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I thought This would be a good thread since so many of us are from "away".
I myself have chosen Maine for many reasons
4 seasons, (It's not christmas without snow!), the mountians, ocean, rivers, forests. From the research I have done DH and my pay will be the approx. same and cost of living seems cheaper. Education is better, crime is lower, cities are smaller so, traffic should be less. I could go on.
So what am I doing about it. My goal is to be in Maine by the time my baby (18 monthes) starts kindergarten. Yeah, it;s a long time but, the house needs work and the market sucks in Omaha right now. I plan to make a trip to the Bangor area next Oct. to check things out such as the schools, possible places of employment, as well as seeing what the bangor area has to offer. DH thinks the move is too far away but, if I have a well planned trip I think I can change his mind, he does love lobster
I may have drank too much tonite, this post is rambling
We did try 'homesteading' or farming once while supporting ourselves through college. It was horrible. It was after I had done six years in the Navy, we learned that to operate a small farm requires an outside source of income. When my GI bill was close to running out, we saw that even with both of us doing minimum wage we would really be scrapping by. So I went back into the Navy. Everywhere that I have been stationed, we have shopped around looking for possible farm land to settle on.
Somewhere that I could retire to. DW is from Ct and she really wanted to stay close to New England. We have owned homes in Ca, and Wa, and we have done a lot of looking at land in Wa, Idaho, Oregon, Ca, and Nevada.
We have lived briefly in Florida and Georgia [in the US], but neither of us liked those areas.
We really loved living in Scotland, that was great! such a wonderful culture and a great land. But to have kept the house there would have meant that I needed a corporate job. When it really came down to it, I just do not want to work in a suit and tie job until I am an old man. So we sold the house in Scotland.
After years of looking and dreaming, I was finally on my last tour of duty, we were living in Italy, when we felt that we had to finally make a decision.
Neither of us had never been to Maine. We did a lot of reading about Maine on the WWW. And in the end we made the decision based on articles from a few magazines about the depressed economy.
I really expected there to be much more Agriculture in Maine. So much empty land, huge lot sizes. In Wa the forests are 'farmed'. When a woodlot is timbered, by law they must re-plant with two years. They schedule right then what year the next harvest will be. But here they let nature take it's course, if timber trees grow then great. It junk trees grow then every few years they walk through and cut down the unwanted trees. Hoping that the proper species of trees will grow in their places by nature. I have attended a number of 'forestry management' classes now, and I am amazed that any of these guys can make a living. This land should all be getting harvested every twenty years, like clockwork, the mills would all be running full steam. Alas everyone would be employed and the state would develop, which would mean that the forests would be gone.
Once I retired, we returned stateside to our home in Ct, and then I began making 1 week long trips up to Maine to shop for land.
I had to visit Cutler, having heard so much about that base during my career. What a desolate tundra-like place. Ouch. A big base though, and a good source of corporate tech jobs.
I still get my pension checks cut in Cleveland, so I have not had any reason to visit Limestone.
People here are very friendly. And they act like it gets far colder than it really does.
We did try 'homesteading' or farming once while supporting ourselves through college. It was horrible. It was after I had done six years in the Navy, we learned that to operate a small farm requires an outside source of income. When my GI bill was close to running out, we saw that even with both of us doing minimum wage we would really be scrapping by. So I went back into the Navy. Everywhere that I have been stationed, we have shopped around looking for possible farm land to settle on.
Somewhere that I could retire to. DW is from Ct and she really wanted to stay close to New England. We have owned homes in Ca, and Wa, and we have done a lot of looking at land in Wa, Idaho, Oregon, Ca, and Nevada.
We have lived briefly in Florida and Georgia [in the US], but neither of us liked those areas.
We really loved living in Scotland, that was great! such a wonderful culture and a great land. But to have kept the house there would have meant that I needed a corporate job. When it really came down to it, I just do not want to work in a suit and tie job until I am an old man. So we sold the house in Scotland.
