How Canadian families are saving the country's old-growth forests

[Sherman A1]

On a sloping patch of forest in the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick, Mike Hickey is on the hunt for red oak. They’re not overly difficult to find on his 156-acre woodlot, even though it’s something of a scavenger hunt: The number of mature oak on this thickly wooded expanse can be counted on one hand.

Mr. Hickey is dressed for the task with camouflage gloves and a maroon stocking hat. His Santa Claus beard tickles the top of his jacket, which is zipped all the way up against the cold. He walks down a road past a pile of logs cut from red spruce and other species, many of which were harvested from trees blown down during storms. He uses them to produce his own lumber.

Mr. Hickey scans the surroundings as he walks with the practiced eye of someone who knows both the delights and dangers of the woods. Once he surprised a black bear and her cubs in this area. Fortunately, the mother appeared more spooked than he was and scampered off into the woods.

Finally, he arrives at a slope where a slender tree is still hanging on to its auburn leaves despite the winter chill. “One of them is up there,” he says, pointing to a red oak. “One of my projects.”

https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2022/0222/How-Canadian-families-are-saving-the-country-s-old-growth-forests

[applegrove]

1. My mom and her sister sat on acres of forest for 70 years without

harvesting it. Then they donated them to their childhood church her ancestors had attended for generations.

[pansypoo53219]

2. awesome. my aunt inherited the family cottage + she is letting far more baby trees grow. my grandma

nixed the cottage lawn when they built it in 67. but she did pull baby trees. my great great grandpa bought a lobe of it after it was logged. they left 2 white pines + it had many babies. we had more, but i hit by lighting in the 90's. 1 of the original pines still stands.