Bopcha Blog

The Shelter Logic equipment shed collapsed from the weight of the ice.

The gutters on the barn/big garage tore off when the ice came sliding down the metal roof.

The bent screw tells the story of just how hard the gutters tried to hang on for dear life.

Heading across the bridge to the forest on the far side of Rock Creek, we saw the beautiful, green creek.

The following photos will illustrate the damage we saw as we walked up the forest road that follows Rock Creek. At the junction of the new, bypass road, we headed up the road that leads to the Watershed Road and walked back that way. Less bushwhacking!

Five years after planting and the little trees are thriving!

Nooooo! It is hard to see, but our elderberry tree lost a branch ….

These are some mean looking chickens

Torti cowers … he doesn’t want to get pecked on the forehead like his pal Hoss!

At last Bianca the Maremma Sheepdog has a herd to protect

Bianca, I hate to tell you this but the coyotes you love to bark at (or chase) are keeping warm somewhere in the woods!

A January day in the 20s (or less) didn’t keep Sandra and Bianca from checking on Rock Creek at the Swimmin’ Hole.

Surprise! After clearing this forest road that is a short distance from the Griffith Creek crossing, we find more fallen trees blocking it!

Griffith Creek has a new log lying across it. High water will take it downstream eventually.

The grass seed we put on the new road is sprouting.

The view from the top of the new road shows frost down below. Brrrrrrr……

Robert, Zach, Sid, Joe, Bill and Shane prepare to evaluate the condition of the entry to the Rock Creek road.

There is a little bare spot on the hill, so Sid puts a bit of the seed we bought for the forest roads onto it.

This is the forest blend that Diana and Bill sprinkled onto bare spots in the forest.

Having gravel available is a big plus.

On our way to place safety signs on the forest road leading to the hole I fell into when a big tree fell into the creek, we were stopped cold by a tree down. We promptly turned the Ranger around and went back to the farm to get Sid and the chainsaw.

The tree broke off on the creek side of the road.

Oh no … another obstruction! The chain came off the saw, and Sid walked back to the house, so Bill manhandled the tree out of the way.

The first sign warns Ranger riders that this forest road is no longer a throughway.

Another “no thru vehicle traffic sign” was placed on the other end of the road.

No vehicles signs were placed on either side of the stretch of road where the hole exists.

We placed the game camera in a spot we are sure to catch some wildlife.

Newlyweds Nina and Will arrive to help around the farm while on their work vacations.

Chickens in the chickenhouse now.

Four of the little rascals live in the chickenhouse.

Gloves on, Will helps Sid secure the winch around a limb while Noah watches.

Nina and Will bought a nice big truck that will reside at the farm, helping with towing and hauling. Nice!

Both Nina and Will get lessons on Miss Tym. Here Will is dumping gravel into the Ranger so that the Ranger can haul it to form the base of the tool shed that will soon be built.

There typically was a passageway between the little clump of trees you see on the right and the forest on the left. Sid set out to clear the passageway from various blockages on a fine Sunday morning when he discovered a decimated yellow jacket nest that had been dug up by a skunk or racoon (?). A number of the unhoused yellow jackets took offense and attacked! Sid was stung 7 or 8 times on the back. He felt a reaction setting in, so he epi penned himself, texted Diana and Sandra, and drove to Philomath urgent care. A steroid shot and an oral Benadryl dose later, the doc released him to his sister’s care. Here he is, showing Diana and Bill where the event took place.

As long as we were all here, Bill and I helped Sid finish clearing the passageway.

Our wild Elderberry has lovely berries.

Sid tested the new chain for sharpness before heading into the woods to clear a forest road blockage.

The rings on the tree were very interesting, as was the star-like pattern near the heartwood.

Ask Extension ask@extension.org

I sent the top photo to Extension and here is the reply:
To:You
Tue 10/10/2023 11:01 AM
Dear blakney1, here’s the response to your question:

I suspect that is resin from branch stobs.  A longer one is quite obvious on the right side of the picture but does not show the white resin, and I believe the star like pattern is a result of other stobs not exposed as well but still resinous.  Branches are major invasion courts for wood decay (heart rot) fungi, and therefore, the tree will pack branches with resin to prevent invasion.  If you sliced off another inch, you might see the other stobs to confirm.

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