NewYor"

Forest Owner

November-December 1983

2 New York Forest Owner

Vol. 21, No.6

THENEW YORK FOREST OWNERS

ASSOCIATIONEditor

Evelyn Stock5756 Ike Dixon Rd.Camillus, NY 13031

Contributing WritersPaul Steinfeld, PresidentStuart McCarty, TreasurerAl Roberts, Director and ForesterArthur Gall, Extension Entomologist,

University of MaineLewis DuMond, Secretary, RecordingDr. John Hamel

In This JssueP. 2 Front Cover; New Members;

Committees; Holiday Greeting

P. 3 President's Message; BetterForest Management throughNYFOA

P. 4 Financial Report; Help NYFOAGrow

P. 5 Photos taken at theFall Meeting

P. 6-7 Christmas Trees in theSuburbs of NYC

P. 7 Scleroderris Canker Update

P. 8-9 Are You Sure That's a Cord?

P. 10 Firewood and Insects; ForestBookshelf

P. 11 Decay and Diagnosis; On theCalendar; Effects of loggingin Northern Hardwoods

P. 12 Maturity by Dr. John Hamel;Meeting Minutes

Front Cover:View of the front lawn at the Cum-

mings Nature Center at the Fall Meet-ing.

A SPECIAL WISHto

OUR MEMBERSThat they may be Blessed

withPEACE, GOOD HEALTH

and aJoyful Holiday Season!

..••... ...a;..•..•.. ~.~~iif\i!:~ .:~~~' .:~~: •••

WelcomeOur New Members

Mr. & Mrs. G. Burnaplittle Moose lakeOld Forge, NY 13420Terry E. CrastRD #1, Box 23lacona, NY 13083John E. Lutz, DirectorThe Pine lake Environmental Center

of Hartwick CollegeOneonta, NY 13820Norman G. MibaumRD #1, Stone Rd.Prattsburg, NY 14873Richard RootOld Route #28North River, NY 12856Galen StoutFulmer Valley Forest ProductsRD #2Wellsville, NY 14895John Zeutz, Jr.Blue Spruce NurseryRt. #1, Box 85Rhinebeck, NY 12572

COMMITTEES

EditorialAl Roberts *Alan KnightGeorge MitchellKen EberlyEvelyn StockNorm RichardsBill lynch

Woods WalkBob Sand *lewis DuMondClaude le CoursNancy Finnegan

Nominating and AwardsDave Hanaburgh'Bob SandLloyd StrombeckNorm RichardsAl Roberts

Trust ManagementDave Hanaburgh *Paul SteinfeldLloyd Strombeck

By-Lawslewis DuMond'Nancy FinneganJames lassoieEvelyn Stock

LegislationJames lassoie'Nancy FinneganBill lynchBob DemereeClaude le Cours

Long-Range PlanningEarl PfarnerMary McCartyStuart McCartyBob DemereeDoug MonteithDr. John KelleyHarold Petrie

•Indicates Chairperson

November-December 1983 3

Better Forest ManagementThrough the New York

Forest Owners AssociationThe New York Forest Owners Associ-

ation is dedicated to uniting the forestowners of this state in a common effortto improve their forest resources andforest opportunities, and help makeownership of forestland more attractiveas an investment.

To maintain a balance betweentimber growth and cut to assure rawmaterials for industry and steadyemployment in forest communities andrural areas, the association encourageseducation and research in forestmanagement, marketing and use offorest products and services, as well asthe management of forest land to en-hance its natural beauty for the benefitof the owner, motorist, tourist and forrecreation. It works toward an econom-ic climate favorable to a permanent for-est industry. The association joins withand supports private, state and federalprograms that strengthen forestry, suchas the New York Forest Practice Act,The Tree Farm Program, Departmentof Environmental Conservation(DEC), Cornell University, and TheState University of New York, Col-lege of Environmental Science andForestry in Syracuse.

To accomplish this the associationpublishes six issues of the Forest Ownereach year, holds interesting and helpfulSpring and Fall meetings, conductswoods walks and offers many otherbenefits. The current president is PaulSteinfeld of Halcott Center, New York,who invites you to remember your for-est owner friends and neighbors thisChristmas with a one year gift member-ship to the New York Forest Owner.

Steering Clearwas moaning and groaning about

my wife's driving as she hurried me tothe airport.

As she drove over an area that hadbeen washed out by heavy rains, she hitseveral potholes. Even more irritated, Isaid, "Don't you think you've missedone? Maybe you'd better go back andtry again."

Without slowing down, she smiledand said, "That's okay, I'll get it on theway back."

- Valerie Childress

Recently one of my new neighborswas about to contract for a roadwaythrough his forest in exchange for all thetimber on his property the road buildermight want. I was able to point out theerrors of such a haphazard arrange-ment, and influence this new forestowner to obtain professional forestryassistance before this kind of invasion ofhis forest. My experience in the NYFOAhelped me in this instance to be a goodneighbor and to make a slight contribu-tion toward slowing the deterioration ofthis neighborhood's forest quality. Buthow ineffective I feel when I considerthe whole Catskill region and our wholestate.

