Winter Projects for your Woodland

By Barb Breshock (West Virginia WOW)

• Maintain your property lines 
  • During the dormant season you can see further – thus making it easier to see signs of a boundary.
  • Depending on your confidence of the boundary location (i.e., there are old boundary marks) you can refresh the marks with purple paint if you wish to convey a “no trespassing” message.  See attached purple paint law information.
  • You can refresh with other paint if you just want to maintain the boundary, but don’t wish to deny access.
  • If you “think” this is where the boundary is, and there aren’t any remaining definitive marks, you can hang some plastic ribbon (we forester’s call this flagging - it can be purchased from some hardware stores)
• Look for seeds on the snow 
  • tree-of-heaven seeds are an indicator that this invasive species is close enough for seeds to blow in – look on nearby ridgetops if it’s not close by.

     

    

• Locate female tree-of-heaven, clusters of brown seed pods hang from the limbs.
  • Once you locate this tie a colored plastic ribbon - we forester’s call this flagging, it can be purchased from some hardware stores - around the tree and make some notes or get a GPS location so you can relocate this tree in September when it is easiest to kill.  There maybe some male trees in the area that you can find to control, once the female/mother tree is located. 

• Locate other areas of interest that are easier to find when the vegetation is dormant. 
• Lay out potential trails and roads – mark with that same plastic ribbon/flagging.
• Notice where wildlife is using your woodland – for food, for cover
• Plan for providing NATIVE food for wildlife – such as hinge cutting some trees that can provide browse. 
• Some indoor tasks:

  

   
  • make a collage of YOUR image of your woodland
  • read up on programs and management options
  • watch online presentations
  • make a wish list
  • make a to do list
  • If you don’t have a written plan, contact your local forester and make an appointment to walk your property together – invite a friend to join you
  • If you do have a written plan, revisit it and see if you are on track – what needs to be done this year – call your forester if you have any questions