The New York Forest Owner - Volume 50 Number 1

The New YorkForest OwnerA PublicAtion of the new York forest owners AssociAtion

January/February 2012

Volume 50 Number 1www.nyfoa.org

Member Profile: Randy and Sibyl Quayle

For people caring about New York’s trees and forests

2 The New York Forest Owner 50:1 • January/February 2012

www.nyfoa.org

Liana Gooding, Office AdministratorPO Box 541Lima, NY 14485; (800) [email protected]

Peter Smallidge, Chair Editorial Committee and Ex-Officio Board MemberCornell University, Fernow HallIthaca, NY 14853; (607) 592 3640

Mike Seager, Ex-Officio / Past PresidentPO Box 1281Pittsford, NY 14534; (585) 414-6511

The New YorkForesT owNers

AssociATioN

Officers & DirectorsJim Minor, President22 Bryn Mawr RdRochester, NY 14624; (585) 247-7069

Marilyn Wyman, Secretary815 Lawton Hollow RdMiddleburgh, NY 12122; (518) 827-5828

Sarah Stackhouse, Treasurer3010 Esperanza RdBluff Point, NY 14478; (315) 536-9482

Otis Barber, Sinclairville, (716) 962-8175. 2012

René Germain, Syracuse, (315) 687-6217. 2013

Roy Emerling, Boston, (716) 998-4190. 2014

Jim Minor, Rochester, (585) 247-7069. 2012

Ed Neuhauser, Groton, (607) 898-3614. 2014

Anne Osborn, Lower Hudson, (845) 424-3683

Ron Pedersen, Latham, (518) 785-6061. 2013

Anne Ross, Western Finger Lakes, (585) 288-4821

Kelly Smallidge, VanEtten, (607) 589-7530. 2012

Sarah Stackhouse, Bluff Point, (315) 536-9482. 2014

Rich Taber, Central New York, (315) 837-4265

Christopher Tcimpidis, Livingston Manor, (845) 439-3989. 2013

Ed Welch, Southern Adirondack, (518) 861-6038

Phil Walton, Capital District, (518) 895-5346

Dave Williams, Southern Tier; (607) 563-3156

Frank Winkler, Andes, (845) 676-4825. 2012

Marilyn Wyman, Middleburgh, (518) 827-5828. 2014

In This Issue . . .from the President Jim minor ..................................................................................................... 3

nY fArm show 2012 ................................................................................. 5

Ask A ProfessionAl Peter smAllidge ......................................................................................... 6

shrubs in the understorY Jim engel ................................................................................................... 8 kid’s corner rebeccA hArgrAve .................................................................................... 9

wild things in Your woodlAnds kristi sullivAn ......................................................................................... 10

news & notes .............................................................................................. 11

nYfoA generAl director cAndidAtes ............................................ 12

50th AnnuAl nYfoA meeting ............................................................ 13

woodlAnd heAlth: winter of discontent Daniel Gilrein ............................................................................................. 14

mAnAging forests for cArbon mitigAtion James l. Bowyer, roBert w. malmsheimer, anD michael t. GoerGen, Jr. .............................................................................. 18

member Profile – rAndY And sibYl QuAYle carly neumann .......................................................................................... 21

The New York Forest Owner is a bi-monthly publication of The New York Forest Owners Association, PO Box 541, Lima, NY 14485. Materials submitted for publication should be sent to: Mary Beth Malmsheimer, Editor, The New York Forest Owner, 134 Lincklaen Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035. Materials may also be e-mailed to [email protected]. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and if requested, are returned after use. The deadline for submission for the March/April issue is February 1, 2012.

Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to PO Box 541, Lima, NY 14485. 1-800-836-3566. Cost of family membership/subscription is $35.

cover:

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. NYFOA does not necessarily support or approve procedures, products, or opinions presented by authors or advertisers. NYFOA reserves the right to accept or reject any advertisement submitted for NYFOA’s publications. However, NYFOA is not able to investigate or verify claims made in advertisements appearing in NYFOA’s publications. The appearance of advertising in NYFOA’s publications in no way implies endorsement or ap-proval by NYFOA of any advertising claims or of the advertiser, its product, or services.

© 2012 New York Forest Owners Association

Sibyl and Randy Quayle standing on the property in front of their pump shed and sap collection tank. For member profile turn to page 21. Photo courtesy of the Quayles.

Volume 50, Number 1

This publication is printed on Finch Opaque, Smooth, 70 lb. text paper. Located in the beautiful Adirondacks, Finch has long understood that the viability of our business relies on the wise use—and reuse—of resources. Finch papers are made with renewable energy, post-consumer recycled fiber and elemental chlorine-free pulps. In addition, Finch Paper was the first integrated paper mill in the US to received both the Forest Management and Chain of Custody certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

www.nyfoa.org 3

Plans are well underway for our annual membership meeting. As in the recent

past it will be held at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse in conjunction with the New York State Farm Show. The Farm Show runs February 23 - 25 and more informa-tion about the farm show itself can be found on page 5 or at http://farmprogress.com/new-york-farm-show. NYFOA mem-bers will be mailed tickets to the show (en-try to the fairgrounds) a few weeks before

the show. Working with

NYS DEC and Cornell Coop-erative Exten-sion, members of our Central New York Chapter will provide a staffed information booth in the International

Building and have arranged this year’s series of the popular Forest Education Workshops in the Art and Home Build-ing on all three days. Refer to page 5 or our web site, http://www.nyfoa.org, for more information on these. Special thanks to CNY’s Jamie Christensen and Rich Taber for pulling this all together.

The membership meeting itself will be held on Saturday, February 25th, 1:00 PM, in the Arts and Craft Building. Besides a forestry-related program we’ll have elec-tion of new board members and presenta-tions of our awards. The list of candidates is presented on page 12 in this magazine. I encourage you to read it to get a better sense of the people volunteering to serve on the board, representing your interests.

Service awards include the Heiberg Memorial Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to forestry and conservation in New York; the NYFOA Outstanding

FromThePresident NYFOA is a not-for-

profit group promoting stewardship of private Join!

forests for the benefit of current and future generations. Through local chapters and statewide activities, NYFOA helps woodland owners to become responsible stewards and helps the interested public to appreciate the importance of New York’s forests.

Join NYFOA today and begin to receive its many benefits including: six issues of The New York Forest Owner, woodswalks, chapter meetings, and statewide meetings.

( ) I/We own ______acres of wood-land.( ) I/We do not own woodland but sup-port the Association’s objectives.

