나무 · tree farm · silviculture record
Each row records a species we tend. Notes are kept in plain language; measurements are taken at chest height in late autumn.
no. 02 · birch
자작나무 · paper bark, slender form
Stands in the north quarter, where wind is strongest. The bark peels in pale ribbons that we let lie. Catkins arrive in late April. Average height 14.6 m.
no. 03 · pine
소나무 · resinous, evergreen, tall
The slow row, planted along the south slope. Needles in pairs. We thin every seventh year, never more. Resin is collected only from windfall.
no. 04 · oak
참나무 · broad crown, slow grain
A small grove at the centre of the plot. Acorns are gathered each October and sent to the cooperative nursery. The oldest tree was planted by the previous keeper.
no. 05 · alder
오리나무 · wet-loving, soil mender
Planted along the brook to hold the bank. Fixes nitrogen, so the grass beneath grows tall and green. Cones stay on the branches well into winter.
no. 06 · spruce
가문비 · upright, dark, patient
A windbreak along the eastern fence. We do not harvest this row; it is left for the deer in winter and for the nesting birds in spring.
Drag, swipe, or use the arrows. Each panel is a single quiet observation from the farm calendar.
i
late March — early May
The birch is the first to break bud. Catkins drop a fine pollen onto the gravel path. We walk the rows and mark where last year's saplings did not take.
ii
June — August
The plot is at its quietest. Growth is happening but invisible. We water the youngest rows in dry spells and otherwise leave the trees alone.
iii
September — early November
Measurement season. Each tree is touched once. Acorns are gathered from the oak grove. The first frost rewrites every plan we made in summer.
iv
November — February
The dormant months. We thin only what is already leaning. The deer come close. We keep the small fire in the cabin and write the book of the year.
Selected entries from this year's keeper journal. Kept short, signed only with initials and date.
04.03 · friday
Walked the brook line. Three of the alders planted in '19 are now over four metres. The stream is narrower this spring; we may need to widen the channel before autumn rains. — H.K.
05.18 · sunday
A pair of red squirrels in the spruce row. They have been here every spring for at least nine years. We do not count them in the records but they belong to the plot. — H.K.
07.22 · tuesday
Drought week. Year-1 birch row watered Monday and Friday. The oaks need nothing. The pines, as always, ask for nothing. — H.K.
10.06 · monday
First measurement day. The birch row averaged 14.6 m, up from 13.9 m last year. The tallest pine reached 22.1 m. The keeper before me would be pleased. — H.K.
12.14 · sunday
First snow of meaning — twelve centimetres overnight. The plot is silent. The deer tracks pass through the spruce break and out by the eastern gate. — H.K.
namu.farm
a quiet plot, kept in plain language