Stuart McCarty and his committeemembers want to hear from you aboutyour definition of our association's mis-sion and how it could achieve this mis-sion. In the words of a Talmudic sage,Rabbi Tarphon: ''The day is short, andthe work is great; and the laborers aresluggish, and the reward is much; andthe Master is urgent. It is not your dutyto complete the work, but neither areyou free to desist from it."

ThePresident's Message

Paul SteinfeldGilead Tree Farm

Under Stuart McCarty's leadershipour Long-Range Planning Committeehas been activated. Members of thecommittee are: Alan Knight, vice-chair-man; Bob Demeree, Dr. John Kelley,George Mitchell, Douglas Monteith,Howard Ward; and ex-officio, MaryMcCarty and Paul Steinfeld. They willcritically examine NYFOA's objectivesand progress in achieving them. Theywill recommend whatever organiza-tional changes might be needed to keepus on target and improve our effective-ness. After twenty years it is surely timefor this kind of self-review.

In 1981 Jim Lassoie conducted a sur-vey of our members and made availablesignificant information that will be usefulto the committee. We are also inter-ested in information about forest ownerswho are not members. When we take alook at the management or lack ofmanagement of privately owned for-ests, we must be aware that much has tobe accomplished before we can say thatour association has realized the objec-tive stated in the bylaws of "representingthe interests of owners of N. Y. Stateforest lands."

4 New York Forest Owner

Help the New YorkForest Owners Grow!Give Memberships

for ChristmasThere are roughly 550,000 forest

owners in New York State. Eighty-fivepercent of their forest land belongs topeople like you and me. At present wehave about 700 members in the associ-ation which indicates that there are a lotof people out there who haven't heardof us and to whom we could be of ser-vice. If each member told his neighborsand gave one membership it would be areal contribution to the possibility ofhaving an excellent supply of lumber,firewood, and well-managed woodlandfor our children and grandchildren.

-To-NEW YORK FOREST

OWNERS ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 69

Old Forge, New York 13420

Membership Dues:IndividualGift $10.00 valueFamilyGift $15.00 value

$10.007.50

$15.0012.50

From:

Zip _

(To:

Zip _

From:

Zip _

(To:

Zip _

Cummings Nature Center Fall Meeting Lunch -Can you find your picture on the next

page? Mary McCarty ordered theweather and the good lunch. The Cum-mings Nature Center was a fine placefor the fall meeting.

After the Friday night business meet-ing, Karl Wiedeman indicated that theD.E.C. would like to develop an Empire

Forest System administered through theForest Practice Board by a part-timepaid executive director who wouldcoordinate all forest and landownergroups in the state in an attempt tostrengthen their voice in Albany. Hewould like to meet with representativesof the New York Forest Owners todevelop details of such an Empire For-est System.

1983 BudgetYear-to-Date

$6,789.50376.3616.00

$7,181.86

$5,608.13160.00273.70331.0023.36155.78136.8950.0013.0099.43

$6,851.29$ 330.57

$ 556.02607.24

6,680.55$7,843.81

$1,389.75

6,454.06

$7,843.81

New York Forest Owners Associatton, Inc.Financial Report as of September 28, 1983

BALANCE SHEET - SEPTEMBER 28, 1983

$7,500.00500.00

$8,000.00

$5,530.00720.00800.00300.00100.00175.00425.00100.00100.00100.0050.00100.00

$8,500.00$ (500.00)

=S. McCarty, Treasurer

IncomeMembershipInterestActivitiesTotal Income

ExpensesForest OwnerMembership Secretary ExpensesMembership CommitteeLiability InsurancePrinting & SuppliesAward CommitteeEducation & Publicity CommitteeAssociation Group MeetingsDirectors' Elections & MeetingsPresident's ExpensesWoods WalksDirector Communications

Total ExpensesIncome Less Expenses

AssetsChecking AccountSavings AccountMoney Market Fund

Total AssetsLiabilities & Net Worth

Accounts PayableNet Worth 12-31-82-$6,123.49

Income less expenses9-28-83-$330.57

Net Worth 9-28-83Total Liabilities & Net Worth

--- --- -----------------------------------------------------------~

November-December 1983 5

6 New York Forest Owner

Tree seedlings at the Jones Tree Farm, Shelton, Connecticut.

X-Mas Trees in the Suburbs of N. Y. C.by Al Roberts

From September 18 to 23 Alan andNancy Knight conducted a bus tour ofNew England for 21 forest owners. Thehighlight of the tour, for me, was theXmas tree farm owned by Phil Jonesand family.

The farm is located near Shelton,Connecticut, which is about 60 milesfrom New York City. In fact, from thehigh point of his farm you can see LongIsland. It has been in the family for over100 years, and Phil's father operated itas a dairy farm.

It is about the most completely used250 acres I've ever seen. There areabout 25 acres that are too low lyingand wet for Xmas trees, so this areathey ditched and drained. On the bestof this they grow U-pick strawberriesand blueberries. On the lowest (which isflooded every year), they grow haywhich is used to mulch the strawberries.Interspersed are ponds dug into thewater table which are used to irrigate thestrawberries. This part of the farm ismanaged by Phil's son.