Name: _______________________Address: ______________________City: _________________________State/ Zip: ____________________Telephone: ____________________Email: _______________________County of Residence: ___________County of Woodlot: ____________Referred by: ___________________

Regular Annual Dues:( ) Student $15(Please provide copy of student ID)( ) Individual $30( ) Family $35Multi-Year Dues:( ) Individual 2-yr $55 3-yr $80( ) Family 2-yr $65 3-yr $95Additional Contribution:( ) Supporter $1-$49( ) Contributor $50-$99( ) Sponsor $100-$249( ) Benefactor $250-$499( ) Steward $500 or more( ) Subscription to Northern Woodlands $15 (4 issues)NYFOA is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and as such your contribution my be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Form of Payment: Check Credit CardCredit Card No. __________________________________ Expiration Date ________V-Code______Signature: _________________________Make check payable to NYFOA. Send the completed form to:

NYFOAP.O. Box 541, Lima, New York 14485

1-800-836-3566www.nyfoa.org

The mission of the New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA) is to promote sustainable forestry practices and improved stewardship on privately owned woodlands in New York State. NYFOA is a not-for-profit group of people who care about NYS’s trees and forests and are interested in the thoughtful man-agement of private forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

Service Award recognizing outstanding service to the NYFOA membership and furtherance of NYFOA’s mission; and NYFOA’s Chapter Activity Award thank-ing volunteer individuals or couples in their chapter education and outreach activities. If you have someone in mind for any of these awards, please send their names to Ron Pedersen at the address given on page 13 by February 1st. We hope to see you at the Farm Show!

While we’re on the subject of recogniz-ing those who support our chapters, I can not say enough about their importance to our organization. We at the state level carry out many administrative functions, leverage our core forest education and stewardship mission, and represent the common interests of our members to the state and national governments and other organizations. It is the chapters that do the “boots on the ground” hands-on seminars, woodswalks, and interpersonal events that are at the heart of what we stand for. The members of the chapter steering commit-tees are the unsung heroes of our organi-zation. I urge you to thank them at every opportunity for their commitment to NY-FOA and its values. Even better, why not volunteer to join their ranks? All chapters could use more volunteers.

Speaking for myself, 17 years ago I joined NYFOA to educate myself on how to better manage our newly acquired woodland. I fur-ther reasoned, even though I had a full time job, there was no better way to bring myself up to speed than to volunteer to be on the (WFL) chapter steering committee and place myself in the thick of things. It has proven a tremendous learning experience. Why not consider the same for yourself? By the way, I’m delighted to say that I’m still learning… it’s a lifetime thing.

–Jim MinorNYFOA President


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Show your support for the Association! All items display the NYFOA logo.

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Signature: _________________________Make check payable to NYFOA. Send the completed form to: NYFOA, P.O. Box 541, Lima, New York 14485. Questions? Call 800-836-3566

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Friday February 24 10:00 To be arranged11:00 Best Practices for Improving Tim-

ber Value. Dr. Peter Smallidge, NYS Extension Forester, Cornell University

1:00 Sugarbush Thinning Improves Tree Growth and Sap Quality. Dr. Peter Smallidge, NYS Extension Forester, Cornell University

2:00 Woodland and Wildlife Informa-tion Sources for Landowners. Rich Taber, NYFOA State Wildlife Grant Coordinator, Cor-nell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County

Saturday February 2510:00 Timber Value: The Market, Pres-

ent and Future. Andy Metz, SAF Certified Forester, Consulting Forester, Cortland Forestry

11:00 To be arranged

There will also be a joint New York Forest Owners Association, NYS-DEC, CCE, and SUNY ESF Forestry Information Booth, I55, in the In-ternational Food Building each day of the Farm Show. Before or after the seminar presentations, people can go to the booth and talk with knowledgeable Forest Owners Association volunteers, DEC Service Foresters, CCE Extension Foresters and with Master Forest Owner volunteers. Free information (brochures, publications, people, organizations, and resources) will be available at the booth. People can sign up for more informa-tion or for a free visit to their woodlot. The International Building has many forestry related exhibits for landowners. For further information contact: Jamie Christensen 315-472-5323 [email protected], and Rich Taber [email protected].

Got Trees? The New York Forest Owners As-sociation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will present a series of free forestry programs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday February 23, 24, and 25 at the New York Farm Show annually held at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. The Farm Show has many exhibits display-ing information, equipment, and items of interest to landowners as well as farm-ers. Landowners who own woodland as part of their property can get information on many subjects that will help them enhance the value of their woodlots for timber, wildlife, and recreation. Seminars consisting of eight different subjects during the three day farm show will be held in the Arts and Home Center Building in the Somerset Room. Subjects will include Wildlife Concerns, Leas-ing Your Woodlands, Deer Management Plan for NYS, Best Practices for Improv-ing Timber Value, Woodlot Firewood, Selling Timber, Information Availabil-ity, Timber Value Market Present and Future, and Natural Gas Drilling Update. People are free to attend whichever seminar interests them and visit the Farm Show exhibits the rest of the time.

Forest Management SeminarsThursday February 23 1:00 An Introduction to Silvopasturing,

and its Benefits to Land, Live-stock and People. Brett Chedzoy, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County

2:00 What Woodland Owners Need to Know About Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Rebecca Hargrave, Exten-sion Educator, Horticulture and Natural Resources, Cornell Co-operative Extension of Chenango County

Jamie ChristeNseN

NY Farm Show 2012Helping Farmers Produce More from Their Woodlots


Landowner questions are addressed by foresters and other natural resources professionals. Landowners should be careful when interpreting answers and applying this general advice to their property because landowner objectives and property conditions will affect specific management options. When in doubt, check with your regional DEC office or other service providers. Landowners are also encouraged to be active participants in Cornell Cooperative Extension and NYFOA programs to gain additional, often site-specific, answers to questions. To submit a question, email to Peter Smallidge at [email protected] with an explicit mention of “Ask a Professional.” Additional reading on various topics is available at www.forestconnect.info

Question: I am looking forward to retiring from my job in about 15 years, and want to work towards optimizing my future timber volume and value. What should I do for the best return?

Answer: Timber management can be a fun and potentially rewarding venture. Like any effort and investment, your return can vary even if you do everything correctly. Your focus on optimizing versus maximizing is appropriate; maximizing any single output often causes deficiencies elsewhere. It is also worth noting that many actions you take in support of your timber objective will have positive impacts on wildlife, aesthetics, and recreation. Here are several strategies you can consider. Many of these strategies are described in detail in recorded webinars avail-able at www.ForestConnect.info. Also, a new website is available that allows woodland owners to ask and answer questions in a forum, and interact in other ways. See this new site at http://CornellForestConnect.ning.com A current and thorough forest management plan is an essential part of timber management. A plan will be written by a forester based on your ob-jectives, interests, time, and resources. NYS DEC foresters will write a forest

est into your desired forest. Activities might include creating access trails, thinning areas with too many trees for optimal growth, or controlling undesir-able plant species. For those tasks you decide not to complete yourself, the forester can help you through the pro-cess of selecting a qualified contractor. Make sure your management plan identifies fast tree growth, and in-creased volume of high quality stems per acre as top priorities. Fast growth of desirable high quality stems is a primary determinant for your timber objective. Also, fast growth will help ensure the trees are vigorous and best able to recover from stresses such as drought, insect defoliation, or ice storms. Faster growth will help trees get bigger faster (not a surprise), but will also improve their unit value. For example, a tree might have a quality grade of “select”, but a few inches of diameter growth would elevate the grade to “prime.” In addition to the increase in board foot volume (a board foot is 12” x 12” x 1”), the unit value of the log might increase by 10% to 20% or more per board foot depending on species. Use the unique talents of foresters

Peter smallidge

Ask A Professional

stewardship plan for no cost to you; contact information for DEC is www.dec.ny.gov/about/27790.html. The plan will describe the property, and the abundance, sizes, and quality of tree species. The plan will note any special features of your property. Based on your objectives and the current condi-tion of your forest, the forester will recommend a work schedule of activi-ties that will transition your current for-

Loggers are an important part of timber production. Loggers and land owners can participate in a nationally recognized training program called Game of Logging to learn the efficiency and safety of directional felling. Loggers who have enrolled in Trained Logger Certification through NY Logger Training also have some training in forest ecology, silviculture, and first aid.

