Tree trunks

Living in cities as I did for many years, I had forgotten about the woods. Sure, there are plenty of trees in parks and I spent a fair amount of time in the country and camping. But here, for the past ten years, I've had daily contact with the woods in all seasons of the year.

Wild trees in the woods along the path we take down the hill.

The woods and forests where we live are not exactly wild. They're managed habitats. The trees are thinned and cut for firewood and other uses, animals are introduced for hunting and wild populations are culled so as not to pose a threat. Some forests are seriously managed almost like gardens, other stands of woods, like those around our house, are left on their own except for the occasional thinning.