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--Apple-Mail-2A6F9C11-4713-402C-892F-785820702D30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It is my understanding the long grasses surrounding the fir trees are the re= sult of suppressing hardwood growth by spraying. No competition equaling hap= py grass. Xmas tree lots tend to be established on dry, rocky, nutrient poor= hill sides. I know nothing about amount, type, frequency of chemical treatm= ents on this lot or others but have the impression it is not excessive. Hobb= lebush and other shrubby plants are abundant in this lot in late summer.=20 Sent from my iPad > On Feb 24, 2018, at 3:44 PM, David <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: >=20 > Hi Nancy & All, > I know little about current cultural practices in Xmas tree plantation= s but your mention of thick grassy ground cover struck a chord. Other thing= s being equal grasses tend to deep rooting (drawing on memory I found Couch r= oots [Agropyron repens] down to 4 metres in relatively light orchard soils) b= ecause grass feeder roots are typically small in diameter and can exploit so= il voids which exclude stubby roots.=20 > So a thick grassy ground cover implies nutrient retention in the soil (= recycled to the surface) instead of being exported as leachate and consequen= tly a nutrient rich habitat. (Because nutrients generated by fixation or wea= thering are less subject to loss.)=20 > Such conditions I associate with unusually diverse and abundant insect= populations. One of the best nearby examples is downslope of the "feather f= actory" on route 12 just south of the Gaspereau River where for many years f= eathers were rendered to be recycled as feed (I think) but the smell was qui= te rich and some liquid seeped downslope. And Bees, Flies and Leps all appre= ciated it. I have not been there recently so this may have changed by now. > But going back many decades, to canoe exploration days, locations of l= ong gone logging camps with associated hauled in hay, horse stables and manu= re piles stood out like sore thumbs. > Yt, DW,Kentville >=20 > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "nancy dowd" <nancypdowd@gmail.com> > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Sent: 2/24/2018 10:59:33 AM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] WW Crossbills in Xmas tree farm >=20 >> Thank you for that info. PAWA being early arrivals so far as Warblers go,= I will watching and listening for them there as Spring progresses.=20 >>=20 >> Nancy D >>=20 >> Sent from my iPad >>=20 >>> On Feb 24, 2018, at 10:32 AM, Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com> wro= te: >>>=20 >>> They also seem to be good habitat for nesting Palm Warblers. >>>=20 >>> Richard >>>=20 >>>> On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 8:56 AM, nancy dowd <nancypdowd@gmail.com> wrot= e: >>>> Thursday I visited a trail that runs along the lakeshore with a Xmas tr= ee farm going up from it. White-winged Crossbills were everywhere- feeding i= n the spruce trees bordering the lot and also scattered throughout the Xmas t= rees themselves. Several were actually sitting atop these small firs singing= away, well away from the cone-bearing trees. Would WWCR actually nest in th= ese tree farms? >>>>=20 >>>> Xmas tree farms are curious places: fir monocultures with thick grassy u= ndergrowth, edge habitat and gravelly trails. Each lot has a Red-tailed Hawk= present (two in courtship flight there on Thursday) plus I=E2=80=99ve seen K= estrels, Merlins and other raptors- the thick grass likely harbours lots of s= mall mammals, sparrows, insects and such. Neither natural nor the world=E2=80= =99s safest environments in many ways but certainly not the worst. >>>>=20 >>>> Nancy >>>> E Dalhousie, Kings Co. >>>>=20 >>>> Sent from my iPad >>>=20 >>>=20 >>>=20 >>> --=20 >>> ################# >>> Richard Stern,=20 >>> Port Williams, NS, Canada >>> sternrichard@gmail.com >>> ################### --Apple-Mail-2A6F9C11-4713-402C-892F-785820702D30 Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D= utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto">It is my understanding the long grasses sur= rounding the fir trees are the result of suppressing hardwood growth by spra= ying. No competition equaling happy grass. Xmas tree lots tend to be establi= shed on dry, rocky, nutrient poor hill sides. I know nothing about amount, t= ype, frequency of chemical treatments on this lot or others but have the imp= ression it is not excessive. Hobblebush and other shrubby plants are abundan= t in this lot in late summer. <br><br><div id=3D"AppleMailSignature">Se= nt from my iPad</div><div><br>On Feb 24, 2018, at 3:44 PM, David <<a href= =3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com">dwebster@glinx.