Peter Smallidge

www.nyfoa.org 7

should prompt an immediate conversa-tion with the harvester. Communicate with your neighbors so they know when you are harvesting trees and ask then to tell you as well. Meet the log-gers who work in the area and offer to show them your boundary line to avoid any confusion. Have friends and neighbors be alert to unusual activity. Avoid damage to your residual trees when you are harvesting trees. You may harvest trees for a variety of reasons, but whatever the reason be careful to avoid or significantly mini-mize scuffing the bark at the base of trees or rutting the soil and disturbing the roots. Unfortunately, many owners damage their future high value sawtim-ber trees in the process of removing low value firewood. It is tempting to try and utilize all trees you cut during a thinning activity, but damage to just a few future high value trees can be worth several times the value of a few cords of firewood. Only competent and trained individuals with appropriate equipment for the terrain should be al-lowed to remove trees. When harvests

and loggers. Foresters are trained to make recommendations and prescrip-tions that will help your woodland achieve your desired end points. They can measure the forest, understand the ecological interactions of the trees, and plan for optimizing economic, eco-logical, and social outcomes. Different foresters have different skills and ex-periences so find the forester that best matches with your particular needs. Loggers are trained to work efficient-ly and effectively in felling, skidding, and bucking trees for the best return. Different loggers have different types of equipment, different markets, and different capabilities. Some loggers and foresters will offer services other than those related to timber sales. Because you may have many tasks to complete before your sell timber, find the for-ester and logger that have a wide range of experiences. Your forester can help you select a logger that matches your needs for a particular task. Avoid the all too common practice of high-grading or diameter-limit-cutting. These exploitive practices remove only the biggest and best trees and leave behind primarily low value and poor quality trees. These practices degrade your woodland by reducing future vol-ume growth potential, decreasing future revenue potential, and encouraging the growth of poor quality less desirable species. Many factors can contribute to high-grading, so learn the features of a high-grade, and specify to your forester that you want to avoid this practice. High quality trails, and where ap-propriate, roads, will improve your access and efficiency of work tasks. Even owners who are comfortable walking through the woods spend most of their time on or near trails. Trails al-low you to access work areas, improve safety, and allow for more thorough inspections of your woods for poten-tially damaging organisms. If you will work with a contractor or neighbor for harvesting, clearly describe the desired locations of trails and roads and the soil conditions, particularly saturated soils, that will result in road closure. When you visit other woodland owner proper-

continued on page 17

ties during NYFOA woods walks, ask questions about how the owner designed, installed and maintained the trails and roads. Take steps to avoid becoming a victim of timber theft. Several recent articles by Hugh Canham and Ron Pedersen in this magazine have de-scribed the characteristics of timber theft. Timber theft is most common on private lands. Perhaps because a large number of owners are absentee owners, only approximately 40% of thefts are noticed immediately. The best preven-tion is to obtain a legal survey of your property lines and then blaze and paint those lines. The boundary should be inspected annually and the paint fresh-ened as needed to be prominent. Blazed and painted trees on boundary lines alert potential timber thieves that you know your property, and remove their ability to effectively claim ignorance. If you have a timber sale, only work with reputable loggers and foresters. Have a written contract that is reviewed by your forester and your lawyer. All trees selected for cutting should have a “stump mark,” and an unmarked stump

A legal survey that includes marking the property boundary is an important step in reducing the likelihood that you will become a victim of timber theft. After boundary line trees are marked, inspect the marks annually and refresh paint as needed. Communicate with neighbors about boundaries and harvesting activity.


Walk into any woods and you might be forgiven for overlook-

ing them. They blend right into the canvas of leaves, twigs and stems that make up the forest background. Look a little closer at the leaves, the stems and bark. Try to match them to the large canopy trees that make up the forest overstory. Nothing seems to match, maybe because they aren’t trees at all but the group of plants that are called shrubs.

In woodlot management, shrub spe-cies tend to just get in the way of other management priorities like producing timber. They have no economic value. They never get large enough to cut for firewood. The stems are usually forked and crooked. The forester recommends cutting them out to reduce competition with the more valuable tree species. So what good are they? What role do shrubs play in the forest ecosystem?

People have a way of trying to simplify everything, so we can get our heads around it. In nature complexity is the name of the game. Change the

smallest component and it can have unexpected and unforeseen effects on many other organisms around it. Change happens even if we aren’t aware of them.

The forest shrub layer is often defined as the physical space be-tween ground level and 15 to 20 feet in height. The forests understory consists of several types of plants that as a whole make up the understory. The first group and often the most numerous in number are the seedlings and saplings of the dominant canopy trees. The next group is the under-story trees, species that are adapted to grow in the shade of the canopy trees. These tend to be small to mid-sized species like Hophornbeam, American hornbeam, serviceberry and flowering dogwood. Shrubs make up the third group and grow from ground level up to about 10 to 15 feet in height. The last group includes all of the herbaceous plants often referred to collectively as herbs. The herbaceous layer includes all

non-woody plants including annuals, perennials, grasses and sedges.

Shrubs are physiologically differ-ent from trees. Shrubs are generally described as multi-stemmed plants with numerous stems originating from the root crown. Trees generally have a single dominant stem growing from the root system. In trees the main stem exhibits strong apical dominance while the stems of shrubs are all codominant with no single stem expressing domi-nance. Shrub stems are often about the same size and many can regenerate from the root crown.

Several common shrubs found in the forest understory are spice bush, maple-leaf viburnum, beaked hazelnut and witch-hazel. Other shrubs and shrub like plants such as prickly-ash, round-leaf dogwood, bladdernut and deer berry are locally abundant in some woodlands but not in others. Occasionally other species that require more sunlight will be present in second growth woodland, but these shrubs will not persist over time and eventu-ally be shaded out.

Shrubs provide many ecological ben-efits in the forest understory that are not similarly provided by small trees. Shrubs provide more leaf surface area

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Shrubs in the Understory


www.nyfoa.org 9

hours to make a lemony drink.

In a few more months we’ll have even more options. Maple Syrup — not just for pancakes: jack wax, maple coated nuts, maple cream — yummy! Visit a local producer in March and April or make your own.

