February ends with Hickory Ridge Forestry still working in the steep hills of the Loess Hills State Forest. The crop tree thinning is complete and nearly all snow has melted from most slopes. Without the aid of crampons it would have been extremely difficult at best to cut many of the sections included within the crop tree thinning.
Portions of the weed tree thinning are even more difficult to gain purchase on while sawing. This time it’s necessary to pull out the cork boots to make sure all available traction is utilized. The western slopes are a wonderful morph of native prairie remnants and mixed hardwoods. When HRF is finished with this project mainly oak, walnut, and coffee will remain.
Several new photos have been added showcasing before and after images of thinning along with examples of landscape variation. It’s a unique landform with amazing features. More photos will follow nearing the completion of this project towards the end of March.