So we had a big flood that flattened a bunch of trees. I have fixed the smaller under 6 foot trees by putting them in new tree tubes and a new PVC stake. Some of those trees have leaves coated in mud and are still waterlogged. I hope that the tree tubes will provide an…
Author: gothictrees
Flood of June 2019
Many of the trees I have been planting over the years have been in a clearing on flood plain land by the Zumbro River. Other trees have been planted in a clearing on a high ridge above the Zumbro River. Overnight on Thursday June 27th we had around 7 inches of rain. With the river…
Strasbourg Cathedral
A visit to Strasbourg and the great Cathedral is well worth it if you are in eastern France, southwest Germany or Switzerland. I visited the Cathedral in 2015 and found it to be a unique piece of Gothic Architecture. The first thing you notice is the very tall, but off center tower. It was the…
Tree Hunters Part III
What are the biggest trees in the world? By biggest I mean tree volume not height. The Giant Sequoia in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California have generally been considered the biggest. But have all the giant trees been found? My previous posts on Tree Hunters focused on Europe and Eastern United States tree hunters. …
The Butternut
I was reading the June/July 2019 Minnesota Forestry Association Woodlands bulletin. There was an article on “The Endangered Trees of Minnesota”. Two species – Butternut and Eastern Hemlock are considered endangered, meaning that they are vulnerable to extinction. Per the article Butternut is a medium to large hardwood tree with pinnately compound leaves and thick,…
Tall Tower
On a recent trip to Europe we spent 3 days in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. This valley was an inspiration that J.R.R. Tolkien took for Rivendell. What about the two towers in Lord of the Rings? Could the Ulm Minster steeple have been an inspiration for Tolkien? I can’t find any evidence of this,…
Bettlereiche
Can you pronounce “Bettlereiche”? I can’t. Bettlereiche is the name of a tree I visited in Thun, Switzerland. When planning a May 2019 trip to Germany, France, and Switzerland I explored the Monumental Trees website for a big tree to visit. I found one in Thun Switzerland which we stayed one night in. So on…
Tree Hunters Part II
In the USA there is a tree hunter site called the Native Tree Society. As an aside the Native Tree Society was first the Eastern Native Tree Society. The acronym for the original was ENTS. If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings you know what Ents are. If not google it. Most…
Tree Hunters Part 1
Big trees are an inspiration to anyone that get’s close to one. Now of course if you have stood next to a Giant Sequoia in California you realize what I’m talking about. But even getting up close to a old large Bur Oak or White Pine can give you a similar experience. Did you know…
Stihl MS 461 Chainsaw
Since I was around 15 or 16 years old I have used a chainsaw to cut wood mainly for burning in wood-stoves. Over that time the chainsaws I have used were mid-line between starter consumer versions and professional saws. They have served me well for the most part. But when it comes to cutting up…
GothicTrees 