Another part of the farm - whichsome might have called useless - is asteep, rocky hillside which was re-claimed from brush and woods. Herethe trees grow beautifully, with hardly askip in the rows due to the boulders.Since it is too rough to mow, competingvegetation is controlled with a herbicideand back-pack sprayers.

To get down to the trees themselves,they are the best looking trees I've everseen. They grow Douglas fir. bluespruce, white pine, balsam fir andFraser fir. They grow their own seed-lings and transplants, planting them inthe field when they are 3 to 4 years old.They use a cable stretched across thefield marked in 5 foot intervals to markthe rows and space the trees in the rowso all the trees are in rows running intwo directions. This gives an extremelyneat and orderly appearance to theplantations.

Each tree receives an application offertilizer every year as well as weed con-trol and, of course, shearing. Shearing

is done by a seasonal crew of 18 peo-ple, mostly high school or collegestudents. Each year about one-third ofthe people are new, and are trained byPhil in the fine art of shearing. For safe-ty's sake, they use hedge shears ratherthan knives. The rows are markedwithdifferent colored plastic ribbons whichenable Phil to tell which shearer did aparticular row. This way they can cor-rect any mistakes that are being made.The shearers are also used to work inthe strawberries and blueberries.

The trees are all sold as choose andcut, and it must be a madhouse. Theynave three large, strategically spacedparking lots and they frequently have asmany as 400 cars there at a time. Totake care of people who don't bringtheir own saws. they have a supply of400 bow saws to hand out.

The "bottom line'?" - 10,000 treessold each year. and this year's price willbe $25 per tree regardless of size orspecies. Last year they had to closedown Dec. 19 because they ran out ofsuitably sized trees.

Phil Jones is also the Editor of the"American Christmas Tree Journa!."His address is: Philip H. Jones, JonesTree Farm, 272 Israel Road, Shelton,Conn. 06484.

In the Woods"In the Woods too,A man casts off his yearsAs the snake his slough,And at what period soever of lifeIs always a child.

In the Woods is Perpetual Youth"-Emerson

The two men are spraying to keep the planta-tion free of weeds.

November-December 1983

DecemberA wrinkled crabbed man

they picture thee,

Old Winter. with a ruggedbeard as grey

As the long moss uponthe apple-tree.

Blue-lipt, an ice drip at thysharp blue nose.

Close muffled up. and on thydreary way

Plodding alone through sleeiand drifting snows.

They should have drawn theeby the high-heapt hearth,

Old Winter! seated in thygreat armed chair:

Watching the children at theirChristmas mirth!

Or circled by them as thylips declare

Some merry jest, or tale ofmurder dire,

Or troubled spirit that disturbsthe night!

Pausing at times to rouse thesmouldering fire,

or taste the old Octoberbrown and bright.

-R. Southey

One cord of 4' wood is stacked in this frame.The chalnsaw is drawn down through the cen-ter from top to bottom cutting one half thewidth of the stack and repeated on the otherside thereby cutting a cord of wood in a veryshort time. Seen at Cheever's tree farm.

7

A view of part of the Jones Tree Plantation.

ScleroderrisCanker Update

Scleroderris canker is "stable to de-clining" in the Northeast, according tothe USDA Forest Service report ForestInsect and Disease Conditions in theUnited States.

Two strains of the fungus Gremmen-iella abietina cause this disease in theUnited States. The North Americanstrain is present in the lake states, partsof northern New York and New Eng-land, and several Canadian provinces.This strain, which kills only trees that areless than two meters tall, became aproblem through the shipment of in-fected nursery seedlings. With thedevelopment and routine use of effec-tive fungicides in nurseries, the diseasehas become much less important. Butthere are a few areas in the eastern andcentral parts of Michigan's Upper Penin-sula where it has become establishedand now makes successful regenerationof pine very difficult.

The other strain of Scleroderriscanker, known as the European strain,is potentially more serious because itcan kill trees of all sizes. It is generally

present throughout northern New Yorkand Vermont, and small, isolated infec-tions have been found in New Hamp-shire, Maine, and eastern Canada. Theknown infected area in New York near-ly doubled between 1973 and 1980and increased proportionately in Ver~mont, due to natural spread. Since1980, however, the infested area hasnot increased, and infections in NewHampshire, Maine and Quebec appar-ently were eradicated.

Future natural spread to the west andsouth in New York and Vermont if itoccurs, is likely to be slow. Therefore,spread of the European strain to otherregions, such as the lake states, will oc-cur only through the shipment of in-fected nursery stock or Christmas trees.Quarantines against shipment of in-fected plant material are enforcedthrough inspections. If infections appearin new areas, prompt detection anderadication hold the most promise forcontrolling the problem. .

Further information on Scleroderriscanker can be obtained from the ForestPest Management Staff of the USDAForest Service field offices at DurhamNH (tel. 603/868-5719) or St. Paul:MN (tel. 6121642-5324.)

8

Are You SureThat's A Cord?

