Old-Growth Forest Myths Vs Reality

I really enjoy spending time in old-growth forests.

I admire the sights, I love the sounds, and I like that old-growth forests can make a human feel small, yet still important.

Old-growth forests once covered large areas of land in North America, but these forests are far less common today.

As a result, we might find ourselves imagining things that aren’t entirely true.

We might believe, for instance, that North America was an endless expanse of old-growth forest at the time of European settlement. We might also believe that North America’s old-growth forests were — and still are — untouched and free from disturbance.

But how much of what we believe is true?

In a brand new video, I explore a few old-growth forest myths and discuss why our modern perceptions often miss the full story.

You can watch the video here.

Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!

— Adam Haritan

Before Halloween, There Was Samhain: Honoring the Herbs, Flavors, and Fires of the Season

By Beth Schreibman Gehring

“The scent of rosemary, the smoke of sage, the whisper of bay — the old language of the earth still speaks if we pause long enough to listen.”

— Beth Schreibman Gehring, from Forage & Gather

Before Halloween, there was Samhain, the ancient Celtic turning of the year when the harvest ended and winter began to breathe at the edges of the fields. It was the time when fires were lit high on the hills to call the sun back, when families gathered to share what they’d grown, and to honor what they’d lost. They believed that on this night, the veil between worlds grew thin so that those who came before might wander close for just a moment, drawn by the scent of wood smoke and the warmth of the hearth.

The herbs of this season are the same ones that have long carried us through the threshold times, the in-between spaces when the light fades and the earth exhales. I think of them as old friends who know how to steady us when the days grow short.

Continue Reading …

Why Are Tick Populations Exploding?

Lyme disease. Anaplasmosis. Babesiosis. Alpha-gal syndrome.

These are only a few of the many illnesses associated with tick bites.

Interestingly, these illnesses are much more common today than they were even just a few decades ago. Why is that?

One way to get some answers is to figure out why tick populations are increasing. According to the CDC, the number of U.S. counties with an established population of blacklegged ticks has more than doubled since 1998.

How did this happen? What factors contributed to the explosion in tick populations? Did the U.S. government have something to do with this? Or did this all happen by chance?

In a brand-new video, I share my thoughts on this important topic.