Page numbers in italic indicate illustrations; page numbers in bold indicate charts.
acceptable growing stock (AGS), 15, 110
shelling and leaching, 199
adventitious buds, 105
adze, 40
agroforestry, 132
all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), 62–64
amendments
bare-root trees and, 165–66
bonemeal, 156
soil, mulch and, 155
animal fodder. See fodder, animal
animal husbandry, 24. See also livestock
animals. See livestock; wildlife, guard animals
apple(s). See also cidermaking
harvesting, 176
putting up, 177
apple maggots, 176
apple sawfly, 173
apple trees. See also orchard
harvest and, 176
resilience of, 168
varieties/USDA zones, 157
Arnold Homestead, 21–22
Atlas Hoofed It Farm, 98
axe(s), 27–37. See also limbing
anatomy of, 28
broadaxe, 39–40
double-bit, 27–28
European, 27
haft, replacement of, 30–31, 31, 36–37, 36, 37
handle saver for, 57
head, replacement of, 32
inspection of, 29–30
sharpening/honing,32–35, 34, 35
for splitting firewood, 57
for your needs, 28
back cut, 48
backfilling planting holes, 166
“barber chair,” 51
bare-root trees, planting, 164–66
amendments and, 165–66
backfilling and, 166
digging planting hole, 165, 165
keeping roots moist, 164–65
staking and, 165
bark
cambium and, 109
barn. See living barn
basal area
evaluating options, 7–8
injuries to, 116–17
bastard file, 33
beef. See cattle
bees/beekeeping, 174–76
getting started with, 174–75
honeybees, 174
benches
willow and, 127, 127, 128, 128
bentwood furniture, 127
berries, 197–98
billhook, mastering the, 132, 132
biodiversity
orchard and, 154–55
standards and, 113
biolubricants, 51
birds, 117–18. See also chickens; turkeys
predators of poults, 89
succession, diversity and, 118
woodpeckers/sapsuckers, 117–18
blackberries, 197–98
blackberry brambles, 100
black cherry, 14, 22, 82, 106, 121
black-knot disease, 22, 106, 112
black locust, 42, 145, 146, 163
bonemeal, 156
bowls/bowl making, 22, 106, 126, 211, 213, 213
bow maker, 120
“boy’s axe,” 28
bramble patch, restoration of, 198
branches
for door pulls, 126
“entwining,” 137
epicormic, 117
notching/nicking, bud growth and, 172
shredded, 121
training, fruit tree, 169, 172
branch whorls, 18, 19, 112, 112
Brecon hedge method, 136
British Forestry Commission, 103, 105
broadaxe, hewing with, 39–40
browse/browsing
apple trees and, 15
components of, 99
coppicing and, 119
as feed supplement, 122
fodder and, 122
nutrient loss and, 94
bucking logs, 45
with a chainsaw, 55
defined, 39
for firewood, 45
like a beaver, 40
bud growth
notching/nicking and, 172
bumper trees, 116
Burke, Dan and Sara, 98
bypass cut
notch cut and, 50–51
calendar, 215–16
canopy layer, 163
case studies, 20–24
Arnold Homestead, 21–22
Tucker Homestead, 23–24
breeds, 97
miniature, 98–99
Scottish Highland, 79, 81, 98, 99, 122
sheltering spot for, 150
cellar. See root cellar
chaga (Inonotus obliquus), 209
chainsaw, 46–55
anatomy of, 48
“attack corner,” 48, 51, 53, 53
biolubricants and, 51
bucking with, 55
getting started with, 47
limbing with, 54
personal protective equipment (PPE), 46–47, 46
portable sawmill versus, 67–68
safety features of, 46–47
Chamberlain, Jim, 212
charcoal, 123–25
how to make, 124–25, 124
uses by size, 123
“chasing.” See limbing
chicken(s)
case study and, 22
heritage breeds, 87
chicken tractors, 86–87, 172, 173, 173
chopping wood. See axe(s)
cider, 176
cidermaking
bartering and, 176
blending/testing, 180
fermenting, 181
supplies for, 179
“sweating” the harvest, 179
switchel and, 177
washing/grinding apples, 179
cider switchel, 177
clear wood, thinning for, 111–12
climax forest, succession and, 13, 17
closed-loop silvopasture sequence
about, 78–82
defining area for, 78–80
colony collapse disorder (CCD), 174
composting system. See Hügelkultur
conifers. See also pines
living barns and, 152
“red knots” and, 112
sheltering spots and, 150
trees per acre and, 6
cooking, charcoal and, 123, 125
Cooperative Extension Service, 11
coppice stools, 104, 114, 114, 118, 119
coppicing. See also standards
for charcoal, 123
considerations when, 108–9
defined, 101
established trees and, 104–5
firewood and, 103, 104, 108, 160
game birds and, 118
layering and, 110
root suckering and, 110
trees for, 106–7
willow, furniture and, 127, 127
cordwood
windbreak made from, 150
Cornish hedge method, 136
cover crop, 155
craft materials, 211
crosscut saws, 47
crown
fruit trees and, 169
crucible, 124, 124, 125
dairy
case study and, 23
goats and, 90–91
Dauerwald, 181
DBH (diameter at breast height), 10
“dead hedges,” 131
deer, fruit trees and, 173–74
dehesa system, 96
Derbyshire hedge method, 136
diameter at breast height (DBH), 10
diversity, bird species and, 118
door pulls, 126
draft animals
choosing, 65
skidding with, 64–65
working with, 65–66
drainage, orchard and, 154
dye, brown wool, 202
ecotone orchard
basics of, 161
lateral branches, training, 168
structure of, 168
training cut and, 168
trellis-training, 167–68
whips, selection of, 167
elevation, orchard and, 154
envisioning the homestead, 70, 71
epicormic branches, 117
escape route
bucking logs and, 55
open-faced notch and, 49–50, 50
espaliered fruit trees, 167–68, 167
expert profile
North Branch Farm, 79
Ramp Researcher, 212
Farrell, Michael, 193
fauna. See wildlife
feed
browsing as supplement to, 122
feed seeding, 84
felling trees, 38–39. See also notch
with an axe, 38–39
for forage, 94
fenceposts, 145–46. See also living fenceposts
peeling/not peeling, 146
wood choices for, 145
fences/fencing. See also living fences; stone walls
espaliered fruit trees and, 167, 167, 168
psychology of, 130–31
silvopasture and, 77
of stumps, building, 147–48
temporary, 143
terminology, 130
firewood. See also cordwood; splitting firewood
bucking, 45
coppicing and, 103, 104, 108, 160
sustainability and, 24
walnut hulls as, 201
fixed-radius plot sampling, 4–6
data/decision-making, 6
inventory, goals and, 5
plot locations and, 5
results, tallying, 5–6
size/number of plots needed, 4–5
flitches, 73
fodder, animal
acorns for, 199–200
browsing for, 122
shredding and, 121
food production, 76. See also specific food
forage
components of, 99
felling your, 94
understory, 160
forbs, 99
forest ecosystem, grazing and, 74
forest edibles, cultivation of, 197–206
forest furniture. See furniture
forest succession, 13–19, 16, 17
bird species and, 118
forest species and, 14
process of, 13
free thinning, 111
frost seeding, 84
fruit. See also apple(s); stone fruits
blackberries/raspberries, 197–98
physical barriers for, 173
production of, 21
putting up, 177
strawberries, 198
fruit trees. See also apple trees; orchard
clearing around, 168–69
dead wood and, 170
lateral branches and, 170
in low-tree layer, 162–63
old, resurrection of, 168–172, 171
fuel. See charcoal; firewood
fungi, cultivation of, 203–4
furniture, 126–28
growing your own, 127
weeviled tops and, 126–27, 126
willow and, 127
game birds, 118
garden, layering for, 162–63, 162, 163
ginseng, 208
about, 207
bed preparation, 208
growing, 208–9
harvesting, 209
monitoring, 209
mulching, 209
planting, 208–9
site selection, 208
goats
about, 89–91
as draft animals, 65
heritage breeds, 90
grafting, 156
grass to shrub succession, 13, 16
grazing
unmanaged, 74
“green manure,” 155
groundcover, 162
growing zones. See hardiness zones
guard animals, 92
haft, replacement of, 30–31, 31, 36–37, 36, 37
“hanging an axe.” See haft, replacement of
hardiness zones
apples for, 157
fruit tree types and, 156
orchard and, 154
Hart, Robert, 162
harvest, cider and, 176
hatchet, 28
hazards
draft animals and, 65–66
felling trees and, 49
limbing and, 54
“heatherings,” 135
hedges/hedgerows. See also quickthorn laid hedge
filling gaps in, 140
history of, 131–32
Hügelkultur, 196
building the beds, 195–96
design tips, 197
theory, 196–97
herbaceous plants, 162
heritage breeds
chickens, 87
goats, 90
pigs, 95
promotion of, 76
turkeys, 89
hewing
with a broadaxe, 39–40
“hobbit-scale farming,” 207
homesteader profile
Atlas Hoofed It Farm, 98
Ravenwood Homestead, 177
honey. See bees/beekeeping
honeysuckle, 100
horses
pulling stumps with, 146–47
skidding with, 65
Huber, Tom, 207
hulling press, walnut, 200, 200
inosculation hedges, 137–140, 137
invasive plants
control of, 77
sheep and, 92
inventory
size of trees and, 6–7
“species composition” and, 3–6
woodlot measurement, 3
Isle of Wight hedge method, 136
jewelweed, 211
“J roots,” 166
juglone, 201–2
kaolin clay spray, 173
kickback
topography and, 54
Kilgore, Bruce and Nancy, 177
Lancashire hedge method, 136
land usage, silvopasture and, 76
layering, 110
laying hens. See chicken(s)
leeks, wild, 210
lianas, 163
light. See sunlight
limbing
with a chainsaw, 54
lingo
living fence, 130
woodlot, 102
livestock. See also heritage breeds
animal health and, 77
black cherry leaves and, 82, 121
case study and, 23
cattle, 96–99
draft animals, 64–65
goats, 89–91
horses, 146–47
palate and, 122
sheep, 92–93
turkeys, 87–89
health of, maintaining, 152
pathway management and, 151–52
barbed wire and, 141, 142, 142
pollarding fenceposts, 141, 141, 142–43
temporary fences and, 143
living fences, 133. See also hedges/hedgerows
damage to, minimizing, 143–44, 144
history of, 131–32
myths and, 145
quickthorn laid hedge, 133–34, 136–37
securing hardware to, 143–44, 144
terminology and, 130
toolbox and, 134
logging sled, go-devil, 64, 64
logs. See also skidding logs
edging, 73
foreign objects in, 72–73
milling crooked, 73
unique, 72
low-bush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), 81
low thinning, 111
lumber. See also portable sawmill; wood
logs per tree and, 5
taphole maple, 193
mammals, 119
maple syrup. See syrup making
mature forest, succession and, 13, 17
maul, 57
meat. See chickens; livestock; turkeys
medicinal plants, 207, 211. See also specific plant
micro-orchard
competition and, 158
complementary crops, 160
gap size, sunlight and, 158, 159, 159
height, light and, 160
soil and, 158–59
Midland Bullock hedge method, 136
midstory, 160
Milewski, Craig, 120
mulch
Hügelkultur and, 195
soil, amendments and, 155
mules, miniature, 65
multileader treetops, 126, 126
host/inoculation logs, 204
logs, cultivation on, 206, 206
reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), 203–4
shiitake (Lentinula edodes), 203
site/species selection, 204–5
stumps, cultivation and, 205, 205
tree oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), 204, 205
Nearing, Helen and Scott, 177
North Branch Farm, 79
notch
nutrients
“bleeding” of, 172
percolation of, 116
transport of, 118
nuts, 199–203. See also walnuts
nut trees, 162–63
open-faced notch, 48–53
hazards and, 49
lean of tree and, 49
orchard. See also apple trees; micro-orchard, forest
ecotone, 161
espaliered form, 167–68, 167
fruit tree types, 156
layering for, 162–63, 162, 163
old fruit trees, resurrecting, 24, 168–172
pest management in, 172–73
purposes of, 153
site for, 154–55