New York Forest Owner

Nature creates non-conforming con-ditions herself by growing warts and bigwasher knots on the sides of somesticks, making very few sticks reallyround, putting a taper of some degreeon most sticks, letting unsound wooddevelop by rot, allowing sticks to havemany different diameters, and so on towhat may suit her fancy. A variety ofpitfalls can be created by man during theputting up of a cord, like piling all of thebig ends of the sticks on the face so thatthe front of the pile will appear higherthan the back, placing the pile over astump or rock, criss-cross piling, sawingoff the stick to something other than 48"long, leaving long knots so that thewood will not properly lay together.These are the sorts of conditions thatare difficult to identify and list. On-the-spot judgment is the best answer.

The buyer can help insure that hegets a reasonably solid wood content bythinking and acting along these lines.Has it been piled in a manner thatallows accurate measuring of the heightand length? Check the length of severalsticks to see how close it is running to 48inches long. One inch short on the aver-age means nearly a 2 percent loss insolid wood content, six inches shortnearly 12 percent. Is it closely piled? Anold rule of thumb is: when a squirrel ap-proaches a pile of cordwood frombroadside, expect the holes in the pile tobe large enough for him to run through;when the cat gets there expect her to goaround.

Good firewood, like good hay, has tobe made. Trees going into firewood arebest cut during the period of the yearwhen the trees are not growing (No-vember through March), junked up andpiled with skids under it to allow the airto circulate. A face cord is 4' high and 8'long but the sticks can be of desiredlength. A full cord is 4'x4'x8'.

Are we nourishing the kinds of talentthat will create a great civilization or arewe not? In matters relating to talent andsociety it is The Question.

Stumpage Price ReportJuly 1983/Number 23

Price Reporting Areas

The Stumpage Price Report is pub-lished semi-annually (January and July)by:

Policy and EconomicDevelopment Section

Division of Lands and ForestsNew York State Department of

Environmental Conservation50 Wolf RoadAlbany, New York 12233-0001(518) 457-7431The prices contained in this publica-

tion are collected from harvesters andwood processors in 14 price-reportingareas throughout New York State, andare intended to serve only as a guide inthe marketing of standing timber.

The actual value of a specific stand oftimber may be influenced by the follow-ing factors:1. Timber quality2. Volume to be cut per acre3. Logging terrain4. Market demand5. Distance to market6. Season of year7. Distance to public roads8. Woods labor costs9. Size of the average tree to be cut

10. Type of logging equipment11. Percentage of timber species

in the area12. End product of manufacture13. Landowner needs14. Landowner knowledge of

market value15. Property taxes16. Capital gains aspect of

Internal Revenue Code

Anyone of the above factors canhave a highly significant effect on .stumpage prices for a species in onegiven area, while it may have a lesssignificant effect in another area.

Pulpwood PricesYou will find that for the first time we

have included stumpage prices forHemlock pulpwood because several ofour field offices have reported a recentmarket development for this species.

Also, since less than three of our of-fices reported stumpage prices for GrayBirch pulpwood, we have eliminatedthis species from the report.

Roundwood Consumption andResidue Production

byNew York's Primary Wood Using

Industry in 1981Copies of this report containing esti-

mates of the volume of wood processedand residues produced by sawmills,pulpmills, veneer mills, and specialtyplants are available from the Policy andEconomic Development Section,Room 404, 50 Wolf Road, Albany,New York 12233-0001. Telephone(518) 457-7431.

Trees are America'sRENEWABLE Resource

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Roundwood Stumpage Prices-Sawlogs Average Price Range and (Most Common Price)/MBF,' Doyle Rule Except As Noted

PRICE REPORTING AREAS

Species A··· B" C 0 E" F··· a H I'" J'" K'" L ••• M""·· N·· .•

Ash, White 70·120 (80) 75·100 (85) 70·150 (100) 80·150 (125) 6()'13O (85) 7()'2OO (140) 150·300 (233) 50·200 (125) 115·240 (150) 115·200 (150) 80-210 (125) 35·300 (140) 60·110 (90) 70·150 (110)

Aspen 20·30 (20) 20·30 (25) 20·35 (25) 20·30 (25) 20·35 (25) 20-40 (30) 20·40 (33) 25·65 (35) 15·30 (20) 10·20 (15) 10·25 (20) 10·70 (30) 20·40 (25) 20·50 (30)

Basswood 40·60 (50) 50·60 (55) 40·75 (60) 50·75 (55) 40·80 (55) 20·50 (40) 50·100 (75) 50·150 (100) 60·120 (75) 40·115 (65) 20·70 (45) 20·200 (55) 35·60 (40) 40·100 (75)

Beech 20·30 (25) 25·35 (30) 20·35 (25) 10·35 (20) 30·40 (35) 2O·SO(30) 20·70 (45) 25·70 (35) 15·40 (25) 15·35 (25) 10·40 (20) 10·70 (35) 30·60 (50) 30·50 (40)

Birch, White .... 40·65 (50) 30·40 (40) .... 50·70 (60) 20·85 (50) .... .... .... .... 2()'75 (45) 15-70 (45) .... 40·50 (45)

Birch, Yellow 60·85 (70) 70·95 (80) 50·150 (75) 55·100 (75) s()'125 (75) s()'135 (75) 25-70 (54) .... 40·60 (50) 40·65 (55) 25-80 (45) 35-200 (75) 40·70 (50) 40·100 (80)

