Questions tagged [forests]

Questions referring to Forests (also, woods)

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How to protect from UV radiations and sunburns using elements found in nature? [duplicate]

Is is possible to avoid sunburns and block UV radiations without using industrial suncream, but using elements found in nature(plants, mud, etc.)?
2 votes
0 answers
137 views

Density of game trails in old-growth forest

In old growth forest, that has large animals like deer, bears etc., specifically in the wildest areas of Pennsylvania (though if estimates are available for other areas with some similarities, I will ...
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10 votes
3 answers
264 views

Maps showing forest type

In planning my hikes, I would find it very useful to know where different types of forests are to be found across the map. Even having a basic distinction shown on the map between coniferous/needled ...
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7 votes
3 answers
364 views

What causes these raised earth pathways in soil?

I see these all over at elevation in Colorado and I can't figure out what causes them. They look like the tracks Bugs Bunny used to make when he was traveling underground. As far as I can tell they ...
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5 votes
2 answers
456 views

What animals pose a threat to humans in the Vienna Woods/Wienerwald?

Imagine someone hikes in the Vienna Woods, gets lost and spends the night in the woods. Is there a real danger for such a person to be attacked or killed by wolves, bears, or other dangerous animals? ...
16 votes
6 answers
5k views

How to deal with hordes of flies in outdoor toilets?

In countryside (rural) tourism, especially when it is single or few houses somewhere in the middle of nowhere (woods), instead of having a water system including proper bathroom one sometimes gets a ...
3 votes
1 answer
243 views

Is there any scientific basis for the special feeling one gets in an old growth forest?

I have been in several old-growth forests, and they have a special feeling, at least to me. One of them may have been virgin forest, for which one definition is never been logged. This is not an ...
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2 votes
0 answers
69 views

Cibola National Forest day passes for the la luz trail in new mexico

I was planning on being in Albuquerque, New Mexico from Oct 1 to Oct 9 for the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and I was thinking I'd hike the La Luz trail while there. According to the USDA Forest ...
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26 votes
5 answers
6k views

Is it significantly faster to hike along a river bank?

Hiking through old-growth forest with no trail, is a lot slower than hiking on a trail. The actual speed seems to vary greatly depending on the particular forest, with estimates ranging from perhaps 1 ...
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12 votes
1 answer
371 views

How do tree trunks get chevron patterns in the bark?

I went into German woods near Berlin and I saw hundreds of trees that look like this: What is this? Why are people doing that? I tried to google for wood patterns, but these keywords don't show any ...
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3 votes
2 answers
807 views

Best places in Europe to practice wilderness camping skills without much tourism?

What would be the most suitable places in Europe where I could venture with some friends on a backpacking trip where we could sleep in tents for about a week and practice camping skills, without much ...
3 votes
1 answer
314 views

Any forests in Europe where a group of people could survive as hunter-gatherers?

Are there any larger "wild" forested areas left in continental Europe, where a group of people could (in theory) sustainably live as hunter-gatherers? Looking at maps of forested areas, I ...
5 votes
4 answers
362 views

How am I supposed to remember if I'm supposed to "play dead" or "make myself appear big" for various dangerous wild animals?

I've countless times heard things like this when they give tips for how to act when encountering a bear in the wild: Play dead! Lie down and don't move an inch! And (for all animals): Don't run! It ...
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4 votes
3 answers
330 views

How to interpret forest from the map?

I basically like to bomb into forest and set up the tent. While doing this last time I ended in the forest with clay as ground, it had a lot smaller and bigger puddles and I was main meal at mosquito ...
3 votes
1 answer
152 views

Do golden color pine trees associate with the name of Fluffy?

I went to a nursery over the weekend and purchased a golden colored pine tree. The nursery was calling them Fluffy Trees (picture below). This tree name really makes me laugh and smile but I am ...
1 vote
1 answer
145 views

Do Redwood Trees grow in families?

I have heard a very interesting tree fact about Redwoods. These trees grow in a family unit. In doing some research I came upon the the term: "Fairy Rings" or family circles, are likely all ...
6 votes
1 answer
327 views

Why don't rainforests and jungles smell like rotten corpses?

If animals eat each other daily and defecate, why don't rainforests and the natural world smell like rotten corpses and feces? Wild animals don't have recycling people.
user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
314 views

How should I manage my woods to attract more deer?

We live on 10 acres (very small, I know) but we have got a deer and I was wondering how to bring more deer in. I am looking for advice on land management to achieve this. Some stat: we live in ...
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4 votes
2 answers
311 views

Are there US Forest Service maps of historical logging?

Some forests in the Western United States will have been logged at different times and by different methods i.e. clearcut vs selective logging. As time goes by, the trees will grow back but this ...
7 votes
4 answers
367 views

Why is it undesirable for the New Forest to convert to a mature forest?

The source, Commoners of the New Forest referenced by @Liam in his answer to the question How do you become a New Forester Commoner? implies that for the New Forest to become a mature forest would be ...
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5 votes
1 answer
2k views

How do you become a New Forest commoner?

Exactly that... I've done some searching and it looks like a catch-22 situation: To be able to move there you need to do commoning already. But to do commoning, you need live there already. (Hmm... do ...
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19 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is this blob found at the edge of a puddle on a forest logging road?

Exploring the woods of the Adirondack Mountains, this gelatinous blob was found near the edge of standing water on a logging road. The entire length of this thing is probably just under 10 inches and ...
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45 votes
10 answers
15k views

Can removing dead wood harm the ecosystem?

My inlaws have about 40 wooded acres in the Mid Atlantic region. They are nice woods but the amount of dead wood on the ground is astounding. For the most part it makes walking through similar to a ...
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8 votes
1 answer
250 views

What types of wild foods are protected from foraging in the Swedish Lapland forests, and how is the status decided?

There's a question on the site seeking information about foraging food in Sweden. One of the answers says any wild food in the forests of Swedish Lapland can be foraged and removed except "protected" ...
10 votes
1 answer
975 views

What is this really tall grass-like plant?

Where: North-central Massachusetts When: 8 April 2017 Whenever I'm out and about, I look at wetlands as I go by to see their general state, how much the invasive phragmites is pushing out the native ...
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6 votes
1 answer
619 views

How can I identify Woolly Adelgid on a Hemlock tree?

Note: An update has been added to this post, and is found below the first set of pictures. I live in Central Massachusetts, in the town of Holden. We're on the border of the large city of Worcester. ...
7 votes
2 answers
276 views

Headlamp and flies

Post-monsoon we have lots of flies and insects in the forests. I was hiking up an easy trail last weekend. It got dark and I still had a couple of hours of walking distance to cover. With no light ...
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14 votes
4 answers
2k views

How to assess the likelihood of a tree falling in a forest?

Sometimes while camping in forests, there will be dead trees around, or in forests where there was a fire, a high percentage of the trees will be dead. While it is not extremely likely that a tree ...
5 votes
1 answer
334 views

Is it practical to tap a tree for syrup on an overnight stop?

We have a couple of questions about the legality of and how to tap trees to get sap. Tree sap is the source of sugary syrups like Maple or Sycamore. The sap can then be evaporated over a fire to ...
8 votes
1 answer
150 views

Processing the fruit of chequers/wild service tree

How do I process the fruit of the wild service tree? I know the berries need to be subjected to frost before they can be dried and consumed. Can I harvest them early and stick them in the freezer ...
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15 votes
2 answers
2k views

How do you tap a tree for sap?

Related to this quetsion Tree tapping in the UK - Time and legalities. I have never tapped a tree. How do you do this? What equipment is involved, etc?
user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

Tree tapping in the UK - Time and legalities

Is it legal to tap trees on public land in the UK? I'm thinking of tapping sycamore trees in a local wood on an overnight trip in the spring. Also, am I correct in the assumption that the last week ...
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10 votes
1 answer
259 views

Why are trees marked purple in the state of Texas?

I've recognized this a few times in Texas. Trees were more or less "professionally" painted purple. It appeared totally random to me but was too frequent to just take it as a plain tag from the owner (...
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6 votes
1 answer
230 views

PICTURED - What causes this sort of clearing?

I have been to several locations where I have seen clearing similar to the one I am in currently? This was a clear cut logging area. There are what look like small trees that we cut down, though this ...
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9 votes
1 answer
334 views

Does it harm deer when I walk on their trails?

I've often walked on deer trails already. The last time I've done this I suddenly realized that it might not be the best practice. I was (and I am) concerned that the "human smell" might stop the deer ...
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8 votes
2 answers
244 views

Where does uncommon litter come from?

On my last tour I've found a lot of litter in the woods again. While I do my best to get things out, I was not able to take an old oil barrel and a care tire with me =). However, these two items made ...
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6 votes
1 answer
325 views

What is a suitable workflow for cutting down trees? [closed]

I have many trees on my land that need to be cut down. I would like to know what suitable workflows there are for the whole process. Should I cut a tree down, cut it up into small pieces, and split ...
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

A skeleton with elfish ears - which animal was that?

As we wandered through a valley in a South-German forest, we stumbled across this skeleton: A few key-facts: Big eyes It had two sharp "ear like" bones coming out of its skull The pictured remains ...
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8 votes
4 answers
1k views

Nice forest 'around' London for a 2 days hike

Having lived in the UK for 4 years, I have only done a big hike + wild camping in the lake district and in Snowdonia, where I have read, the rules about wild camping are more relaxed and tolerated ...
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12 votes
1 answer
975 views

Largest protected forest (ancient woodland) in England?

I live in England and I like forests. Where do I find the largest protected forest in England? By protected I mean: no commercial logging (management logging is OK considering no forests without it ...
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9 votes
1 answer
534 views

Dozens of dead little spiders in the snow

The winter suddenly set in here and it was pretty warm before. We walked through the snow in a central European forest and I realized a lot of "black dots" (dozens of them) as a contrast to the white. ...
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11 votes
3 answers
6k views

Sticks leaning on a tree building a hut-like formation - what's the purpose of that?

We were in a central European forest last weekend and discovered a few places where a bunch of sticks were leaned against a tree. They build kind of a circle so that it looked like a small hut. ...
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5 votes
3 answers
2k views

Advantages of a (hunting) hat in the woods?

I feel like hats are quite popular among hunters and other outdoor-people which are mainly active in the woods. Also, a lot of outdoor brands have hats in their range. Which rational characteristics ...
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4 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is this small, bright yellow, mushroom found in the woods in Massachusetts?

Last week, my husband was walking on a path beside a shallow brook in Rutland State Park, a wooded area in central Massachusetts, USA. He came across a bright yellow mushroom with a very short, white ...
22 votes
8 answers
27k views

Is wild garlic edible? How do you prepare it?

Driving into work this am, the woods were full of wild garlic, you could actually smell it in the car. I've always presumed that it is edible but I'm not 100% sure. Can you eat wild garlic? Which ...
user avatar
40 votes
2 answers
6k views

How to walk silently in the woods?

Today I walked in the woods and it was quite late in the evening. While I was walking, a deer jumped and ran away. I guess I disturbed it while it was sleeping. And it came to my mind that I'm the ...
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11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do barrel style root cellars get colder the deeper you dig them?

I am thinking of digging a six feet narrow hole, and filling it in with a piece 2ft wide piece of sewage pipe, and using that as barrel style root cellar. The reason I want to go so deep, is that I am ...
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22 votes
7 answers
7k views

Permanent Camping Cooler - No Ice Needed

Situation: Forest Clay Ground covered in pine needles Pacific Northwest Climate No River No Electricity Can provide purified water, and whatever building materials needed. Goal: Construct a cooler ...
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13 votes
1 answer
4k views

Do leeches have a preference?

So I did a hike in a forest infested with leeches. I ended up with quite a few leech bites (around 20). But, at the same time, another hiker got just one bite! We both were wearing similar shoes, ...
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12 votes
3 answers
359 views

Is a national forest always a forest?

This question may seem obvious — but is a national forest always a forest? In Norway, statskog — which quite literally means national forest — is a state agency owning forest land, but also vast ...
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