Cutting up a downed tree is a lot of work. I always say that you do not appreciate how much space a tree takes up until it is on the ground - it looks so light and airy when it is standing and covered with leaves. It is also very heavy.
We managed to avoid losing any of our own limbs as we cut the tree up into manageable pieces. We hauled the smaller brush into the woods to decompose and return nutrients to the soil. We cut some of the larger logs up and piled them near the edge of the woods. I hope to come back in the spring with a wagon, split the logs into firewood, and haul the load back to the house.
It seemed like there should be some other use we could make of the logs. I recalled some recent episodes of Around the Farm Table and This Wisconsin Life, which discussed growing mushrooms. A quick Google search identified Field & Farm Products in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which sells mushroom-growing supplies. I spoke with a helpful representative, and she explained that logs are cut when trees go dormant in November and laid slightly off the ground over winter. The logs then get inoculated in April. Their website includes a reference chart that shows which trees are best for growing various types of mushrooms.
As it turns out, shiitake mushrooms grow best on oak logs. Well, we just happen to have some oak logs! I cut about a dozen logs to length and laid them out in the woods under the watchful eye of Maxie. When April comes, we can start the process. It takes 8 to 14 months for the mushrooms to grow. It should be a fun and tasty experiment!
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