Butternut .... .... .... 40·60 (50) .... 20-95 (85) 40·100 (57) 50·150 (80) 40·100 (75) 45·SO (50) 45-155 (85) 25-250 (65) .... 40·90 (75)

Cherry, Black 105·120 (110) 90·120 (100) 80·200 (150) 100·225 (160) 7()'1SO (90) 85-200 (155) 17()'425 (310) 100·500 (150) 130·240 (175) 115·245 (185) 75-240 (120) 35-300 (155) 60·190 (120) 50·150 (100)

Elm, American .... 30·50 (40) .... 30·60 (35) .... 3().85 (SO) 4O·SO(64) .... 0 ••• -_ .. 4().90 (65) 1()'150 (50) .... 30·80 (50)

Hemlock 20·25 (25) 30·50 (40) 20·45 (35) 25·45 (30) 25-40 (30) 3().4O (35) 40·80 (57) 50·110 (90) 20·40 (30) 25·40 (35) 15-45 (30) 10·50 (30) 20·40 (30) 20·30 (25)

Hickory .... ono .... 25·45 (35) 30·40 (35) 20·55 (35) 30·80 (54) 40·125 (70) 25·55 (35) 35·55 (40) 25-60 (45) 1()'SO (35) 40·70 (55) 20·50 (30)

Maple, Hard 70·120 (80) 75·110 (90) 55·105 (75) 75·120 (80) 55-100 (75) s()'125 (SO) SO·150 (118) SO·125 (100) 70·150 (100) 65·150 (100) 25-100 (60) 35-150 (85) 40·85 (70) 50·125 (100)

Maple, Soft 45·50 (45) 50·80 (60) 30·65 (45) 45·80 (60) 3O·SO(50) 20·75 (45) 70·120 (92) 60·110 (70) 3()'SO (55) 4().95 (60) 20-75 (45) ze-teo (50) 40·75 (50) 40·80 (50)Oak, Chestnut .... .... .... __ 0. --.- .... 40·80 (60) 30·70 (50) 70·150 (120) 45·125 (SO) 20·125 (55) 20-275 (SO) 40·110 (85) 80·140 (100)

Oak, Red .... 75·125 (100) 60·150 (130) 100·200 (160) 70·200 (85) 75-260 (175) 150·400 (272) 125·300 (150) 120·245 (175) 130·260 (1SO) 80-215 (125) 35-350 (195) 60·190 (120) 50·240 (200)

Oak, White .... .... 60·200 (160) 90·200 (160) •• 0- 30·120 (70) 100·260 (168) 80·500 (125) 65·205 (140) 45-190 (85) 3().160 (SO) 20-400 (110) 60·180 (100) 80·150 (100)

Pine, Red 25·30 (30) 30·50 (40) 20·50 (25) 30·50 (35) .... 30·50 (35) 20·40 (36) 50·100 (50) 25·40 (30) 15-35 (30) 2().45 (35) 15-SO (30) .... 20·30 (20)

Pine, White 35·42 (40) 40·60 (50) 20·50 (50) 30·60 (40) 35·60 (45) 3().60 (45) 35·90 (63) 50·110 (80) 25·50 (35) 25-85 (40) 15-60 (35) 15-SO (40) 30·60 (45) 20·45 (30)

Poplar, Yellow .... .... .... 411'(40) .... .... 50·100 (74) 50·125 (85) 35·95 (60) 35·75 (50) 15-50 (45) 2()'150 (50) 30·60 (40) 50·100 (75)

Spruce, Red 35·42 (40) 35·50 (40) 20·40 (30) 30·60 (35) 25·40 (35) 30·60 (40) .... .... .--- .... 25-45 (35) 1()'SO (30) .... ....'Thousand Board Feet "Scribner Rule * .•*International 1f4" Rule

Pulpwood Average Price Range and (Most Common Price) per Standard Cord

Aspen 5·6 (5) 3·6 (4) 5·14 (7) 4·8 (5) 3-6 (4) 2·4 (3) 2·4 (2) .... 1·3 (2) ;4) 4-7Y, (5Y,) 4-12 (7) .... ....Birch, White .... 3·7 (5) .... .... .-.. __ 0- .... .... .... .... 5-10 (5) 4-15 (8) .... .... ,Hemlock 5·8 (5) 3·9 (5) 6·10 (10) 5·10 (8) 6-8 (7) 5-8 (6) .... .... .a.. _ .. 4-11 (6) 5-15 (8) .... ....N. Hardwoods 5·8 (5) 3·9 (6) 2·10 (7) 4·10 (6) 6·9 (7) 5-8 (6) .... .... .... .... 5-7Y, (6) 3·15 (9) .... ....Pine 2·2 (2) 3·6 (4Y,) 3·5 (4) 3·8 (4) 4-7 (5) 3-6 (5) 2·4 (2) .... .... .... 3-11 (6) 4-10 (7) .... ....Spruce & Fir 6·9 (8) 6·10 (8) 6·12 (10) 4·10 (6) 4·8 (6) 5-8 (6) 2·4 (2) .... 2·4 (3) ;4) 4-10 (7) 4-10 (6) ..-- .._-

