The New York

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

May/June 1995

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• Westchester County •• Northern Forest Lands Council •

• Light·- - - ------- ------

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERVOL. 33, NO.3

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Don Wagner, President

RD #1, Box 203C

Utica, NY 13502; (315)733·7391

Bill Minerd, 1st Vice President

1123 Cold Springs Road

Liverpool, NY 13088; (315) 451-3712

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary300 Church Street

Odessa, NY 14869-9703; (607) 594-2130

Clara Minerd, Treasurer

1123 Cold Springs RoadLiverpool, NY 13088; (315) 451-3712

John C. Marchant, Executive Director45 Cambridge Court

Fairport, NY 14450; (716) 377-7906

Deborah Gill, Administrative Secretary

P.O. Box 180Fairport,NY 14450; (716) 377-6060

1995Elizabeth Densmore, Machias; (716) 942-6600

Richard J. Fox, Moravia; (315) 497-1078John W. Krebs, Honeoye Falls; (716) 624-1793Tom Ellison, Manlius; (315) 682-9376

1996Albert Brown, Stow; (716) 763-9067Verner Hudson,Elbridge; (315) 689-3314

Peter Levatich, Brooktondale; (607) 539-7049

Don Wagner, Utica; (315) 733-7391

1997John T. Hastings, Queensbury; (518) 798-0248

Charles Mowatt, Savona; (607) 583-7006Norman Richards, Syracuse; (315) 472-3696Elizabeth Wagner, Utica; (315) 733-7391

AFF1LIA TE REPRESENTATIVESDick Mark, THRIFT; (315) 623-9476

Donna Rogier, Catskill Forest Assoc.; (914) 586-3054

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES

Mark & JoannKurtis,Allegheny Foothills; (716)945-6012

Tom Hewitt, Cayuga; (315) 497-1266Buzz Gosch, Capital District; (518) 797-3623

Bob Sykes, Central New York; (315) 673-3691Jeff Wiegert, Lower Hudson; (914) 831-3109

Bob Howard, Northern Adirondack West; (315)262-2692

Herb Boyce,Northern AdirondackEast; (518) 946-7040

Bob Colligan, Niagara Frontier; (716) 655-4995Ernst Spencer, SE Adirondack; (518) 792-1726Larry Lepak, Southern Tier; (607) 656-8504

Don Schaufler, Tioga, (607) 589-6095

Eileen VanWie, Western Finger Lakes; (716)367-2849

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproducedwithout prior written permission from the publisher.

NYFOA does not necessarily support or approve proce-

dures, products, or opinions presented by authors or adver-tisers.

COVER: New York City skylinewith Westchester County'sDunwoodie Golf Course in theforeground.

Photo by Ted Kozlowski

2 NY FOREST OWNER

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

Editorial Committee: AI Brown, Betty Densmore, Alan Knight, Mary McCartyand Bill Minerd.

Materials submitted for publication should be addressed to: R. Fox, Editor, R.D. #3, Box88, Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and are normallyreturned after use. The deadline for submission for JullAug is Jun 1.Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to P.O. Box180, Fairport, N.Y. 14450. Cost of individual membership subscription is $20.

Northern Forest Lands

A concentration yard of Northern Forests' logs owned by Great Lakes Veneer at thePort Authority of Oswego. Fort Ontario in the background. See page 7.

Table of ContentsPresident's Message, Don Wagner 3Westchester County Parks, Ted Kozlowski 5Northern Forest Lands Council, Robert Bendick 7NY Forest Inventory, Henry Kernan 11Chapter/Affiliates 12Ask A Forester, Robert Howard 14Gall Making Insects, Douglas Allen 16Light, Peter Levatich 18What Size Your Logs?, Peter Levatich 20On Early Spring Herbs, Jane Sorensen Lord 18

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUN 1995

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEA $750 donation is a generous gift by

any standard. That is exactly the amountof money donated to NYFOA by the hardworking, fun loving members from the Al-legheny Foothills Chapter. At the APC'smeeting of February 11th, the membershipagreed to the conditions and the amount.The intent is to purchase a promotional dis-play board. The display board is to be keptavailable for the Executive Director or anyChapter! Affiliate to use at an appropriatepublic gathering, fair, convention, etc ... topromote both the local Chapter/Affiliateand the organization as a whole. The bal-ance of the $750 may be spent by the Boardof Directors without restrictions. I want totake this opportunity to thank APC for theirextremely thoughtful and generous gift. Itwill be long remembered.

My wife, Betty, has made excellentprogress on the raffle quilt. As promised,it was completed in time to display at theannual Spring Meeting. Literally severalhundred hours were spent on this volun-teer project. All we need to do is spend alittle time selling tickets. Sell them to yourfriends, neighbors, co-workers or anyoneelse you can think of, they will thank youif they win. Tickets are available from yourChapter/Affiliate Chair, Debbie Gill, or me.Remember this raffle is a fund raiser to in-crease the amount of money in your respec-tive treasuries; so that NYFOA can continue

President Don Wagner "makin' little ones outa big ones."

to progress and be a strong, vibrant orga-nization, actively participating in NewYork forests' future.

For your information, the OklahomaCooperative Extension Service has an-nounced a national videoconference onecosystem management for woodland own-ers. The program is being broadcast by sat-ellite on Saturday, May 20,1995. I have

RIGHT TO PRACTICE FORESTRY ACTMarch 7, 1995 in regular session of the NYS Assembly, an Act (A5340) was

introduced by Member of the Assembly Parment that would provide for "The Rightto Practice Forestry" and that would bar unreasonable land use regulations by anyauthority to do so! This bill was referred to the Assembly's Committee on Environ-mental Conservation, where your comments may be addressed to: Richard L. Brodsky,Rm. 625, Legislative Office Building; Albany, NY 12248. Such legislation has thesupport of the State Forest Practice Board and representatives of the forest industry.A copy of the bill (A5340) may be obtained by request at 1-800-342-9860; (Legisla-tive Bill Drafting Commission, bill status).

AN ACT TO SAVE THE CHESTNUTJanuary 25,1995 Assemblymen Pordum and McEneny introduced A1855 which

provides for an appropriation of $100,000 to the Department of Environmental Con-servation from the general fund. Funds with which the DEC Commissioner will de-velop an "American Chestnut fungus disease research and restoration program" byentering into agreements with institutions of higher learning. After referral to theAgricultural Committee, this bill was moved to the Assembly's Committee on Waysand Means. Your support for this bill may be directed to: Herman D. Farrell Jr.,Chairperson Committee on Ways and Means, Rm. 923 Legislative Office Building;Albany, NY 12248. - Editor

NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

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sent information on this free program toyour Chapter/Affiliate Chairs and haveasked them to share the details. If you areinterested in this videoconference, contactthem or me.

As in past years, NYFOA will co-spon-sor the New York State Woodsmen'sField Days Public Seminar on Friday,August 18, 1995. This year's topic is For-estry, Watersheds. Timber Theft and Poli-tics. If you can help out, give Dave Tabera call at 607/255-2826. I'm sure he would t.be grateful.

Last month I received a nice letter fromGeorge Blackburn. One of the greatest joysI have had over the past two years is thetime I have spent communicating with fel-low NYFOAN's. George, good luck withyour project. That's right, two years havepast and my Presidency ends at this year'sSpring Meeting. To some of you it mayhave seemed like forever, but for meit wentby very quickly. I want to take this oppor-tunity to thank the Board of Directors, pastand present Chapter/Affiliate leaders, andall of you for your support. It has been areal pleasure to serveNYFOA. Old Presi-dents don't go away, they just spend moretime in their woodlot. As you can see inthe photo, I have already started. I will behelping the Central New York Chapterat their Family Forest Fair this June.Hope to see you there.

MAY/JUN 1995 3

Forest Stewardship Workshop II1995 NYS Tree Farm Meeting

LOCATION: Paul Smiths College, Paul Smiths, NYDate: Thursday, July 27 - Sunday July 30,1995Subject: Spruce Grouse / Forest StewardshipWho's invited: Everyone, Tree Farmers, NYFOA, Foresters, anyone interested in learning.Activities: Thursday and Friday will devoted to the management of the Fools Hen (Spruce Grouse) in theAdirondacks and the management of their Spruce - Fir habitat.

Saturday and Sunday will be devoted to numerous topics including Forest Stewardship practices, Burn-ing in NYS ,a new management tool, Timber Theft, Rights to practice forestry, Private property rights, andmuch more! !Registration information: Contact Herbert Boyce at HCR2, Box lA, Jay NY 12941 We willbe mailing registration forms to all Tree Farmers and NYFOA members.

Slide (Photo) Contest: We are looking to find examples of good Forest Stewardship Practices in NYS.OBJECTIVE: To show others what we as good stewards are doing in and around our forest. The slideswill be presented in a slide show at the July meeting. We hope everyone will participate and give us agreat selection of slides showing their management ideas from timber and wildlife to recreation and theunusual. This will be the best chance we have as a group to gather ideas from others and to see theseprojects without going to every comer of the state. We hope you will also take home a lot of great ideas.

To make this a success we need color or black and white slides of your management practices. There willbe awards given for the best practice in each of the following categories:

1.) Reforestation and Afforestation2.) Forest and Agroforest Improvement3.) Hedgerow and Wind Brake Establishment.4.) Soil and Water Protection and Improvement.5.) Riparian and Wetland Protection and Improvement.6.) Fisheries Habitat Enhancement.7.) Wildlife Habitat Enhancement.8.) Forest Recreation Enhancement.9.) Miscellaneous entries - Surprise us!

