We went out to Saint Andrew’s Forest Farm today to check on the water levels after the storms which delivered more than two inches of rain. We walked down North Trail to the bottom and across following the waterway. The water was flowing and trickling down from everywhere. The leaves were cleared from the wet weather gullies.
We walked up along the south property line and up around the wet weather gully on that side. Up top again, we looked around for any dead trees standing and, once found, we cut it down. It took a bit to get it to fall as it was hung up in multiple smaller and too-close trees. It was paulownia which is invasive so we will make sure it doesn’t grow back. We are clearing and making room for the native trees. Right now, we are choosing and encouraging healthy pines, cedars, fir, ash, paw paw, hornbeam, sugar hackberry, beech, oak and other natives. Paulownias and Ailanthus are the two invasive trees we’ve seen so far, and their days are numbered. We also spotted mimosa, another invasive, growing up top so will be looking for them too in the spring. We’ve seen them right where we just took down the pawlonia today. Although tulip poplar and maples are native they are also running rampant on SAFF and are mostly tiny, sickly and/or undeveloped multiples coming from a single stump that was cut back. We will not encourage their growth either.
We cut the paulownia up and put it in the truck for firewood. Paulownia spreads and takes over in disturbed forests. We want to get this tree off SAFF. However, the wood is fire resistant, half the weight of other woods, has a higher ‘r value’ for improved insulation, dries in days and doesn’t warp, crack or split. We’ve used a few thin limbs from the pawlonia as walking sticks since the spring and they are wonderful to wield and hold. Lightweight and sturdy. We are brainstorming ways to use the rest of the pawlonia we have. It may be good to use as a layer in our next construction project to increase insulation. We have at least three or four more larger trees but maybe more as we were surprised to find the one we cut down today. A website about the paulownia tree: https://treepeopleofwallawalla.com/trees/the-worlds-most-valuable-tree/#:~:text=A%20single%2012%2Dfoot%20log,twice%20that%20of%20other%20lumber.
https://mgnv.org/plants/invasive-plants/princess-tree/
We checked on the shed. It stayed water tight through the heavy downpour. We continue to be happy deer hunting season is over. The forest has been fun to walk around in the winter. It will be easier to navigate in the spring and summer with our continuing path development. We could see the difference in the forest just after clearing the pawlonia and its too-near neighbors. We can’t wait to see the transition into spring.
St Andrews Forest Farm 