Also in April and May, be on the lookout for ramps (wild leeks) and fiddle-heads which come out in early spring. Ramps have a strong onion flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Fiddleheads, the tightly coiled young shoots of the os-trich fern, are earthy and green and nice sautéed, steamed, or grilled. Be careful, some fern shoots are toxic; be sure its ostrich fern before you harvest it. Take an adult with you.

These are just a few of the wild foods and drinks that you can find. Be sure you’ve identified the plants correctly (take an adult with you) before you cook and eat them. Enjoy!

Our woods abound with food year round, even now. I know its Janu-

ary, and you’re thinking “There is noth-ing out there that is not frozen.” But don’t think that! There is goodness under that snow and more goodness to come soon.

So, what can you find right now?Wintergreen tea made from black

(sweet) and yellow birch. Just cut off 4-5 inch pieces of small twigs and steep them in hot water. Or just chew on them to get the flavor of a wintergreen candy. Burdock roots can be dug when the ground thaws. Burdock is often found along roadsides or in disturbed areas. Look for the large flat leaves that die back in the fall, dig down as far as you can and pop up the roots. Burdock has a large taproot like a carrot. Look for the smaller, younger plants as they will be tastier, not ones that have gone to seed. Scrub well and slice into strips then boil for 20 minutes. Burdock root can be used as carrot or celery, or like potatoes.

Rose hips are the red berries on the thorny wild roses. These little gems are packed with vitamin C. They can be cooked or dried. They are easy to find

and pick, but they do need to be processed to remove hairy seeds before eating. Check for recipes on-line.

Ground nuts, Apios americana, can be found along marshy areas or paths in the woods. The ground nut is a legume and in the summer it has a beautiful maroon flower similar to a pea. It is an herba-ceous vine, and the dried vines can often be found in the winter. Carefully pull up and dig around the base of the vine to find the “ground nuts,” which are actu-ally tubers, up to 8 on a root shoot. This plant is a true native, and was a common food for eastern Native Americans before European settlers came. Ground nuts can be cooked like potatoes.

Staghorn sumac berries can be har-vested and soaked to make “lemonade.” Look for the upright clumps of red, fuzzy berries pointing towards the sky on sumac shrubs. Cut off some clumps and clean and de-stem them. Immerse and rub them in cold water and soak them for several

Rebecca Hargrave is the Community Horti-culture and Natural Resources Educator at Cornell University Cooperative Extension in Chenango County.

Winter Edibles: Get out your fork!

rebeCCa hargraVe

Kid’s Corner

Do you have a photo of you and your kids or grandkids in your forest? If so, The New York Forest Owner would like to see it! Send an electronic or hard copy to Forest Owner editor, MaryBeth Malmsheimer, and it may end up on this page!

Ruth Esther Delavan “Grammie D”of Cincinnatus, NY, submitted this photo of her with six of her nine grandchildren on a rare get together “jaunt to the woods” on their Maple Farm. Pictured left to right are Michaela, Kristen, Grammie D holding baby Rosalyn, Rachel, Ethan and Genesis.

Yellow birch. Photo: Bill Cook, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org

Rose hips. Photo: Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org

Staghorn sumac berries. Photo credit: Bill Cook, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org


Two species of cottontails are present in New York and both are very similar in appearance. The first is the Eastern cottontail (Silvilagus floridanus), which is abundant throughout much of New York State except the central Adirondacks. In contrast, the New England cottontail (Silvilagus transitionalis) is uncommon and occurs only east of the Hudson River. The New England cottontail is a species of special concern in New York State because its distribution and abundance have declined significantly over the last 40 years. Both of these rabbits are mostly gray-brown in color, with white undersides and a small white tail that looks like a cotton ball and is most visible as they bound away. They are about 14 ½ to 18 inches in length, and weigh about two to three pounds.

coTToNTAil rAbbiT

Kristi sulliVaN

Wild Things in Your Woodlands

As you walk along a woods edge in the winter, the sights and

sounds of wildlife activity are not as obvious as in other seasons. The tracks of the cottontail rabbit, or the occasional glimpse of a rabbit bounding for cover, remind us that some of New York’s mammals are still active. The woods are quiet and peaceful during winter, and the lure of discovering tracks, scat, or other signs of wildlife is added incentive to venture outdoors and enjoy what nature has to offer.

Like tracks and droppings, shrubs and seedlings with cleanly nipped twigs about 2 feet off the ground are evidence that rabbits are nearby. Rabbits are herbivores, feeding on bark and twigs of species such as sumac, oak, dogwood, maple, wil-

low, apple, and raspberry during the winter. In the spring and summer rabbits feed on goldenrod, clover, chickweed, dandelions, and many other plants, eating the more succu-lent vegetation parts such as leaves, shoots and flowers. Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning that they feed most actively at dawn and dusk.

As the weather starts to warm in late February or March, rabbits entertain us with their wild, leaping courtship antics prior to breeding. Breeding starts in February and con-tinues into September. After a gesta-tion period of about 28 days, from three to seven young are born. The young, hairless with eyes closed, are born in a nest consisting of a shallow depression in the ground lined with hair pulled from the female’s belly

and dead grasses. They nurse and re-quire parental care for about 20 days after birth. A mature, healthy female can have as many as five litters per breeding season. Although a single female could contribute as many as 35 young to the population each year, only about 20 – 25 percent of the young survive a full year. Preda-tors, weather, disease, parasites, and social factors keep populations in check.

Male cottontails are territorial and dominant males maintain territories of about eight to 25 acres. Other males can remain in the area as long as they remain subordinate, and respect the social hierarchy. Females defend a territory of about two acres in the nesting season. When local densities are high, frequent social

www.nyfoa.org 11

adding progressively smaller pieces of wood as you build up. By criss-crossing larger logs on the bottom, you create hiding spaces and prevent the pile from decaying to quickly. Old rock walls and stumps left in the ground are also beneficial. With just a few small habitat improvement projects, you can satisfy the food and cover needs for cottontail rabbits and enjoy both the springtime antics and the winter signs that are the hall-mark of the this animal.

Kristi Sullivan is Co-Director of the Conser-vation Education and Research Program and Director of the NY Master Naturalist Pro-gram. More information on managing habitat for wildlife, as well as upcoming educational programs at the Arnot Forest can be found by visiting the arnotconservation.info Image credited to Lew Gorman.

NeWS & NoTeS

interactions can increase stress and lead to reductions in litter sizes and survival rates.