Rules: Only a few;1.) Mail Slides to: Northwoods Forest Improvements, Herbert Boyce, HCR2 Box lA, Jay, NY 129412.) How many slides: Please limit it to no more than 20. (One slide per project)3.) Enclose a short description of each slide, date project was completed and if it was used under SIP.4.) Please include your name and mailing address.5.) Entries must be in by June 10, 1995.6.) Slides must be developed. Undeveloped film will not be accepted.7.) You do not need to be present to win, but we hope you will attend. All slides will become property ofthe Tree Farm Program so that we may use them for future activities.

4 • NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO MAY/JUN 1995

Forestry & Biodiversity in Westchester ParksBy Ted Kozlowski

Today, as most of us are aware, the term.forestryhas an ever encompassing mean-ing; and here in Westchester County it isvery important to our Department and tothe people we serve. Our management ofthe 15,000 acres of parkland is not judgedby how many board feet we produce but isjudged on the quality of theprograms we offer and di-versity of the environmentwe maintain.

Before one can appreci-

ate what I am about to state,some background informa-tion is necessary. TheWestchester County De-partment of Parks, Recre-ation and Conservation hasjurisdiction of 42 facilitiesthroughout the county total-ing 15,248 acres. Our larg-est park, Ward Pound RidgeReservation is 4,315 acresand our smallest,Washington's Headquartersis .6 acre. Approximately 80percent of this land is for-ested, mostly with a uplandcentral hardwood cover type. Of the 42 fa-cilities, 5 are golf courses, 5 are publicpools, 5 nature centers, 2 historic sites, 1County Center, Playland Park and theBronx River Parkway Reservation. We arevery diverse indeed. However, the commondenominator to all our parkland is trees. Wehave approximately 27 million of them.

Westchester is the first county north ofNew York City. Our county contains nearly1 million residents, many who commute tothe Big Apple. Our communities are quitediverse and range from the very affluent tolow income inner city. There are major cit-ies and somewhat rural areas, and yes, evensome farms still remain.

As with all governmental agencies, ourdepartment is supported by the tax base andour policies are formulated with much pub-lic input. Westchester has experienced tre-mendous development after World War IIand our open space area has converselydecreased. Recreation, leisure time andopen space have become very important toour residents and their desires have been

NY FOREST OWNER

voiced many times and in many different

ways. Our thousands of annual visitors ex-pect to see a forested environment, un-touched and left alone. They are there formany reasons but first and foremost it is torecreate in an outdoor environment. It isour responsibility to insure they have a va-riety of opportunities and to enjoy them

safely. The message sent to us by our pub-lic constituents is that our forests are to beislands of preserves within the sea of de-velopment.

But this does not mean that the manage-ment of our parkland forests is non-man-agement. It is quite the contrary. True, we

have thousands of acres of forest left unal-

tered from active forest practice but whereand when we engage our forest manage-ment practice is very important to our pub-lic, to forestry as a profession, and to ournatural resources.

A primary goal as alluded to earlier isthe safety of our visiting public. Constantinspection of trails, roadways, picnic andcamping sites are a never ending part ofour program. Because there is little TSI andthe advanced age of our forests, hazardtrees are ever present. Aggressive training

of our small tree crew and park workersare paramount to the success of our vigi-lance. Butnot all hazard trees areremoved.Certain dead or hollow trees, if judged tobe of great wildlife value and not located

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566; INFO

close to public access are rendered safe byheavy pruning practices and left standing.Many of our take downs are felled in theforest and left on site. Limbs will be piled,again, for the benefit of wildlife habitat. Wehave produced "wildlife tree" signs that arenailed onto a dead tree as an educational

tool for the visiting public.Our forestry program

reaches beyond just treecare in picnic areas. AtLasdon Park and Arbore-tum in Somers, we have

dedicated 5 acres ofland forAmerican chestnut research

where we are planting 50-100 seedlings per year. Ona separate 3 acre parcel atLasdon we have found 20surviving native chestnutswhere we have harvestedcompeting oaks, sold themfor timber, and have placed

the money into our CountyParks Tree Trust fund to usefor the maintenance of thechestnuts. In cooperationwith the American Chestnut

Foundation and the Con-necticut Agricultural Experiment Stationwe have formed a partnership to managethese trees using current techniques likehypovirulent injection for blight control.

Our efforts have garnished 100 home-grown chestnuts which have been success-fully germinated into new seedlings. Ourhope is to establish the non-fatal

hypovirulent fungus in our area as well asserve as an educational center for the pub-lic.

In addition to the chestnut program atLasdon we have established a dogwood re-search plot, transplanted 9 rare yellow mag-nolias from the former Brooklyn BotanicGarden Research Station and created a 26Famous and Historic Tree Grove which

combines history and botany with a naturetrail.

As we are a parks department and be-cause we do capital improvements, it issometimes necessary to remove many trees.We actively pursue locating buyers for ourtimber products from these land clearingactivities and from routine maintenance

MAY/JUN 1995 • 5

programs. This past year we have had sev-eral timber, firewood and locust pole sales,again generating funds for our Tree Trust.These funds are used for tree plantings inall our facilities. Since its inception in 1991the Westchester County Parks Tree Trusthas generated over $150,000 in donations,grants and from forest product sales.

At Muscool Farm in Somers we have

established a 2-acre Christmas tree planta-tion and at Mohansic Golf Course we haveestablished a one-acre tree nursery. Bothsites are intended for education and practi-cal use.

The new environmental buzz word to-day, "biodiversity" has been a part of oursystem for many years. With much coop-eration from our naturalist staff we have

been conducting hundreds of wildlife pro-grams for years. In each of the 5 naturecenters habitat improvement programscombined with public education are themain focus of the Conservation Division.Examples of their work include the estab-

lishment of thousands of bluebird boxesthroughout our parks, river improvementsfor trout, butterfly gardens, wild turkeyimprovements and maple sugaring. The

major focus of their work is incorporatingtheir conservation efforts into school pro-grams. Each day, during the school year,hundreds of elemen tary studen ts are bussedinto our facilities where they experiencefirst hand the various biological and cul-tural programs offered.

In addition to this, the naturalist staffhave initiated expensive biological surveys

of our parkland in the hope of inventory-ing the biological diversity and using thisinformation for future management op-tions. Coyote, wild turkey and beaver aremaking a strong comeback to ourparklands.

We are not without our problems. Thewhite tailed deer population is so large andabundant that these animals are now spot-ted in New Rochelle and Yonkers, follow-ing the parkways south. The deer are re-sponsible for numerous auto accidents, or-namental damage, spread of Lyme diseasecarrying ticks and extensive damage tonatural forest reproduction. The northernpart of Westchester is especially problem-atic. While there is much public debate asto what to do about this situation, it is clearthat nonmanagement of the deer herd is

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failing. Hunting is quite limited inWestchester and prohibited in CountyParks. Presently, fencing and repellents areour only alternative. There are few nativetrees unpalatable to the deer menu.

Ash yellows and hemlock woollyadelgid are our two worst disease and in-sect problems. Eight out of every 10 treeswe remove for safety reasons are of these

two species. I fear that hemlock is espe-cially threatened in Westchester. We dospray our ornamental hemlocks with hor-ticultural oil or soap but our natural for-ested areas are inaccessible and costly totreat. Our hope lies with natural controlsthat are presently being studied by the Con-necticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

With only one County Forester, 5 cura-tors and one Naturalist, I am especiallyproud of what we accomplish here inWestchester. The next time you are downhere, look us up and come in for a visit. I

think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Ted Kozlowski, after 4 years withNYS DECas a service forester in Region 1, in 1984became Westchester County's Forester. Tedalso serves as the chair for Area 1ofNYSTree Farm Committee.

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The Northern Forest Lands CouncilProposed Actions That WouldBenefit Private Forest Land OwnersBy Robert L. Bendick, Jr.,

THE CHARGE & DESIGNThe Northern Forest Lands Council

(NFLC) was created in 1990 by the Gov-ernors of New York, Vermont, New Hamp-shire and Maine to identify ways to rein-force the traditional forested character ofthe north country of these states. The Coun-cil included a landowner, local government,environmental and state government rep-resentative from each state and was ap-pointed in response to the fear that largetracts of land that had been held for gen-erations for forest management might besubdivided and sold off for developmentthus changing the economy and the natu-ral character of these forested areas. TheCouncil conducted a unique public processinvolving thousands of participants to ar-rive at a consensus on how to sustain for-est land uses and enhance the lives of thepeople living within the 26 million acresof forested land extending from easternMaine to Lake Ontario.

Funding was provided by Congressthrough the State and Private branch of theUnited States Forest Service and by eachof the four states. Using these funds, a smallstaff was hired to support the Council'swork and to coordinate Council activitiesin each state and technical studies werecommissioned to explore specific issues.

The Northern Forest Lands Council wasa diverse group. The members from NewYork State included Bob Stegemann, Re-gional Public Affairs Manager for the In-ternational Paper Corporation, NeilWoodworth, Counsel to the AdirondackMountain Club, Barbara Sweet, TownBoard Member from the Town ofNewcomb at the heart of the AdirondackPark and myself, then Deputy Commis-sioner for Natural Resources at the Depart-ment of Environmental Conservation.Members from other states included a min-ister who served several rural communi-ties in Vermont, a small town newspaperpublisher from New Hampshire, a repre-sentative of the Maine Forest ProductsCouncil, a consulting forester from Ver-mont and a wide range of people represent-

NY FOREST OWNER

ing other local and state interests. In NewYork State the Northern Forest Lands areaincluded the Adirondack Park and the TugHill Region.

