Inside:  Climax forests are wonderful places to wander and enjoy nature. Our climax forest community is not only enjoyed as a refuge but is a source of heating wood.

The climax forest community in this photo is in the Oak Ridge Moraine in South Central Ontario near Peterborough in the back thirty acres of our property.  The picture was taken in January during a light snowfall. There are lots of Oak, Sugar Maple and Beech trees.  There is still some Birch and red pine and Spruce trees in a small area of the forest where cattle were allowed to graze.

We have lived on this property for 14 years and that area of the property is slowly going through stages of succession.  There was a significant clearing surrounded by many Birch trees and some large pines and a few spruce.  The clearing is now [cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_clear=”none” general_width=”350″ general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Tahoma”]I grew up in a forest. It’s like a room. It’s protected. Like a cathedral… it is a place between heaven and earth. — Anselm Kiefer[/cow_johnson]being overtaken with some fair-sized spruce and pine trees.  The Birch are slowly giving way to new Oaks and Maples in the surrounding forest edge.  Within the next twenty years, that small area will become part of the surrounding climax forest.

We harvest wood to heat our home from this forest.  Each summer and fall we take the ATV with an attached wagon and regularly scour the forest for trees which have fallen during storms as well as dead but standing trees and those which are overcrowded.  We avoid if possible harvesting healthy trees.  Every year we have been able to get enough wood from this climax forest community to heat our home primarily with wood during the often very cold, long winters of South Central Ontario.

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