I was once asked the question, “If you had all the time you wanted to do something that you have neglected but always wanted to do, what would it be?” Oh, I could of thought of a million things that a responsible, caring, world vision person might strive to do, but I went another direction to a task here on the farm that has been a thought for many years.
There is a small patch of ground about an acre in size on one corner of the place. It has been neglected; vine maple, scrub brush, tall elderberry, blackberry briars and a monster sized wild hazelnut tree dominate the area. A cedar post and barb wire fence used to separate this acre from the rest of the field but has long since fallen to pieces and lots of work will need to be done to dig out and clean up all the bits. There is a copse of lanky wild cherries, a couple of very old apple trees and on the lower side a slope near the river resides dense fir and cedar trees.
Over the years I have run the tractor around some of the less dense areas and mowed the brush down with the rotary mower (that was unfortunately how I found the pieces of fence) in an effort to open up the space. The main herd has access to this area and have made trails throughout the brush, fallen trees and branches. A couple of years ago the perimeter fence was in serious need of repair. We cut and slashed a wide enough path to replace the fence line, but the rest of the acre is still fairly wild and woolly.
If cleaned up, the area would be a perfect picnic area, a meditation park, or simply look better than the thick mess it is now. I want to keep the stand of fir and cedar with the understory cleaned up. The copse of cherry is a keeper because they protecting the higher ground with shade in the summer and sunlight in winter when their leaves fall. The apple trees are staying because they attract the deer in the late summer and it is far away from my garden so won’t entice the critters toward my hard work. The briars and monster hazelnut have to go and I still have the decrepit parts of fence that need attention.
Mike was saying that he could move the bulldozer across the river and grub out that old hazelnut, but that would cause a lot of disturbance to the natural beauty of the area and I would rather enhance the contours without man-made dips and humps.
I’m not kidding myself and saying that I have time to clean up this acre of land, but I am going to take some time to begin the process by giving the sprawling tree some much deserved attention since it is trying to take over prime ground.
This wild hazelnut and me need to have a meeting. I will be attending with my chainsaw.
Advertisements Share this:
