Hi everybody!
Sorry, its been busy at work for a bit and I didn't have a chance to get back on here, but I still value every single response I get!
Jay Angler, based on our description, one of the local wildlife people said it was most likely a barred owl. She said they tend to roost in deciduous (sp?) forests, though they can roost in pines, so I am HOPING his nest is on the old-growth hardwood side, in which case her roost was not (and will never be) disturbed. They stick around year-round, but they tend to nest/lay in march....I am hoping against hope it lives on the deciduous side so the eggs can hatch in peace. I haven't had a chance to reach out about the soil on the 2 acres, since it's further back in our priority list than the 4 acres we'll be building on
Anne Miller, Thank you for the link, I've read through it and it was very informative. And I did do another soil dig test, unfortunately I was correct, there isn't really any topsoil to speak of, just a layer of leaves/needles that gets more composted near the bottom (almost topsoil?) and under than is just straight clay. I could make a pot out of it lol
Vanessa, I do think, in general, a controlled burn can be very beneficial, but the property is in an area where that isn't feasible, so we're gonna have to do it the back-breaking way!
Ben Zumeta, I'm sorry if I wrote the original post in a way that came across as me assuming step 1 is always clear cutting. I know step 1 is observation, and then decision making based on the data collected. I have a deep respect for old-growth forests and the benefits they provide to the local environment, and the global one. I simply meant that most permaculture tends to be a disruptive in the beginning, with the hope that the long-term result is more sustainable and beneficial than the existing scenario was before you arrived, especially in areas where people are coming into property that was farmed hard, or clear-cut, or abused in some other way. I absolutely agree that sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing at all :) We are in love with the absolutely massive trees that live on the old-growth side of the forest, and don't intend to touch them at all, though I may attempt to introduce some form of undergrowth as there is absolutely nothing growing amongst the trees at the moment.
Additionally, let me try to describe the land a little better, and then later tonight I will try to post an aerial picture to illustrate it better. The property is essentially a rectangle, one acre wide by four acres long. Almost (but not quite) the center of the property (I'd say 1.75 acres on the front, 2.25 acres on the back) there is a perfectly straight line. On the front is the cedar/pine forest (~1.75 acres) on the back is the old growth hardwood (~2.25 acres). The line between them is also where the ridge is, slight uphill in the pine/cedar forest, steeper down in the old growth hardwood. On the verrryyyy back, at the end of the 4 acres, is the creek. About 100 feet before the creek, the land levels out to perfectly flat. Our property line is actually about 5 feet past the far side of the creek, so it is technically 100% on our property for the duration. The creek has dug itself ten feet down into a ravine. The ravine is about ten feet across, the creek itself about five feet across. Since the creek defines the back edge of the old growth hardwood, nothing around it will be touched, at least on our property. Hopefully this makes sense, like I said I will try to post a pic later today when I'm home
Jim Fry, the confirmed history is from county records, as well as chatting with neighbors that have been there much longer than I. There isn't any info on the old growth/hardwood side, but everywhere the pines/cedars are, and where the pines/cedars are (or were) on neighboring properties, was originally part of a much larger property that was clear cut, farmed hard, and then when it was broken up into smaller portions and sold, pines came in thick and fast. Most of the original owners of these smaller lots did one of two things: Clear cut it and bring in grass, or totally leave it alone and never do anything on the property. Our four acres is one of the latter, the owner before us and the owner before him just kind of let the pine trees do their thing, never developing the land. All in all, it's been about 40 years since anything on the land has been touched by humans, although the identical properties on either side of us have been clear cut again and had grass planted for sprawling horse pasture. (everyone within four or five properties of us, on our side of the road, has left the old-growth untouched. The only clearing has been done to the cedar/pines
Again, thank you to everybody, and I will do my best to keep on top of replies, they've really been helping us orient ourselves on this piece of land.
