Screams Of Terror In The Forest

Birds in these trees were screaming!

This forest is owned by New York State and they log their forests on a regular basis. This one hasn't been logged in this spot since we moved here in 1999. It is directly across the road from our house. So when they started their process, it became VERY noisy. I am keeping my windows closed, even though it is very hot too. I would have no problem with this, in fact, I am hoping the logging project will increase the sunlight to our solar panels in the winter. I think those trees blocked it quite a bit.

Many critters live in this forest.

My complaint is really about their method of logging now. The new modern way. It is super fast and that is why they do it that way. The trouble with that is, it does not give the critters and birds who live in this forest time to flee. They awoke yesterday singing like usual. Then a little later as the machine made its way through the forest knocking down trees in its path, the screaming started. I could not listen. There was not a thing I could do to help these little critters. I don't know how the ones on the ground would be able to survive.

Normally, a quiet spot!

Many of the birds in this forest and the ones around us, are birds who do not fly south. They gather food all year waiting for winter when they will feed on it. When you cut down trees one by one, slowly cutting them and loading the truck with them, they have more time. This type of logging is cruel to them. I guess it is like waking up in the middle of a tornado or a fire and having to run for your life. I am only thankful that most of the baby birds have been out of the nest for a long time now. The bats! You should have seen the sky with bats who had been awakened from their daily sleep by their trees being knocked over. I never saw anything like it.

"Razor Robot"

The squirrels that lived in this forest are usually quite vocal. They never come into our yard or our garden. I am sure they were busy storing food too. Of course, many will not have survived. I have seen them hop from the tops of the trees, so I hope they were able to get out too. This morning though, this forest was incredibly quiet. Kind of spooky.

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2013  Kathleen G. Lupole

Logging In The Forest

View of our homestead from the forest

Living surrounded by the state forest sounds pretty nice to most people. Most of the time it is. But there are a few things about it that are not pleasant. One of them is that the Department Of Conservation sells wood to logging companies and private citizens for firewood. Not that I mind them doing that, nope, it is just the process of them getting the wood out and transporting it.

 Across the road from our house

Many of the trees in the state forest around us are now marked with blue or orange paint to designate trees being sold to various logging companies or individuals. We do not know exactly what the marks mean. Some of the trees are very small elm trees. Not much good for firewood or lumber. Maybe they are marked to warn them not to knock them over or damage them. I know it means that it will open up the forest a bit and will allow more sunlight in to hit our solar panels. It will also be good for the trees themselves to be thinned out a bit.

 

Trees wearing the mark of blue paint!

For the most part, our road is pretty quiet after labor day, until hunting season. Then after hunting season not much traffic at all during the winter. Our road is maintained rather well. But people just don't come out this way much during that time. If we get a lot of snow, we do get snowmobilers as our road is a snowmobile trail. If they start the logging process soon or right after hunting season, that will not be the case.

 Our little traveled dirt road

The logging trucks will come in early in the morning, like 6:00 AM, and I am not kidding about that! The men will be operating big heavy equipment that goes into the forest to take the trees down. We have even seen them use a machine that works like giant scissors that cuts the tree right off. So all those heavy logging trucks, heavy equipment trailers loaded with the equipment, not to mention the loggers themselves who drive back and forth several times daily...............a lot of traffic on our small dirt road.

 Sunlight streaming into the forest

The other thing that will take some getting used to will be the noise. They will be very noisy all day. We are not used to noise out here. It is very quiet and peaceful all day. Our horses are used to it being quiet, but they will adjust quicker than we will. They will probably enjoy having something to watch all day. My cats are used to going out in those woods, but I am sure they will be wary of the loggers, and not venture out as much. If it is colder though, they will be staying inside more anyway. So we'll see what happens. Maybe I'll get some good pictures of the logging process! 

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Wordless Wednesday With Sights Around Our Homestead

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole