Tree Farmer

I have to share that I've become quite smitten with my recently acquired pejorative label of 'tree farmer'. I've been called a lot of names in my long life but this is singularly appropriate. 

A point of pride.

I was out with all my girls in the woods today and if you look carefully at this picture you can count twelve little tamarack trees that have self-sown in a sunny, open patch. 

More than a couple of decades ago 40,000+ trees were machine-planted in an ecologically-sensitive and barren, sterile Door County farm field. Nowadays this natural regeneration is a common occurrence for many of the conifers and hardwoods - all native Wisconsin species carefully matched with the soil types.

Once my acorn factory revs-up there no telling what's going to happen.

If any of you want to call me a 'tree farmer' behind my back or distribute a scathing manifesto with the same to the press - feel free.

Sustainable forestry rocks.  And sometimes you have to kick-start it.