The New York

FOREST OWNERA publication of theNewYork Forest Owners Association

January/February 1995

oCatskill Treasures

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THE NEW YORK

FOREST OViNERVOL. 33, NO.1

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Don Wagner, President

RD #1. Box 203CUtica. NY 13502; (315) 733-7391

Bill Minerd, Ist Vice President

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

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary

300 Church StreetOdessa, NY 14869-9703; (607) 594-2130

Clara Minerd, Treasurer1123 Cold Springs RoadLiverpool, NY 13088; (315) 451-3712

John C. Marchant, Executive Director

45 Cambridge CourtFairport, NY 14450; (716) 377-7906

Deborah Gill, Administrative Secretary

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

1995Elizabeth Densmore, Machias; (716) 942-6600Richard J. Fox, Moravia; (315) 497-1078John W. Krebs, Honeoye Falls; (716) 624-1793

Tom Ellison, Manlius; (315) 682-9376

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

Peter Levatich, Brooktondale; (607) 539-7049

Don Wagner, Utica; (315) 733-7391

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

Charles Mowatt, Savona; (607) 583-7006Norman Richards, Syracuse; (315) 472-3696

Elizabeth Wagner, Utica; (315) 733-7391

AFFILlA TE REPRESENT ATIVES

Charles Sprague, THRIFT; (315) 788-5920Dinnie Sloman, Catskill Forest Assoc.; (914) 586-3054

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVESMark & Joann Kurtis,Allegheny Foothills; (716)945-6012

Tom Hewitt, Cayuga; (315) 497-1266

Buzz Gosch, Capital District; (518) 797-3623Bob Sykes, Central New York; (315) 673-3691

JerrWiegert, Lower Hudson; (914) 831-8109Bob Howard, Northern Adirondack West; (315)265-7560

Herb Boyce, Northern Adirondack East; (518) 946-7040

Bob Colligan, Niagara Frontier; (716) 655-4995

Gregg Mackey, SE Adirondack; (518) 893-2236Larry Lepak, Southern Tier; (607) 656-8504

Don Schaufler, Tioga, (607) 589-6095Eileen VanWie, Western Finger Lakes; (716)367-2849

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

NYFOA does not necessarily support or approve proce-dures. products, or opinions presented by authors oradver-

tisers.

COVER: Ashokan Reservoir

Photo courtesy of Bill Rudge.

2 NY FOREST OWNER

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

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

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

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NYFOA

Chapters and Affiliates

CAy Cayuga, 1985 68STC Southern Tier, 1985 112TIO Tioga, 1986 96WFL Western Finger Lakes, 1988 278AFC Allegheny Foothills, 1989 134NFC Niagara Frontier, 1990 149CDC Capital District, 1991 98SAC Southeastern Adirondack, 1991 173LHC Lower Hudson, 1991 45CNY Central New York, 1991 92NAC Northern Adirondack, 1991 85

CFA Catskill Forest Assoc., 1982 165THRIFT Tug Hill Resources, Investment for Tomorrow, 1982 142

Membership as of December 1, 1994: 1990

Table of ContentsPresident's Message, Don Wagner 3NY STR8 3S, Peter Levatich 4NY Forest Inventory, Carolyn Willard 5What'll You go , David Colligan .......•.......•................................•....••.. 6"It's Too tate , Ron ..Pedersen ...< •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7Master Forest Owners, Mike Greason 8Chapter/Affiliates 10The Year Of The Defoliator, Douglas Allen 12Ecological Management, Jim Coufal 14Ask A Forester, Dinnie Sloman 16The Earth At Its Best, Homer Stennett 17The Gotsh Land, Jane Sorensen Lord 18

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO JAN/FEB 1995

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEI hope the weather in your part of the

State has been as good as it has been in theCentral New York area. I've been able toget a lot of extra outside work done that Ihaven't been able to finish in the past. Butmore importantly, I had an opportunity tospend some time in my woodlot. In thelast issue of the magazine, I mentioned thatI had just completed a woods road and thatI was fearful of the heavy rains eroding it.I am happy to report that all is well. Thecontractor did a nice job of installing wa-ter bars. My woodlot, as is the case formost of you, is used for a lot more thanjust timber production. For instance, mywife, Betty, annually gathers Balsam Firboughs for our front door Christmaswreath. Like so many of you, the mostenjoyable hours that I spend these days arespent in the woodlot.