PROCEDURESFrom the beginning the Council deter-

mined that it would only be successful inaddressing the problems and the future ofthe Northern Forestifit involved the broad-est possible range of citizens and interestsin its discussions. Citizens Advisory Com-mittees (CAC's) were appointed in eachstate to advise the Council members andthe Council committed itself to an exten-sive program of public involvement in itsdiscussions. The CAC in New York Stateincluded 30 members and represented ev-ery facet of opinion about forest issues fromstrong property rights advocates to envi-ronmental groups. In addition, the Councilassembled several technical work groupsto help explore technical issues and movedits meetings from place to place around theregion in an effort to engage many peoplein its discussions.

The Council began its work by divid-ing itself into committees and then hiringexperts to help us understand the pressuresthat were shaping the future of the northcountry. Among the studies and forumscommissioned by the Council were: ananalysis of the conversion of land in thestudy area to non-forestry uses, a forum onnational and international influences onland ownership, a series of papers and dis-cussions on protection of biological re-sources, an evaluation of alternative landconservation strategies, several papers andforums on the future of the forest basedeconomy, papers on property taxes andstate and federal taxes and a study of forestbased recreation and tourism. All the studyand forum findings were discussed with theCitizen Advisory Committees in each stateand published in a large volume called the"Technical Appendix".

REPORTSBased on this research the Council pro-

duced a report for public discussion in theFall of 1993 entitled "Findings and Op-

NYFOA-1-800-836-3566 -INFO

atm!t~IIW>"~

"Winter View"- By Sabra Field

tions" which elicited more than 1,000 pagesof written responses from people inside andoutside the region. After analysis of thesecomments theNFLC then released a reportof draft recommendations in March, 1994,and conducted a public discussion periodthat resulted in additional comments frommore than 1,600 people. Finally, theNFLCengaged in a lengthy internal debate to pro-duce final recommendations in September,1994. This report was forwarded to the fourstate Governors, to the Congressional del-egations of the four states and to the U.S.Forest Service for review and implemen-tation.

PROPOSALSThe final report of the Council, entitled

Finding Common Ground: Conserving theNorthern Forest, was released in Septem-ber, 1994. In this report the NFLC con-cluded that while the northern forest is notfacing an imminent crisis, unless carefulmeasures are taken to conserve both theprivate and public values offorestland overtime, these values will be damaged forthose who live, own land and work withinthe region and for visitors and interestedcitizens from other places. Given this, theCouncil proposed 37 recommendations foraction grouped into four categories:

*Fostering the Stewardship of PrivateLand

*Protecting Exceptional Resources*Strengthening Economies of Rural

Communities*Promoting More Informed Decisions.These recommendations place very

strong emphasis on supporting the abilityof private landowners to manage their landfor forest purposes over the long run.

In developing the internal consensusfor these recommendations the councilmembers believed strongly that theyshould not just apply to the north coun-try, but should be relevant and helpful toforest land owners throughout the fourstates. I believe that this was achieved, and,thus, that it is important to highlight someof the recommendations for the New YorkForest landowners Association.

MAY/JUN 1995 • 7

*Fostering Stewardship of Private LandThe NFLC made recommendations de-

signed to make management of forest landprofitable for landowners over the long run.Among the recommendations are:

*Support for Federal and State easementprograms to allow property owners to vol-untarily sell development rights over for-est land.

*Support for the Stewardship IncentiveProgram (SIP) that provides financial helpto landowners for the management of for-est land.

*Relief from rising property taxesthrough improved forest tax programs andeventual replacement of current approachesto property taxation.

*Revisions to estate tax laws to providetax relief to heirs who wish to maintain theirland in forest use.

*Revisions to capital gains and passiveloss tax rules to treat forest landownersmore fairly

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*Cooperative efforts to better define."sustainable forest management" and toprovide assistance to landowners in achiev-ing such management.

*Protecting Exceptional ResourcesIn this area the Council made recom-

mendations for the careful identification ofland suitable for public acquisition fromvoluntary sellers to protect land of excep-tional recreational or natural value for pub-lic use. Recommendations were also madefor funding such acquisition. The Councilalso emphasized the need to properly carefor public lands. In addition, the NFLCoutlined an approach to conserving the bio-logical character of both public and privateland through a cooperative program of pub-lic and private action.

*Strengthening Economies of RuralCommunities

The Council felt strongly that it is im-portant for rural communities to have thetools to strengthen their natural resourcebased economies. Among those tools the

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

Council recommended:*Continuation of State and Federal pro-

grams to provide Rural Community Assis-tance, marketing and other technical assis-tance for wood products firms, and loansfor forest related businesses.

*Arange of measures to promote forestrelated recreation and tourism

*Reform of worker's compensation in-surance

*Simplifying and stabilizing stateregu-latory programs

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*Promoting More Informed DecisionsFinally, the Council felt that measures

were needed to better prepare governments,landowners and citizens to make better fu-ture decisions about the northern forest.Among these are encouraging the four StateUniversity Forestry programs in the regionto cooperate on forestry research and pro-vide more technical help to states and land-owners, more effective tracking of landconversion and forest growth trends, andestablishing programs of natural resourceeducation as part of school curriculums.

The recommendations of the NorthernForest Lands Council are unusual in today' sconflict filled world in that they reflect atrue consensus among the varying intereststhat were represented on the Council. Theyhave been generally well received by across section of interest groups and manypeople have expressed an interest in con-tinuing the dialogue and consensus seek-ing on issues that threaten the future of for-est resources. Many of the Council's rec-ommendations clearly have a benefit forforest landowners; in particular they callfor providing incentives and removing theobstacles which threaten the ability ofland-owners to carry out long term management

of their lands. The recommendations inFinding Common Ground will not, how-ever, implement themselves. The councilbelieved that the next step in addressing theissues facing the northern forest lands re-gion is for each of the states to take actionand for citizens, businesses, local commu-nities and the institutions of the NorthernForest to join forces to implement theCouncil's recommendations.

Each state is currently developing itsown strategy for carrying out the Council'srecommendations. Those wishing to be-come involved in this ongoing effort inNew York State can obtain a copy of theCouncil's final report or can find out moreabout the activities related to carrying outthe Council's proposals by contacting NewYork's Northern ForestLand Coordinator,Karyn Richards, Division of Lands and For-ests, New York State Department of Envi-ronmental Conservation, 50 Wolf Road,Room 404, Albany, New York, 12233-4250.

Robert Bendick served as the chairpersonof the Four State Northern Forest LandsCouncil and New York State's Departmentof Environmental Conservation DeputyCommissioner of Natural Resources.

Last Chance Sign Up (MFO'S)New York's Master Forest Owner/COVERTS Program is now in its 5th year.

Much has been accomplished, but much is still to be donel, There are now 100Master Forest Owner (MFO) volunteers (including 16 couples) from 38 counties.Simply stated, MFOs are responsible for providing private, non-industrial forestowners of NY State with the information and encouragement necessary to managetheir forest holdings wisely. This is typically done via a 112-dayvisit to cooperatingneighbors' woodlots. MFOs also become involved in time with a variety of othereducational opportunities to promote wise forest stewardship such as working withtheir County Cooperative Extension Agents and NYS DEC Foresters.

This year's training for MFO candidates will be held Thurs. evening throughSun. noon, Sept. 14-17, at Cornell's Arnot Forest, just south of Ithaca. The training R

workshop is a combination classroom and outdoor field exercises on a wide varietyof subjects including tree identification, finding boundaries, forest ecology, wildlifemanagement, communication techniques, and even a visit to Coastal Lumber Co.sawmill. All workshop expenses (or most, depending on funding) are paid by theprogram.

NY's MFO/COVERTS program is jointly funded by the NY Forest StewardshipProgram and the Ruffed Grouse Society with cooperation from Cornell Coopera-tive Extension, NYS DEC Division of Lands and Forests, and the NY Forest Own-ers Association.

Individuals or couples interested in applying to become MFO volunteers mustcontact the Program Director, Gary Goff, by June 1st. An application form will thenbe mailed to candidates. Notification of selection to the program will be made byJuly 1st. To apply or for more information, please write to MFO/COVERTS Pro-gram, Fernow Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 or ca1l607!255-2824.

NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

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MAY/JUN 1995 • 9

Agricultural WetlandsVideos Available

Five of the Northeast's eleven states havelost more than 50% of their wetlands be-tween the 1780' sand 1980' s. New York haslost 60% of its wetlands and Connecticut andMaryland have lost nearly 75 % of theirs.Whereas wetlands in the past were consid-ered "waste lands", useful only after beingdrained or filled, they are now recognized asvalued and threatened ecosystems. Wetlandssupply critical habitat to about 1/3 of theplant and animal species federally listed asthreatened or endangered; and nesting, mi-gratory, and wintering habitat for more than50 % of our migratory bird species. Managedwetlands can be of value to agriculturists byimproving water quality by filtration andnutrient storage, reducing the severity offloods, and supplying water for irrigationand livestock.

Two videotape programs are now avail-able that encourage farmers and rural land-owners in the NE to manage wetlands asvaluable resources. In addition to manage-mentpractices that protect wetlands, the-avail-ability of public and private assistance pro-grams that provide cost-sharing, informa-tion, and on-site technical services are high-lighted .. The videotapes were funded byCornell Cooperative Extension, the US Fish& Wildlife Service, and the Renewable Re-sources Extension Program. Informationalflyers are free, and a 26-min. feature and alO-min. promotional piece are included onone tape available for $25 payable to "CornellUniversity" from: Wetlands Video, 108Fernow Hall, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY14853.