After years of looking and dreaming, I was finally on my last tour of duty, we were living in Italy, when we felt that we had to finally make a decision.
Neither of us had never been to Maine. We did a lot of reading about Maine on the WWW. And in the end we made the decision based on articles from a few magazines about the depressed economy.
I really expected there to be much more Agriculture in Maine. So much empty land, huge lot sizes. In Wa the forests are 'farmed'. When a woodlot is timbered, by law they must re-plant with two years. They schedule right then what year the next harvest will be. But here they let nature take it's course, if timber trees grow then great. It junk trees grow then every few years they walk through and cut down the unwanted trees. Hoping that the proper species of trees will grow in their places by nature. I have attended a number of 'forestry management' classes now, and I am amazed that any of these guys can make a living. This land should all be getting harvested every twenty years, like clockwork, the mills would all be running full steam. Alas everyone would be employed and the state would develop, which would mean that the forests would be gone.
Once I retired, we returned stateside to our home in Ct, and then I began making 1 week long trips up to Maine to shop for land.
I had to visit Cutler, having heard so much about that base during my career. What a desolate tundra-like place. Ouch. A big base though, and a good source of corporate tech jobs.
I still get my pension checks cut in Cleveland, so I have not had any reason to visit Limestone.
People here are very friendly. And they act like it gets far colder than it really does.
Interesting story!
Maine was heavily agricultural at one time. Just observe all of the field pine and field birch in your travels. We owned a farm in a very rural town once that had been the hub of a spool mill before the white birch ran out. I have photos of massive fields where the trees are grown up now.
The farm migration started, partially after the Civil War and especially after the First World War in New England. The boys in the trenched came back with stories about tilling fields for days with nary a rock to pick up, from the guys in the Midwest.
The mainstay of the forest industry was the King's Pine and then pulp. For quite a while, they would even spray herbicides to kill the hardwood. There are lots of plantation trees up north, mostly white spruce and scotch pine, as they are better for pulp. The commercial, initial thinning about every 14 years is done by migrant workers with brush saws now. The commercial thinning is done in a lot of smaller scale operations these days. Gone are the days of the massive clear cutting operations.
An interesting side note is the spruce bud worm. It reared its ugly head in the 70's. This led to massive deforestation up north to rid the tree population of the pest and harvest as much usable wood as they could. Vast expanses of softwood were harvested for years and the place looked like a moonscape in places. This is also a theory as to the boom in the moose population. As deer need dense cover for survival, the moose loved the availability of second year growth in the clearcuts.
The bottom line. I think, is that for the most part, this is the way re-forestation is done in Maine. There is no point in replanting every cut, because there is enough of the pulp tree growing from natural seed.
Maine was heavily agricultural at one time. Just observe all of the field pine and field birch in your travels. We owned a farm in a very rural town once that had been the hub of a spool mill before the white birch ran out. I have photos of massive fields where the trees are grown up now.
The farm migration started, partially after the Civil War and especially after the First World War in New England. The boys in the trenched came back with stories about tilling fields for days with nary a rock to pick up, from the guys in the Midwest.
The mainstay of the forest industry was the King's Pine and then pulp. For quite a while, they would even spray herbicides to kill the hardwood. There are lots of plantation trees up north, mostly white spruce and scotch pine, as they are better for pulp. The commercial, initial thinning about every 14 years is done by migrant workers with brush saws now. The commercial thinning is done in a lot of smaller scale operations these days. Gone are the days of the massive clear cutting operations.
An interesting side note is the spruce bud worm. It reared its ugly head in the 70's. This led to massive deforestation up north to rid the tree population of the pest and harvest as much usable wood as they could. Vast expanses of softwood were harvested for years and the place looked like a moonscape in places. This is also a theory as to the boom in the moose population. As deer need dense cover for survival, the moose loved the availability of second year growth in the clearcuts.
The bottom line. I think, is that for the most part, this is the way re-forestation is done in Maine. There is no point in replanting every cut, because there is enough of the pulp tree growing from natural seed.