I thought I would take a moment hereto talk a little bit about some of the morepertinent issues being discussed at Boardmeetings and by the Long-Range PlanningCommittee. At the last Board Meeting inOctober, John Marchant in his ExecutiveDirector's Report announced his retirement

effective April, 1995. John pointed out thathe had been serving in this volunteer ca-pacity for five years. For those of you whoare not familiar with the Executive Direc-tor role, it deals with external affairs, net-working with other groups, etc., while thePresident of our Association deals with in-ternaloperations. John's effort over thesepast five years are sincerely appreciated.He will be missed tremendously. Thankyou John for your years of service toNYFOA. The Long-Range Planning Com-mittee has identified a subcommitteechaired by Norm Richards to come up withrecommendations on how to fill this hugevacancy. Also for everyone's information,the Board agreed at the last meeting to sup-port a proposal from the Western FingerLakes Chapter to sponsor the Fall, 1995Meeting. The tentative date is September30 - October 1. Mark your calendars.WFL's proposal is to tour the city ofRochester's private forest surroundingHemlock Lake. I understand this is an ab-solutely beautiful area.

By the time this magazine is received,your Chapter/Affiliate chair and many of

"Winter Fun for the Whole Family"7th Cabin Fever Festival

Sponsored by NYFOA's Cayuga Chapter 10 AM, Sat. &Sun., Feb. 11 & 12, 1995

Fillmore Glen State Park, Moravia, NY

A construction from raw logs done on site for the benefitof 2-3 thousand attendees at the 2-day festival.

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

President Don Wagner and Friendat the 1994 Family Forest Fair.

you will already be involved in a USDAForest Service Woodland Survey. NYFOAas an organization has agreed to supportthis effort. Besides NYFOA's involvementbeing the right decision, helping completethe survey will also add some money toyour individual Chapter/Affiliate treasur-ies. We have been promised $1 plus phoneexpenses for every indi vidual surveyed, nota bad deal.

My wife, Betty, is in the process of cre-ating a quilt for NYFOA to raffle as a fundraiser. Because this project will take a goodshare of her time over the next few months,we will not be able to do much together, soI'll have a lot of time on my hands. Thismeans I shall make a valid attempt to at-tend several Chapter and Affiliate meetingsthis winter, especially the Christmas par-ties and pot luck dinners. I'm not surewhich ones I will attend at this point, but Ido intend to make as many as possible.Lastly, I promised Tom Hewitt at the lastBoard Meeting that I would make the CabinFever Festival in Cayuga County, God will-ing and I don't get snowed in. The event isscheduled for the weekend of February 11and 12. I am told by Dick Fox and Tomthat the event goes on regardless of theweather. Sounds like fun; hope to see youall there.

I was very pleased to get a couple ofletters from Mary and Stuart McCarty re-cently. They are wonderful folks and it'salways good hearing from them.

I sincerely hope you all had a nice holi-day season.

JAN/FEB 1995 • 3

NEW YOR\cabove I am doing well. I worry about thebranch collar however, it has to stay on thetree during all pruning operations. It pro-duces chemicals that protect the tree fromdecay causing organisms. The branch col-lar is not always clearly evident, but it isthere.

The third year I do the same thing I didthe year before. By now the seedling topsare at eye level allowing a better focus.Some new straight trees show up whichwere overlooked last year. I pay particularattention to leaders I had corrected. If it hashelped, fine, if not, the tree may have ge-netic difficulties with leader formation(white ash does this on my land). I do an-other correction nevertheless, but its the lastone. I am more radical with the competi-tion and cut them way down so that myselected straight trees have about 16 inchesfree crown room. Then I hang a loose loopof flagging near the top on the stem. I pre-fer dark blue flagging: it shows best in allseasons. A great aspect of this managementprocedure is that youngsters can do it veryeasily too. Have you ever seen a kid whodislikes snippers? They would have theirown forestry project, they would learn alot from your guidance !

The fourth year is easy because I cansee the flagging which shows the trees Iassisted. It also shows nature's response andI step back for an overview. My handpruner may not be strong enough now so Iget the small chainsaw. I look for the stumpsprouts at this point which sometimes havegrown twice as tall as the seedlings. I se-lect the best sprout, one that is emergingwithin six inches of the ground, which ex-hibits good form and branching and I cutoff the rest. I also go after vigorous unde-sirables: striped maple, hophombeam andbeech brush and cut them off at groundlevel if they are within six feet of any flags.