A Great VideotapeCAREFUL TIMBER HARVEST - A 20-min videotape and a 29-page Guide to Log-ging Aesthetics, prepared by The Societyfor The Protection of New Hampshire For-ests, contains practical tips for loggers, for-esters, and landowners. $5.00 will covershipping and handling both ways; phoneNYFOA's 1-800-836-3566.

AnnouncementI

iSaturday, May 20, 1995, 11:00 AM-,12:30 PM EST Oklahoma CooperativeExtension Service will present a NationalVideo conference on "Managing ForestEcosystems" for satellite coordinates orlocal down link sites contact your CornellCooperative Extension office or NYFOA's1-800-8335- 3566.

10 NY FOREST OWNER

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NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO MAY/JUN 1995

The NY Forest Inventory Preliminary ReportBy Henry S. Kernan

By this coming summer those interestedin our state's forest resources will haveavailable the results of their fourth inven-tory, "Forest Statistics for New York - 1980and 1993". The results will appear as aNortheastern Forest Experiment StationBulletin. The preliminary manuscript isnow under review and revision. The fol-lowing comments refer to the preliminaryreport, not the final document.

The Bulletin will be a stupendousachievement, more comprehensive andmore precise than publications of previousinventories. Better procedures have beenused for gathering and presenting forestresource data.

The project leader is John Peters; theauthors of the text are Carol Alerich andDavid Drake; and there was a data collec-tion staff of 56. Organized into eight cat-egories of information, the data are spreadover 155 statistical tables. They deal sepa-rately with eight geographical units, 55county units, eight forest types, 86 tree spe-cies, and 44 shrub species. One can findsuch totals as the forested area of the state(18. 6 million acres) and the unreservedvolume of growing stock (21.9 billion cu-bic feet). Such further details appear as thenumber of silky dogwood in stands of thesapling and seedling stand size class (211million) and the volume of growing stockhickory in the 11"-12. 9" diameter class inthe Southwest Highlands geographical unit(6.0 million cubic feet) .

Of special interest are the trends broughtout by comparisons between the 1980 and1993 data.

The rapid and informative approach tothis massive and mind-boggling pile oftables and figures is by way of the ten-pagesummary of seven highlights. They are allfavorable, at least superficially and at firstglance. We are pleased to learn that ourgrowing-stock trees have increased in vol-ume, size, quality, and numbers. Each yearthe growing -stock volume has increased by415 million cubic feet. Annual removal isabout one-third of annual growth. The lead-ing species in volume are sugar maple, redmaple, and hemlock, in that order. By farthe most extensive forest type is that of thenorthern hardwoods (birch, beech, andmaple), followed by the oak-hickory typeand then the pines, white and red.

Those going beyond the highlights will

NY FOREST OWNER

find surprises, contradictions, and even afew absurdities! For example, the chestnutblight is often thought to have eliminatedthe American Chestnut from our wood-lands. The assertion is correct when oneregards the chestnut as a timber tree; butnot correct when one counts AmericanChestnut sprouts and seedlings. The inven-tory determined their numbers to be 61million!

A surprise is beech. For years an im-ported disease has been devastating our onespecies of beech, Summer woodlands, yel-low with the foliage of dying beech, arepart of our landscape. Now beech stems ofthe one inch diameter class and over num-ber 868 million. The volume of beech hasincreased since 1980 by 166 million cubicfeet. The increase has occurred despite anannual loss of 24.5 million cubic feet tomortality and commercial use. New Yorkhas at least five varieties of beech, somewith more resistance than others. The moreresistant varieties are asserting themselves.The news is great for squirrels and turkeys,sawmillers may think it less so.

Another surprise is a report of a negli-gible increase in forest area! But betweenthe second and third inventories, the forestarea of New York increased by one mil-lion acres. Moreover, the 1981 publicationof the third inventory, "The Forest Re-sources of New York", gave the area as18,172,000 acres, 60 per cent of the state'sland area. The present inventory gives18,641,300 forest acres, 62 per cent of thestate. The difference is not negligible.

Among the eight forest types appearsone designated as Loblolly-shortleaf anddefined as a forest in which those pinesmake up a plurality of the stocking. Thearea of the type is stated to be 154, 200acres. Neither of those pines appears in thelist of tree species in New York. Loblollydoes not exist at all as a forest tree in ourstate. In the National Heritage Program,shortleafpine in this state has an SH desig-nation of "no extant sites in New York".

We NIPFs (non-industrial private for-est owners) own 85% of the state's non-reserved timber lands. On the whole wehave been good stewards; we can do bet-ter, of course, and perhaps we will. We havenot overcut nor devastated our woodlots.We have improved them or allowed themto improve themselves.

Study of the inventory's results raises

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

further questions of classification and use.With 9. 8 per cent of NY forest land re-served from exploitation, we are clearlyahead of the country on that score. Urbanforests cover only 100, 000 acres, a tinyfraction of the suburban forests adjacent towhere most New Yorkers live; we havealmost as much land under Christmas treemanagement.

The Lukian parable tells of a moral im-perative to make use of our talents and re-sources. How does that square with agrowth to removal ratio of three to one?With an annual tree mortality of 110 mil-lion cubic feet? With an average of 16 deadtrees on each acre of forest land ? Are wesatisfied to see metal and plastic mobilehomes adjacent to forests stocked with deadand over-matured trees?

Forests and wood products are promi-nent among the resources that give beauty,dignity, and amenity to our li ves. Thefourth USDA New York Inventory willhelp us judge the use we are making of amagnificent endowment.

Henry Kernan is a consulting forester inWorld Forestry, a Master Forest Owner,and afrequeni contributor to the NY FOR-EST OWNER.

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MAY/JUN 1995 • 11

CHAPTER! AFFILIATESTHRIFT

THRIFT is excited about a project thatwe have initiated in conjunction withCornell Cooperative Extension, OswegoCounty. The "Marquise Nature EducationArea" is a 261 acre parcel of forest land

located in the town of Williamstown. Theland was donated to Cooperative Extensionfor use in various forestry related demon-stration and educational projects. THRIFTmembers will be volunteering their timeand expertise to educating the public aboutforest management. In return THRIFT

members will benefit by obtaining the helpof Oswego Cooperative Extension servicesin the management of their own forest land.

SE Adirondack1995 Woodswalks are scheduled for

July 15 and October 7. Next steering com-mittee meeting on Saturday, June 24, 1:00p.m. at Fullerton's Tree Farm. Bring a cov-

ered dish/grill going .... Open to interestedmembers! Call John at 798-0248 for info.1995 chapter officers are: Ernie Spencer,chair; Gregg Mackey, vice-chair; PollyFullerton, Treasurer; Jean Beard, secretary;

John Hastings, newsletter editor.Plans for July 15 include Dave and Jane

Jenks in northern Warren County as hosts.Topic: "Logging Aesthetics." October 7Woodswalk will be at JackLeadley' s prop-erty near Speculator and will include see-ing his "industry" of Adirondack furnitureand pack baskets; also maple production.

Catskill Forest AssociationTwo Catskill Forestry Forums were held

recently. Funded by a New York StateStewardship Grant, these forums broughttogether the major stakeholders in theCatskill Forest: landowners, foresters, and

timber harvesters. Panels consisting of rep-resentatives of these parties answered ques-tions about forestry issues in the Catskills.Purposes of the forums were to encourageand stimulate dialogue and promote coop-eration.

The Northern Catskill Forum was heldon March 25 on the campus of SUNYCobleskill. Cornell Cooperative Extensionof Sullivan County in Liberty co-hosted theSouthern Catskill Forum on April 1. The

12 NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO MAY/JUN 1995

Northeastern Area Tree Farm Awardees

Ron Cadieux (r) NYS Tree Farm Area #6 Chairperson, presents awards for the North-eastern U.S. Tree Farm Outstanding Tree Farmer Competition to Polly and Erwin

Fullerton, members of NYFOA's Southeastern Adirondack Chapter.

audience had the opportunity to participateand several good discussions occurred.

Lewis Decker of the NY Chapter of theAmerican Chestnut Foundation travelled toArkville, March 28 to give a presentationto an enthusiastic group of hopeful chest-

nut growers. He presented a wonderfulslide show and spoke about the efforts torevive the American Chestnut in NewYork.

Handmade QuiltBetty Wagner, quilt master, has do-

nated handmade "Adirondack Beauty" toNYFOA, a $1500 value. Proceeds for the1 dollar ticket to go to NYFOA Chapter/Affiliates.

Send money for raffle tickets to DebbieGiII,Box 180, Fairport,NY 14450. She willassign suitable numbers to the stubs andhold for the drawing at the NYFOA FallMeeting,

CayugaApril 21-28, 1995, 25th Anniversary

celebration of Earth Day, April 22, 1970,the Cayuga Chapter will man a display atthe Cayuga County Community College.In addition, throughout the week the chap-

ter in cooperation with the Cayuga countyFederation of Conservation Clubs will be-gin an experimental program (The LouNogaProject) directed at the restoration of

the American Chestnut to the county, TheFalcon Sportsman Club and the CayugaCounty Sportsman's Clubs are providingsites and funds; the Cayuga ChapterNYFOA, funds; and the Cayuga CountyCommunity College, sites to establish per-manent root stocks from seedlings of twogenetic sources. The chapter will maintainrecords; the community college will assistin monitoring; and the plantings will be ac-complished by boy scout troops. Other in-stitutional sites will be involved next year.

