Wow!
Thanks for the responses everyone.
Suggestions:
Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard: I added it to my amazon wish-list, hopefully one of my kids will be a kind Santa.
Questions answered:
What is the makeup of the forest? Yellow birch, Paper birch, Eastern Hemlock and Horse chestnut are most of the trees. The undergrowth is mostly the state flower, mountain laurel, with some poison ivy at the valley between two hills. I want to replace (perhaps displace is a better word?) with black walnut, and oak (red and or white), wide grape and blackberry bushes from a neighbors land and crab-apple, wild plum, and choke berry from the game commission. I want to undo the efforts to keep deer and other game away from previous owner's efforts as well as collect dropping from this slope to help feed a few swine.
Is the path already established ? And by whom ? Nope, none. The owner was a preacher and worked hard to discourage hunting on or near the property. I'm from the other camp, If I can put the limit in my freezer each year while watching the game from my porch would be a dream, if not practical.
Are there signs of erosion at the moment? Where a section what I think was oak was taken out long enough ago that mushrooms have a decent hold on the stumps I have a what I'll kindly call an "intermittent stream". My sister said she'll gladly have a grandkid or two plant some Virginia creeper in the "stream". I hope that stops the widening of my "stream".
Are there any fruit trees already established? Nope. Repeating here but, owner worked hard to discourage hunting on or near the property. A neighbor said it was one of the best places for deer and turkey, a decade ago, as the slopes channelized the movement making hunting easier; walnuts and crab apples brought them in and kept them nearby.
Again, thanks for the advice and suggestions!
v/r
Rev