The fifth year my pole saw arrives. Ido not use it on my flagged straight treesbut on the older generation of trees sur-

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I don't worry about tree spacing at this rounding my TSI area. These trees havetime. As long as there is lots of blue sky grown low branches into the forest open-

By Peter S. LevatichMy next license plate? Hmmm ... It is a

tempting idea. It would proclaim my for-est love affair: S-T-R-eight tree-S ! It wouldbe cool, exhibiting my secret. My wife,Barbara, on the other hand, thinks vanityplates are in bad taste. And of course theydo cost extra, and one has to be rational inforest management. $ 25.00 each year theseplates would cost! Could there be a betteruse of my forest funds?Instead of buying these plates,

the first $25.00 could go for a gift mem-bership in NYFOA,the second year I could buy myself agood hand pruner,the third year some 5 mill flaggingwhich lasts a long time andthe fourth $25.00 could be saved andadded tothe fifth installment to buy a good polesaw for under $50.00;

all of which would certainly be more use-ful than driving around with only a slogan,no matter how important it is. Of course,dear reader, I also do something with myacquisitions each year, and so I have myslogan and straight trees too. This is how itworks.

Soon after each timber stand improve-ment (TSI) project, lots of young seedlingsspring up in the sun filled areas, full of joyand hope like hordes of kindergarten kids.I can easily detect those better endowed bynature and growing more rapidly. I can alsosee the straight ones. However, they are notalways the same trees. So I intervene onbehalf of the straight ones. I give them anassist, maybe two assists. Sometimes thismakes a difference and the straight trees Ifavored become indeed the leaders, the croptrees among the multitude. Not always,because my method cannot negate genetic,or soil conditions, etc. which are the deter-minants. But it makes a difference often

4 NY FOREST OWNER

enough to reward me for my effort, whichreally is minimal because I do all this whileI walk around in the woods relaxing, daydreaming, sort of resting after a long day.Not working, just having fun.

In the first year, I simply observe whatis developing. I make notes about the spe-cies, the variety, whether black cherry, oak,or whether other valuable shade intolerantshave made it into a former maple stand,for example. I want to see if striped maple,hophombeam or other "pests" are invad-ing. How is this regeneration going to ben-efit the turkey, or the grouse? Are the deergoing to come, or is there better food forthem close by. How is the forest litter? Canit hold the necessary moisture for the newcrop. Most of all, I note the concentrationsof seedlings about three to four feet highbecause these are the ones I will work withwhen I buy my hand pruner.

The second year, during the dormantseason, I do two things. I correct the leaderof otherwise straight trees noted the yearbefore, and I eliminate the unwanted com-petitors within 12 inches of the top of thestraight tree. Competitors are those lessstraight trees which are crowding and there-fore shading my little crop tree. Leadercorrection is necessary if the leader looksdamaged, or if the tree forms more thanone leader. I go snip, snip and it is done!

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

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JAN/FEB 1995

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ing where my flagged trees are because thelight conditions are favorable there. If I canreach any, off they come! My flagged littletrees are mostly on their own now. I makeit a rule not to prune with my hand prunerany higher that I can reach. (I cut my fin-ger once doing that !) I also quit the prun-ing when the seedling gets to be about oneinch thick at breast height, (DBH). I comeback to check and to admire from time totime. In about three more years the flag-ging falls off. It is no longer needed, theevidence is in plain sight.

One more phenomenon is worth men-tioning. I once said to Bob Sand, a foresterfriend, that it was too bad that a certain sap-ling had a crook in it where the leader had

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died and a new one had formed. He saidnot to worry about it, trees straighten out.This puzzled me for a long time thinkingabout how the cat straightens its hind legwhen it stretches; trees cannot do that, I wassure! Later, observing grain patterns in

boards, I saw that trees grow unequally inwidth: they fill in concave, or hollow areasof the trunk more rapidly than other areas.The annual rings are farther apart wherehollow areas existed. The trees do this forincreased structural stability, not to pleaseme. But I do not care, as long as they arestraight I love them regardless.

So, how about those plates? Are yougoing to beat me to them?

Peter, a NYFOA Director who representsTompkins County at the NYS DEC Region7 Forest Practice Board, is a Master For-est Owner (Class of '92).

NY'S FOREST INVENTORY - The State of Our State's Forest LandBy Carolyn L. Willard

The USDA Forest Service has com-pleted the field work for New York's fourthforest resource inventory. While the finalanalysis of the data will not be completeduntil midyear 1995, we do have some ofthe preliminary results. Bruce Williamson,utilization/marketing specialist for the NYSDEC and Carol Alerich, forester for theUSDA Forest Service, kicked-off EmpireState Forest Products Association's(ESFPA) annual Fall Membership Meet-ing Nov. 9 with an informative overviewof the preliminary report.