Fuelwood Average Price Range and (Most Common Price) per Standard Cord

Hardwood Mixed I 10·13 (10) I 5·10 (6) I 4·10 (7) I 3·15 (10) I 6·10 (7) I 5-15 (10) I 8·15 (12) [ 3·15 (10) I 8·18 (12) I 5-12 (10) I 3-10 (7%) I 5·15 (9) I 4·20 (10) I 5·15 (12)

Poles Average Price Range and (Most Common Price) MBF, International 'I," Rule

Pine, Red I --., I "40·80 (70) I 20·40 (30) I 25-80 (50) I ·-(60) I 35·95 (50) I ---- I .... I .... I .--- I ..30 I 04 •• I ..-. I ....--

10 New York Forest Owner

Firewoodand Insects

The ideal way to avoid insects in fire-wood is to cut living hardwood trees infall or early spring, when the insects,which prefer to infest freshly cut wood,are in the overwintering/inactive devel-opment stage. The sooner the wood issplit, the quicker it will dry, and the lessattractive it becomes for most insects toinfest.

Insects are primarily attracted by thesmell of freshly cut, dying or decompos-ing trees. Therefore, trees cut in thesummer are much more likely to be in-fested with insects! Unsplit wood orwood left outside without covering willsurely become infested. Wood with thebark on is also much more attractive towood -destroying insects and diseases.Many insects will attack only wood withthe bark left on.

Some insects live under the bark.Others bore into the wood. Many in-sects, including flies, mosquitoes, waspsand earwigs, overwinter in spaces underand in bark and logs. Some insect-likeanimals such as sowbugs, millipedes,and spiders also "hitchhike" a ride onfirew~od. These hitchhikers can includegypsy moth eggs, the larvae of whichcan create a nuisance upon hatching.

Most of the insects that get intohomes in or on firewood are minor nui-sance pests. The trouble they causehappens when the extended period ofwarmth from the home signals to themthat it is time to get spring activitiesstarted.

Black and red carpenter ants are noc-turnal and are seen in the daytime onlywhen they are searching for food orwater, or when the colony is over-crowded. Carpenter ants tunnel woodmerely to increase nesting space. Thequeen will start a new colony only in un-sound wet wood. Even though carpen-ter ants that get into homes in firewoodare primarily nuisance pests, they cancause structural damage if the nest! col-ony is located in the timbers of thehome. An Information Sheet on car-penter ants is available from the Exten-sion Service.

Beetles that infest living or freshly cuttrees do not infest dead trees or drywood. However, they can become anuisance in homes when they emergefrom the wood. But, in general, fire-

wood from dead trees is more likely tobe infested with potentially destructiveinsects.

There are three families of destructivebeetles that can enter the home on fire-wood. They are generally referred to aspowder post beetles, shot hole borers,and the old house borer. These beetlesmay infest firewood as well as structuresof homes, wooden tool handles, furni-ture, etc. Their presence is usually veri-fied when flour-like wood dust is foundbelow small holes in wood. If dust con-tinues, then an insecticide needs to beused to kill the active beetles.We are very fortunate that termites

cannot survive Maine winters exceptunder very unusual circumstances. Todate, only 12 infestations have been of-ficially confirmed - most of these insouthern coastal areas.

The best way to store firewood is theold-time woodshed, where the wood iskept off the ground and protected fromrain or snow, and air movement isallowed to aid drying. There are manyways to accomplish this, but too oftencovers do not stay on and ground mois-ture prevents the needed drying effect.

Poorly vented basements should notbe used to store firewood, especiallywood that has not been seasoned/dried. Wood that has been inadequatelydried can become moldy, cause unplea-sant odors, harbor insects, and thehumidity can cause mold or rot on thestructural materials in the basement.

It is best to move no more than a2-week supply of firewood into thehome to reduce the chance of insectsbecoming active. This is especially truewith firewood from dead trees. Thewoodbox should be emptied and clean-ed out every 2 weeks.

Firewood should not be treated withan insecticide to control insects. Be-cause of the extended period overwhich insects can infest the firewood,no insecticide exists with the overalldesired effectiveness and safety. How-ever, the question is often asked: "Caninsecticide-treated firewood be burnedsafely?" Good heating systems properlyinstalled and used should burn suchwood with safety. However, all fumesescaping from any heating system mustbe considered as being unsatisfactoryand potentially harmful.

-Arthur GallExtension Entomologist

Cooperative Extension ServiceUniversity of Maine at Orono

FORESTBookshelf"Venison: Boning, Freezing, and

Cooking" (S-99, $1.00) explains a sys-tematic method for boning out a deerand preparing the cuts for freezing.

Boning venison before freezing ishighly recommended. Removing bonesimproves the eating quality of the meatand saves valuable freezer space. Cooksalso appreciate having deer cuts well-prepared when they come to the kitch-en.

"Venison" also contains tips on using'the various cuts and several recipes forcooking different dishes.

Copies of "Venison" are available bymail from the Cornell Distribution Cen-ter, 7-V Research Park, Ithaca, NY'14850. A $1.00 charge, payable toCornell University in U.S. funds only,covers postage and handling.Wildlife and Timber from Private

Lands: A Landowner's Guide to Plan- :ning (Information Bulletin 193) is aCornell Cooperative Extension publica-tion, with support provided by theNortheastern Area State and PrivateForestry, USDA Forest Service.