Creating habitat for rabbits is relatively easy. Rabbits need nesting cover in the spring and summer, and food and escape cover throughout the winter. By leaving the tops of trees cut for firewood or during a timber harvest, you can provide food at ground level as well as cover. Crooked or forked evergreens can be partially cut through and toppled over to provide “living brush piles”. After the holidays, consider placing your Christmas tree out in the woods instead of sending it to the landfill. Create clusters of old Christmas trees by overlapping this year’s tree with last year’s tree. You can also create brush piles by placing large rocks or logs on the ground, and

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Seedling Sales Begin January 2012 The NYS Tree Nursery offers more than 50 different trees and shrubs for your needs: stream buffers, hedges, windbreaks, wildlife food and habitat, attracting pollinators, Christmas trees and more. Bare root seedlings are light-weight and easy to plant. Numerous trees and shrubs available make great stream buffers. Storms in 2011 destroyed many streambanks. Healthy planted streambanks and floodplains slow the force of floodwa-ters and reduce erosion, protecting our loved ones and property. The sale be-gins January 3, 2012 and runs through mid May. For more information visit their web site at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7127.html

Social Network Site Private woodland owners have an added option for connecting with other woodland owners and educational resources. A social network site, http://

CornellForestConnect.ning.com al-lows woodland owners to learn about the ecology and management of their property’s resources and connect with other woodland owners having similar interests. The social network site is part of the Cornell University Cooperative Exten-sion ForestConnect program. Forest-Connect is an educational and applied research program of Cornell University

and Cornell Cooperative Extension. The goal of ForestConnect is to support the sustainable production of private woodlands in New York (and beyond) through the provision of educational assistance. ForestConnect is a broad and deep program and works with numerous colleagues, cooperators, and partners. For more information about ForestConnect, visit the main website at www.ForestConnect.info


Name(s) _____________________________________________________________________________Address _____________________________________________________________________________City _____________________________________ State _______________ Zip ______________Chapter / Affiliation ________________________________

Send ballot to: NYFOA, P.O. Box 541, Lima, New York 14485

NYFoA General Director Candidates

Election FormVoTe For Four (3) cANdidATes

detaCh aNd ComPlete mail before february 10, 2012

The Nominating Committee of NYFOA presents the following slate of four nominees to fill the four openings on the statewide Board of Directors. Each opening is for a three-year term as provided by the Bylaws of NYFOA. Please complete the ballot below and mail to NYFOA by February 10, 2012 or vote in person at the Annual Meeting on February 25, 2012.

Jim Minor - Rochester, NYJim Minor and his wife, Barbara, have been members of NYFOA since 1994. Jim has been active in the Western Finger Lakes chapter, serving as its Newsletter Editor, Chapter Chairman, and Chapter-Designated Director to the State Board. He currently serves on the WFL board and is their Newsletter Publisher. Jim is past Vice President of NYFOA and currently serves as its President. He is a retired engineer with degrees from the University of Rochester and Brown University. He and Barbara own/manage 200+ acres of forest/farm land in Schuyler County.

Mike Seager – Webster, NY Mike has been a member of NYFOA for more than 10 years, and has served on the board of the Western Finger Lakes chapter for much of that time. He served six years as WFL’s designated director to the state board of directors, during which time he served as both vice president and president of the board. Mike and his father own about 175 acres of cropland and woodlot in Allegany and Livingston Counties, which they manage for timber production and small game and bird habitat.

Kelly Smallidge - Van Etten, NYKelly lives near Ithaca, in Van Etten, NY. She has been involved with the Southern Finger Lakes Chapter of NYFOA for several years, as a member of the chapter steering committee, and served as a member of the NYFOA Board. She earned a B.S. from ESF in Environmental Studies with a concentration Policy and Management. As a member of NYFOA, her interest in management of private forested land has been driven by a personal goal for an improved understanding of forested land policy. She enjoys NYFOA because of the firsthand opportunity the organization provides to witness the development and application of forest policies and their impacts.

Jim Minor ( ) Mike Seager ( ) Kelly Smallidge ( ) ___________________ ( ) _________________ ( ) Write-in candidate

www.nyfoa.org 13

50th Annual NYFOA Meeting

The New York Forest Owners Association is holding its annual

membership meeting, in conjunction with the three-day New York Farm

Show, on Saturday February 25, 2012, at the New York Fairgrounds in

Syracuse.

The annual meeting will begin at 1:00 pm and be held in the Arts and

Home Building.

At the meeting the Heiburg Memorial Award, the Outstanding Service

Award, and NYFOA’s Chapter activity awards will all be presented.

The meeting will also feature the topic: The Health Status of New

York’s Forests. No single measurement can summarize forest health.

Instead, we look at a wide set of indicators which together serve as a

reflection of existing conditions of New York’s forest health. Repeated

monitoring of the forest over time allows us to identify trends in forest

conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of our actions. Information

about forest health is obtained in a variety of ways. The USDA

Forest Service conducts a program of Forest Inventory and Analysis,

which provides information in NY on rates of tree growth and death,

harvesting, and changes in forest types and tree species. The Forest

Service and the New York State DEC conduct regular ground and aerial

surveys of forest damage and the causal agents, both in permanent plots

and in other forest areas. NYFOA’s keynote speaker will discuss the

overall health of New York’s 18 millions acres of forests, and highlight

some of the key challenges facing New York’s forests today.

For more information, contact Liana Gooding at 1-800-836-3566 or go

to www.nyfoa.org for more details.

NYFOA AwardsAt the annual membership meet-ing each year, NYFOA presents several awards: The Heiberg Memorial Award recognizes outstanding contributions to forestry and conservation in New York. The NYFOA Outstanding Service Award recognizes out-standing service to the NYFOA membership and furtherance of NYFOA’s mission. NYFOA’s Chapter Activ-ity Award thanks a volunteer individual or couple from each chapter for helping the Chapter to operate in reaching mem-bers and other private forest owner outreach in the area. Each Chapter is urged to name one volunteer individual or couple each year for recognition by the state membership at the annual meeting in 2012. Please send the name of your “Chapter Activity” awardee, and any suggestions on individuals for the statewide awards to Ron Pedersen by February 1, 2012.

Ron Pedersen22 Vandenburg LaneLatham, NY 12110

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 585-374-2799Fax: 585-374-2595

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Our thoughts turn to all things winter this time of year, and for us ento-mologists that naturally includes winter moth, a potentially serious threat to woodland and landscape trees that is knocking on New York State’s eastern border. As an insect specialist em-ployed to help protect society, crops and landscapes from pest threats it seems I’m always arriving with some fresh hell, as Dorothy Parker might put it, to report. Fortunately the news on winter moth isn’t all bad, and it is pos-sible we may not see it in much of New York State any time soon. However, when something so potentially devastat-ing is so close by a little chain rattling is in order.

BackgroundNearly 20 years ago eastern Massa-

chusetts was experiencing a persistent outbreak of what appeared to be fall cankerworm (a type of ‘inchworm’). Unlike prior outbreaks this one was getting worse, not abating, and trees were being killed by repeat defolia-tions. In 2002 specimens were exam-ined and determined to be either Bruce spanworm (Operophtera bruceata), a native species, or possibly winter moth (O. brumata). The two species are very similar in both moth and caterpil-lar stages, but winter moth was finally confirmed as the culprit in 2003 thanks to Deb Swanson, then Massachusetts Cooperative Extension Educator in Plymouth County; Bob Childs and Dr. Joe Elkinton, entomologists with University of Massachusetts; Dr. Dave Wagner, entomologist with University

secondary problems such as borers and Armillaria root rot the threat to forest and landscape trees can be serious.

