Reaching Out

Moving here has been a leap of faith. That fact is evident every day. The learning curve is steep. Sometimes we seem to be looking up a cliff. We really want to live sustainably and we want to restore the land. What that means is not particularly clear. So we are reaching out.

We feel deeply blessed we live in a state where many people value both land and wildlife. We also feel deeply blessed to live in a time period when these interests and issues are much more in the forefront. We are further deeply blessed by the fact that Richard has made a career of wildlife management and restoration work; it has been primarily on the prairie region of the Northern Plains. While the specific practices are different, the principles are often much the same. That means many resources are available to help us along our journey. We are not alone.

Yvette Amerman, Resource Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), visited with us March 26. We walked about the farm, keenly paying attention to her eye on things that we have not yet seen. We listened attentively toward her suggestions as to what we might do.

This is long term. Shifts will not happen overnight. Some insights that she passed along which were particularly helpful were:

• Baby Oaks need full sun.
• Highway 36 (20 some miles south of here) is the line for Pecans. (I don't know how Pecans know a Highway is a line, but I guess they do.) We do have Pecans in our bundles of trees. We may or may not be successful. We should plant them in protected areas.
• We have beautiful 10 year old White Pines which the Kerby's (the previous owners) proudly planted along the drive. Richard did order more, so we have more to plant. They really are beautiful. Ivette cautioned us to not rely too heavily on these trees. They may be beginning to crash. We should be a little more diverse in our planting particularly in the screen along the drive. We should also give consideration to the fact that Deer have a special appetite for these trees.
• Those with knowledge of Northeast Missouri as a prairie region would conclude that today we have way too many trees.
• Trees were "slicked off" about 1900. (I remember when we were in the North Country, similar stories were told of the Minnesota North Woods.) That explains the stumps and the tightness of the groves of trees especially in the southwest section of the Farm. Some of the Oaks in the far southwest corner are experiencing "Oak Wilt". The trees are too tight, leaving them susceptible to this disease which kills trees very quickly.
• We need to get the forest healthier.
• Yvette put us onto a Poison Ivy extract "Oral Ivy", a homeopathic remedy. We shall be researching this.
• She helped us to think about planting trees according to their unique needs.
• We will be removing most of the Honey Locusts, which are very thorny. Plus we will be taking out Autumn Olives, which were introduced for wildlife habitat by the MDC in the 1970s. This practice, while well meaning, has been common in our culture. The full consequences of introduction were not known at that time.
• The presence of "thorny" trees and shrubs are markers for overgrazing. Cattle give a wide berth to such things. As a result, thorny trees and shrubs in pastures flourish.
• Every bit of land that could have been farmed earlier, was.
• Coming from a land of few trees (North Dakota), we 3 Crawfords love trees and hadn't even considered the fact we would need to cut some. We had also not considered some of the trees would have a market: the Maples which are overgrown and Hedge Apples (Osage Orange). Sale has never been are priority. Yet, this could help with other costs on the Farm. Plus, some of these may have multiple uses for us right here.
• Pathways through the woods which have a good cover of Oak leaves should not need to be mulched or covered for protection from erosion.
• We have Post Oak, Pin Oak, and Shingle Oak on the property. We have ordered from the MDC: Black Oak, Red Oak, White Oak, and Burr Oak. We have also ordered Shellbark Hickories and Walnuts, all in an effort to provide greater diversity and long term stability. We also have added a variety of small trees and shrubs such as Hazelnuts, Wild Plum, Elderberry, Juneberries (also known as Serviceberries, Saskatoon Berries) and others to provide a greater diversity for wildlife and to provide cover for the land. Plus we intend to use the wonderful gifts of these trees for many of our own purposes as well. You can figure out those varieties.
• When we plant trees, we should plant heavier than the desired end result. Some of the trees and shrubs will make it. Others won't. We will need to thin as they grow.
• We are looking for information regarding the land at earlier stages. She suggested that we check out the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) for old aerial photos. The USGS (US Geological Survey) in Rolla may have old photos. Since this was a Centennial Farm, records of the historic uses of the land may be on file.
• We should watch for upcoming workshops. She and Jennifer Schutter will be presenting on diseases and insects of trees, including orchard trees, in May.

In a relatively short period, Ivette gave us a lot to chew on and we are very grateful. We will be considering priorities. Further, we will be taking baby steps through all of it. We will go one step at a time. What an adventure!

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Photo above: Melanie, Yvette and Richard look out over the land, while I take position for yet another photo op.