IT WAS HOW WET THIS SUMMER? - By Forester Russ Richardson

(09/14/2020)

It was wet this summer and August may have been one of our wettest summer months ever. It’s been a good summer for mast producing trees but not much else. The severe late spring freeze may have harmed some insect pests that traditionally damage mast because bugs don’t seem to be hitting acorns as hard as usual. Hickories and oaks are heavy with acorns and it is hard to find a chestnut, walnut or hickory that isn’t loaded with nuts. Above is a cut basswood log that has been sitting on a trailer beside Crummies Creek Road for nearly four months. In mid-May a giant oak tree crushed the basswood and the butt log was salvaged by the landowner for a trip to the sawmill that has never happened. The log has sprouted new branches and leaves and sports lush growth that is still green after four months. The log is not stuffed in some deep, damp hollow that never sees the light of day. Any sunny day, the basswood log is exposed to several hours of direct sunlight. The bark is peeling off both ends of the log. The sprouting mushrooms indicating the wood is decaying but the sprouts persist. The only source of water for the sustained growth of the sprouts is rainwater that soaked into the bark. It's no wonder mold is growing moldy this summer.

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