.,rr¥ 0~orest wnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Federal TaxationYou said you wanted somethingmore definitive relative to thesmall woodlar.d owner andfederal tax codes, since mostmaterials seem to be written forthe large forestry business.On my 150 acres, had I not beenable to deduct expenses (vs.capitalization, as proposed), itwould have been all outgo and noincome, just comparing sales withexpenses the way the big com-panies do. 1980 included a $1,000timber sale and 1984 inluded a$500firewood sale. Figures on mychart are taken from the partner-ship tax returns and capital gainsdo not even enter the picture.While I did not have a net profit,the fact that I could deduct myshare of theloss from my personalincome makes it seem like a profit.

- Howard O. WardCandor, NY

More on PentaI noticed in the August issue aquestion about an alternative toPentachlorophenol and use oftreated wood for foundations.The sale of Chromated CopperArsenate (CCA)treated wood hasbeen booming across New YorkState, sold under the brand namesof Osmose, Wolmanized, Oxcel,Greenwood, Supatimber, to men-tion a few. Uses of treated woodare limitless, save for countertops,cutting boards andbee hives. Thechemical used to preserve thewood is non-leachable; however,please keep in mind that scrapsshould not be burned, but dispos-ed of via trash collection or burial.Due to the lack of competitiveblock suppliers and masons inrural New York State, coupledwith the desire of rural NewYorkers to do their own carpen-try (eliminating the masonrytrade),we've seen a boom in Per-manent Wood Foundation sales.This treated lumber and plywoodfoundation system is approved bythe New York State Building Codeand requires only carpentry laborto build.For more information, please

write me...

- Frank LesniewskiNortheost Market Manager

Southern Forest Products Assoc.242 May Ave.,

Schenectedy,NY12303518-355-4455

2

Association Officers

Richard E. Garrett, President1261 Apulia Road, Lafayette, NY13084

IN THE MAILBOX ...... le t t e r s posted & passed along

Vacuum FlowFor several years, the Miner In-stitute at Chazy, New York, hascooperated in a research projectcomparing gravity flow sap col-lection to one which operates onvacuum. Once again in 1985 thevacuum operated system out-performed the non-vacuum systeto a considerable degree. Weaveraged 20.9 gallons of sap pertap on the vacuum system and10.6gallons on the gravity system.Sugar content was somewhathigher with the vacuum system,too.

- Loren ParkerEv Thomas

William H. Miner AgriculturalResearch Institure

Chazy, NY

Seed HandbookWe do have the book entitledSeeds of Woody Plants in theUnited States, USDA HandbookNumber 450 (Forest Service)StockNumber 001-000-02902-9,however it costs $24 and advancepayment is required.

-Superintendent of DocumentsUS Govt. Printing Office

Washington, DC

Growing Degree DaysWe continue to remain about 200growing degree days behind thelong term average at Ithaca. Ac-

cumulated growing degree daysfrom May 1 through August 16were 1,327 for 1985; 1,480 for1984;1,490for 1983;and 1,504forthe ten year average.

- Joseph C. Dell, Jr.Regional Extension Specialist

Ithaca, NY

[Editor's note: I wonder what thismeans to oaks, hemlocks,ragweed or even mourning dovesor deer.]

Horse LoggingA seven-day advanced course intimber harvesting for people withsome background in forestryandlor draft horses will be heldSunday October 20 through Satur-day October 26 in Massachusetts.The $300 registration fee pays forsessions on woodlot-managementfelling, skidding and decking withhorses, scaling, marketing, useand maintenance of chainsawsand hand tools, selecting andtraining horses, and safety. It alsocovers room and board and allnecessary equipment andtransportation. The progrm islimited to ten people.

- Toby BashawCabot Farm

110 Larch RowWenham, Mass

01984(tel. 617-468-2310)

Norman E. Richards, 1st VicePresident156 Westminster Ave., Syracuse,NY 13210

Harold Petrie, 2nd Vice PresidentRD 1, Box 117, Parish, NY 13131

Robert M. Sand, SecretaryCotton Hanlon, Inc., Cayuta, NY14824

Stuart McCarty, Treasurer4300 East Avenue, Rochester, NY14618

Howard O. Ward, AssistantTreasurer240 Owego Street, Candor, NY 13743

George Mitchell, MembershipSecretaryBox 69, Old Forge, NY 13420

Thomas A. Conklin, Director10 Artillery Lane,·Baldwinsville, NY 13027

Richard J. Fox, DirectorRD 3, Dresserville RoadMoravia, NY 13118

John H. HamelBox L, 3805 Sweet RoadJamesville, NY 13078

J. Morgan Heussler, Director900 Porterville RoadEast Aurora, NY 14052

Allen F. Horn, Director3978 Pompey Center RoadManlius, NY 13104

William H. Lynch, [r., Director100 Whitestone DriveSyracuse, NY 13215

Earl Pfarner, DirectorAllen Road, Chaffee, NY 14030

Alec C. Proskine, Director9370 Congress RoadTrumansburg, NY 14886

A.W. Roberts, [r., Director981 Route 222, Cortland, NY 13045

Evelyn Stock, DirectorIke Dixon RoadCamillus, NY 13031

Lloyd C. Strombeck, Director57 Main Street, Owego, NY 13827

Wesley E. Suhr, DirectorRanger School. Wanakena, NY 13695

Materials submitted for publicationshould be addressed to: Alan Knight,Editor, ny Forest Owner, 96 TargoshRoad, Candor, NY 13743. Writtenmaterials, photos, and art work are in-vited. Please address all membershipand change of address requests tomembership secretary.

n.y. Forest Owner

EDITORIAL

A fine, old tree has fallen in theforest. Dave Hanaburgh is dead.

