The Will Is Gone

I’ve been out in the woods surveying for stressed trees after our unprecedented heat dome/heat bubble or whatever you want to call it.

Three days were pretty uncomfortable here at river level with the thermometer hovering above 100 degrees and for two of those days at 108. We had never seen temps that high here on the farm.

Up in the woods we noticed several of the 2 and 3 year old seedlings had browned out over that heat wave. Several 40 and 50 year old trees that looked sickly before the heat completely had their needles turn dead red.

Our little seedling that we called “Will” for his will to survive in a crack of a tree that had been felled five years ago, perished in the heat. His roots that were barely more than a few roots growing in a moisture puddle, dried out and he is gone. Will was our sentinel that was growing at the junction of skid roads at the top of the hill. Our favorite saying was “Turn at Will” to head across the hillside. Although he was teeny, he was nearly four years old and we were surprised he made it through each winter and summer it is sad to see him and other trees have an early demise.