The up north thread

Tidbits and News related to northern Wisconsin. 

Thanks G for clarifying.  I’m a stickler to detail(s).  

I trust Clueless
I’m going with probable Wolf kill. 

I had disease.  So u want a breakdown of diseases that could kill deer?

CWD
EHD
Brain Abscess
A few other weird and rare diseases

U forgot CWD.   

Misplaced bullet
Misplaced arrow
Misplaced bolt
Disease
Poaching
Poisoning
Car hit
Coyote
Bobcat
Mountain lion
Wolf

Could be any number of things that lead to dead animals

I have been taking advantage of the snow free woods and taking the dogs on long walks on state lands. The ticks are out. Pulled one off of me and the dogs have had several, we had to start there tick treatments early this year.
Today we found a probable wolf kill. All that remained was a portion of the skull and the jawbone.

I know this is about Up North Wisconsin; however, the discussion regarding old trees reminded me of a day trip we took during crappy weather a few years back while up on Leech Lake, MN. The Lost 40 is an area that was apparently mistakenly surveyed incorrectly and there are a bunch of VERY old trees still growing. It really makes you feel pretty small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  

Thanks SM. Fascinating stuff! I sent you a PM. 

Neat stuff SM, thanks for sharing.
The big trees in my area along the Peshtigo River are rare because when the big Peshtigo Fire happened in 1871 these few trees that survived were in the river bottoms and didn't burn.

FWIW,
I did also find this vintage 2-man crosscut logging saw blade half buried in the ground near that general area.  I left it just where I found it.  I didn't feel right unearthing it and taking it home.  So, it is still there.

The tree stumps are very likely from that era.  The specific species could also be Eastern Hemlock.  They are more resistant to decay than a white pine.  The only way that I know how to tell the difference would be to take a sample and look at it under a microscope.

Could they be white pine stumps from the 1880's logging era?

n.pike,
I can tell you that it is located in an area that I have always called "the valley of giants."  A very special place to me. There are/were numerous large coniferous tree stumps there that ranged in size from 48" to 60+" DBH.  I've known about this spot since 1976-77.  The picture I posted was taken in 2020 and there was a lot of degradation over that 45 year period.  I always thought these stumps were from circa 1900 +/- a few years.  Most had some evidence of fire damage (visible 40 plus years ago, not so anymore).

Below is a pic of the circumference measurement I took of the "Sentinel" slightly above ground level in 2020.  That measurement was 23 ft.  Thus, the ground level diameter calculates to 7.3 ft.  If I remember correctly, the exposed root arm to root arm spread across the center of the tree was 11 ft in one area.  So, it was a true monster.  I can only picture what that stand of timber looked like 130 years ago in my mind's eye.

SM-
Brian, the forest manager that was ice fishing with us on Saturday, is really intrigued by the tree you posted. Do you have any more info? He knows all about state record trees and such and is curious  (unless it’s a personal secret..) 
That tree is awesome by the way! 

SM,  I can appreciate that, here's a pic of a tree on my land I took two years ago. A 14 foot circumference Maple and my two daughters and two grand daughters couldn't reach around it. Sadly it went down last winter.