Question About Maine

[tcrackly]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Trees grow back regularly, but invasives are a much bigger problem now compared to the past. I'm seeing knotweed infestations becoming more widespread.

If you are referring to Japanese knotweed, it rarely, if ever, grows in the forest areas. It mostly grows in sunny wastelands. Knotweed patches do not deter oak, maple, and pine saplings from finding their way to the sun. Besides, thereis a simple solution to knotweed...eat it. It is an edible plant. The spring shoots can be cooked like bamboo shoots and the pith of the mature stalks yields a lemony juice suitable for drinking.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

If you are referring to Japanese knotweed, it rarely, if ever, grows in the forest areas. It mostly grows in sunny wastelands. Knotweed patches do not deter oak, maple, and pine saplings from finding their way to the sun. Besides, thereis a simple solution to knotweed...eat it. It is an edible plant. The spring shoots can be cooked like bamboo shoots and the pith of the mature stalks yields a lemony juice suitable for drinking.

I drink it in my tea.

As it happens I am sipping a cup of that tea now as I type this.

Last year knotweed tried to over-run my garden. It climbed completely up two sides of a chicken coop even. I was getting rather disgusted with it, until I did some research on it. Now I harvest it, and I have a couple customers for it too.

[VVolfpack]

Last year knotweed tried to over-run my garden. It climbed completely up two sides of a chicken coop even. I was getting rather disgusted with it, until I did some research on it. Now I harvest it, and I have a couple customers for it too.

I believe that is the perfect example of "when life gives you lemons..."

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by VVolfpack

I believe that is the perfect example of "when life gives you lemons..."

Yes, when given lemons get vodka [or rum I am not picky].

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Yes, when given lemons get vodka [or rum I am not picky].

You haven't changed a bit....love it!

[Maineah]

As shown in the aerial photos it depends on what time of year the photo was taken. In the winter or late fall the hardwood areas will look brown. There are many lots that were cut out several years ago before the mill in Millinockett closed. These trees went to waste and there are thousands of cords of rotting hard and semi hardwood stacked up along the roads up north. These would have been cleared had the mill been open but since the market was gone the trees were left to rot in place.Things are better now and the wood is again being used. Should you drive into this area you will never know any cutting is going on. They don't cut close to the major (Major means wide dirt road) roads.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maineah

You haven't changed a bit....love it!

Change? Are you suggesting I should have changed to Allens by now? Ain't gonna do it.



Actually I have tried a splash of lemon in my tea just as a mixer for rum, it was okay.


I mostly stick to rum [just for medicinal purposes of course. To treat snake-bite].

Come to think of it, I have not played with my pet snake today yet. Gotta go, I am teaching him a new trick you see.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

What you saw was a harvest on a tree farm. Forests grow. They grow a whole lot. It takes a lot of work to prevent forests. Just ask any of our utility companies. Want to dig up some young trees for your yard? Ask the utility companies. They spend a lot of money every year preventing forests under their power lines and they could use the help.

In 1940 Maine had 6,500,000 acres of pasture and cultivated ground. Today we have just over a million. In my lifetime Maine has gained an average of 77,000 acres a year. Yes, gained. That is more than three townships per year. When you walk up over a hardwood ridge with mature trees and see a stone wall, that wall was not put there during the night by elves. It was built by our grandfathers and their grandfathers when that land was pasture and fields.

During Angus King's COMPACT battle about 16 years ago they published a photo of a vast clear cut. The story said that Maine was losing its forests. It was a bald faced lie. The photo was taken in Siberia.