Part of what makes winter moth a problem is the wide host range it enjoys, including oaks, maples, ash, cherries, basswood, crabapple, apple, and blueberry; winter moth has even been reported to feed on Sitka spruce and heather. Another factor is that the caterpillars hatch quite early in the spring to feed on newly developing buds, causing heavy damage in a short time and when it might not be easily noticed. On blueberries, for example, this can easily mean the loss of the current season’s crop. While there are some natural enemies that take out a portion of the population they are not adequate to maintain a low infestation (hence the interest in Cyzenis). Dr. Elkinton estimates there have typically been 100,000 (and as many as 250,000) caterpillars per tree and up to 20 mil-lion per hectare (i.e., over 8 million per acre). Besides the established infes-tations in eastern Massachusetts (mostly east of Interstate 495), at present winter moth has been found in coastal Maine and New Hampshire, Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut, though one was detected on Staten Island and others on

of Connecticut; and Rick Hoebeke, entomologist formerly with Cornell.

Winter moth, a European insect, wasn’t completely unknown this side of the pond, with prior invasions in Nova Scotia around 60 – 80 years ago and in the Pacific Northwest around 40 years ago where it is now established. Those infestations were eventually brought under control in part by introduction of a parasitoid fly (Cyzenis albicans), but leading up to which some forested areas of Nova Scotia sustained high levels (40%) of red oak mortality due to winter moth defoliations. In combi-nation with outbreaks of other insects such as forest tent caterpillar and gypsy moth, severe drought and the threat of

CoordiNated by marK Whitmore

Woodland Health A column focusing on topics that might limit the health, vigor

and productivity of our private or public woodlands

winter of discontentbY dAniel gilrein

Adult Winter moth. Photo Credit: Robert D. Childs, University of Massachusetts.

www.nyfoa.org 15

fall cankerworm moths. Females are flightless and crawl up nearby trunks or other structures to await a mate. Eggs are then laid and overwinter on the trunks and branches of host trees. The moths then die, having completed their mission. The eggs hatch in spring as temperatures reach about 55 degrees F and budbreak begins. Similar to gypsy moth, the tiny caterpillars may blow from one tree to another, moving the infestation to nearby trees. Though the

eastern Long Island. In Massachusetts winter moth has been detected as far west as Athol and Ware, but so far has not spread west into upstate New York.

Residents in eastern Massachusetts may have noticed the adult winter moths (male) fly late in the year after emerging from the soil, where they have pupated, usually starting around late November to early December. The moths may be active into Janu-ary, somewhat later than is typical for


Winter moth larva. Photo Credit: Robert D. Childs, University of Massachusetts.

caterpillars are similar in appearance to fall cankerworms, they differ in one aspect that is fairly easy to see: fall cankerworms have three sets of prolegs (hind legs) with the front pair much reduced in size, but winter moth only has two. Bruce spanworm, the native relative of winter moth, cannot be separated from it in the field. There is only one generation a year and the cat-erpillars are gone by mid-June. Winter moths are attracted to pheromone traps set out in late fall used for Bruce span-worm, but separating the two species can only be done in the lab.

Dr. Elkinton and his team have now released C. albicans and successfully established (since 2010) it at five loca-tions. It has also been found in other areas where recent releases were not done, suggesting the insects are suc-cessfully overwintering. It takes time for these natural enemies to ‘catch up’ to such a huge host population,

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Leaf damage caused by Winter moth. Photo Credit: Robert D. Childs, University of Massachusetts.


so they’ll be watching for evidence of impact over the next five years or so. Meantime, they are also looking at other natural enemies for possible use in the fight against this foreign invader.

There are also other reasons for optimism. Dr. Elkinton notes that the insect may be limited to areas along the coast and further south where winter temperatures are milder. And at least in managed landscape situations there are effective insecticides that can be used, including some naturally derived materials (be sure products used are ap-proved for use in New York State). As forest managers know, however, it is important to watch for unusual prob-lems or outbreaks while they are still small and can be managed with limited intervention. Some helpful photos and more information can be found at the Massachusetts Introduced Pests Out-reach Project website at http://www.massnrc.org/PESTS/pestFAQsheets/winter%20moth.html and the University of Massachusetts Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry website: http://extension.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/winter-moth-identification-management

ReferencesA New Pest Concern in New England:

Winter Moth Update 2009. University of Connecticut Integrated Pest Manage-ment Program. Accessed 12/13/2011 at http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/general/biocntrl/wintermoth.htm

Cracking the Case of the Winter Moth. University of Massachusetts Extension Highlights. Accessed 12/13/2011 at http://extension.umass.edu/index.php/news-events/106-cracking-the-case-of-the-winter-moth

Elkinton, J. et al. 2010. Survey for Winter Moth (Lepidoptera: Geometri-dae) in Northeastern North America With Pheromone-Baited Traps and Hybridization With the Native Bruce Spanworm (Lepidoptera: Geometri-dae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 103(2): 135-145.

Elkinton, J. 2011. Biological Control of Winter Moth in New England. Dept. of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, Uni-versity of Massachusetts, Amherst.

NYFOA POSTED SIGN ORDER FORM

Use this form to order the sign shown above. The signs are orange with black printing.

SIGN COST NUMBER MATERIAL PER SIGN ORDERED* COST

Plastic (.024 gauge) $.50 _________ $_______

Aluminum (.012 gauge) $.77 _________ $_______

Add Name and Address to SignSet up cost per address $5.00Plus $.05 per sign _________ ________

Handling Cost$5.00 per order $5.00 Shipping Cost** $_______ TOTAL COST OF ORDER $_______

Please specify Name and Address to be printed on signs:

Name:______________________________

Address: ____________________________Limited to two lines of type (abbreviate where possible). Type is about 5/16 inches high.

Mailing Address (UPS Shipping Address if different from mailing address)

Name:______________________________

Address: ___________________________

Make checks payable to NYFOA. Mail form to NYFOA at PO Box 541, Lima, NY 14485. For more information call 1-800-836-3566

* Minimum order is 50 signs with additional signs in increments of 25.** Shipping Costs: 50 signs, $4.50; 75 signs, $4.75; 100 signs, $5.25; 100+ signs, add $.75 for each 50 signs over 100 (150 would cost $5.25 plus $.75 for the additional 50 for a total of $6.00).

POSTEDP R I V A T E

– No Trespassing –Hunting, Fishing or Entry by

Written Permission Only

Name & Address - Owner or Lessee

Offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia

International offices in Brazil and Uruguay

Glens Falls Herkimer (518) 480-3456 (315) 868-6503

F&W Forestry Services, Inc.

www.FWFORESTRY.com

Wayne Tripp, C.F.New York Manager

[email protected]

Winter of Discontent (continued)

Daniel Gilrein is an Extension Entomolo-gist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, Riverhead, NY.

Mark Whitmore is a forest entomologist in the Cornell University Department of Natural Re-sources and the chair of the NY Forest Health Advisory Council.

www.nyfoa.org 17

CornellMFO.info). There are also op-portunities to stay connected with other owners in NY and beyond through social networking websites. Web links for these educational resources were mentioned in the first paragraph. An-other important resource is NYFOA. Beyond the NY Forest Owner maga-zine, the chapters are superb resources for meeting other owners in your area and learning what to do and not do on your property. Take advantage of woods walks in your chapter and neighboring chapters if possible. Also, consider volunteering some time on the chapter steering committee or state board. Your volunteer time will pay significant dividends.

Ask a Professional (continued)

Whether you’re a family forest owner, or own tens of thousands of acres ...The professional foresters of Finch Forest Management can help achieve your sustainable goals including improved forest health, enhanced recreational opportunities, third-party certification and reduced ownership costs. With decades of forestry experience and a strong record of integrity, we’ll care for your land as if it were our own.

Finch Forest Management holds SFI and FSC® group certifications. Visit www.nchforestmanagement.com or call (518) 793-2541, ext. 5693, to learn how more.

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We can help enhance the value of your forest

F

Peter J. Smallidge is the NYS Extension Forester and Director Cornell University Arnot Teaching and Research Forest. He can be reached at email:[email protected] or visit his website at www.ForestConnect.info

occur, keep trails and roads as straight as possible, use bumper trees to protect more desirable trees, and avoid har-vesting in late spring and early summer when large sections of bark may be easily scuffed from trees. Timber management is a long-term venture, so help control costs by ac-tively using state and federal tax codes to your advantage. In NY, the forest tax law, 480-a, allows for up to an 80% reduction in the assessed value of forest land, excluding buildings, used for the production of forest products. Partici-pants need to have a written manage-ment plan, at least 50 acres of wood-land, and a forward rolling 10 year commitment. Forest owners who care-fully scrutinize and recognize a fit with the forest tax law requirements can achieve considerable savings in school and town property taxes. The federal tax code currently allows for owners

who actively participate in the man-agement of their woodlands to enjoy increased opportunity for deductions of allowable expenses, capital gains treat-ment of income, and increased deduc-tions of some capital expenses. There are of course definitions and details to learn, but owners can find what they need to start asking informed questions about federal code at www.timbertax.org. Continue to learn all you can about your woods, and stay connected with other woodland owners. Cornell Coop-erative Extension through ForestCon-nect and many county based programs has the responsibility and capacity to provide for most of your educational needs. Educational resources include, for example, bulletins and fact sheets, workshops, conferences, webinars, demonstration sites, and Master Forest Owner trained volunteers (www.

The report emphasizes that a ratio-nal energy and environmental policy framework must be based on the premise that atmospheric greenhouse gas levels are increasing primarily because of the addition of geologic fossil fuel–based carbon into the carbon cycle. Findings indicate that forest carbon policy that builds on accumulated scientific knowledge can be an important part of a compre-hensive energy policy that reduces fossil fuel consumption and provides carbon mitigation benefits while also delivering a full range of environ-mental and social benefits, including clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation.

A summary of the report is avail-able at: http://dovetailinc.org/files/DovetailManagingForest Carbon1011.pdf and the complete report is available at http://www.safnet.org/documents/JOFSupple-ment.pdf.

James L. Bowyer is the Director of the Responsible Materials Program for Dove-tail Partners and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota. Robert W. Malmsheimer is a Professor of Forest Policy and Law at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. Michael T. Goergen, Jr. is the Executive Vice-Pres-ident and CEO of the Society of American Foresters.


Managing Forests for Carbon Mitigation

James l. Bowyer, roBert w. malmsheimer, anD michael t. GoerGen, Jr.

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The role of forests in carbon and climate mitigation may seem to

be very straightforward. Since trees capture carbon as they grow and forests store massive quantities of it, it is easy to conclude that trees and forests should be treated as carbon sinks and left alone. But this kind of thinking reflects an incomplete understanding of the role of forests in carbon mitigation. In reality, forests have multiple roles to play in carbon mitigation, and forest man-agement can help to optimize those roles. A new report from the Society of American Foresters, based on an extensive review of more than 280 recent studies of forest carbon relationships, shows that a policy of active and responsible forest manage-ment is more effective in capturing and storing atmospheric carbon than a policy of hands-off management that precludes periodic harvests and use of wood products.

While acknowledging that forests have a myriad of values and that it is not appropriate to manage every for-ested acre with a sole focus on car-bon mitigation, the report’s authors conclude that national environmental and energy policies need to be based upon an understanding of forest car-bon benefits. The research identified four basic premises to establishing effective policies:

1. Energy produced from forest biomass returns carbon to the atmo-sphere that plants absorbed in the relatively recent past. It essentially results in no net release of carbon as long as overall forest inventories are stable or increasing (as is the case with forests in the United States).

2. Energy derived from burn-ing fossil fuels releases carbon that has resided in the Earth for mil-lions of years, effectively creating a one-way flow to the atmosphere. Whether emissions from fossil fuel combustion are ultimately taken up by land, ocean or forests, they are not returned to fossil fuel reserves on anything less than a geologic time scale.

3. Wood products used in place of more fossil fuel-intensive materials, such as metals, concrete, and plas-tic reduce carbon emissions, store carbon, and can provide additional biomass that can be substituted for fossil fuels to produce energy.

4. Sustainably managed forests can provide greater carbon mitiga-tion benefits than unmanaged forests, while delivering a wide range of environmental and social benefits including timber and biomass re-sources, jobs and economic opportu-nities, clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation.

practice of small subsistence farms from colonial times through the early 1900s and is still in use today although on a more limited basis. Small farms utilized every piece of available land for what ever returns it could provide. The fall was a particularly important time of year when oak, hickory and chestnut trees were producing a mast crop of nuts. Cows, sheep and pigs would be turned loose into the forest to fatten up on the bounty of the forest.

Whether you currently have shrubs in your woodland or not you should consider the ecological importance of shrubs to the over all health and biological diversity of your woodland. Increasing forest bird populations by improving understory habitat can have the added benefit of suppressing insect pest populations in your woodlot. More browse for deer on the forest floor might help a few more tree seed-lings from being eaten. More foliage in the understory can help protect the soil surface from erosion by pound-ing rain and add more leaf litter to the soil surface. Those are just a few more obvious benefits. The complexity of forests ecology tells me that there will be many more, but no less significant, benefits to the health of the forest.

You can conserve and encourage your present shrub and herbaceous plants. Reintroduce shrub species if they are currently missing from your woodland or augment your current species with the addition of new ones to increase biodiversity. Collecting and dispersing the seeds of shrubs and other understory species is an easy and efficient way to introduce and promote colonization of shrubs and herbs in your woodlot. For more information on how to use seeds to introduce and promote colonization of shrubs and herbs go to http://whiteoaknursery.biz/restore/index.shtml.

www.nyfoa.org 19

Shrubs in the Understory (continued)

Jim Engel is owner of White Oak Nursery and a member of NYFOA.

closer to the ground where the major-ity of forest birds forage. Their dense irregular branching habit provides more cover and structural complexity near the ground via forked branches and multiple stems that birds prefer for nesting.

