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Checking out timber in late summer

Started by chain, August 16, 2012, 07:27:48 AM

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chain

Always like to walk over our timber in August, do some squirrel hunting and a good time to see how the timber is fairing in this year's drought. Our timber is surrounded by pastures on the west side, pastures are tinder-box dry and a west wind cut my little cruise short.

The squirrels have riddled the hickories early and have gone to other parts, the woods very quiet. We had thinned five year ago, mostly red & black oak, and where we missed or left them most of those are dead. The white oak, Sl pine, and hickories seem to be doing well at this point but understory trees and shrubs do show considerable wilting.

By 10:00 a.m. the wind had come up from the west/southwest, although the neighbors have done a commendable job of preventing wildfires, I realized that I was in a potentially dangerous situation if a fire did break out down in the pastures. I left out for a better time. :-\

thecfarm

Scary when you can't even enjoy a walk in the woods because it is so dry.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Magicman

I have most of my trails open, so it is very soothing to be able to spend some time in the woods, just spending time.  :)
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Autocar

A man can collect his thoughts not a better place to spend your time  ;) .
Bill

chain

I was also doing a bit of prospecting, checking out the various rocks in the ravines with my mechanic's magnet. Our Dad had told us back when they had the property surveyed [1950], the surveyor had said he had trouble with his compass holding true as he thought there was iron ore in the ground.

Didn't make it up that far to the highrock glade, next time I will also bring my compass. Interesting though, is the rock formations  on the edge of the glade.... out-croppings of sandstone 'cliffs' with weathered lines, and just adjacent to the sandstone is a up-lifting of granite type boulders, a few really large, had at one time or another rolled or slid down from the upper rock shelf. Geologists estimate these old glades to be 300 millions years old, suggesting also the seas once covered these hills! The glades look somewhat like the desert southwest, a few small cactus, indian grass, bluestem, and various plains-type legumes and flowers, that somehow grow in very shallow and sparse soil among the solid rock.

Rocky_Ranger

Heck Chain, you got a career as a writer.....  That was very well written and interesting to boot!  Where about's in Missouri are you located?
RETIRED!

chain

Aw..shucks Rocky, but thanks for the compliment ! My only claim to fame was, I entered a 'outdoor short-story' contest and won a free subscription to a newspaper for a month! :D

The story was a true hunting story about a grey fox and how the fox came up and touched the end of my gun barrel with his nose when I was calling a turkey. He did his 'coup' on me.  I was astounded by the brave little creature, the little fox just looked at me and trotted on down the ridge!

I was born in Iron county, Mo. [St. Francis mountains] just west of our timber farm. I've spent nearly my whole life in the delta of SEMO farming though, think that's why I love the hills so much.

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