The report found that New York state isgrowing 3.5 times more trees than are har-vested or otherwise removed. The qualityof New York's forests have also improvedwith significant increases in larger diam-eter trees and corresponding increases inquality.

"The inventory provides more evidencethat with 85% of the state's forests in pri-vate hands, the forest products industry andother forest landowners are doing a goodjob of maintaining an important resource,"said Kevin S. King, Executive Vice Presi-dent of ESFPA.

The initial presentation was followed byan informal panel discussion led by twoforesters, a woodlands manager and a con-sultant, who brought varied opinions andperspectives ofthe inventory to the discus-

NY FOREST OWNER

sion. Panel members agreed that the infor-mation provided by the inventory is usefulto the forest products industry. To be sure,timber harvesters, foresters, and sawmilloperators oftentimes refer to the inventorybefore expanding or growing their busi-nesses.

"The inventory' ShCfWStharourresourceis in the best condition it has ever been in-in terms of modem timber quality andspecies composition," said Curt Bauer, for-ester for Forecon, Inc.

Although the data makes it possible toefficiently manage lands in a sustainablefashion, control the flow of products andremain profitable, there are, however, somelimits to the accuracy and statistical valid-ity of the information on a regional and/orcounty scale that handicap its usefulness.For instance, the longevity of the data'svalidity, which is conducted every tenyears, was cited as a major problem. The

quality of the information could be main-tained, if provided in a more timely andlocal fashion.

"There are problems inherent to the for-est inventory simply because of the lengthof time between reports," said Kevin King."But it's the best method of forest landevaluation available to us now."

While the inventory may be a usefultool, for the forest products industry, it isfrequently referred to by state decisionmakers as a basis for discussions withinstate government. Decision makers rely onthe information in the forest inventory tohelp them gauge the viability and health ofNew York's forest resource, ultimately af-fecting policy decisions.

Carolyn Willard is the Director of Com-munications for the Empire State ForestProducts Association at Albany.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT* New York's timberland area remained virtually unchanged since 1980.* Non-industrial private landowners own 84% of New York's timberland.* The number of 1 inch & larger trees increased from 6.5 to 8 billion.* The average annual net growth for all species is 589.1 million cubic feet, 142.9 was

harvested and 45.4 was removed by land use changes. This resulted in a net annualincrease of 400. 8 million cubic feet.

* The average number offive inch and larger trees per acre increased from 117 to 140.

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO JAN/FEB 1995 • 5

What')) You Do With The Farm When You're Gone?By David J. Colligan

As a practicing attorney, I am constantly

asked whether the living trusts that are be-ing propounded and sold by attorneysaround the state will achieve the objectivesof avoiding probate, limiting income taxes,reducing or eliminating estate taxes, as wellas fulfilling the planning objectives of thegrantor. While living trusts may be appro-priate for some, I believe living trusts are

oversold and are not appropriate for manyof the individuals and family situations for

which they are being created. My princi-pal objection to living trusts is that the es-tate, income, and gift tax benefits (if any)of living trusts are not sufficient to justify

the monumental effort in creating andmaintaining the trust.

Many of my clients are forest ownerswith family tree farms which they haveevery intention of passing on to the nextgeneration so their stewardship ideas and

plans can be followed for many decades tocome. They have expressed to me that theywish to continue to control the managementand harvest decisions of those tree farmsfor the foreseeable future. They also wantto pass the fruits of their labor onto their

descendants. Subject to these conditionsand desires, they are willing to make somepresent transfers to their descendants to takeadvantage of the annual $10, 000.00 gifttax exclusion.

There is currently an estate planning tool

that can achieve the multiple goals of re-ducing estate taxes, utilizing the annual gifttax exclusion, and transferring assets to thenext generation with control retained by the

present generation. This estate planningtool is known as the family limited part-

nership. As with a business partnership,ownership of an asset, in this case a tree

farm, is transferred from the current own-ers to a limited partnership. A small frac-

tion of the owner ship, usually one percent,is transferred to the "general partner", whomakes all the management and operationaldecisions for the limited partnership. Theremainder is split into multiple limited part-nership "units", similar to shares in a cor-

poration, that evidence ownership and canbe transferred individually or in blocks. Ini-tially, all the units are owned by the origi-nal tree farm owners.

