Ready for Winter: Making firewood in Niiharu Citizen Forest

 

On November 19, Japanese Meteorological Agency issued 3 months forecast for December 2024 - February 2025. According to them, Yokohama would have ‘average’ winter. i.e. The temperature and the rainfall would be around the average of 1991-2020, the recent 30 years. In this world of “approaching +1.5°C,” this means we may not have a freezing winter. But winter will be winter, and we’re expecting such days will come. In Niiharu Citizen Forest, we’re busy making firewood. Actually, since COVID-hubbub, many people become enthusiastic about bonfires and barbecue outdoors, all year around. Niiharu Lovers often have enquiry if we’re selling firewood. Yeah, as we’re thinning and mowing for forest maintenance, we have inventory for the material. But it’s hard to promise a stable supply of firewood. So, we rarely sell it at our workshop. Even though, we use firewood during winter for stoves, and, yes, for baking bamboo charcoal (; my post for March 3, 2017). Almost every winter, we use up all the firewood we prepare during late autumn. Firewood cracking is an important task for Lover’s winter prep.

This year Niiharu’s Reineckea carnea had lots of flowers.
It’s a short delight (for less than a week) of late autumn.
They do not have flowers anymore,
if you visit Niiharu now. Sorry!

Some of you may have an experience using ax or machete. It requires certain skill to make firewood, doesn’t it? Especially when we need firewood used every weekend for at least 3 months, it’s a heavy task. Before, during our charcoal baking we wielded ax or machete on the go to cover the shortage of firewood. I confess I’m very bad at using ax. I aim, brandish the ax, swing it downward, and miss the target log … Sad. However! This year, Lovers get a tool for 21st century firewood making. It’s a motorized ax run by gasoline … er, well, a perverted thing in this world of Global Warming, just like COP meeting in petro-producing places … Anyway, the job done by this machine is certainly quick, and I can make good firewood. This is news, considering my skill level of making firewood, honestly. Let me show you how we’re doing it.

First, this is our material for firewood,

And here is the machine,

Set a log under the ax,

Put down the lever to lower the ax,

Done!

We (temporarily) store firewood here.

During the task, I found not only humans but also the other creatures were preparing for winter. When we cracked a log, lots of larvae made inside log their winter bedroom. Oh, so sorry to break your sleep in this way …

A larvae for beetle (sp.)

ditto!

This year, lots of Porostereum crissum sprouting …

Anyway, autumn this year is too short for Yokohama. *Sigh*

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau
横浜市みどり環境局 

Phone：045-353-1166
FAX：045-352-3086
mk-hokubukoen@city.yokohama.jp