Just my take on the matter...
Fascinating information on the history of foresting in Maine. I had no idea that the spruce bud worm was so instrumental in the deforestation tendencies and techniques of the 1970 -80's.
Who knows, maybe that is indeed the reason for the uptick in the moose population.
Maine was heavily agricultural at one time. Just observe all of the field pine and field birch in your travels. We owned a farm in a very rural town once that had been the hub of a spool mill before the white birch ran out. I have photos of massive fields where the trees are grown up now.
The farm migration started, partially after the Civil War and especially after the First World War in New England. The boys in the trenched came back with stories about tilling fields for days with nary a rock to pick up, from the guys in the Midwest.
The mainstay of the forest industry was the King's Pine and then pulp. For quite a while, they would even spray herbicides to kill the hardwood. There are lots of plantation trees up north, mostly white spruce and scotch pine, as they are better for pulp. The commercial, initial thinning about every 14 years is done by migrant workers with brush saws now. The commercial thinning is done in a lot of smaller scale operations these days. Gone are the days of the massive clear cutting operations.
An interesting side note is the spruce bud worm. It reared its ugly head in the 70's. This led to massive deforestation up north to rid the tree population of the pest and harvest as much usable wood as they could. Vast expanses of softwood were harvested for years and the place looked like a moonscape in places. This is also a theory as to the boom in the moose population. As deer need dense cover for survival, the moose loved the availability of second year growth in the clearcuts.
The bottom line. I think, is that for the most part, this is the way re-forestation is done in Maine. There is no point in replanting every cut, because there is enough of the pulp tree growing from natural seed.
Just my take on the matter...
I know, I have attended workshops on woodlot management here in Maine. I have a hired forester to advise me and I have my 'management plan'.
We also have about 50 acres [on my SIL's land] that was sprayed with defoliant three years back, a huge stand of dead wood. A very efficient operation! In another forty years we may have decent trees coming up through that to replace the hardwood that was killed. Or not. As you stated it is all up to nature now, and they will jsut keep killign the trees each decade unitl the 'right trees do come up. Very efficient, in other places they would have replanted and in twenty years harvested timber. But this way, we only have to wait three - four times longer and we get harvest worth far less money. Very efficient indeed.
I know, I have attended workshops on woodlot management here in Maine. I have a hired forester to advise me and I have my 'management plan'.
We also have about 50 acres [on my SIL's land] that was sprayed with defoliant three years back, a huge stand of dead wood. A very efficient operation! In another forty years we may have decent trees coming up through that to replace the hardwood that was killed. Or not. As you stated it is all up to nature now, and they will jsut keep killign the trees each decade unitl the 'right trees do come up. Very efficient, in other places they would have replanted and in twenty years harvested timber. But this way, we only have to wait three - four times longer and we get harvest worth far less money. Very efficient indeed.
LOL do I detect a bit of sarcasm? I have thought the same thing for the last 20 years FB.
Would you know how to get rid of borers... my oak trees have them?
here's something ive tried and it worked quite well,,,,,pour half a gallon of unleaded gasoline all around the trunk, stand back and ignite,,, and if you do it this time of year,,,you can take all the leaves from the tree put them around the trunk of the tree,,,,wrap a few apples in aluminum foil,,,(potatos will work too, for a smoked potato)
for some odd reason, i like the smell of burning leaves....
Would you know how to get rid of borers... my oak trees have them?
I wrote this once, and my PC died.
So this second writing was done a bit quicker as I am losing focus, sorry.
