi9zXbA_YY1hLLSnKtJnux9AcFjwJKc=s0-d-e1-ft#https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=15QJ3HUgaK-Eh4FK-3OlG2vIDe59CYaZE&sz=w300-h400"></p><p>It's hard to make out the branches of the hickory in this photo, but it was nicely spread out and there were big leaf buds all over it. So it should do very well this year.</p><p>Felt like winning the lottery.</p></div><div class="ck-content"><h4>Receive all my reports on tree rescues!</h4><p>If you'd like to get some good news about restoring native habitats delivered straight to your brain upwards of a few times a week, sign in to <a href="https://rewildearth.net">Rewild Earth</a>, click on your name in top right, then My profile. Under Communication Preferences, switch “Send reports of all events” to ON.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BeynVqu8taOGrsvi56u0mmDKuNJko22h&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="358" height="138"></div><p>Resources you might find useful:</p><ul><li><a href="https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster">Buckthorn Blasters</a>: safe, easy herbicide delivery system from the North American Invasive Species Management Association. Don't start cutting without them!</li><li><a href="https://nc-ipc.weebly.com/nc-invasive-plants.html">NC Invasive Plants list</a>: recently updated by NC-IPC, the NC Invasives Plants Council.</li><li><a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG259">Overview of different herbicides</a>: glyposphate, triclopyr and others - which should you use?</li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://triangleland.org">Triangle Land Conservancy</a>: the biggest land conservancy group in our area. </li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://ellerbecreek.org">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association</a> (Durham): a wonderful group working hard to maintain contiguous natural areas along Ellerbe Creek.</li></ul></div> |