Tree Walk

 I've been trying to get my friend, Ed, to walk with me in Six Mile Creek for many years.  This fall it finally happened (I was happy to take a day off to accommodate his tight, retired schedule).  His grandfather was an Extension Forester at Cornell way back when, and Ed spent his career as a curator and botanist with Cornell, so in addition to showing him what I consider an amazing forest, I thought I'd get answers to many of my questions.

Ed was pretty impressed by the tour, you will be too when you join me for it sometime if you have any interest in trees.  One of the most remarkable specimens was a tree that normally wouldn't stand out: it's not big or growing in any unusual manner, and red maples are a common species.  What caught Ed's eye was that it still had its leaves late in the fall: they are typically the first to drop.  A new question as to why the leaves were still hanging on.  Now I'll have to remember to check on it next year.

A still-unanswered question:  What causes this?  Best guess is woodpeckers, but they sure make straight lines.

No question what's going on here:  Emerald Ash Borer killing all the ash trees in the forest.  This one is going to reroute a ski trail when it comes down.