size of trees/rootstock, 156
wild cider, 182
orchard floor, edible, 161
Orefice, Joe, 79
Osage orange
fenceposts and, 145
qualities of, 133
ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), 209–10
oxen, 65
parasite control, 100
pasture, silvopasture or, 75–76
pasture pine, 24
modification of, 43
Peavey, Joseph, 43
pencils, charcoal, 123
personal protective equipment (PPE), 46–47, 46
pest management
chickens and, 86, 86, 172, 173, 173
drop apples and, 176
orchard and, 172–73
pH boosters, 159
pH tests, 11
pickaroon, 60
pigs, 95
about, 94–96
heritage breeds, 95
pine(s). See also conifers
pasture, 24
pruning, 22
shakes and, 42
straw, 211
planning, calendar and, 215–16
planting, art of, 164–68. See also bare-root trees, planting
containerized trees, 166–67
size of tree, 164
plum curculio, 173
poison ivy, 91
pollarding
living fenceposts and, 141, 141, 142–43
pollinating, native bees for, 175–76
polyculture, 162
polywire, 139
pomes, 156, 158. See also apple(s)
pork. See pigs
amount of wood and, 67
chainsaw versus, 67–68
crooked logs and, 73
edging and, 73
maintenance and, 72
selection of, 68–69
yield, maximization of, 73
posts. See fenceposts
poultry, 99. See also chickens; turkeys
products, woodland homestead, 2
case studies and, 20–24
pruning
how much to prune, 169
other reasons for, 112
tools for, 169
prussic acid, 121
quickthorn laid hedge
basics of, 133–34
variations of, 136–37
Ramp Researcher, 212
ramps (Allium tricoccum), 209–10, 210
raspberries, 197–98
Ravenwood Homestead, 177
“red knots,” 112
Red Roost Inn, 88
release treatments, 110–12
residual stand damage, 80
conventional notch and, 53
tips for reduction of, 80
reverse osmosis (R. O.), 185
rhizosphere, 102, 103, 155, 162, 162, 195
Robertson, Al, 181
rock types, 12
root cellar
early homesteaders and, 8
rootstock, 156
root suckering, 110
rotational grazing, 79, 92, 95
row crops, 160
rust removal,32
safety. See escape route; hazards; personal protective equipment (PPE)
sapling to pole succession, 13, 16
sapsuckers, 117–18
sawmill. See portable sawmill
scaffold limbs, 121
scarification, woodlot, 87–88, 88
scions, 156
seeding, 84
shakes
sheds
sheep
breeds for silvopasture, 93
grazing in orchard, 176
grazing in silvopasture, 92–93
Scottish Blackface, 81, 93, 93, 122
cordwood windbreak, 150
design tips, 148
short rotation forestry (SRF), 103
shrubs, 162
“side lean,” 49, 50
silvopasture, 75. See also closed-loop silvopasture sequence
consideration of, 76–77
defined, 75
dehesa system, 96
grazing sheep in, 92
grazing turkeys in, 89
marking your, 77–78
pasture or, 75–76
pre-thinning your, 81
requirements for, 77
seeding, 84
thinning your, 80
singletree, 65
skidding arch, 65
choker chain versus log tongs, 63, 65
self-loading versus manual, 63
two- versus four-wheeled arch, 65
skidding logs, 60–67
with an ATV, 62–64
with draft animals, 64–65
people-powered skidders, 60–62
skidding arch, hand-pulled, 62, 62
tractor skidding, 66–67
water protection and, 116
skidding pan/skidding cone, 63, 63
snags, native bees and, 175, 175, 176
snatch block, 61
soil
compaction of, 116
mulch and, 155
nitrogen deficiencies, 100
scarification and, 87–88
testing, 11
soil food web, 155
soil types, tree communities and, 10–12
solar electric energizer, 139
species composition, 3–4
splitting block, building, 56, 56
splitting firewood
axe for, 57
with a maul, 57
spotted knapweed
Centaurea maculosa, 92
Centaurea stobe, 99
spring poles, 54
squared timber. See “cants”
standards
benefits of, 113
future, selection of, 115
harvesting, 116
labor of love, 113–14
long-term goals and, 115
protection of, 116
