Thu, Nov 20 2008
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Published August 13, 2008 10:06 am - Mahaska County Conservation Board Director Mike Gipple leads a group of children to a pin oak tree to find the tell-tale circular shaped “doughnut-hole” on the trunk that indicate branches had been properly pruned in the past. “When your prune looks after one-year a Casey’s doughnut, you did a good job.” MCCB camps focus on conservation By MICHAEL SCHAFFER The Oskaloosa Herald OSKALOOSA — The Mahaska County Conservation Board through Friday is offering unique learning and hands-on participation covering several aspects of conservation. MCCB Director Mike Gipple Tuesday morning instructed 14 children ages 8 and older at Russell Wildlife Area on the finer points of forestry. The children first learned proper tree pruning techniques before heading to improve a stand of oak and hickory trees. They also watched as MCCB Naturalist Pete Eyheralde demonstrated how they plant trees. “Actually, we don’t need to prune this tree,” Gipple said. “Does this tree kind of look like a lollipop stuck in the ground? Trees should not look like a lollipop. They should look just like that oak over there. They should have this nice little swell coming up out of the ground.” Gipple said the children were actively engaged in the timber stand improvement process in an area of oak and hickory trees at Russell Wildlife Area. “The kids seemed interested. They actually provided feedback,” Gipple said. “They were pointing out ‘Yeah, I would cut that tree. No, I would cut that tree,’ which is kind of fun to see those kids do that.” Gipple said timber stand improvements, such as selective thinning, can aim to promote the growth of food-bearing trees, such as oaks, hickories and walnuts, or resource trees like cherry. The first group provides food and cover for wildlife, like white tail deer, wild turkeys, squirrels and woodpeckers, and the second are managed as a financial resource. “It’s hard for a lot of people to understand, but to help a timber in Iowa, you actually need to do a lot of thinning on it,” Gipple said. “With timber and timber management, we look at it that way, because there’s way more trees then we should have in timbers.” The Youth Conservation Camp continued today as they traveled to Lake Red Rock to learn about water quality. Thursday, they make a stop at Oskaloosa’s newest recycling center, Recycle Midwest, at 701 Highway 432, to learn about the finer points of recycling. And Friday, it’s back to the conservation center to learn about wildlife restoration. Register by calling the MCCB at (641) 673-9327. Herald City Editor Michael Schaffer can be reached by email at mschaffer@oskyherald.com 
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