Most forests contain only one or two dominant shrub species and some contain no shrubs at all. It is unclear why this is. There are large variations in the composition of the understory between one forest and another. Could it be that those one or two species are so finely adapted to the site that they are the only species that can reproduce and survive over time? Or is it that the species present today are the only ones that survived or were able to recolo-nize after some past human activity eliminated all of the forest understory.

Many factors can bear on the differ-ences in understory composition; the amount of sunlight, soil composition, pH, drainage patterns and topography. The shrubs that live in the understory need to be able to survive and repro-duce with the amount of sunlight avail-able to them. Sunlight, or the lack of it, may be one of the more significant selective factors influencing species survival. The amount of sunlight will determine what species can survive and how well they grow and persist. The difference may also be due to the past history of the forest. What human activity might have impacted the forest in the past, what species were elimi-nated and which ones survived?

Most of our current woodland has regenerated on former abandoned agricultural fields or woodland that was used to pasture animals. If your woodlot is a second growth forest that regenerated after agricultural abandon-ment it might have only a few species remaining compared to a forest that was only used for firewood or timber harvest. A woodlot that was used for pasturing animals may have lost all of its understory species. Pasturing animals in woodlots was a common

Do you want access to woodlot, wildlife, agroforestry, maple and other related information at your finger tips? Internet resources exist and help connect NY woodland owners to unbiased research-based information. Check out Cornell Cooperative Extension – Woodlots on the Internet

· Publications, webinars, links to resources, FAQs, and more at www.ForestConnect.info

· Got Questions (and answers) at: http://CornellForestConnect.ning.com

· Calendar of workshops offered by the CCE Department of Natural Resources www.DNRCCE.com

· Social networking via www.FaceBook.com search for “ForestConnect”

· Micro blogging at www.Twitter.com/CornellWoodlot


Are you interested in a particular topic

and would like to see an article about it.

Please send your suggestions to:

Mary Beth MalmsheimerEditor

The New York Forest Owner at [email protected]

Please share this magazine with a neighbor and urge them to join NYFOA. By gaining more members, NYFOA’s voice will

become stronger!

Don’t miss the Northeast’s largest and best forest products industry expo with over 200 exhibitors

displaying and demonstrating heavy equipment, products and tools for loggers, truckers, sawmillers, firewood

processors, and tree-care professionals. If you’re in the wood business, then this is the show for you!

2012 Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo

May 11-12, 2012 Essex Junction, Vermont

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For information about attending or exhibiting at the 2012 Expo, visit us on-line at www.northernlogger.com or call toll-free 800-318-7561 or 315-369-3078.

Don’t Miss the Portable Processing Equipment!

www.nyfoa.org 21

Member Profile:Randy and Sibyl Quayle

Carly NeumaNN


Randy and Sibyl Quayle own 15 acres of woodland in Lake Placid,

NY. Randy worked as a Psychologist in the Lake Placid School System and Sibyl worked as an Early Childhood Educator. Both are now retired. They do not live on their woodland property that is jointly owned by Sibyl and her brother.

The property has belonged to Sibyl’s family since around the 1920s. Her grandfather bought the land, located on a hillside above Lake Placid, in order to prevent it’s development. Since that time the family has felt compelled to continue to keep the land from being developed. The forest consisted of pri-

marily beech and sugar maples so in the Fall of 2010 the couple decided to start a maple syrup operation on their property.

Randy and Sibyl contacted Mike Farrell to learn about what would be required to start their operation. Mike led them to Eric Fahl, a forester, who helped them to selectively remove the dead and diseased beech. Their first syrup season was the following spring, March and April 2011. They had a good first year producing 450 gallons of syrup from 800 taps. They also planted 20 trees last year, both maple and Black walnut, in what they describe as “an ongoing project.”

One of the hardest parts about plant-ing trees is a lack of a water source on site, but they are persevering.

The first year was not without some challenges though; leaking vacuum lines and mechanical problems. But these challenges were to be expected with the start of a new maple opera-tion. Another interesting challenge, Sibyl added, is managing the forest and teaching their neighbors. A dirt road runs through the bottom of the property that several of their neighbors use to get to their homes. Although the beech removal benefited the for-est, the process left branches on the ground which some neighbors thought looked messy. Sibyl and Randy work to educate their neighbors about the importance of this management for the health of the forest and how in due time the woodland will look more picturesque.

The couple utilized a lot of volun-teer help to make their first season a success. One of the main reasons they started the project was to benefit the Shipman Youth Center in Lake Placid. They had been involved with the cen-ter since it’s founding 15 years ago as the center began to find it’s niche in the community. The Shipman Youth

The Quayle’s presenting the check for $2,000 to Jon Fremante, Director of the Shipman Youth Center. (Left to Right: Mike Farrell, Randy Quayle, Sibyl Quayle, Jon Fremante, Anthony Kordziel, and John Cranley). Anthony was the senior at Lake Placid High School whose senior project was learning about the maple industry — and did lots of volunteer work for us and Mike Farrell. John Cranley participated in the project and helped with the set up of our maple project and sale of the maple syrup.

Tapped Sugar Maple on the Quayle property.


Center seeks to provide healthy activi-ties for children in the community. The center’s director Jon Fremante “was eager to get involved in the maple project and volunteers helped from setting up taps, to collecting and to selling the final product,” Randy states. This year Randy and Sibyl donated $2000 from their operation to the Shipman Youth Center and look forward to seeing this number increase next year.

Although the business is extremely time consuming the rewards for the couple and the community have also been great. One of the students from the Shipman Youth Center researched the maple industry for his senior project and did a lot of work on the property. Based on his efforts he discovered his passion for the in-dustry and upon graduation decided to enroll at SUNY ESF (College of Environmental Science and Forestry) to purse his interest at the collegiate level. This is truly a success story of their volunteer involvement. Another benefit; the couple is applying for ag-ricultural exemption to reduce the tax burden from the property. For forest owners hoping to start a maple opera-tion Randy cautions that it is very time consuming but extremely reward-ing. Randy reflects, “there are always more things to do” which is exciting but also challenging.

Carly Neumann is a Forest Resources Extension Program Assistant at Cornell University, Dept. of Natural Resources, Ithaca, NY 14853. Dr. Shorna Allred is the faculty advisor for the Member Profile Series.

Randy Quayle pulling a tap from one of our maple trees at the end of the season in May, 2011.

Red Fox Maple property, showing the Quayle’s in front of their pump shed and sap collection tank.

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You will receive an email every two months that includes a PDF file of the publication. While being convenient for you – read The Forest Owner anytime, any place; this will also help to save the Association money as the cost of print-ing and postage continues to rise with each edition.

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Documents

The New York Forest Owner - Volume 50 Number 1