“tellers” and, 114, 114, 116–17
woodlot inventory and, 114
standing block chop, 38
stem wood, 112
stones, 12–13
stone walls, 12–13
stool(s)
coppice, 101, 104, 109, 109, 114, 114, 118, 119
strawberries, 198
stump(s)
building with, 146–48
cutting low, 72
native bees and, 175, 175, 176
stump coppicing, 110. See also coppicing
succession. See forest succession
sugarbush, 182–193. See also syrup making
crop trees and, 190
future and, 190
health/vigor of trees, 190
site selection, 188
sizing up your, 188–89
stand structure/health, 188–89
sugaring camp and, 183–84
tapping/not tapping, 183
wildlife and, 190
sunlight
thinning silvopasture and, 80
understory and, 115
Swiss sandwich method, 160
switchel, 177
syrup making, 184–88
about, 182–83
bottling syrup, 187–88
case study and, 22
collecting/boiling sap, 186–87
drilling tapholes, 184–88, 187, 187
evaporator and, 185, 185, 187, 187
reverse osmosis systems and, 185
setting taps, 186
tapping guidelines, 186
tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), 92
taphole maple lumber, 193
tasks, homestead, 26
“tellers”
injury to, 116–17
training, 115
terminology
living fence, 130
woodlot lingo, 102
thinning, 111
thistle (Cirsium spp.), 99
three-point hitch, 66–67
“tillering,” 120
timber, squared. See “cants”
tips, 26
Todd, Sereno Edwards, 156
tools. See also specific tool
for clearing/pruning, 169
hedgelayer’s, 134
homestead, 26
“sandblasting” old, 201
tractors, pulling stumps with, 147
tractor skidding, 66–67
trailer, 65
trailer-mounted portable sawmill, 69, 69
tree communities, soil types and, 10, 12
tree fortresses, orchards and, 173–74
trees, 6–7, 10. See also apple trees; bare-root trees, planting; orchard; planting, art of; standards; “tellers”
acceptable growing stock (AGS), 15, 110
bumper, 116
composting system and. 195-197, 196
containerized, planting, 166–67
for coppicing, 106–7
diameter at breast height (DBH), 10
growth of, 145
lean of, 49
metal objects in, 145
seed germination of, 87–88
species/uses, 14
unacceptable growing stock (UGS), 15, 116
treetops, multileader, 126, 126
Tucker Homestead, 23–24
turkeys, 87–89
grazing in silvopasture, 89
heritage breeds, 89
woodlot scarification and, 87–88
unacceptable growing stock (UGS)
as bumper trees, 116
described, 15
understory, grazing and, 74
understory forage, 160
utility trailer, 65
variable-radius point sampling, 9, 9
vegetables
production of, 21
soils types and, 10
trained to climb, 163
vertical chop, 38
vines, 163
visual skills, 8–10
curing, 201
nutmeat, picking/storing, 201
shelling, 201
shells, using, 201–2
water filtration, 123
water protection, 116
water quality, 51
weeviled tops, 24, 126–27, 126
“whips,” bare-root trees and, 164
white pine weevil, 126–27
whole-tree composting system. See Hügelkultur
widowmaker, 49
wildlife, 117–19. See also birds
deterrence of, 105
mammals, 119
sugarbush and, 190
willow, furniture and, 127
winching
tractor skidding and, 67
wind, orchard and, 154
windbreaks. See shelterbelts
windthrow
standards, coppicing and, 117
witch hobble (Viburnum lantanoides), 81
wood. See also cordwood; lumber
clear, pruning for, 111–12
stem, 112
woodland eye, 8–10
woodlot inventory. See also fixed-radius plot sampling
evaluating options, 7–8
field notes, 6
measurement, 3
species composition, 3–4
standards and, 114
woodlot lingo, 102
woodlot scarification, 87–88, 88
woodlot tending, creative
pruning for clear wood, 111–12
release treatments, 110–12
thinning, 111
woodworking materials, production of, 22
Yorkshire hedge method, 136
young-farmer movement, 79
young forest, succession and, 13, 16
zones, growing. See hardiness zones