Catskill Region Nominated for Biosphere ReserveBy Donna Rogier

In an effort spearheaded by The CatskillCenter for Conservation and Development,an application has been submitted to theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific, andCultural (UNESCO) Man and the Bio-sphere Program for designation of theCatskill Region as a Biosphere Reserve. Acommittee of non-profit organizations (in-cluding CFA), government agencies, localcitizens, and educators collaborated on thepreparation of the application.

Biosphere reserves are areas of repre-sentative terrestrial and coastal environ-ments which have been recognized for theirecological and cultural significance. Des-ignation is a recognition that is completelynon-regulatory. Activities within the pro-gram are a cooperative effort betweenagencies, communities, educational insti-tutions, and non-government organizations.

The proposed Catskill Region Biosphere

Reserve includes all of Delaware, Greene,Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and UlsterCounties and the southwestern portion ofAlbany County.

Coordination and development of re-search and education programs in biology,ecology, land use planning, sustainableeconomic development, culture, and his-tory are the major goals of the Reserve.Designation could bring many benefits tothe region, including money and attentionfor projects in these areas. The region'sthree primary industries tourism, agricul-ture, and forestry - will be aided by coordi-nated planning and management efforts thatwill focus on traditional land and resourceuses, sustainable land management prac-tices, and encouragement of traditional arts.The proposed Biosphere Reserve will helpto preserve and develop a sense of placeand cultural heritage, and, ideally, a senseof regional identity based upon the uniquenatural treasures and rich cultural history

CATSKILL REGION BIOSPHERE RESERVE

ZONATION

Catskill Region (Zone of Cooperation) ~

Catskill Park (Managed Use Area)

Contains lands of the CaLskill Foreer Preserve

(Protected Area).

Non-contiguous Areas

Includes Mohonk Preserve a.nd Huyck Preserve (protected

Areas); and New York City-owned water supply land! and

reservoirs (Managed Use Areas). No( saown ace MD·

contiguous New York State-owned lands (Managed Use Areas).

(Adapted from Anderle and Carroll, 1988. For more

d •..•tailed zonation map. see The C.&tsk.ills, 2nd ed., L986)

NY FOREST OWNER

of the region, and the need to conservethese resources.

Initially, The Catskill Center will coor-dinate activities within the proposedCatskill Region Biosphere Reserve. A long-term goal is to establish a laboratory andeducational facility to provide a base ofoperations to coordinate and conduct pro-grams and research. The region' s interestedresidents will be involved in cooperativeefforts to pursue research in ecology, plan-ning, development, and folklore and de-velop educational activities to increase en-vironmental awareness and stewardship.

Official designation could come as earlyas July when the International Committeeof the Man and the Biosphere Programmeets in Paris.

Donna is the Director of Education for theCatskill Forest Association and representsthe affiliate on NYFOA' s Board of Direc-tors.

Otsego

Delaware

MAY/JUN 1995 • 13

Sullivan

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

Ask A Forester: Why The Commission?By Robert W. Howard

Dinnie Sloman, in the "Ask A Forester"column (NYFO Jan/Feb), stated that sell-ing timber on a commission basis can cre-ate a conflict of interest. As one of thoseconsultants who charge by commission, Itake offense at this statement and the en-tire paragraph this statement was in.

Why do consultants charge on a com-mission basis over a hourly and/or per acrerates? The same reason why real estateagents, insurance agents, car salesman, auc-tioneers, and other people who are involvedin sales are paid on commission. It givesthem the incentive to sell the product.

In the real world not all people managetheir timberland the way we in NYFOA do.With most of our clientele, the reason theysell timber is because they need the moneyfor one reason or another, not because it isa heavily stocked stand which needs to bethinned, or because it is mature and needsa regeneration cutting. Here are three re-cent examples: the first was a farmer whoneeded a new tractor, the second was alandowner who needed to pay offhis mort-gage and the last was an estate trying toliquidate their assets to settle with the heirsand the tax man. In each instance, the firstconcern was how many dollars could thetimber produce, in all three cases manage-ment of the resource took a back seat.

Not all was lost however; because wework on a commission basis we were ableto work in some management on two outof the three clients mentioned above. Thefarmer who needed to pay for a new trac-tor had an excellent 20 acre sugar maplestand in the small sawtimber size class. Hehad done some non-commercial thinningin the past and the stand was at a good den-sity for tree growth. We could have soldthe timber off this lot; but after consultingwith the owner that it was not in his bestinterest to cut timber this small, he agreedto postpone the harvest until the stockinggot to a point where thinning was appro-priate. We have the confidence that whenthe owner decides to sell, he will call us tohandle the sale. Through selling on a com-mission basis we feel we have a vested in-terest in that timber and by cutting the tim-ber later, we too will make more money inthe long run.

The landowner who wanted to payoffhis mortgage had several offers on the tim-

14 NY FOREST OWNER MAY/JUN 1995

ber already. His lot was primarily a mix ofhemlock, white pine, and hardwood. Afterlooking over the lot and consulting withthe landowner. we recommended that thelow valued hemlock and poor quality whitepine be harvested and that should get himthe cash he requires. We also recommendedthat he postpone the sale until late summeror fall for the wet ground conditions lim-ited the sale to a winter harvest; and therewas recently a sudden drop in that market.We could've sold this timber directly, butby selling on a commission basis, it will beto both the owner's and our advantage tosell the timber when we feel we can get themost.

As for the estate, they have decided toliquidate their timber asset as it is the mostliquid asset they have and they need thecash fast. In this case, our main job is toget the most value we can from the sale.When a forester sells on a commission ba-sis, hehas an interest to make more moneyfor you, the landowner. We scale the tim-ber in favor of the owner, not the timberbuyer, and we let the "world" know aboutthe sale. We generally mail saleprospectives to over 100 buyers and moreon exceptionally large sales where we sendthem throughout New York, Vermont andinto Canada. What we are trying to do ismatch the timber to the buyer who has thebest market for the type of product offeredfor sale, whether it's veneer, sawlogs orpulpwood. If we were to sell this timber ona per acre basis, we would obtain a fairmarket value for the timber; but we wouldprobably not be sending sale announce-ments to bidders who are over 250 milesaway.

Conflict of interest can arise in any typeof fee arrangement. Dinnie pointed out thaton a commission basis, the forester maymark some high quality trees prematurely.True, but I have heard of less than honestforesters charging up more time than actu-ally worked when paid on an hourly basis.On a per acre basis, the sale area could com-prise more acres than actually marked and!or needed to be. Also fewer trees per acrecould be marked so that the forester couldcover more acres in a day, but the dollarvalue was high since he only took the best5 or 6 trees per acre. None of these thingsshould happen with an honest forester,however if they should happen, at least you

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

would be compensated for the dishonestyon a commission basis.

Dinnie's article was about knowing yourforester. Chances are you will contactsomeone you either know yourself, or wasreferred to you by a friend or business as-sociate. If you trust in the person you se-lected, the type of fee that forester chargeswill matter little to you. If you are sold onone type of fee vs. another I am sure theforester you have selected will work in themanner that will best suit your needs.

Robert Howard is the chairman of theNorthern Adirondack Chapter West. Heand his Wife Dawn are land and forestryconsultants from Canton.

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"AN EPIDEMIC OF HIGHGRADING"By Stephen B. Jones

"....Are we foresters talking EcosystemManagement even as we wear red suspend-ers and checkered shirts? For at least myentire forestry career, which is now in itsthird decade, we've been preaching aboutthe absolute necessity for doing a better j obof man aging one extremely important classof forest Non-Industrial PrivateForestowners. This ownership accounts for58 percent of the nation's commercial for-ests. But what do wehave to show for thesedecades of effort? An epidemic of high-grading! We can't even get landowners topractice basic forestry, much less Ecosys-tem Management. Whose fault is it?

"I'm on the Board of Governors ofPennsylvania's Timber Harvesting Coun-cil. We met last week. Among other thingswe discussed the prevalence of "DeceptiveThinning" (the term has a nice ring, doesn'tit?). The group recognized that not all ofthis highgrading is supervised by blood-thirsty pinhookers who know nothing aboutforestry. Some foresters (Yes, both indus-try and consulting.), "manage" with a paintgun and diameter tape. That's not manage-ment - it's timber mining. Shoot, you cantrain a chimpanzee to "manage" forestswith a paint gun and D-tape. Do you knowhow the people around the table rational-ized this abdication of our responsibilityto follow the SAP's first Canon? That land

Howmuchis it

worth?

ethic Canon reads that foresters will "ad-vocate and practice land management con-sistent with ecologically sound principles."They said, "The landowner made them doit - they're just doing what the landownerwanted them to do." How convenient. Thelandowner made me do it! How long canwe foresters hide behind this all too famil-iar excuse? We have another Canon thatsays, "A member who is asked to partici-pate in forestry operations which deviatefrom accepted professional standards mustadvise the employer in advance of the con-sequences of such deviation." Does sim-ply advising the landowner that a respon-sible forestry treatment will yield less im-mediate income meet the intent of the Can-non?

"Of course not! Our obligations to in-form and educate are much more involved,and should be far more persistent. Yes, Ido know consulting foresters who will"JUST SAY NO." I know what you'rethinking - It's easy for me, a universityprofessor who has a guaranteed paycheck,to tell a practicing forester, whose liveli-hood depends on handling that sale, toJUST SAY NO. But at some point we willhave to begin acting ina manner that mer-its a renewal of public trust. The public hasno reason to trust us if our principal func-tion is to serve as merchants of Decepti ve

Buying or selling? Settling an estaserMaking a gift of land?For whatever reason, when you need to know the fair market value of

your farm or country property, call Farm Credit, the most experienced agricul-tural rural real estate appraisers in the Northeast.