The 56-page, illustrated gUide is in-tended to encourage landowners toplan for and to more easily practicemanagement for improving both timberand wildlife.The publication may be purchased for"

$3.95 from: Distribution Center, 7 Re-search Park, Cornell University, Ithaca,NY 14850. The assoctatton is distrib-'uting free of charge a factsheet that con-tains general information about the gyp-sy moth, including control methods.Also available are copies of a GypsyMoth Workbook at $5.95 per copy.The workbook is produced through acooperative effort between the Ameri-can Forestry Association and the USDAForest Service.

Copies of the workbook may beordered from: American Forestry Asso-ciation, 1319 18th Street, N.W., Wash-ington, DC 20036.Forest Management Chemicals is

for sale by the Superintendent of Docu-ments, U.S. Government Printing Of-fice, Washington, DC 20402. The priceis $10.00 and the order number is 001-000-04324-2.

November-December 1983 11

On The 'CalendarDecay and Diagnosis

Dear Timber Harvester:Why does dark colored "heart-

wood" appear in the center of sugarmaple, white ash, beech, yellow birch,paper birch, and red maple?

According to Dr. Alex L. Shigo ofthe U.S.D.A. Forest Service, northernhardwoods develop darker wood whichis not true heartwood as a result of adiscoloration process initiated by injuryto the bark and wood.

The process of discoloration by bacte-ria and non-decay fungi begins after atree is wounded, resulting in wood thatis exposed by a break in the bark. Andfollowing initial discoloration, decaymay occur.

The wound which allows the discolor-ation and decay process to occur mayoriginate from insects, birds, animals,logging activities, and branches whichdie or break off naturally.

Since log values are influenced byboth color of wood and amount ofdecay, it is important to evaluate awoodlot's tree quality based on one'sknowledge of the forest stand's historyand the indicators of stain and decaywhich appear on individual trees.

Shigo has determined that stain anddecay in northern hardwoods move upand down the tree most easily followedby radial movement toward the pith andthen lateral movement to the sides ofthe wound in a direction which is tan-gent to the circumference of the tree,with the least rapid movement outtoward the bark because the cambiumlayer seems to make a barrier. This iswhy one can observe hollow living treeswith sound, unstained sapwood next tothe bark or sugar maples and ash treeswith irregular patterns of discoloration.

Shigo also .observed that "the decayprocess continues as long as the woundremains open." Therefore smallwounds such as small patches ofscraped bark and small branch stubswhich heal quickly tend to result in lessdiscoloration and decay than large in-juries.

"Major injuries to the tree," Shigoreported, "such as broken stems andbranches - tend to discolor the entirecore of the tree that was present at thetime the injury occurred. Minor injuriessuch as small insect wounds may causelocalized streaks of discoloration -islands of defect within sound whitewood."

Diagnostic observations by Shigoare as follows:

1. A canker (abnormal growth ofwood on main stem caused by fungus)tends to produce a localized defect withdiscoloration confined to a region im-mediately beneath the canker. How-ever, secondary infection due to openwound caused by canker may result inextensive spread of discoloration anddecay.

2. Mineral streaks are caused bywounds and these discolorations haveaccumulations of salts which may becaused by evaporation of liquids.

3. "In genera], red maple is con-sidered to be very susceptible to defect.Discoloration and decay advance muchfaster in red maple than they do in sugarmaple ... Branch stubs on sprout stemsof red maple cause more defect than theold parent stumps cause." (Therefore,one can expect to find discoloration anddecay which has moved up and downthe tree trunk from the branch stub of ared maple which occurs as a sproutstump.)

4. Discoloration and decay advancesfaster in yellow birch than in the othernorthern hardwoods; and "in oldertrees, top breakage accounts for widecolumns of discoloration." (Therefore,crown analysis may help you predicttree quality and resulting log grades.)

5. "In ash trees, most of the defectcomes from the top downward. Poorlyhealed stubs in the crown, and brokentops, should be considered important inthis species."

Forest management practices affecttree quality and value. The timber youharvest today is the direct result ofprevious logging practices; and futuretimber quality will be influenced directlyby what happens during current loggingactivities. If high-grading occurs, theresidual forest is comprised of slowgrowing timber, unmerchantablespecies, deformed trees, and decayedtrees that not only take up growingspace which could be better utilized byvaluable pole timber and small sawtim-ber trees, but these poor quality residualtrees will be present for future harvestsas low value timber.

(Source: "A Photo Guide to the Pat-terns of Discoloration and Decay in Liv-ing Northern Hardwood Trees," byAlex L. Shigo and Edwin vH. Larson,U.S.D.A. Forest Service, NortheasternForest Experiment Station, 1979.)

Environmental andEconomic Analysis

Director's Meetings

December 10 at Binghamton.April 28 at Ithaca, Annual Meeting.

WaterloggedWood pilings have been discovered

intact after being under the streets ofVenice for more than 1,000 years.

Effects of Logging inNorthern Hardwood Forests"Effects of Logging in Northern Hard-

wood Forests" according to a Tappireprint based on AFRI Research Report31 provides the following facts.

