Kansas Canopy

Join KU Field Station Manager Sheena Parsons, Northeast Rural District Forester EJ Jamison, and Northeast District Fire Management Officer Bryce Haverkamp to discuss the 2023 prescribed burn of Rice Woodlands, a tract of the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve. The majority of the Rice Woodland is relatively undisturbed eastern deciduous forest. Thirty-one species of trees and 21 species of shrubs and vines were recorded on the tract in a 1963 study—remarkably high species richness for native forests in the central United States.

In this episode, Blaine Stroble, NE community forester, discusses the vital role community tree inventories play in maintaining healthy and resilient urban forests. Learn how these inventories help communities make informed decisions about tree care, promoting environmental and economic benefits that enhance quality of life for residents. Find your community forester: https://www.kansasforests.org/about/staff/index.html

District Forester Chris Mullins advises that the peak of fruit harvesting in Kansas is well underway by mid to late July – which means now is the time to harvest! Chris has been out gathering native sandhill plum with a local landowner to gather seed for the KFS conservation seedling program. Gathering local seed sources is an essential part of offering a genetic variety of plants that can tolerate harsh Kansas weather conditions. When he isn’t assisting with seed collection, Chris provides guidance and assistance to landowners in south central Kansas on timber stand improvement, windbreaks, pollinator pockets, wildlife habitat, and many other topics! Born-and-raised near Hutchinson, Kansas, Chris’ favorite tree and fruit comes from red mulberry. The fruit and leaves from the tree are high in protein. Red mulberry can also grow in many places where other high-value trees would not be likely to survive. Mulberries have long production season as well, with fruit often on the tress through August. Chris spent time harvesting apricots earlier in the season as well but advises that they are highly susceptible to late frost damage. Blackberries are also in abundance this time of year. But forager be warned, the “cat like” thorns are likely to result in many cuts and scrapes. Moving into the fall, persimmons will ripen in late fall – October and even into November. The unique flavor is nutty and favorite of deer (and bow hunters). Paw paws are likely to be ripe or close to it in northeast Kansas along with fragrant sumac and rose hips. Before heading to harvest, have a plan and recipe in mind. Knowing what you want to do with the fruit you harvest leaves fewer opportunities to waste the fruit. Base your harvest based on availability of fruit. In a good year, up to two-thirds of the fruit could be gathered without having negative impacts for the wildlife and insects that rely heavily on wild fruits for their diets. Always ask for permission before harvesting on private land. There are also opportunities to harvest on public land – both at state parks and federal reservoirs. Always check with the managing office for local rules and regulations on harvesting from public lands. Karen Blakeslee, extension associate with K-State Research and Extension, manages the Rapid Response Center and is one of the co-directors for the Value Added Food Lab. She has many years of experience on safe food preservation. She is a self-described “extension agent for extension agents” specializing in food safety. She offers sage advice on how to safely preserve fruits and vegetables both wild and raised. As more and more people turn to home preservation, Karen warns that here has been a shortage of required preservation supplies and safe preservation knowledge for people new to the task. There is no shortage of misinformation online – be sure to always use recipes from a reputable resource like Research and Extension or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. https://www.rrc.k-state.edu/preservation/index.html https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/food-nutrition/jams-and-jellies-from-native-wild-fruits/fn-1423-jams-and-jellies-from-native-wild-fruits.pdf https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/lawns-gardens-trees/the-windbreak-cookbook-featuring-fruits-of-prairie-forests/f1839.pdf One pro tip Karen offers is to freeze fresh fruits individually on a cookie sheet before bagging for storage in the freezer. This will keep the fruit from turning into a single blob of frozen fruit.

Tom Hogard's passion for woodworking began in junior high school when he opted to take woodshop. Over the years, he discovered that using salvaged logs or milling his own lumber provided some cost savings for his wooodworking projects. Today, Tom owns and operates his own portable sawmill serving northeast Kansas through salvaging logs that might otherwise end up at the landfill or in a firewood stack. Tom also helps other forestland owners by serving as the President of the Kansas Forestry Association. Learn more about the milling industry in Kansas and Tom and Dave Bruton, KFS Utilization and Marketing Forester, discuss lumber prices, the importance of native lumber, and how landowners and woodworkers can get involved in forestry in Kansas. Learn more about Tom and his business, Tom the Sawyer, at https://www.tomthesawyer.net/ https://www.facebook.com/TomTheSawyerPortableSawmill Kansas Forestry Association https://www.ksforestryassociation.org/ Kansas Forest Service list of sawmills https://www.kansasforests.org/forest_products/ This episode was originally published May 20, 2021 and was re-published on a new platform in 2022.

Ag and Natural Resources Extension Agent Chuck Otte was inspired by his family to serve others. They also fostered a fascination with the natural world around him. Today, Chuck inspires and connects those around him by providing expert advice on land management, farming, gardening, livestock health, and bird watching, just to name a few. This episode was originally published February 16, 2021 and was re-published on a new platform in 2022.

The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has many of us searching for ways to bring more joy to our lives as we distance ourselves from friends and family this holiday season. Phil Wegman and Amy Grelinger with the Kansas Christmas Tree Growers Association, share how their members are taking every precaution to ensure your family can safely visit and cut a fresh, Kansas tree this year. A tree that is seven to eight years in the making! Find a Christmas tree farm near you: http://kctga.com/kctga_website_temp_037.htm This episode was originally published November 17, 2020 and was re-published on a new platform in 2022.