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></di= v><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div><div>Hi Nancy & All,</div><div> &= nbsp; I know little about current cultural practices in Xmas tree plantation= s but your mention of thick grassy ground cover struck a chord. Other t= hings being equal grasses tend to deep rooting (drawing on memory I found Co= uch roots [Agropyron repens] down to 4 metres in relatively light orchard so= ils) because grass feeder roots are typically small in diameter and can expl= oit soil voids which exclude stubby roots. </div><div>  = ; So a thick grassy ground cover implies nutrient retention in the soil= (recycled to the surface) instead of being exported as leachate and consequ= ently a nutrient rich habitat. (Because nutrients generated by fixation or w= eathering are less subject to loss.) </div><div> Such cond= itions I associate with unusually diverse and abundant insect populations. O= ne of the best nearby examples is downslope of the "feather factory" on rout= e 12 just south of the Gaspereau River where for many years feathers were re= ndered to be recycled as feed (I think) but the smell was quite rich and som= e liquid seeped downslope. And Bees, Flies and Leps all appreciated it. I ha= ve not been there recently so this may have changed by now.</div><div> = But going back many decades, to canoe exploration days, locations of= long gone logging camps with associated hauled in hay, horse stables and ma= nure piles stood out like sore thumbs.</div><div>Yt, DW,Kentville</div> <div><br></div> <div>------ Original Message ------</div> <div>From: "nancy dowd" <<a href=3D"mailto:nancypdowd@gmail.com">nancypdo= wd@gmail.com</a>></div> <div>To: <a href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<= /a></div> <div>Sent: 2/24/2018 10:59:33 AM</div> <div>Subject: Re: [NatureNS] WW Crossbills in Xmas tree farm</div><div><br><= /div> <div id=3D"xc4c2022ef400455"><blockquote cite=3D"2A450B96-05A3-4926-A51C-408= B97C00131@gmail.com" type=3D"cite" class=3D"cite2"> Thank you for that info. PAWA being early arrivals so far as Warblers go, I w= ill watching and listening for them there as Spring progresses. <div><b= r></div><div>Nancy D<br><br><div id=3D"AppleMailSignature">Sent from my iPad= </div><div><br>On Feb 24, 2018, at 10:32 AM, Richard Stern <<a href=3D"ma= ilto:sternrichard@gmail.com">sternrichard@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></= div><blockquote type=3D"cite" class=3D"cite"><div><div dir=3D"ltr">They also= seem to be good habitat for nesting Palm Warblers.<div><br></div><div>Richa= rd</div></div><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On S= at, Feb 24, 2018 at 8:56 AM, nancy dowd <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mai= lto:nancypdowd@gmail.com">nancypdowd@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blo= ckquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #cc= c solid;padding-left:1ex">Thursday I visited a trail that runs along the lak= eshore with a Xmas tree farm going up from it. White-winged Crossbills were e= verywhere- feeding in the spruce trees bordering the lot and also scattered t= hroughout the Xmas trees themselves. Several were actually sitting atop thes= e small firs singing away, well away from the cone-bearing trees. Would WWCR= actually nest in these tree farms?<br> <br> Xmas tree farms are curious places: fir monocultures with thick grassy under= growth, edge habitat and gravelly trails. Each lot has a Red-tailed Hawk pre= sent (two in courtship flight there on Thursday) plus I=E2=80=99ve seen Kest= rels, Merlins and other raptors- the thick grass likely harbours lots of sma= ll mammals, sparrows, insects and such. Neither natural nor the world=E2=80=99= s safest environments in many ways but certainly not the worst.<br> <br> Nancy<br> E Dalhousie, Kings Co.<br> <br> Sent from my iPad<br> </blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class=3D= "gmail_signature" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>#= ################<br>Richard Stern, <br>Port Williams, NS, Canada<br><a href=3D= "mailto:sternrichard@gmail.com">sternrichard@gmail.com</a><br>##############= #####</div></div></div> </div> </div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div> </div></blockquote></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-2A6F9C11-4713-402C-892F-785820702D30--
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