It seems like only yesterday thathe and I shared hotel rooms in theAlpine countries of Europe andhiked the streets of Munich,searching for souvenirs for friendsback home.

It was then that I learned one ofhis first clients as a consultingforester had been the Rooseveltsof Hyde Park. It was then that Ilearned he had suffered the horrorsof the Anzio beach invasion. Hedidn't talk about those thingsmuch. You had to be around himawhile so that it could come outgradually.

David H. Hanaburgh

That is, of course, one of the chiefvalues of the New York ForestOwners Association: taking time tobe with those who share your in-terest in forests. Without NYFOA,I would never have known DaveHanaburgh. Without NYFOA,there would be no scrapbook onthe table commemorating the

OCTOBER 1985

NYFOA tour to the UnitedKingdom. Dave Hanaburgh gavethat to us, just a year ago.

Indeed, Dave Hanaburgh gave usNYFOA. He was one of itsfounders, twice president, everinvolved.There are those who lately say

that NYFOA must become morethan a social club if it is to everachieve its potential of stimulatingprivate forest management. I,myself, have been one to say that.But the passing of Dave

Hanaburgh is a sad reminder thatNYFOA is and must always be tosome degree a social club, boundtight by the vines of friendship.

OUR COVER

If Stephen R. Smith isn't asfamous as John James Audubon orRoger Tory Peterson, just wait. Hewill be.Readers of the Forest Owner can

order prints of this other works bythe talented Mr. Smith by using thecoupon below.

Here are the details: 'BitternutRidge,' (this illustration of theturkeys), signed and numbered, 20'by 26', is $65. A 'remarked' print,retouched to give it a one-of-a-kindcharacteristic, is $115. Add $80 foroptional mounting and framing.

Equally excellent paintings ofruffed grouse ("May-Apple Prince")

and woodcock ("Alder Ground") areavailable and would make fine com-panions on your wall.

Prices include first class postage

Order Form

3

Yes, please send me ...

[ 1 print of "BitternutRidge" $65

[ 1 a "remarked" print of"Bitternut Ridge"

... $115

[ 1 Please have my printmounted and framed

...$80 extra

Total amount included ...$ _

[ 1 please send me informationabout your other wildlife paintings.

Send your check, payable to StephenR. Smith, to 47 Ellis Avenue,Jamestown, NY 14701

Name _

Phone

Address _

City

State/Zip

A report from Evan and Betty James ...

Woods Walks -'Something New

at Each One'Thirty-nine enthusiastic woods

walkers gathered at our tree farm onJuly 20th, 1985, for the third NYFOAwoods walk of the year. The delega-tion was headed by then-presidentMary McCarty, Treasurer StuartMcCarty, and Directors MorganHeussler and Earl Pfarner.Bruce Robinson, a private forestryconsultant and former DEC woodlotmanagement specialist, led the mor-ning walk through plantation standsof spruce, red pine and Scotch pine.Although acknowledging that theScotch pine plantings originallyrecommnded by the State were amistake, he said that such planta-tions could still have a beneficialresult, for as the Scotch pines giveout, they furnish an ideal startingground for black cherry and maple,the 'home' trees of western NewYork.In the afternoon, Bruce led the walkinto hardwood stands of maple,beech, and ash, pointing out theneed for wise woodlot management:the removal of wolf trees to affordsunlight and air to new growth; theselective thinning of clump trees toexpand and grow; the encourage-ment that can be given to future

4

growth while reaping the benefitsnow of timber and firewoodharvests; or to secure greaterwildlife abundance.Those attending this woods walk, inaddition to those already mentioned,were Ed Slocum, Don and RuthMunson, Bill and Jane Bernatovich,Art and Bessie Kibbe, Jean and RichFishburn, Pat Schuse, Tom Graber,Dick Fletcher, J.Y Hamilton, JohnKnight, Paul Manning, OliverWilliams, LaVern Frey, Sandy andJudy Vreeland, Edwin Smith,George Blackburn, Rita Hammond,John and Anne Hojnacki, Rose AnneHojnacki, Terry Thomas, NormGilbert, and four unidentified woodswalkers who left at the lunch breakbefore signing in.The woods walk is a valuable toolof the New York Forest OwnersAssociation, and as Mary McCartyexpressed it, 'Even though we havebeen on a dozen woods walks, wehave learned something new fromeach one.'In addition, there are new faces ateach walk, new conditions, and lotsof great outdoors! .:.

Notice

We must announce that theNYFOA tour to New Zealandmust be postponed. We hadno idea that Halley's cometwould cause New Zealand'shotels and airlines to fill so.We will notify all membersand especially those who haveindicated their interest just assoon as new plans jell.-Alan and Nancy Knight

Forest Owner SignsNow Available

These rugged metal signs are idealfor tacking on your barn door or ongate posts by your tree farm driveway.They are twelve inches by twelve in-ches, bright yellow with green lettering.Cost is $2 apiece, plus handling.

Send your check, payable toNYFOA, to Stuart McCarty, 4300 EastAvenue, Rochester, NY 14618.

Please send me signs.Enclosed is my check for$ . (Number of signstimes $2, plus $1.75 for postageand handling)

NameStreetTown/City _ Zip _

n.y. Forest Owner

lbmorrow's ForestsBegIn Here.

This is the sign of the future forAmerican Forestry. It indicates one ofthe more than 50,000 Tree Farms be-ing managed by private landownersfor the growing and harvesting offorest crops.

A Tree Farm is not just a matter ofplanting trees, or having 10 acres ormore of woodland. Tree Farmers ac-tively manage their forests grow-ing and harvesting crops of trees; pro-tecting the land from fire, insects,disease and destructive grazing. Theyprovide watershed protection, betterfood and habitat for wildlife, and op-portunities for outdoor recreation.

And it is the Tree Farmer who willmake possible the lumber, woodfiber and other natural resourcesAm~rica needs for tomorrow'sgrowth.

If you have 10 acres or more ofwoodland, why not send for informa-tion on this valuable program? TreeFarms payoff for their owners and forour country.

r-----------------,Alan Scouten, Chm.c/o Georqia-Pacific Corp.Center Street, Box 338Lyons Falls, NY 13368I am interested in additional information onhow I can manage my woodlands to meet TreeFarm Standards.

Name

Phone _

Address

I City -----------L~~~~ J

OCTOBER 1985

Markets ReportAfter a late spring and summer ofsluggish demand, timber pricesseem to have been picking up againby late September. Forestry consul-tant Carl Bauer, who maintains of-fices in several locations in western,central, and northern NY, as well asin PA indicated that 'recent Forecontimber sales demonstrated a renew-ed interest for stumpage ... Red oakwas the largest export item in bothsawlogs and lumber. The ashmarket, which generally follows redoak trends, stagnated due to atremendous amount of logsavailable. An upward trend in de-mand and price of timber isexpected.'Nonetheless, an August report fromthe University of Vermont says, 'Thetrend of pessimism that began a yearago continues. Nearly half thosebuyers and consultants who offeredan opinion of the future say thatprices will likely decline this fallWhy? No one seems to know exact-ly, although a strong dollar onforeign markets, Canadian imports,and a stalled economy have been im-plicated. Although it is likely thingswill pick up somewhat this fall dueto seasonal demand, the view ofthose who know the market is par-ticularly bleak in spite of this. The

best advice for those who havemarketable timber may be to wait.'Since red oak seems to be the

barometric species, here is a rangeof prices reportedly paid.Vermont, June: a low of $75 a thou-sand (International Rule); mostprices in the $100 to $200 range; afew as high as $240, $348, and even$425.New York, July, quoting Interna-

tional rule, and only the most com-mon prices: a low of $120 in theHerkimer County area; not muchbetter in the belt from Steuben Coun-ty north to Lake Ontario; $200through Tug Hill and north to St.Lawrence County; strongest ($248)in extreme western New York.Forecon consulting forestry com-pany reports 1985 averages (in DoyleRule)of $100 for red oak in westernNew York, $250 in central and nor-thern Pennsylvania, and $150 in cen-tral and northern New York.Forecon's figures show muchstronger prices for black cherry in1985.The Catskill Forestry Associationquoted red oak prices in itsSeptember newsletter, in Interna-tional rule, of $225 to $325 forsawlogs and $475 to $625 for logs go-ing for veneer. +

New MembersGary HillWhitehall, NY

Troy RamageMasonville, NY

Murray WagnerColden, NY

John and Marie HojnackiBuffalo, NY

John WeissingerEtna, NY

David PalmerUnion Springs, NY

George Lawrence, Jr.Groton, NY

Miriam C. RiderAlbany, NY

Charles HatfieldFreeville, NY

Glenn MorseAuburn, NY

Phil Munson FarmsCroton, NY

Robert BevierMoravia, NY

Jim SollickLocke, NY

John SchrammMoravia, NY

Francis BentonCato, NY

Esther BeckerHolland, NY

Dennis PerhamSchenectedy, NY

Bruce E. RobinsonJamestown, NY

Camp DirectorYMCA Auburn, NY

Keith HatfieldScipio Center, NY

Wagner MillworkOwego, NY

5

WOOD CHIPSCan Heat,Earn Morefor Farmers

by Alan Knight

Tree farmers might be dollars aheadif they burned wood chips instead ofcordwood. And if Rainer Langstedthas his way one day, they will beselling chips profitably, too.Of course, Langstedt wants to sellmore of his Finnish Valby chippers.He runs Northeast Implement Cor-poration in Spencer, New York. Buteven if you take away the sales pitch,the idea is intriguing.According to Finnish research

reports translated by Langstedt,wood chips burn at 65% - 70% effi-ciency while cordwood burns at on-ly 50% efficiency. Some boilermanufacturers claim as high as 80%efficiency for chips. This higher ef-ficiency rating is due to the increas-ed surface area, says Langstedt.Efficiency in burning isn't half thestory. The real gain may lie in theease with which wood burning withchips can be mechanized. TheLangstedt home has a new chip-firedboiler mechanically fueled by anauger. Every 12 hours theLangstedts fill the 30 cubic foot bin,burning as little as 130 pounds ofchips per day in mild weather, about200 pounds in cold weather. The firewill actually go for 18 hours on onebinful.

Rainer Langstedt says smallchips from this chipper canburn more efficiently thancordwood and can be me-chanized. too.

What excites Rainer Langstedt somuch about a woodchip burningsystem is that farmers are uniquelysuited to it, in his opinion. Theyhave woodlots. They have tractorsand many have self-unloadingwagons.Many people who now balk at fid-dling with wood stoves and havingsooty living rooms, burn-scarredknuckles and splinters might take anew look at wood fuel that is neatand mechanized.He envisions a group of about tenfarmers getting together to buy onechipper. Each farmer would havehis own set of chipper knives,though, to use and care for. Thefarmers could produce their easily-mechanized chip fuel in this wayand even sell chips to nonfarmneighbors and small businesses.The imported boiler (a Topi Pamp-pi, from Valmistaja, 27100 Eurajoki,Finland) cost Rainer Langstedt about$2,000, but he thinks equally goodand cheaper ones could be madehere. He has another $300 investedin electronic controls it couldcost $4,500 for the chipper. That'snot cheap, but the chipper is not in-tended to sit around. It is intendedto work and earn money for thefarm.

A thermostat tells the auger whento feed the boiler more chips, whilea timer switch stands ready to over-ride every five minutes with a smalldash of chip fuel, just enough to keepthe fire burning if the thermostathasn't called for more chips.Another auger or conveyor throughthe exterior wall of the building canbe used to load the chip bin, againwith the idea of mechanizing thewood handling as much as possible.Langstedt says it takes two peopleabout three hours to chip onemonth's supply of chips from slab-wood. The Valby chipper will takechips down to a size of slightly lessthan one-half inch and blow them in-to his old roof-covered dump truck.Then he parks his truck outside hisboiler room. These small chips arebest for the auger, he says.The Valby chipper is what is calleda disk chipper, as opposed to themore common drum chipper. Woodis rammed against the face of thedisk, rather than the circumference.'It is the same difference as that bet-ween a disk sander and the cuttingedge of a table saw. The drum chip-per cuts chips that are curved -banana shaped, Longstedt calls them- and prone to bridging in the bin,causing flow problems.

II

__ ;;.!'.,,' ,"""o~:'", The chip bin and auger can be rolled backtoallow for servicing or cleaning.

6 n.y. Forest Owner

Administration's Tax AxeUnpopular WithMany Forestry Officials

For timber growers the Administra-tion's tax proposal is neither fair norsimple. And rather than encourag-ing growth, it would result in adecline in our nation's timberresources.The proposal would change currentlaw, which permits a taxpayer todeduct annually the costs of (1)management of timber after theseedlings are established, (2) proper-ty taxes, and (3) interest, to requirethe capitalization of all such costs.Further, it would repeal capital gaintreatment for timber, which formore than the last 40 years has beenavailable to timber growersregardless of how they dispose oftheir timber. Finally, it would repeala current law provision that permitssmall timber owners to amortizeover 84 months up to $10,000 ofreforestation expenses annually andto claim a 10% investment tax creditthereon. These proposals ignore the

'For the smallertimber owner,records and com-putations wouldincreaseexponentially. '

historic response that the timbersupply has shown federal tax policy.Prior to 1944, the year in which thecapital gain provisions that the Ad-ministration is now proposing torepeal were enacted, the annualsupply of timber was decreasing an-nually. Since that time, however, thenation's inventory of standingtimber has increased by more than195 billion cubic feet, with new plan-

OCTOBER 1985

from the Forest In-dustries Committee

on Taxation ...

ting now in the hundreds of millionseach year.

It is ironic that the Administration'sproposal would restore the tax treat-ment of timber to that which existedprior to 1944 at a time when our na-tion's timber needs are increasing.Indeed, the United States Forest Ser-vice has projected a shortage begin-ning in the late 1980s that by 2030will increase to 3.9 billion cubic feet.Additionally, adoption of the tax

proposals would further jeopardizethe role that forest products play ininternational trade and our balanceof payments. Historically, timber hasbeen one of our nation's leading ex-ports. By making investments intimber less attractive, the proposalswould further jeopardize this role.It is difficult to attract capital invest-ment to timber ($15 billion are need-ed) because of the low rate of returnand the unique risks involved. Theproposals would make it even moredifficult. And the proposal is unfairto the hundreds of thousnds oftimber owners who planted timberrelying on capital gain treatmentupon its harvest.Requiring the capitalization of

timber management expenses andcarrying costs unfairly singles outinvestments in timber from in-vestments in all assets for oneroustreatment.Finally, the Administration's pro-posal does not promote simplicity.Especially for the smaller timberowner, the required records andcomputations would increaseexponentially.Therefore, we recommend retainingthe existing timber capital gainstreatment, the present treatment oftimber management expenses andcarrying costs, and the present in-centives for reforestation. -:.

It Is Not EnoughTo Own a Forest.

The challenge is to nurture it, to fulfilladestiny of beauty, productivity, and familypride ... while turning enough dollars overto hang on to it. But how?

There are no easy answers, only ideas toponder by the woodstove. That's whatNYFOA is all about: ideas, family pride inforest management, and sharing ofdreams.

Through regular issues of The ForestOwner magazine, frequent seminars andwoods walks in one another's woodlots,and extended tours to extend thefellowship and learning in foreign lands,members of the New York Forest OwnersAssociation are growing as surely as thetrees in their woodlots.

loin! _Check your preferredmembership option:[ 1 Regular - $10[ 1 Family - $15[ 1 Contributing - $16-100[ 1 Supporting - over $101Send checks payable to:

New York Forest OwnersAssociationPost Office Box 69,Old Forge, New York1342()-()()69Yes, I'd like to learn more about The

New York Forest Owners Associationand how to get more out of my woodlands.

Name _

Phone

Address _

Oty

State/Zip

7

,-.-

Ben Franklin's FavoriteHollywood is a long way from thehills of New York's southern tier.Maybe that explains how the wildturkey came to be such a derisiveterm for a fool. Norman Lear and thesitcom writers of California nevertried to stalk Meleagris gallop avo onCross country skis. Alan AIda mustnever have drawn a bead on a Tomas he rocketed through the beechesof Shindagin Hollow. Indeed, a dayof pitting the human mind againstBen Franklin's choice for the na-tional bird, and the choice of wordsbecomes laughable.Call me a turkey and I shall thankyou for the compliment for I must behandsome, cunning, and adaptable.GLISTENINGI remember well the day I finallyovertook a flock on my skis. Threemiles from home, beyond the lastcornfield unharvested in clay soil,my tracks crossed theirs. It lookedlike ten or it looked like fifty. Theway their tracks crisscrossed oneanother like those of chickens ina pen, these birds had been roostinghere in the white pine. Their dropp-ings gave that away, and their tracksseemed to go nowhere but in circles.I circled, too, in a spiralling circlefrom the pines, trying to find a routethey had taken away from their yard.By trial and error, by guess and bygosh, I zigzagged through the se-cond growth aspens and thornap-ples to the slope that ran up throughthe oaks and beeches to the higherhay field.The flash was as bright as the noonsun on the pond, jerking my eye upthe logging road to where they werebrowsing. Sunlight flickered, show-ing off the most beautiful blacks,blues, and purples I will ever see.The turkey has to be smart to sur-vive with those flashing feathers. Heis quick, too. Before I could evenwhisper to the dog, they were gone,silently trotting through the heavy,wet snow and out of danger. Thedog, her eyes four feet lower thanmine, hasn't seen them yet. My feet,two feet slower than hers, hasn't

8

caught them yet.HISTORYThe department of natural

resources at Cornell University saysthe eastern wild turkey rangedthroughout New York State south ofthe Adirondack Mountains in earlycolonial times. It was eliminated bythe mid-1800s because ofagricultural developmet, extensivelogging of hardwoods, introductionof domestic poultry diseases, andunlimited hunting.As agriculture developed and gaveland back to forest, especially acrossthe New York - Pennsylvania border,turkey habitat regrew. Turkeys firstreappeared in Cattauraugus County

Massachusetts, Connecticut, NewJersey, and New Hampshire. Thesebirds have done remarkably well,with birds becoming well establish-ed in what had been consideredmaginal habitats.Wild turkeys are now firmly

established in every county south ofthe New York thruway from Buffaloto Albany and east of the HudsonRiver from Washington to PutnamCounty.

HABITATForestland owners will want to

know something about habitat. Whatsort of woodland environmentfavors the wild turkey?

The Turkey

in the late 1940s, natural immigrantsfrom Pennsylvania.The New York Conservation

Department released over 3,000birds in the 1950s,but this effort waslater considered a failure. The birdswere reared in captivity and seem-ed unable to cope with the wild en-vironment. Since then, another1,325 wild turkeys have been trap-ped in the wild and moved to poten-tial ranged in New York, Vermont,

The adaptability of wild turkey toa wide range of conditions in NewYork was unexpected. Until recent-ly, wildlife biologists assumed thatturkeys could only survive in exten-sive stands of fully mature hard-wood. Now it seems turkeys can ex-pand into range that is only 30%forest. Hardwood stands need onlybe mature enough to supply nuts(mast, biologists like to call it) andhave a closed canopy that shades out

n.y. Forest Owner

most ground cover. Turkeys willavoid ground cover.At least 10% of the total range mayneed to consist of forest openingsthat can provide insect food foryoung birds, Grasses and cloversalso can produce nutritious shoots,flowers, and seeds. Activeagricultural land can be an impor-tant component of turkey range.Unharvested corn and fruits arereadily eaten during winter shor-tages of natural foods.Turkeys will eat a wide assortmentof mast foods, and a wide variety isalso desirable from the standpoint ofinsuring against a crop failure of anyone species.MANAGEMENTCertain land use practices can im-prove or maintain good turkeyrange. Selective logging is not harm-ful to turkeys if enough young, mast-producing trees remain. Clear cut-ting small blocs of timber within

large stands can be good by pro-viding forest openings where poultscan find insect foods. Thinningdense, pole-size stands opens up theunderstory which increases visibili-ty and promotes faster maturity ofremaining mast trees.Trails, abandoned roads, utility

rights-of-way, and logging headerscan provide enough open habitat inmany cases. Where practical, mow-ing these clearings every three tofive years will set backsuccesssionand promote the growth of perenialsthat provide seeds and berries.When necessary, new clearingsshould be a least a half acre andround or square in shape to allowmaximum sun penetration. Siteswith disturbed ground covergenerally must be limed and fertiliz-ed before planting grasses of clovers.Hens like to nest within a few hun-dred yards of clearings, so widelydispersed clearings reduce competi-

tion for nesting sites.Authors of the Cornell Universitypamphlet on the wild turkey write,'A strutting tom pompously display-ing for the attention of hens is oneof the most thrilling and beautifulperformances found in nature. Thesetting; a quiet, mature hardwoodstand; the season: mid spring, as theforest stirs back to life after a longwinter; the time: early morning ona mild, calm day. It is a trulymemorable experience for all whowitness it.'As forest owners, you own the

stage, and you've already paid forthe tickets. Nature provides theactors.Hope you enjoy the show! +!+

Adapted by Alan Knight in partfrom The Eastern Wild Turkey byCornell University staff membersGary Goff, Daniel Decker, JohnKelley, and Ronald Howard.

POSTEDHUNTING, FISHING

OR

TRESPASSINGFOR ANY PURPOSE

STRICTLY FORBIDDENVIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED

YOUR NAME

Signs are 11" x 12". Printing guaranteed not to rub off.Call or write for free sample.Colonial Poster Company620 So. Columbus Ave. Dept. FOMt. Vernon, N.Y. 10550

914-668-5647

OCTOBER 1985

DURABLE VINYLPOSTED SIGNSat reasonable prices

9

Drafthorsernen Learn Logging

On June 1 and 2, 1985, a loggingworkshop was held at the ArnotForest, near Ithaca, New York, as ajoint venture of Cornell University'sDepartment of Natural Resourcesand the New York State Draft HorseClub. The Arnot Forest is a 4,000-acre teaching and research facility.Different areas of forest are manag-ed to demonstrate different things:woodland management, wildlife,sugarbush, and timber management,as well as soil conservation. Locatedat the site are a lodge and cabinswhere students, faculty, and 4-Hyoungsters may stay for seminars.Several members of the Draft HorseClub had expressed an interest inhaving a hands-on session todemonstrate the feasibility andlimitations of using draft horses inthe woods. A suitable place had tobe found that could accommodatethe horses and the people, and theArnot facility proved to be ideal, pro-

vi ding the terrain so typical of theNortheast.

The prime mover in organizing theevent was Bill Tutton, of Lansing,NY, and his friend and logging part-ner Dierk TerLouw.SMALL GROUPThe group, limited to 15 students toallow adequate hands-on ex-perience, met Friday night, May 31,to register and to get acquainted.Saturday morning, after a 7 a.m.breakfast ably provided by Bob Con-ley and family (as were all ourmeals), we assembled to see in theforest the equipment we would beusing - two wagons, a sled, aforecart, a logging cart, and severaltypes of hooks and chains. As an ex-ample, our instructors use a chokerchain, a 1/4 inch high-test chainabout 7 feet long with a 2 inch ringat one end and a 1/4 inch rod about

10

,--

by Gary Sargent

8 inches long at the other end, actinglike a needle to spear the ring. Therod pushes under the log easier thana hook. Female links or grab hooksare attached to the evener; the chainis set into the grabhook on theevener after being wrapped aroundthe log.BELGIANSThere were two teams of Belgians,one provided by Bill Tutton and theother by Loran Waite; three Per-cherons owned by Dierk TerLouwthat were used as a pair by Dierk andas a single by Omar Gleason. Threemules were provided by Tom Hewittand driven singly or as a team byhim and a helper, Jim Sollie. Two orthree students were assigned to aninstructor and his horses. David Par-miter also assisted the teamsters.We worked two different locationsduring the workshop. One area wasa 50 year old stand of red pine that

Veterinarian Jeff Jamison fromGuelph, Ontario, skidding a red pinelog with Dierk TerLouw's Percheron.

had been thinned twice in recentyears. This spring, high winds andan ice storm uprooted most of thepines in a five acre area. Our jobwas to skid the logs out to a yardingarea for later loading. The terrainwas relatively level or a slightdownhill skid. However, there wasa tangle of trees and slash, so part ofthe training was to devise the bestway to skid logs out of the jumbledmess. Under normal horse logging,the cutters would have felled thetrees in a better pattern for skidding.

The other area we worked was atypical hardwood stand of ash,maple, basswood, beech, andhickory in which some blowdownshad occurred with some additionalthinning. The terrain here was morehilly, with the skid road on a 20degree of greater up-grade.To obtain diverse instruction, thestudents were rotated through thedifferent teams and instructors. Wewere able to note the differences bet-ween the teams in their mannersand ability to maneuver the logs.

OCTOBER 1985

Saturday morning, Beth Rose andI worked the mules in the red pinesand in the afternoon we worked theBelgian and Percheron teams in thehardwoods. We were instructed onproper harnessing and driving, pro-per ways to approach and preparethe logs to be skidded, and then theactual hooking and skidding, alwayswith the idea of safety foremost. Wewere shown how to assess whichside of the log to stand on when skid-ding and to constantly be lookingahead for obstacles and problems inorder to remain on top of the situa-tion. We loaded ash and maple logson the wagon and then used fourhorses to pull the wagon up thegrade. Logs were skidded using asled, a logging cart, and on theground to demonstrate the dif-ferences in power needed to skidlogs each way.EVENINGSSaturday night after dinner, GlenIzard, the president of the New YorkDraft Horse Club, welcomed the log-ging students and several otherspeakers who preceded a paneldiscussion with a briefing on therole of Cornell Cooperative Exten-tion and Arnot Forest.During the panel discussion, manyof the questions had to do with con-formation of draft horses, properfeeding, costs involved in starting ahorse-logging business, and the

Tom Hewitt with his mules andLoran Waite and his Belgians pullinga 41 foot ash log weighing approx-imately 4,400 lb. up a 15% grade.

economics of logging with horses.The concensus of the panel was thathorse logging would only pay if skid-ding were kept to less than 1,000 feetand done in conjunction withmechanical skidders for longerhauls. Horses could work in thewoods, skidding to the loggingroads, where mechanical skidderscould take over.Next day, after more training ses-sions, some of us with Loren Waite'sBelgians and Tom Hewitt's threemules in tandem pulled out an ashlog that had been blown over but hadhung up in some other trees. We cutthe tree through at the base. With theanimals hooked to it, it was pulledfree of the stump, but it went into theground about a foot. We cut itthrough again. With the three mulesin the lead (about 800 pounds each)and the Belgians behind (1,800pounds each), the log was pulleddown, kidded out to the skid road,and then pulled up a grade to thelanding. The ash tree was 41 feetlong, averaged 18 inches indiameter, and was calculated toweigh 4,400 pounds!By the way, a 28 minute video tapeshowing all the horses and equip-ment working at the various areas ofthis training session is available bycontacting Jim Baldwin, MorrisonHall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853, telephone 607-256-4503 .• !.

n.y. Forest Owner11

Dick Fox on Cayuga Chapter

Chapter and Verse -

The Greeting

A short time ago the Migrantsdisplaced the Natives from theforests by the use of civilizingOwnerisms of Aryan retemperedMediterranean genesis. The strangehomina enthusiastically savedNative souls from spiritual andnatural wildernesses by coversingand convincing with magical andpowerful sights and sounds. TheNatives vacated their ancient estatesor tried to make the apparitions goaway, or learned.By way of re-versing and with athought to the third alternative, theny Forest Owner may be of service:Humanoids and trees have faredwell together in water and fire har-mony from some icy beginning onthis latitude/longitude of the planet.Natives have become Owners, andOwners have become Natives, andboth are welcomed into NYFOA'slearning and economic community.Currently, the terrestrial descriptionof New York includes much strangestone and many new grasses at theexpnse of the forests. Extreme varia-tion in combinations of ecologicalparameters could in short or longtime yield all sand or all trees or ...?The most urgent and difficult topicof conversation is the civil planetarybalance of new and old, plants andanimals, chemical magic, spiritualconceptions, time, place, and us.The complexity of this equationdemands as much communal atten-

12

tion a humans can muster regardlessof the person's rank or file.Therefore, any comment to this

topic will be gratefully acknowledg-ed, if forwarded to: NYFOA, Inc.Cayuga ChapterBox 1107, MoraviaNY 13118Att: TreesnBeesnWe

And then there's -

Some SmokeFrom Boonville

We talked about the smoke, shovel-ing snow from the funny sidewalks,what kind of wood fueled the fires,too many dancing elbows, the priceof saw chain, the girl's age and otherdata, the town's friendliness, thebest man and/or machine, hurtingheads in the late morning sun, adead logger too young for manyBoonvilles, and thoughts of ancientcampfires too much for speech.The campfires, Saturday Nite,

layered the Boonville Fairgroundswith a heavy haze of smoke despitethe gentle breezes. No matter whatcarcinogens may be discovered inthe combustible tree, our ancestorsinhaled the tree spirits all their lives.I declare, therefore my genes arewell programmed to tolerate somesmoke. I'm not sure about mice.That programming does notnecessarily include 20th centurychemistry, and, of course, we livelonger, some of us.

Statistically, the question is moot,when we discount the value ofmodern medicine and appreciate thevalue of human neurosis. Chemistrykills some, saves others; spirits wedrink or breathe will get us or won'tsooner or later and, on balance, ... ?Many natives and owners were

there from all over the place, evena farmer, just for Sunday, in betweenmilkings. Wonder what spirit moveshim to drive five hours every year?Thank you, Boonville. (I bet you'realso glad it's only once a year.) ••.

FORESTRY • RECREATIONCONSERVATION

ECOLOGY

SERVICES OFFERED BY

FORECON'NC.•.• Timber Management Plans for

the forest•.• Timber appraisals•.• Timber inventory•.• Timber marking•.• Timber marketing and sales•.• Capitol gains assistance an

timber sales•.• Tree planting•.• Recreational development•.• Assistance with timber trespass•.• Boundary marking•.• Christmas tree management•.• Silviculture and timber stand

improvement

•.• Logging engineering andharvesting

•.• Cost and economic studies offorest operations

•.• Environmental impact studies

Offices

• 5 Genesee StreetAvon, New York 14414716/226-8330

• Rm. 311, Cortland Savings BankCortland, New York 130456071753-3113

• 109 Erie StreetEdinboro, Pennsylvania 16412814/734-7051

• Crown Building100 E. Second StreetJamestown, New York 14701716/664-5602

• 229 State StreetLowville, New York 13367315/376-7758

• P.O. Box 488 Bridge StreetTowanda, Pennsylvania 18848717/265-7055

NEW IN THE WOODLOTPolaris ATVs

Now an American manufac-turer has entered the battle forthe hearts and pocketbooks ofthe American ATV enthusiast.Polaris Industries, Inc., usuallythought of as a snowmobilemanufacturer, has now createda different concept in ATVs: thePVT, the Polaris VariableTransmission.Polaris says the PVT also givesits ATVs faster acceleration thanany other all-purpose 250ccATV and more pulling powerfor hill climbing and utilitychores such as pulling a trailer,sprayer, or cut logs.For more details, write to

Polaris at 1225 North CountyRoad 18, Minneapolis, Min-nesota 55441.

New Off-RoadTruck

The Shrunkette is available asa fully assembled and ready toroll vehicle. The standard modelhas a fully enclosed cab whichseats two adults.

The Shrunkette costs between$2,500 to $3,800, depending onthe configuration. The companysuggests calling or writing to ob-tain their complete technicalliterature and pricing informa-tion. Contact MFC Inc.,10 Plea-sant Street, New Rochelle, NY1801. Telephone 914-636-3834.

It is called the 'Shrunkette' andthis unusual vehicle is designedfor off-road recreational use,greenskeeping, and general utili-ty. The interesting feature forfarmers may be that this 4WD(option) vehicle has soft tires likean all-terrain-vehile. It is onlyfour feet wide and has a 68 inchwheelbase.

FMC Small Spray BoomsFMC introduces six new spraybooms for its line of smallengine driven and PTO drive DPsprayers. Four of these boomsare horizontal, each in five sec-tions, with lengths of 20', 26',32', and 39'. The brass nozzlesdischarge spray material in a fat,fan-shaped pattern, providingexcellent coverage for such rowcrops as Christmas trees.The other two are vertical caneand trellis booms, also ideal forspraying grapevines, dwarf andsemi-dwarf fruit trees andnursery stock.To get full details, contact FMCCorportaion, 5601 EastHighland Drive, JonesboroArkansas 12401. Telephone501-935-1970.

OCTOBER 1985 13

Classified Advertisements:There is a simple formulafor placing a classifiedadvertisement in the NYForest Owner. Write or,preferably, type youradvertisement. Count thewords (this ad is 52 words),multiply by $.25 per word,and send a check payable toNYFOA to: Editor, NYForest Owner, 96 TargoshRoad, Candor, NY 13743.

