The Life of Dead Trees

On a snowy day a few weeks ago, when I was walking through The Woods, I stopped by a hollow log along the trail and peered inside. Blown-in snow carpeted the inside of the log, and I could see fresh tracks, revealing that the snow within had been disturbed by some tiny creature, taking shelter or searching for food, perhaps. It reminded me of a conversation I had several years ago.

At the time I was working for a land trust in rural Pennsylvania. We had just acquired a woodland property bordered by farmland, and I was putting up a sign to identify our new preserve. The neighbor, an old farmer, stopped by to say hello and to find out more about what was going on with the ‘woodlot,’ as he called it. After talking with him for a bit, he asked me when we were going to timber the woods, because it had been a long time since the previous owner had last had it cut. If we didn't do it soon, he said, some of the trees were just going to die and go to waste.

It was an interesting moment for me: he had been a farmer his whole life, like his ancestors for generations before him, and his focus had always been about the harvest and working the land.  Yet I was coming from a different perspective, focused entirely on conserving land and protecting the natural systems. I explained that the land trust had a different point of view that: the trees had value far beyond their ‘board feet,’ and that these trees would continue to matter to everything around them, long after they had died. 

We all know that healthy trees provide lots of benefits, but once a tree reaches the end of its life, a different set of processes begin. As a tree starts to die, insects will move in, finding both food and shelter in the dead wood. Woodpeckers and other animals will arrive to feed on the insects, creating holes in the tree; next, other creatures including birds, bats, bees, and squirrels will make their homes in the larger cavities. In essence, every dead tree becomes a high-rise apartment building, garden, and supermarket, all in one. As many as 80% of the bird species in the Eastern United States depend on dead trees at some stage in their life. In time, a dead tree will fall, and the decaying log will retain moisture and become a host for mushrooms, mosses, and other plants to grow. This, in turn, provides a cool, moist home for salamanders, snakes, and toads.  Eventually, the logs will fully decay, returning the tree’s nutrients to the Earth and enriching the forest soil.  

After I said my piece, the old farmer nodded and said “I never thought of it like that, I guess it’s good to leave some trees to die for the critters.” Next time you visit The Woods, take a moment to stop and appreciate the life of the dead trees and maybe even look under a log. You never know what you might find.

Blog post by Jeff Devine, Land Manager 

The Colors of Winter

With my mind’s eye still craving the vivid palette of autumn, I set out this past week on several hikes to discover some of the Central New York Land Trust’s other preserves. (If you weren’t aware, the land trust owns most of Baltimore Woods as well as thousands of acres of key habitat and natural areas around the region – check out their website at www.cnylandtrust.org.)

I first trekked through the birch-hemlock bottomlands of Elbridge Swamp - really only accessible when winter cold freezes over the tangle of streams and seeps. Such a beautiful place! Whiskey Hollow was next on my list, with a quiet stroll along a hemlock and oak covered ridge, and a view down into a trickling stream.

As I said, my eye was still craving autumn, but winter had come with its simplified colors that can be difficult to recognize (much less appreciate) at first…ready or not!

With that, I offer a quote from Edwin Way Teale’s book, Wandering Through Winter, accompanied by some photographs that bring forth the beauty of this subdued winter palette.

The red of osier, the green of pine, the pale tan of winter leaves on sapling beeches, the blue of late afternoon shadows on the snow, and the play of sunrise and sunset tinting across the mantled fields – such are the colors of…winter.   

- Edwin Way Teale

And truly, it is beautiful…

Blog post by Tom Meier

What Does The Fox Say? And is She Red Or is She Gray?

I have only ever seen a fox in the wild a few times during my life. Sadly more often than not they are dead on the side of the road. Here at Baltimore Woods we have had sightings of Vulpes vuples or red fox and have discovered at least two dens throughout the property. As for the Urocyon cinereoargenteus (say that 5 times fast) or gray fox, we have yet to see one here at The Woods. Both species are primarily nocturnal but it is not unusual to see them out during the day, especially when they have young to feed. Although we may not actually see fox very often, we are always seeing signs of fox like tracks and dens.

Can you tell the difference between a red fox and gray fox? 

Check out the pictures below and test your skills! 

A

B

How did you do? 

A. Gray Fox

B. Red Fox

Here are some characteristics to help with identifying the two:

Red fox (8-12lbs 48-57 inches)                                                            

• Deep red to orange coat all year round
• Black boots and ears
• Big bushy tail with white tip

Gray Fox (7-13lbs 31-44 inches)

• Grizzled gray coat with reddish underbelly
• White, black and reddish colors on the face
• Grayish white tail with a black tip

Another big difference between these two beautiful creatures is habitat.

Red fox prefer edge of forest habitat with a mixture of fields and grasslands where they can hunt and still have some cover. They do not make their own dens opting to take over small mammal burrows or within the root systems of large trees usually near water.

Gray fox are known as the forest fox because of their preference to build dens in hollow logs or trees in deciduous forests as well as nooks with thick cover that are ideal for blending in. This nickname is also due to the cool adaptation they possess for climbing trees, something their red colored cousins cannot do. With curved claws on their front paws as well as being able to rotate their arms, gray fox are able to climb up trees fast and jump from branch to branch. This helps them to evade predators like coyotes.

When it comes to food however, these two carnivores are opportunists and eat pretty much anything they can get their paws on! Both fox enjoy delicious meals that include rabbits, mice, squirrels and some birds and their eggs.

Check out this video of the red fox hunting technique of pouncing!

Now that I’ve held you in suspense I will answer the age-old question: what does the fox say?

Like most animals there is not just one call the fox makes. It’s said that dogs say “bark” but any dog owner knows they have more than one call. Fox, especially the red, are very vocal, keeping in constant contact with their family. They have a range of high-pitched yips and barks, even eerie screaming yelps that the vixens (female fox) use as a mating call.

Check out this website for a variety of calls the fox make. This site also has a lot of cool information on fox! If you’re interested in the location of the fox dens at Baltimore Woods stop by and ask one of our naturalists, you may be able to find some tracks and traces!

Blog post by Becky Lynch