1. In partial cutting injuries to residualtrees appear to be unavoidable. "Sometypes of injury affected about 40-45%of trees in the residual stands. Injurieshaving a major impact were noted for15-20% of the residuals."

2. "Besides injuring trees, skiddingremoved protective soil organic litterand causes compaction, mixing, andtransport of soil material ... Soil distur-bance amounted to about 17% of thetotal area in the partial cuts and about28 percent of the cut area in the patchand strip clearcut areas. The degree ofdisturbance was greatest in the clearcutareas because of greater concentrationof traffic on shorter skidtrails ... Deeprutting that could channelize water oc-curred on less than 5% of each of theareas, and little soil moved more than afew feet." NOTICE THE CONCLU-SION: "Potential problems from severedisturbance can be controlled by properskidtrail location, standard mainte-nance, and proper post-logging retire-ment practices."

3. Wood production occurred during6.5 hours of an eight-hour day (81% oftime) for logging crews. "Skidding tookabout one-third longer than felling.Crew output ranged between 130 and180 ft3/hr when producing sawlogs and90-100 ft3/hr for cutting and skidding inintegrated sawlog-pulpwood opera-tions."

4. "Small-tree felling cut back pro-ductivity by 20-25% in clearcutting."

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Evelyn A StockEditor

5756 lke Dixon Rd.Camillus. NY 13031

Non profit org.bulk rate

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Camillus, N.Y.13031

Permit No. 57

MATURITYHis weekly work was done. It was his

time to wander, observe and admire hisyears of effort, and enjoy this day, hik-ing a part of his one hundred ninetyacres. It was a warm day in Octoberwith the anxious breeze, churningwaters of his "Shadowbrook," and theactive wildlife making it a truly hilariousexperience.

He hiked it twenty-six years beforewith the seller, when it was a fallowingland of brush, pasture and a neglectedwoodlot. At that time he had felt theneed to possess a large, wild piece ofproperty. Perhaps the seeing of fourdeer with their white flags up, disap-pearing into the distance, finally clinch-ed the sale, one that he would neverregret.

Noting three choices, he Wisely andgladly chose the most prudent. First, hecould cut the timber, and rape the soilfor a monetary return, a thought quicklyrejected. Second, he could just letnature take its course; no harm wouldbe done. His third choice was a chal-lenge to enhance what lay before him.

Becoming a cooperator with his Soiland Water Conservation District was theanswer. From them he learned aboutsilviculture and became a charter mem-ber of the New York State ForestOwners Association and took one of thefirst conservation courses at Cornell'sArnot Forest. Later he was elected tomembership in the American Tree FarmSystem.

First, to reverse the trend in thewoods, he would thin out competingtrees, destroy the inferior ones - theopposite from what many owners havedone, who took the best trees as need-ed and left the poor species. By thinninghe would allow new growth, calledbrowse, to spring up, to feed the deer,partridge and the other lesser species,because he realized few birds and ani-mals live in a mature forest.

On the played-out pasture, heplanted thousands of evergreen treesand shrubs that held their berries duringthe winter to provide emergency feedand cover. He even dug two ponds forswimming, fishing, ice skating and, sur-prisingly to become a haven for migra-tory geese and a home for muskrat andmink.

The years had passed and the resultswere beyond his dreams. He had pri-vacy, peace and beauty. Each time hehiked the different areas, he foundsome new development of nature.

Somehow, on this day as he mean-dered, strange thoughts were not to bedenied. He also had matured! He hadcome into this world naked and wouldhave to leave it naked. This beautifulland could not be his. It was simply aloan and he was the steward of it, notthe owner. As he appreciated how gen-erous nature had been to him, heremembered a line: "Great is the personwho plants a tree beneath whose shadehe may never sit."

-John Hamel, M.D.

Board MeetingThe 142nd Board Meeting of the.

New York Forest Owners Associationwas held at the Cummings Nature Cen-ter, Naples, New York at 9 p.m. onSeptember 30, 1983.

President Paul Steinfeld presided.The following were present: Robert

Demeree, Kenneth Eberley, RichardGarrett, John Kelley, William Lynch,Stuart McCarty, Douglas Monteith,Robert Sand, Evelyn Stock, Lewis Du-Mond, Nancy Finegan, David Hana-burgh, Alan Knight, Mary McCarty,George Mitchell, Norman Richards,Paul Steinfeld, and Lloyd Strombeck.

The treasurer's report shows a networth of $6424.06. President Steinfeldreported that Emiel Palmer has resignedand that he has appointed Harold Petrieof Parish, N.Y. in his place, term to ex-pire in 1984. He also appointed EarlPfarner to replace Peter Levatich, whoalso has resigned. Term to expire in1985.

Stuart McCarty was named chairmanof the Long-Range Planning Commit-tee, with Alan Knight as vice-chairman.Other members of the committee are:Demeree, Kelley, Mitchell, Monteithand Ward. Steinfeld and Mary McCartyare ex-officio members. This committeewas charged with "preparing a plan forthe future development and manage-ment of the association."

Linda Thorington was named assis-tant treasurer to replace Peter Levatich.

The annual meeting is to be April 28,1984 at Ithaca, N.Y. The next boardmeeting will be December 10 in Bing-hamton.