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Thinning. How can we claim broad licenseto manage our nation's forests when toomany of us either practice or condone thisinsidious mining of what may be theworld's richest, temperate hardwood for-est? Like it or not, as professional forest-ers, we bear broad responsibility for what-ever is happening to our forests .... "

These remarks are excerpted from anaddress: "Implementing Ecosystem man-agement: Some Thoughts From Pennsyl-vania ",By Stephen B. Jones as given to theSociety of American Foresters, New YorkChapter at their Cortland Meeting ofMarch 7-9, 1995. Dr. Jones is an Associ-ate Professor of Forest Resources at Penn-sylvania State University. He, also, servesas the Northeastern Regional Editor forNATIONAL WOODLANDS magazine. In asubsequent communication Dr. Jones cau-tioned that his remarks were not intendedto malign any particular segment of theforestry profession.

As reported in the NY FOREST OWNER(JuVAug 94), an eleven member commit-tee of NY foresters was formed to survey100 randomly selected sites which had beenharvested in the past 2-3 years. This sur-vey is about one third completed in thefield.The data obtained will be evaluated for sil-viculture practices.

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insects have vacated the gall this treatmenthas little effect on the infestation per se.

GALL MAKING INSECTSunsightly, yet ingenious

By Douglas AllenEvery kind of tree and man yother types

of vegetation are host to insects or mitesthat cause abnormal, often bizarre looking,growths called galls. All plant parts aresusceptible, but generally each gall makerrestricts its activity to one type of substrate:a leaf, twig, bud, root, or stem. Not only isthe location of a gall consistent for a givenspecies of gall maker, but the size, shapeand color of the gall also are remarkablysimilar from one generation to the next.

WHAT IS A GALL?Insects and mites have the ability to ini-

tiate gall formation as a consequence oftheir feeding or egg laying activities. Themechanisms responsible for this abnormalgrowth are not completely understood, butevidence indicates that both the parasite andthe host plant probably playa roll. Gallformers, for example, inject chemical sub-stances into the host during the process ofegg laying, or via their saliva when feed-ing. These chemicals stimulate the plant toproduce unusually large cells and (or) anunusual number of cells. Simultaneously,the plant may transport chemicals of its ownto the feeding site in an attempt to wall offthe injured area or to neutralize the intro-duced toxicants. The abnormal growth ofplant tissue that results (i.e., the gall) pro-vides a relativel y stable habitat for the para-site. It produces a reliable source of food,affords protection from many natural en-emies and acts as a buffer against adverseweather. In short, this parasitic relationshipbetween insect (or mite) and plant is an-other example of ingenious adaptationsfound in the world of insects!

ORGANISMS RESPONSIBLEMost of the known gall makers belong

to a small group of mites and six groups ofinsects: moths, beetles, wasps, flies, aphids,and adelgids (ah-dell-gids are related toaphids).

Additionally, some species of nema-todes, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and a fewparasitic plants (mistletoes) are able tostimulate gall formation.

HOW INJURIOUS ARE GALLS?

16 NY FOREST OWNER

As with any insect, whether or not a gallmaker attains pest status is determinedlargely by landowner objectives. Certainlyunder forest conditions, most galls amountto little more than curiosities. On ornamen-tal plants, shade trees and situations wheretrees are intensively managed, such as innurseries or Christmas tree plantations,however, infestations may be severeenough to change the desired appearanceof a tree (color, form) or to reduce growth(height, diameter). Host mortality is rare.

CONTROLSynthetic organic chemicals are avail-

able where large-scale control is desired.Timing the application of a contact insec-ticide is important, because generally thereis only a narrow window of opportunitywhen an accessible life stage is present. Forexample, adults of the balsam gall midgeare susceptible to treatment (i.e., exposed,not yet within the gall) only in late Mayorearly June. A contact material can be ap-plied effectively against a stage of theCooley spruce gall adelgid only in lateApril to early May.

Whenever dormant oils are approvedfor use, the window of opportunity wid-ens. These high grade oils are applied whenthe host plant is dormant to avoid phyto-toxic effects. They are physical poisons thatencase each insect in a fine film of oil andimpair their respiratory apparatus. The re-sult is suffocation.

Systemic insecticides are available forcertain gall makers, such as the balsam gallmidge. Systemics are synthetic organicchemicals that do not kill on contact butare absorbed by plant foliage and (or) rootsand act as stomach poisons when ingestedby the gall maker feeding on host sap ortissues.

Certain types of gall damage can bemanaged by conscientious mechanicalcontrol. Removing and destruction of gallsmade by Cooley and eastern spruce galladelgids at the right time of year (whengalls are greenish and still contain the pest),for example, is an effective way to mini-mize damage to small ornamentals. Afterthe galls turn brown, their removal mayimprove tree appearance, but because the

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

SOME EXAMPLESTwo species familiar to most people are

the Cooley spruce gall and eastern sprucegall adelgids. The former creates a banana-shaped structure that encompasses the en-tire current year's shoot (Fig. 1), a gall ofthe latter looks more like a pineapple andis restricted to the base of the current twig(Fig. 2). Cooley spruce gall adelgids arefound only on blue spruce. The easternspruce adelgid prefers Norway spruce, butwill infest red, white and blue spruces aswell.

The gouty vein midge (a small fly)causes pouch-like swellings along a majorvein on the underside of a sugar maple leaf(Fig. 3).

The spindle-like structures that com-monly appear on the upper surface of mapleand cherry leaves (Fig. 4) are created bymites that enter from the underside of theleaf.

Gall wasps are responsible for an amaz-ing variety of abnormalities, most espe-cially on oaks (Fig. 5). Recently, a gallwasp that infests the branches of black oakhas been associated with extensive, un-sightly damage to trees on Long Island (Fig.6).

The author thanks Carolyn Pike for thephotograph in Figure 6.

This is the 20th in tile series of articles con-tributed by Dr. Allen, Professor of ForestEntomology at SUNYIESF.

30 + Years Experience

ROBERT DEMEREEProfessional Forestry Consultant

Timber Sales· Management PlanningTax Law· Tree Planting

3987 Northway DriveCortland, NY 13045-9317

Telephone:(607) 753-0497

MAY/JUN 1995

NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

Gall damage to black oak twig.

MAY/JUN 1995 • 17

Cooley spruce gall adelgid. Eastern spruce gall adelgid.

Gouty vein gall midge on the underside of a maple leaf Bladder mite on top of a maple leaf

An oak twig gall.

By Peter S. Levatich®Not Pepsi Light. I am writing about the

LIGHT that comes from above: the stuffthat is the forest owner's most importanttreasure. Have you ever wondered whatmakes your trees grow? I mean reall y! Theyjust don't stand there and develop automati -cally, you know. Some do better than oth-ers, some give up and die, some grow wellnow but slow down later, perhaps speedup again, some just don't change at all fordecades. Why? If you grasp what goes on,you can make a great deal of difference inyour forest. All other facts will be useful.But understanding LIGHT will help youmanage your forest most effectively, in-deed.

In the beginning of my forest ownershipI was aware that CLIMATE made a differ-ence in how trees grew. But I could notinfluence that, of course. I concentrated onthe SOIL next. Being deep in mud seasonjust then with a very bad skid trail I inher-ited, I had a suspicion that this kind of quag-mire was bad news for tree growth. Noterosion, but churned up mud. I drained itand ditched it eventually and felt prettygood about it until a beautiful ash crop treedied about 35 feet away a year later. I wasshocked! Well, growth of a tree, as it turnsout, is determined in many ways by whathappens to the soil in which the tree is an-chored. I found out that nutrients, compac-tion, aeration, permeability ail mattered.

18 NY FOREST OWNER

Roots go a lot farther than most of us think.'Forest soil is very complex and out of view.But what really hit me was that a normalmortal forest owner can do very little aboutthe forest soil except to leave it as undis-turbed as possible. Just tread lightly wear-ing large shoes!

So, working with the soil to improve treegrowths is sort of a passive affair. I have toconfess that my temperament wants some-thing to do instead of staying out of theaction. I kept searching. I knew that thin-ning helped: tree growth accelerates. Youreduce tree density and the rest grows morerapidly. Everybody knows that. And I amashamed to say that not until last year didit really dawn on me that it is sunlight whichmakes all the difference. LIGHT is the keyto better forest growth, the foremost toolfor the active forest owner. You cannot buyit, or make it, but you sure can use it toyour advantage. It is yours free even whenthe sun is behind the clouds: as long as it isabove the horizon it works. It works likethis.

>Trees are light sensitive. They detectthe lengthening of daylight in the wintermonths and eventually start their growingseason based principally on that input.Trees detect the shortening of daylighthours in late summer and start the shuttingdown process which leads to leaf fall.

»Individual trees literally shape them-

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

selves in response to the kind of light thatreaches them. You have seen majestic treesstanding in the middle of a clearing or afield. What shape do they all have? A rela-tively short, fat trunk and a tall broad topwith innumerable leaves on all sides. Finda similar tree in a dense forest and whatdoes it look like? Thin and stretched wayup into the canopy with a small crownreaching straight up to the sky. The avail-ability oflight made the difference betweenthe two: same age, same species, same soil.

»From the day they poke through theleaf litter as tiny seedlings, trees are in in-tense competition for light. They want asmuch as they can get and kill for it. Thebest growers will soon over top the slowones which struggle for a while trying toget light to survive, then die. Thousands ofseedlings will start out of a clear cut 4 to 8inches apart in our woods and how manymake it to maturity in the 100 years it takes?It is the survival of the fittest, indeed.

