Monthly Archives: November 2019

Land w/o people

Posted on November 28, 2019 by JohnMatel

Chrissy’s parents were dairy farmers and the family farmed in Wisconsin since their first ancestors arrived from Norway in the 1850s. She can trace her ancestry back in Norway to the 1500s. They were farmers there too at least that … Continue reading →

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Notes from longleaf academy

Posted on November 24, 2019 by JohnMatel

There was a lot more to the Longleaf Academy than I will report. This is not a summary, but rather my take-aways. This was the first Longleaf Academy in Virginia, but there were literally a hundred before. 2600 people have … Continue reading →

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Leopold landscapes

Posted on November 23, 2019 by JohnMatel

Aldo Leopold Foundation is asking people to talk about their encounters with Leopold’s ideas in 500 words or less. This is my contribution. My high school biology teacher introduced me to Aldo Leopold. I don’t recall that it made much … Continue reading →

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Planting after a hot fire

Posted on November 22, 2019 by JohnMatel

Looking at the bright side, I have some great markers to plant my baby longleaf and to find them later on. Those benefits, unfortunately, result from dead trees falling down. Our May 2018 fire got a little hot in one … Continue reading →

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Objectives for owning forest land

Posted on November 22, 2019 by JohnMatel

My Freeman farm was used as one of the case studies at the Longleaf Academy today and we talked about land management plans. Every good land management plan starts with landowner objectives. What do you want to do on your … Continue reading →

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First longleaf academy in Virginia

Posted on November 21, 2019 by JohnMatel

This is the first longleaf academy in Virginia, so even thought I attended one before (in Georgia), I really wanted to be here for this one that started yesterday and will finish tomorrow. Around a million acres in Virginia were … Continue reading →

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Cutting, marking and scouting

Posted on November 14, 2019 by JohnMatel

I know my land like I know that back of my hand, and if you ask me to describe the back of my hand w/o looking at it, I cannot tell you in any detail. Today I did a some … Continue reading →

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Food through my ages

Posted on November 13, 2019 by JohnMatel

What food did you like and how has it changed? – My story worth for this week. I grew up in the days of Wonder Bread and Oscar Meyer wieners and simple foods in general. Milwaukee in the 1960s was … Continue reading →

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Using forests to reduce CO2 works IF we harvest wood to build with wood

Posted on November 12, 2019 by JohnMatel

There is important nuance here. Mature forests store carbon, but they do not, on balance, capture much from the air. This is because decay balances growth in a mature forest. Forests may be the “lungs of the world” but mature … Continue reading →

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Finding the little longleaf

Posted on November 10, 2019 by JohnMatel

Thank you Marisa Williams, Brendan Williams, Alex Matel, Colin Crimmins, Espen Matel, Andrea & Chrissy for planting longleaf for me last winter. I went looking for them with my cutter today on the farm, i.e. I cut around some of … Continue reading →

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