Display advertisements:They cost $5 per columninch, flat rate. There arethree lO-inch columns perpage. Ads should be sub-mitted camera-ready or innegative form. Ads can bedesigned and laid out foryou at a flat rate of $25. Anyblack and white glossyphoto in the ad will cost$10. Please inquire for cir-culation and demographicinformation. Contact theeditor at 96 Targosh Road,Candor, New York 13743.Telephone 607-659-5275evenings.

For sale: 22 acres offorestland near Oxford, NY.Much merchantable timber.Borders trout stream, someroad frontage but private,very close to state lands.Sugar bush. $14,500 withterms. Contact Jerry Cibelli,Box 258, RD 1, Middetown,NY 10940. Telephone914-386-5394.

For sale: 3,644 acres offorest, 85% hardwood, 15%conifers. Twenty milessouthwest of Plattsburgh,NY. Carefully managed byforester-owner. Asking $343per acre: Contact Roy Perry,P.O. Box 155, Peru, NY12972. Telephone518-563-350.

14

For sale: Christmas treesare a good cash crop. Wehave the planting stock. Wealso have deciduous shrubs,ground covers, and trees, in-cluding nut trees. We doplanting in nearby counties.Booking orders for spring,1986. W.C. Cottell, 5577South Geneva Road, Sodus,NY 14451. Telephone315-483-9684.

For sale: Christmas treeseedlings. Special 5-8'woods plants, $95 per thou-sand. Superior Balsamwoodsplants 8-15', $200 perthousand. Balsamwoodsplants 8-15'transplanted in trenches atleast one year and fertilized,$400 per thousand. ContactWalker's Tree Farms, EastBurke, VT 05832. Telephone802-626-5276.

For sale: Red pine standingtimber suitable for cabinlogs. Alternate rows markedfor harvest on seven-acretract. 987 marked treesaveraging 10.5 inches d.b.h.,for a total of 26,384 linearfeet to a 7 inch top. ContactW.C.Craig, R 1, Sherburne,NY 13460. Telephone607-674-4845.

Wanted: Hardwoodsawlogs, highest prices paidfor logs delivered to New-foundland, PA, on Route191. Jim Vitale, CadosiaValley Lumber Co., Inc.,Box 297, Newfoundland, PA18445. Telephone717-676-3400.

For sale: Forest-AllFirewood Processor, 5slasher saws 54', 40' Cornellbelt conveyor; firewoodshaker/screener (6' x 7') with20' belt conveyor, 3 strand40' live deck; Cornell 60'barn cleaner. Also, Ideal Arc250 Lincoln arc welder GaryHaines, BridgeportHydraulic, 835 Main Street,Bridgeport, CT 06601.Telephone 203-367-6621.

For sale: Three blackwalnut trees: 24 inches, 17.5inches, and 17 inches d.b.h.Six feet, eight inches, eightfeet, and fifteen feet, respec-tively, to first limb. Also, sixsmaller ones. Virginia H.Keith, 166 Harding Place,Syr acusn NY 13205.Telephone 315-469-6533 or315-432-4205.

Wanted: Need unlimitedquantities of prime veneerlogs: red and white oak,cherry, walnut, and hardmaple. Brad Ferman, UnitedPacific Trading, Box 151,East Smethport, PA 16730.Telephone 814-887-5405.

For sale: LaFont Wood pro-cessor, model SSMI00. Us-ed 18 months. $20,000. Zon-ing forces sale. Contact PaulBaratier, RD 1, Parish, NY13131. Telephone315-963-8410.

For sale: Wooden crates forboxing small firewoodbundles or other productsfor sale. Call for sizes andprices. 315-265-3549.

Got a question?

ASK AFORESTERI s it possible to

plant seeds or seedlingsof valuable species in aforest after a TSI opera-tion or after a timbersale where trees havebeen removed? Iask thisbecause it seems to meto be an ideal way oftransforming a run-down forest to one withgood species and withgood genes.

-Iames N. MartinMuenster , WestGermany

Your suggestion ofplanting seedlingsafter a timber harvesthas been tried ex-perimentally, butnatural sprouting andseeding overwhelmsthe planted seedlingsand smothers themout.

-A.W.Roberts, Jr.Retired DEC forester

Haiku

So for so longSpider silkHangs leaf and timeAt the edgeOf the eyp..

Wayne Oakes

n.y. Forest Owner

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Camillus, NY13031

Permit No. 57

Dtt\l 1:0 !,J

RDl HILLIARD RDGROT(.J!~.' I\..!"j' 'I-I~--....:) J ,....:.)

---~------.---

Drag In The ProfitsSMALL

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WOODCHIPPERSThe Farmi 1800 is the loader that firewood

and pulp producers have been waiting for. Theloader is affordable and big enough to get thejob done. The loader can be mounted directly onmost Farmi winches and other frames, The winchloader combination is a universal machine whichcan be used for a multitude of jobs. Pre bun-ching, forwarding, loading of pulpwood andfirewood can all be performed with this machinecombination,

In a crowded field of woodchippers, the Valbychippers stand out by producing exceptionallyuniform chips. In addition to traditional uses ofchips, one can use Valby chips in gasifiers andchip stokers which demand high uniformity. The .uniform chips enable inexpensive chip transportmethods such as grain augers to be used. Thechip size is continuously adjustable between 114and I". Maximum slab size is 10" wide or 8"'indiameter for roundwood. Three knives on a 41"disk do the cutting. The Valby chippers can besupplied with V-belt pulleys for electric motorhookup or with a PTO hookup for farm trac-tors.

Send us your name and address. We will send you the FARMI TREE HARVESTING METHODbooklet and the name of your nearest Farmi dealer.

NORTHEAST IMPLEMENT CORPORATIONP.O. Box 402, Spencer, NY 14883 Tel:(607) 589·6160