Oak tree borers are the larvae of moths and beetles which are leaf feeding insects. Regardless of the type of borer which attacks your oak trees, they still all borers do the same types of damage and inflict the same sort of wounds to the oak tree. Damage from oak tree borers manifests as foliage at the top of the tree being sparse and thin looking. The damage from the oak tree borers begins at the top of the trees and migrates downward, with foliage turning yellow or brown and then dying off. As damage continues the individual oak twigs and branches of the oak tree will become weakened due to borer holes. The borer holes are usually in the trunk of the oak tree or on the larger branches. As the borers feed, they leave behind a sawdust like material. Usually the areas of the oak tree which have the largest number of holes and sawdust like material will become the weakest. These branches and their twigs will then begin to die off and the oak tree may lost both foliage and branches. Often the oak tree bark will slough off in areas of extreme populations of oak tree borers. The areas beneath the sloughed off bark will show holes and tunnels filled with sawdust like material. Usually borers attack older branches on trees, but when they infest a younger tree or a newly transplanted one such as a sapling, the oak tree can quickly be killed off entirely if the borer population is large and active.
Female borers lay their eggs in oak tree bark and crevices throughout the summer growing season. When the borer eggs hatch, the young borers emerge to feed on the oak tree. The areas the borers feed most on are the bark, heartwood and sapwood. When the oak tree borers tunnel and feed they damage the oak tree and its flow of nutrients throughout the tree. This starves the foliage, and areas toward the tips of the oak tree branches and twigs which causes the discoloration and death of these areas of the tree. Borers damage the nourishment conducting vessels within the oak tree and along with twig, branch and foliage dieback, the oak tree will leak sap as a defense mechanism to this damage. However, sap only flows as a defense mechanism in a health oak tree. If the oak tree is already severely damaged or dying you will not see the sap leakage occur. Often the oak tree borers are killed when they burrow into the wood and the tree sap flows into the tunneled hole. The sap coats the borer which quickly kills it, and seals up the damage. Usually trees which already have wounds in the bark or twigs are the ones which become easily infested with borers because the wounds are attractive to the adult female as areas to lay eggs in the summer. Therefore, oak trees with existing damage from pruning and other mechanical injuries, poor growing conditions or damage from other leaf growing insects are those most prone to borer populations and infestations. Once borers have tunneled into your oak tree they can be difficult to control, especially if the insect population is large. You can help to control borer damage by pruning out and destroying all dead or dying branches or those which show signs of tunneling such as sloughed off bark areas. You can also use a lindane containing insecticide in mid to late May on the trunk of the oak tree. This will help control the borer populations on the healthy branches and twigs. The lindane insecticide treatment should be repeated again in two weeks after the first application. You will also want to repeat applications of the insecticide in July and August when new eggs will hatch into young borers and females will be looking for sites to lay eggs. However, the best defense against borer infestations is to keep the oak tree healthy to begin with so that there are no obvious mechanical or insect wounds which will make the oak tree attractive as a place to lay eggs.
ACECAP® Insecticide Implants [Acephate], a systemic insecticide. It loads up the tree's sap making the sap an insecticide, so the tree can kill the insects better, and provides continued protection.
Chlorpyrifos and Lindane can also be used; they are sprayed on the bark at two week intervals from early spring until late fall. The problem using them is that you can not get the insecticide TO the insects. They live and eat underneath the bark in the wood, and you can only spray onto the outside.
Chlorpyrifos is a neurotoxin and suspected endocrine disruptor it works really well on any insects that it contacts [and amphibians and some mammals].
Lindane I use on my dogs. It works well as an insecticide, but you need to watch it and handle it carefully.
I would recommend that you use Acephate, Acecap is a good choice.
here's something ive tried and it worked quite well,,,,,pour half a gallon of unleaded gasoline all around the trunk, stand back and ignite,,, and if you do it this time of year,,,you can take all the leaves from the tree put them around the trunk of the tree,,,,wrap a few apples in aluminum foil,,,(potatos will work too, for a smoked potato)
for some odd reason, i like the smell of burning leaves....
Umm.. thanks for the advice, but we are not allowed to "burn" within the city limits. Given that my location is just a few blocks away from both the fire and police station, I know I'd get caught. So are you telling me that these trees are goners?
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I may have drank too much tonite, this post is rambling
forests and farms
