Unity Farm Journal - Third Week of January 2015

The third week of January is generally the coldest, most bitter time in the New England winter season.  Temperatures dip to the single digits, snow/ice/winter mix cover the barnyard, and shoveling manure requires an ice chipper.   Eggs laid overnight in the chicken or duck pen crack when they freeze solid.   Every creature gets extra food to keep their internal furnaces stoked.The ground is frozen and all the outbuildings are below freezing inside.  Even the plants in the hoop house are need to be protected by row cover blankets.   Nothing will germinate at below freezing temperatures.Much of the work of the farm slows.Now is the time of year that all that firewood preparation comes in handy.   The house fires burn several hours a day, taking the chill off the evenings.   The cold weather makes cutting hardwoods like maple more difficult.   However, splitting is easier since the frozen wood tends to shatter.There is one woodcutting opportunity that is only possible at this time of year - cutting fallen trees near the wetland.   I would never do work in environmentally sensitive areas when water is flowing and the wetland would be disturbed.  But at 7 degrees, all moist areas are a solid ice chunk and I can remove the broken branches and fallen trees that are likely to topple in an uncontrolled fashion, causing damage to surrounding flora and fauna.Part of this woodlot maintenance includes taking down widow makers - dead trees ...
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