trees

Members and friends of Wolftown! We’ve been at this site for over ten years. With great sadness, we are in the process of removing the trees that threaten the wolf enclosures, animal shelters, and our dwelling. In the summer, the many tall trees on our site have been a source of shade and beauty for the wolves, humans, and our other furry and feathered residents. Sadly, winter seems to be bringing frequent and severe wind storms. You may recall that during the winter of 2006 we experienced a major wind storm that caused severe damage due to blown down trees.

Already this November, we have had two severe wind storms with gusts over 40 miles per hour. During the first, 3 tall trees fell, striking and damaging the wolf enclosures, with one landing on and damaging the roof of our cabin. During the second event, two more trees fell, again striking the fence lines of the enclosures. Fortunately, none of our beautiful wolves were injured.

When trees start going down in a windstorm, I have little choice but to go out in the height of the storm and start chain sawing if the fences of the wolf enclosures are damaged. We cannot predict how long the storm will last and what else will happen. It’s like going into battle. The tops of the trees are swaying violently, and one must try to keep track of which ones may go down next, plan an escape route, and still chain saw. I must admit, you can’t help experiencing an adrenaline rush because of the risk, and I have willingly taken that risk many times as has T, in her role as spotter at my side, since it’s pretty well impossible to hear a tree going down over the noise of the wind and the roar of the chain saw. During the storm of 2006, a large branch fell and struck T, bruising and fracturing her forearm.

As a wolf sanctuary, we are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture. Its rules state that any tree threatening the wolf enclosures must be removed. Upon reflection and examination of our recent history, we reluctantly decided that drastic measures were necessary. We had no choice but to call in a tree service to start removing trees. We are paying for this with limited funds intended for our retirement, since the process must happen in short order. Once some trees are removed, the risk of neighboring trees going down increases as they are more exposed to threatening wind. As soon as trees and debris are cleared and our fence lines repaired, we will replant trees to provide shade and shelter from the wind with some careful planning. Part of the problem was caused by some of the trees growing in an extremely overcrowded environment. Please consider donating to help defray the cost of this sad but necessary process, as we continue to try to inform and educate people about wildlife and environmental issues.

Thanks,

Pete