»Leaves exposed to light make sugarand other carbohydrates which are the foodfor tree growth. More leaves result in moregrowth. If a tree is shaded sufficiently itgradually declines in leaf area and dies.Growth is governed by other factors too,of course, like genetics and the quality ofthe site. For example branching qualitiesare genetically influenced and a better sitewill result in taller trees. But tree diameteris a function of crown area: the more leaves,the more food, the fatter the trunk.

»Forest trees respond in drastic ways todirectional light. Edge trees lean out to-wards the open side and have profuse sidebranches. Trees bend and twist over theyears to obtain more light as conditionschange around them. Branch mortality pro-ceeds at lower levels as the tree grows tallerwith the rising canopy of a maturing forestaround it. Trees left behind in this strugglebecome "suppressed", idling in the hopethat a neighbor will die first so that theycan get more light. Such suppressed or in-termediate trees will seldom recover, theywill "bush" out if light reaches them in-stead of continuing upward growth withvigor.

And what are you doing with this knowl-edge, dear fellow forest owner? Well, youcan do almost everything depending onyour management objectives. Whether youmanage for wildlife, maple products, tim-ber, aesthetics, or recreation, your trees willrespond to the light conditions you createfor them. Let's look at some examples.

>Wildlife benefits from seed producing

MAY/JUN 1995

--- ~-- ====--

trees and from a habitat composed ofpatches of seedlings and saplings. A treehas to have a large crown to produce seeds.This requires it to be "liberated" of itsneighbors. On the other hand, light needsto be brought to ground level to provokeseedlings to develop. You can help by fa-voring edges, by making trails and roadswide and by cutting small clearings at fiveto ten year intervals. 2Remember that dif-ferent animals need different habitats. Avariety of conditions can be developed uti-lizing the growing power of light to suitthe wildlife you wish to support.

>Mapleproducts, as you know, dependon sweet sap. Somehow you have to de-velop sugar maples with the largest leaf areapossible. This means spacing them far apartso that they receive lots of side light in thecrown area. Cut other trees between suchsugar maple crop trees heavily: they willclose the gaps you create in the forestcanopy in no time.

>Timber trees, on the other hand, requirea judicious amount of thinning. Vigorouscrown growth is triggered by the increasedamount of light reaching the crop treecrowns after thinning the forest. Soonerthan you would think, crowns expand andclose the openings. When to thin again? Ifyou delay, growth declines, but if you thinagain too soon, your crop trees have nodesire to drop lower branches because theseare still useful in absorbing the light youare letting in. You have to pay attention tolower branch mortality. Only early moral-ity will result in clear stems and the moneyis in clear stems. By the time your futuretimber tree is 8 inches (dbh) thick it shouldalready have a clean stem. This is achievedby keeping these pole size trees closelyspaced to shade out the lower branches.Thereafter the crowns need to be openedgradually and repeatedly. Ihave been mark-ing my forest for cuttings for a long timebut I mark better today than I have only

five years ago. It is a science but also an artbased on experience, and no two forestersmark alike. But you can learn it too. It startswith the selection process keeping the posi-tive in mind: Which trees shall be retained?Make your selection (your crop trees), markthem with flagging tied around the tree andinvite a professional to see it. Ask his opin-ion of your selection. Then ask him to markwhat needs to be cut. Follow on his heelsaround the woods asking why is he mark-ing what he is marking. He may never comeback, but you are on your way to becom-ing a good marker.

»Aesthetics ...ah! A very subjective af-fair, but an important one: Do you like thelooks of your woods? Could your forestlook more beautiful? How can light makea difference as it filters through the trees,as it encourages better growth? My life andprofessional work is permeated by aestheticconcerns. Sometimes this leads to conflictsand my timber management objectives suf-fer because I save trees that look good eventhough they should come out. But evenforest management has its dark side! Youwill not go wrong, however, focusing onlight and growth and on what pleases yoursenses.

»Recreatior, is where the batteries getrecharged. And you should have fun, ofcourse! In the forest this takes place mostlyalong roads and trails. Here, growth trig-gered by light reaching the forest floor isoften a hindrance. Short of paving yourtrails you have to mow and maintain them.I have many foot trails, only about 30inches wide. I trim the sides once a yearand spray the ground with a 2% Roundupsolution. After a few years these paths be-come like carpeted corridors right throughthe untouched wilderness, for approach andobservation of all that goes on

»Do you have a combination of objec-tives? That is fine. In any event obtain a

copy of Crop Tree Management In East-ern Hardwoods. 3Read it over and over,then put it under your pillow; you mighttransfer in your sleep too. Even if you havea hardwood forest that has been neglectedor mistreated and you feel there is nothingin there worth managing, do not despair!Light will rescue your forest. Divide it into2-3 acre sections and systematically clearcut every other section like a checker board.It is called starting over. In our area of theworld hardwood forests renew themselves.Ten years later cut the remaining sections.Meanwhile you will become host to newwildlife and soon you can deal with thou-sands of new trees which will be delight-fully vigorous, well formed and coopera-tive.

LIGHT is essential to us humans too,but it is more directly critical to the forest.Keep looking up into the crowns all thetime. You will learn how to stumble alongwithout falling; it is worth it! By seeing theeffect light has on crown growth you caninfluence the latter. You can rotate yourforest crop in 80 years instead of a 120.You will have the great satisfaction ofhav-ing made a long term mark, benefits foryour successors and for society. It is fan-tastic!!! How can you bear sitting here andreading this instead of being out there do-ing it? Really!

I On the maximum extent of tree roots.E.L.Stone and PJ.Kalis. 1991

2Managing Northern Forests for Wildlife.G. W Gullion, 1984. The Ruffed GrouseSociety.

3 Crop Tree Management In Eastern Hard-woods. A.W.Perkey, B.L.Wilkins andH.C.Smith. USDA Forest ServiceMorgantown, WV: NA-TP-19-93. To ob-tain call: 304/285-1536.

NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO MAY/JUN 1995 • 19

What size your saw logs?By Peter S. Levatich®

Whenever I drive by a saw mill, I slowdown to see the logs. What species, whatquality and what size? I am glad when Isee good saw logs being utilized. It is as itshould be. Increasingly, though, the logsat the mills appear to be smaller. I happenedto mention this to my neighbor the otherday and he emphatically agreed. He too hasbeen wondering about the size of saw logsbeing harvested. The market is very goodnow, but is it advisable to harvest suchsmall saw timber trees?

Logs are priced on the basis of volumeand grade. Volume measures the quantityof wood in a log, while grade is a determi-nation of quality of the wood in the samelog. Volume measurements are stated inboard foot units of usable wood as definedby certain formulae called the scale (as inDoyle scale, 114 inch International scale,etc.). Usable volume in a log is less thanthe geometric volume because oflosses tosawdust, the log center, and edges. Never-theless, the more volume, the more value.Grade is based on the lack of defined de-fects and also on log diameter. The largerthe log diameter and the fewer the defects,

the higher the grade. Veneer Grade is thehighest, No-3 Grade is the lowest gradecategory.

Let us look at an example. Two logs,equally perfect and equall y long but differ-ing in diameter (See illustration).

The geometric volume of the 16" log isabout twice that of the 12" log. The usablevolumes are in similarratios. Because gradeevaluation rules state that a log has to be aminimum of 16" diameter to be classifiedaNo 1 log, the smaller onein our exampleis a "number 2". (Note: mill specificationsmay vary somewhat, always inquire beforecutting your tree.)

What does all this mean to the forestowner? It adds up to huge difference! SinceGrade-1 is about twice as valuable as aGrade -2, it means that the above 16" logis worth at least four times more than the12" log. (Twice the volume and twice thequality) ..Calculations show that a 24" logof the same length is worth about 9.2 timesmore than a 12" log. If you have any 36"diameter logs, I will be happy to calculatehow wealthy you are. It is phenomenal!

How long does it take to grow a treefrom 12" to 16"? Under ideal conditions it

16 inches

DIAMETER AT SMALL END, INSIDE BARK:

12 inches

and edges

center

\O~)(,00- (Surfc..u-)\L VOLUME IN SOARD FEET (SOFT) PER FOOT OF LOG LENGTH

Geometric volume: 1.395 BDFTDoyle Scale: 0.9 BDFT1/4" International: 1.1 BDFT

. w&'(~<J rrJ..O.-recT fi, ft,. .t ~H-"'" a~

20 NY FOREST OWNER

0.785 BDFT0.4 BDFT0.55 BDFT

NYFOA -1-800-836·3566 -INFO

takes 10 years. Your and my conditions areprobably less than ideal because of the site,the variations in the weather, insects, andother factors. So.let us say it takes 15 years.You, therefore, can quadruple the value ofyour 12" trees in fifteen years IF you man-age the woods in a way that optimizesgrowth. You already know how to do that:by thinning to bring more light into the treecrowns. Simple, easy, healthy work! Thinkalso of the fact that only large trees pro-duce food for wildlife in significant quan-tities. Do not forget their awesome beauty,their encouraging message of enduranceand permanence.

We forest owners are generally notaware of the potential value of our trees. Ifwe were, we would not harvest 12" diam-eter trees. Have you seen many farmerswho harvest their corn crop in July? Whydo forest owners sell so early? It has to beignorance. There are fiscal emergencies, ofcourse, when we need cash, but not on thegrand scale that is going on around us thesedays! Perhaps we do not have the vision ofimagining the long view. Twenty years,forty years, sixty years are the time peri-ods in which forest harvesting has to beviewed. Such time periods transcendgenerations, from grandparents to grand-children. It is OK to think in such termsand we should get used to it. We inheritand pass on other values, and to inherit andto pass on the forest crop is no different.

