We need these days with frozen ground; it’s the only way to get work done on the preserve in winter with the tractor. We don’t know how many days of this we’ll have, so I try to make use of every one I can. On warmer days I can do hand work, chainsawing or brushcutting—but I save the cold days for mowing meadows or other tractor work.
Today I moved firewood from a downed tree on a remote part of the preserve to the yard across from the barn at 401 Piersol Road. The wood is free—please help yourself—but it won’t last long. It’s red maple and fresh, so it’s best for next winter’s burning.
It may seem ironic but somehow efficient that on each trip out to pick up the firewood I was bringing a load of wood chips from the same yard where the firewood was going. The chips are spread on trails on the way to the downed tree. It’s all wood, but in this case its state matters.
