When I was looking for a farm in 1973, having a woodlot was a plus on the checklist of things I hoped to find on a property. I knew I wanted to be a farmer – but I also knew I wanted the farm to be more than just fields for growing crops. Even at the age of 21, I knew I wanted to have a more diverse and ecologically rich property on which to live. At the time I was thinking of a woodlot as a source of firewood and lumber, and to some extent a place for wildlife and wildflowers. Since then, I have come to see our woodlot and wild spaces as so much more. There were 25 acres of woodlot on our 100 acre farm that includes some higher land hardwood bush and some lower wet cedar and tamarack swampy areas. It also had a cattail marsh and a wet area surrounded by willows. The bush had been harvested before the farm was put on the market. Nearly every saleable tree had been cut down and removed, so for the first 20 years it was primarily a source of firewood. There were a couple of large ash trees that remained, and we were able to harvest them to make the stabling for our horses in the barn. They are still serving that purpose 45 years later. In the early years on the farm, we actually did not need to go to the bush for firewood. BETTER WOODLOTS 2024 74 Promotional Supplement Better Woodlots | October 2024 sales@baumalight.com | BAUMALIGHT.COM TREE SAWS THE WOODLOT AT MEETING PLACE ORGANIC FARM By Tony McQuail, Board of Directors, Farmers for Climate Solutions Skidding out logs in the McQuail woodlot during one of the commercial cuts. Skidding with the horses does very little damage to the forest floor and skid trails.
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