We own the forest and we take the risksof storms, insects, fungi, etc.; and of coursewe pay taxes. But we get short term valuesin return which compensate us: the familypicnics, the solitary walks, the exercise ofjogging and working in the woods, wildflowers, songbirds, berries and our ownfresh air! Our trees sort of grow by them-selves in the background. If we mange thatprocess, the annual rate of growth is in ex-cess of 10%. When the trees become ma-ture as individuals and as an investment,we should count our blessings and harvestthem; ....but not until then!

Peter, a NYFOA Director, representativefor Tompkins County to the NYS DEC Re-gion 7 Forest Practice Board, and a Mas-ter Forest Owner is a frequent contributorto the NY FOREST OWNER .

MAY/JUN 1995

FAMILY FOREST FAIR

NYFOA members Tom and SandyShows with grandson Dylan (center)

at '94 Family Forest Fair.

Saturday June 3rd9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

At Gurnee Woods (Vern & Marj Hudson's Tree Farm)Chatfield Road - Elbridge, NY

Throughout the day interpretive exhibits, live equipment demonstrations, outdoor clinics, and hiking trailsare waiting for you. Vendors will present and sell their forest-related products and services. You and your familyare invited to become more familiar with what is happening in forestry today and to share your ideas andinterests with others in a pleasant outdoor atmosphere.

• Woodland Wagon Rides• Lumber Grading• Wetlands Woods Walk

• Sawmill Demonstration• Log & Lumber Grading• Lumber Drying• Fores t Crafts• Chain Saw Safety & Maintenance

• Tree Planting Demonstration• Property Boundary Location• Tree Identification• Children's Activities• Forest Wildlife - Identification Tour• Wildflower Walk & Identification • Butterfly Garden• Hiking trails through mixed hardwoods' forests, conifer plantations, & meadows• Woodland Settlements - 18th Century Reenactments• Vendors will exhibit and demonstrate their forest related products• Exhibits and displays by various organizations

• LUNCH • Chicken Bar-B-Q • HamburgsFREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING

• Chain Saw Wood Carver• Firewood - Buying & Storing• Raffles

• Hot DogsDonation accepted

Sponsored by the Central New York Chapter

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 ·INFO MAY/JUN 1995· 21NY FOREST OWNER

On Early Spring HerbsBy Jane Sorensen Lord, PhD, OTR, ND

When Jill Cornell, Vice-Chairperson ofNYFOA's Capital District Chapter, calledand asked if! would give a woodswalk forher chapter in Mayan medicinal plants andtrees, I told her that I don't know enoughabout herbs that time of the year. (I alsowasn't sure I could recognize plants awayfrom my own woodlot, anytime!)

Actually, I am in the woods a lot in Apriland May, but I am so busy planting andpruning my baby herbs and trees that I have

not paid enough attention to the fastcomings and goings of the spring plants.

I do know the roots of the skunk cab-bage are used for asthma and bronchial con-ditions, but the one I tried to pull out wasslimy and stinky so I decided to stick withmullein which I collect in the summer. Themullein flowers are so high up that youdon't even have to bend over; and the softfuzzy leaves are so big that you don't haveto pick all day to get a year's supply. It

Skunk Cabbage

22 ~IY FOREST OWNER

doesn't taste bad and has no smell.I do collect some plants in the spring;

because if I don't get them then, I don'tget them.

Almost ready-to-open beech leaves arewonderful extracted in oil for bug bites,skin irritations, itches, and sunburn. Ifpicked in mid-May, they are ready to be

strained out and the oil used by July. Thesame for birch catkins makes a great mois-turizer when added to avocado oil. If youwant to add a little scent, stick some bro-

ken-up black birch twigs in with them fora lite wintergreen smell. For a super skin

oil, mix the birch with calendula, chamo-mile, borage, sage, horsetail, or mulleinflowers - better than Elizabeth Arden!

I gather the bright green tips of hem-lock trees and white pines. The hemlock isadded to scotch to make a tincture for coldsand the white pine in oil is great in the bath.I particularly like it in the middle of winter- it's like taking a bath in a pine grove,gets rid of the winter doldrums, and keepsthe body soft.

I also put up a few quarts of tincture ofviolet when the wood violets are in bloom.I take whole plants from several differentplots and put them in 190 proof vodka. Thevodka pulls the chlorophyll from the plantand turns an interesting shade of green. Iuse it as a tonic diluted with 8 parts of an-other liquid and take by the tablespoonevery several hours when I get sick. It is animmune system enhancer and healer.

In older times before chemo- and radia-tion therapy violet was used internally andexternally to cure cancer. They used thefresh leaves and flowers. Poultices wereplaced on the site and changed frequently.Violet tea, a cup of cut up smashed leavesto a pint of water, was drunk throughoutthe day for weeks, maybe months. I willsay it has a delightful taste. If you dry thewhole plants and put them in oil, you cre-ate an aromatic healing oil, good for closedwounds and sore throats. It really did helpme when I slathered it all over the front of

my neck and covered it over with a teatowel.

Mostly though, in the spring I tend tomy herb gardens. I remove the pine boughs

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

BlueViolet

and take the straw off the plants. I giveeverybody a handful of manure or fresh leaf

compost. Then I prune back some of thewoody herbs like sage, rue, hyssup, thyme,lavender, and valerian. I pinch back themints, lemon balm, betty, and chrysanthe-mums. I thin the poppies and borage.

I fix their name tags, and usually spendtime trying to remember what I planted thelast minute in fall which I didn't get to tag.Since they are often from seeds, I then haveto figure out which of the new growth isdesired plant and which is weed. After sev-eral destructive episodes, I have learned notto weed until I have identified which iswhich. I did, once, however, tenderly carefor a promising crop of hayweed babiesalmost all summer, thinking it was worm-wood. (See, Jill, why I get nervous aboutleading woodswalks!)

Dr. Jane is a regular contributor to the NY

FOREST OWNER, promotes the use a/wildplants in our culture, and serves as Com-munications Liaison/or the NY Tree Farm

Committee. She and her husband, Gordon,

are both Master Forest Owners and man-age a certified tree Farm in Orange County.

MAY/JUN 1995

The MarketplaceATTENTION small woodlot owners/part time loggers - ForFARMI winches and VALBY chippers, write Hewitt's HillHaven, Locke, NY 13092 or call (315) 497 -1266 (Before 8AMor after 6PM).

MEADOWVIEW NURSERYQUALITY FIELD GROWN SEEDLINGS AND TRANS-PLANTS for reforestation and establishing wildlife habitat.SPECIALIZING IN NUT TREE & WETLAND VARIETIES.P.O. Box 241, Byron, NY 14422 (716) 548-2207 FAX (716)548-9014

FOR SALE: 170 acres Allegany County; 80 acres pine andhardwoods; deer, turkey, grouse; call Henry Hansen, evenings(716) 334-3569; Good project for interested woodsman.

For Sale - A well-managed timberland tract in Ellenburg,NY consisting of 191 acres near Upper Chateauguy Lake.Asking $85,000. For more details contact Ben Hudson atWagner Woodlands and Co., P.O. Box 128, Lyme, NH 03768(603) 795-2165.

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NYFOA SPECIALSThe following promotional items especially designed for

NYFOA may be obtained from Deborah Gill, AdministrativeSecretary; PO Box 180, Fairport, NY 14450; (716) 377-0391or directly from and with support for your local chapter:

Shoulder Patches $2.00 50% Cotton T-Shirts $8.00Window Decals 0.50 100% Cotton T-Shirts 9.00Member Sign 2.00 Long-sleeved Shirts 13.00Pewter Lapel Pins 4.00 Sweatshirts 16.00

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LANDOWNERSMaples, Cherry & Red Oak are in strong demand, if you are

interested in selling some of your standing Timber consider ...• Each tree to be sold is marked according to YOUR specifications.• We send notices to reputable log producers & exporters• Sealed bid opening determines the highest bidder• Payment is made in advance to any harvest operation• All harvest operations are supervised by our foresters• We retain a security deposit until owner is completely satisfied.• Guaranteed to net YOU the highest price for your timber.

Write or Call For A Free PamphletRobert Synowiez - Professional Forestry Consultants

~~ 7 timbe~fond\~ I Box 498, W. Beecher Hill Rd., Owego, NY 13827

~ 607/687-0460

24 • NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO MAY/JUN 1995

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMoravia, N.Y.

13118Permit No. 21

FOUNDED 1963

WOODLOTCALENDARMay 21: CDC; 2PM; Woodswalk; AllynWright Tree Farm; Medusa; (518) 943-9230.

Jun 3: CNY; 9PM; FAMll.. Y FORESTFAIR Elbridge; (315) 689-3314.

Jun 24: SAC; 1PM; Open Steering Com-mittee Meeting; Dish to Pass/Grill going;(518) 798-0248.

J u19: CDC; "Woodscanoe"; Hudson RiveriRam's Horn Creek;M. Greason; (518) 943-9230.

Ju115: SAC; Logging Aesthetics; Dave &Jane Jenks; Warren County

Sep 30:2 Day NYFOA Fall Meeting, Hem-lock Lake; Eileen Van Wie (716) 367 -2849eve.

Coming Issues-NY Forest Owner.TUL/AUG

The Forest Behind The TreesBy Paul Manion, SUNY/ESF

Forest SoilsBy Edwin White, SUNY/ESF

SEPTIOCTCorridor Management

By Larry Abrahamson, SUNY/ESFUseful Ecological Conceptsfor Regrown Forests

By Norman Richards, SUNY/ESF