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Thread: Trees took a beating from the Nor'easter

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Boston Metro West MA
    Posts
    165

    Default Trees took a beating from the Nor'easter

    Wicked Nor'easter with very wet, heavy snow took down lots of branches, toppled trees, and broke some in half. Still 30% of my town without power.

    I don't tsp that many trees. Of those, a few lost smallish branches in the canopy, a couple lost larger limbs either at the canopy, or lower down and "stripped" and tore the bark of the trunk as they came down. One multi-stemmed maple, that I haven't tapped, been waiting to deal with the poison ivy problem wrapping the tree, had one of its stems, ~12" diameter, break in half.

    Question is, what should I be thinking about this year, or preparing for next year? I'm not quite ready to go into the woods yet, as there are still broken branches can't up high in surrounding trees. I'm going to give another day or two to see if the winds with knock them down.

    On the positive side, my one tree that has been producing this season, has given me a gallon each of the last three days, and wasn't impacted at all. (My other taps still haven't produced anything.)

    Thanks.
    ~Janet

    2019 - 6th year sugarin'. 2nd year using propane. 13 taps. Just over 3/4 gal syrup. Light in color and flavor.
    Intent to build a new barrel evaporator with my son this summer. Still don't weld. We'll see how it goes.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Victor NY
    Posts
    40

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    Sorry to hear that but trees are resilient and assuming they don't actually die, the impact on your sugaring should be minimal. You will probably gain more from removing the poison ivy vines than you lost with that one big branch coming down (although the birds may not appreciate it - they love poison ivy berries). To deal with poison ivy vines I usually take a hatchet or long handled saw to cut them off near the ground, then spray a little concentrated glysophate on the cut stem. Good luck.
    Started 2010 with 50 buckets in Victor NY
    1500 sq ft sugarhouse and packaging room
    3000 sq ft visitor center with 20-C kitchen
    2.5' x 10' CDL oil-fired evaporator, CDL RO
    2021: 1500 taps on 3/16 tubing, no mechanical vacuum
    30 beehives
    Producing mead as NYS farm micro-winery
    Website: www.KettleRidgeFarm.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Potsdam in far northern New York
    Posts
    775

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    We had a legendary ice storm here in '98, and you can still pick out the damage if you look up at the crowns. Trees that were bent to the ground, and those that snapped off became firewood for the next three years. Tidy up and gather the free firewood, but don't go crazy trying to restore everything to its original condition. Damaged trees may be in a bit of shock for the first year, but they will recover and come back bigger in time.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Boston Metro West MA
    Posts
    165

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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Greer View Post
    We had a legendary ice storm here in '98, and you can still pick out the damage if you look up at the crowns. Trees that were bent to the ground, and those that snapped off became firewood for the next three years. Tidy up and gather the free firewood, but don't go crazy trying to restore everything to its original condition. Damaged trees may be in a bit of shock for the first year, but they will recover and come back bigger in time.
    The maple that crossed our drive is already in short logs waiting for the teens to move need the wood pile. I was pleased that's my baby 14" electric chainsaw was up to the task. Other trees that came down in the yard need a tree service, but, I'll also have also have it cut for wood.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kettle Ridge View Post
    Sorry to hear that but trees are resilient and assuming they don't actually die, the impact on your sugaring should be minimal. You will probably gain more from removing the poison ivy vines than you lost with that one big branch coming down (although the birds may not appreciate it - they love poison ivy berries). To deal with poison ivy vines I usually take a hatchet or long handled saw to cut them off near the ground, then spray a little concentrated glysophate on the cut stem. Good luck.
    I've had trees in the past bend to the ground and recover, not maples, as well as having had branches drop, or parts split off. Just haven't experienced it with the maples, and tapping. So thanks for the encouragement. I'm still new enough to sugarin' as we'll as having woods on my property, that I didn't have a sense of impact. With the prior storms I've just figured... it was meant to be. And, for the non-wetlands area, made use of the wood.

    Thanks for the tip, too, on the poison ivy. It "scares" me a bit and I've only dealt with the small bits I've needed to around the house. How do you deal with your tools etc., so a small not to spread the oils?

    Thanks to both for your insights.
    ~Janet

    2019 - 6th year sugarin'. 2nd year using propane. 13 taps. Just over 3/4 gal syrup. Light in color and flavor.
    Intent to build a new barrel evaporator with my son this summer. Still don't weld. We'll see how it goes.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Victor NY
    Posts
    40

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jrm View Post
    How do you deal with your tools etc., so a small not to spread the oils?
    You can wipe off the poison ivy oil with tecnu. But what I usually do is just saw or chop into an old log after I'm done with the poison ivy in order to wipe off the oil.
    Started 2010 with 50 buckets in Victor NY
    1500 sq ft sugarhouse and packaging room
    3000 sq ft visitor center with 20-C kitchen
    2.5' x 10' CDL oil-fired evaporator, CDL RO
    2021: 1500 taps on 3/16 tubing, no mechanical vacuum
    30 beehives
    Producing mead as NYS farm micro-winery
    Website: www.KettleRidgeFarm.com

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

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    I have poison ivy that is huge, some is 2 and 3" diameter vines growing up some trees. I used to be extremely allergic to it, but have now been around it enough that if I ever get it, I just get 1 or 2 blisters. Tecnu works good to remove it from you, I just use the tools on a few "clean" logs and don't worry about it. I even tap in the spaces between vines on a tree.
    A friend (who's knowledge I truly respect) once told me to put some boron on the poison ivy, it will die, poison ivy can't survive where you have Boron. I think Borax has enough Boron to work, give it a try. However, if you are organic you might not be able to use anything.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

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