[NatureNS] Forest soil improvement

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Dear All,
     In the winter of about 1942-43, when dad was just back from overseas=
=20
with a hernia and medical discharge, he started cutting firewood in an=20
area now still in woodland with the intent to break it for farmland. He=20
cut what he could with an axe and I went down after school and on=20
Saturdays to work one end of the crosscut saw. At my urging he reserved=20
about 2 acres of this as woodland.  The SE 3/4 of this is former=20
farmland on which tree growth was and still is impressive. We=20
selectively cut White Pine that winter using horse and snig road. A=20
brother cut everything worth cutting and extracted logs by tractor and=20
bunt in about 1954 and I had it selectively logged in 2002 and again in=20
2017 so the remaining trees could grow well.
     And after being logged four times since 1942 there is still a fairly=
=20
dense stand of Pine there as well as a smattering of mostly young=20
hardwood and a dense windbreak along the exposed south side.
     It has gradually dawned on me that the combination of Cornwallis=20
Sandy loam for deep rooting, upper profile disturbance (cleared at some=20
point in the past) and intensive management may explain this impressive=20
productivity.
     [By way of background this patch, and much more, was woodland when=20
Grandfather Webster, born 1854 hunted there when young because he told=20
dad how surprised he was to find, in woods, remnants of a sled road=20
which led to a small clearing with a very large apple tree on the south=20
side. So that upper profile disturbance goes back to at least 1820. That=20
clearing {a dooryard} was still there in 1939 and the apple tree remains=20
were then becoming soil.]

     By way of contrast the very good Morristown Loam soil at North=20
Alton, when limited by bonsai profile conditions, can take 50 years to=20
grow a runt spruce of zero DBH.

      Consequently I have become a fan of forest soil improvement/ upper=20
profile disturbance with priority given to sites where most improvement=20
at minimum risk/cost can be expected.
Happy New Year
yt, DW, Kentville

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<body>Dear All,<div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 In the winter of about 1942-43, when dad=
 was just back from overseas with a hernia and medical discharge, he started =
cutting firewood in an area now still in woodland with the intent to break =
it for farmland. He cut what he could with an axe and I went down after sc=
hool and on Saturdays to work one end of the crosscut saw. At my urging he=
 reserved about 2 acres of this as woodland.=C2=A0 The SE 3/4 of this is for=
mer farmland on which tree growth was and still is impressive. We selective=
ly cut White Pine that winter using horse and snig road. A brother cut ever=
ything worth cutting and extracted logs by tractor and bunt in about 1954 a=
nd I had it selectively logged in 2002 and again in 2017 so the remaining t=
rees could grow well. <br />=C2=A0 =C2=A0 And after being logged four times =
since 1942 there is still a fairly dense stand of Pine there as well as a=
 smattering of mostly young hardwood and a dense windbreak along the exposed =
south side.<br />=C2=A0 =C2=A0 It has gradually dawned on me that the comb=
ination of Cornwallis Sandy loam for deep rooting, upper profile disturbanc=
e (cleared at some point in the past) and intensive management may explain=
 this impressive productivity.<br />=C2=A0 =C2=A0 [By way of background this =
patch, and much more, was woodland when Grandfather Webster, born 1854 hun=
ted there when young because he told dad how surprised he was to find, in w=
oods, remnants of a sled road which led to a small clearing with a very lar=
ge apple tree on the south side. So that upper profile disturbance goes bac=
k to at least 1820. That clearing {a dooryard} was still there in 1939 and=
 the apple tree remains were then becoming soil.]<br /><br />=C2=A0 =C2=A0 B=
y way of contrast the very good Morristown Loam soil at North Alton, when l=
imited by bonsai profile conditions, can take 50 years to grow a runt spruc=
e of zero DBH.<br /><br />=C2=A0=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Consequently I have become a=
 fan of forest soil improvement/ upper profile disturbance with priority giv=
en to sites where most improvement at minimum risk/cost can be expected.=C2=
=A0</div><div>Happy New Year</div><div>yt, DW, Kentville<br />=C2=A0</div><=
/body></html>
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