Oko Ake Saglogan

Monday, Jun 21 to Sunday, Jun 27, 2021: high 103, low 49, gust 33 mph, moisture 0.08"

Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the summer solstice, Jordan and i stood two rolls of old snow fence around the lone ponderosa pine tree in the Wingsprings land. He estimates the tree could be nearly 100 years old! Unfortunately, it apparently has not produced any offspring—or more accurately, any that have grown into mature trees. The tree is producing viable cones, but cattle enjoy the shade beneath its branches and in so doing they must be inadvertently killing the young seedlings. If so, this has been happening for decades. Our hope is that over the next few years the fence will enable some seedlings to sprout and grow inside its protective perimeter. This is a small intervention. It will take years to determine whether or not it works. But if it does work, then the new pine trees will probably live for generations to come.