6 NY FOREST OWNER

What makes the family limited partner-ship concept so appealing for tree farmers

is that the tree farm remains intact, the man-agement of the tree farm remains stable andunder the control of the original owners,and the fractional units of the limited part-nership can be transferred without break-ing up the parcel into smaller parcels. Thelimited partnership can be created withoutregard to the value of the asset being trans-ferred. However, the greater the value ofthe asset, the more limited partnership units

that must be created to best utilize estateand gift tax exclusions.

How About:

A FAMILY LIMITEDPARTNERSHIP?

primary residence portion of real property.They are ideal for the tree farmer whowants to be the "managing general partner"in an organization which was created totransfer family wealth. The limited partner-ship unit owners have no liability to credi-tors beyond the partnership assets.

The drawbacks are that the asset will beowned by a separate entity and once theunits are given away, they cannot be re-covered. Also, the IRS, which has ruled fa-vorably on family limited partnerships in

the past, may change their stance in thefuture, in which case the partnership agree-

ment can be amended to take new laws intoaccount. Also, certain formalities must beobserved, including a written limited part-nership agreement properly filed with the

State and an annual partnership income taxfiling for information purposes, even

though any income is "passed through" tothe partners.

The creation of a limited partnership bya family wishing to transfer an asset suchas a tree farm is legally permissible and itcreates substantial savings of gift and es-tate taxes. If you would like additional in-formation regarding family limited partner-

ships, the author can be reached at (716)852-3540.

Since the units can be transferred each

year, each owner can transfer as much asten thousand dollars per year to each child

and (or) grand child as they deem appro-priate. Additionally, because the gifts of the

units represent minority interests with re-stricted marketability, the IRS permits dis-counts of market values to reflect the factthat market prices of business minority in-terests are usually substantially reduced.Any increase in the value of the property

or timber after the units are transferred willbe attributable to the partners proportion-

ate to their ownership. This further reducesestate size and tax burden. There are. in-come tax advantages to the family limitedpartnership over a trust or corporate entity;

because all the benefits and deductions arepassed through to the partners to be taxed

at their income tax rates, not the higher ratesapplied to trusts and the double taxation ofmost real estate corporations.

Eventually, the creator of a family lim-ited partnership may want to transfer con-trol of the partnership as "general partner"to the next generation. Since a general part-ner is a part owner of the equity of the as-set, that fractional value can be calculatedthe same as the valuation of the limitedpartner units; but once control shifts, nodiscount is given for minority interests.

Family limited partnerships are cur-rently being created for many types of in-

vestments; but they cannot be created forS corporation stock, pension funds, or the

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

Dave Colligan is a practicing attorney with

a Buffalo law firm and serves NFFOA asour legislative liaison.

TREE PROTECTORSDIEBACK PROBLEMS

WE HAVE THE ANSWER!The health of your trees depends

on getting accurate information.

Call today for your Free Sampleand a copy of a comparisonstudy by the Pennsylvania

Bureau of Forestry.

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W. Lafayette, IN 47906800-875-8071 or 317-463-1011

JAN/FEB 1995

"It's Too Late Once Your Tree ....educational resources. The Catskill ForestAssociation and other NYFOA entities pro-vide articles on what to look for when a"logger comes around" and the NYS Log-ger Training Committee has recently un-dertaken a program with timber harvest-ers.

A landowner allows himself to becheated or is satisfied with a less than rea-sonable sale price; because the landowneris not paying attention, did not execute asound contract, did not shop around (i. e.seek bids) before making a deal, did nothave the trees to be harvested carefullymarked, did not have the boundaries of theharvest area clearly delineated and (or) didnot periodically inspect the site during log-ging.

In other words, the logger is authorizedto be on the property; but the specifics ofthe sale have not been made clear and theharvest is not being monitored, so the temp-tation and the opportunity for creative in-terpretation of the agreement are present.And, with a single black cherry tree fetch-ing perhaps $1000, the financial incentiveis there as well.

Many landowners are not in a positionto regularly check their lands; because theacreage is too great or they are not in thearea and do not have a neighbor to keep aneye on things. In such cases, strong lawenforcement.and.effective prosecution areneeded to assure dishonest operators canexpect to get what they deserve. Police andlaw enforcement agencies, however, havenumerous other priorities, and typicallyhave not been well equipped to pursuecases of timber theft. There is, however,

---------- SURVEY ----------

By Ron Pedersenhas been felled and skidded out of yourwoodlot." That's the way Bob Sand put it(NY FOREST OWNER NID '94). DaveTaber said, "A landowner needs to use goodbusiness practices when selling stumpage"(NY FOREST OWNER MIA '91). AndDavid Colligan explained to readers thewhys, wherefores, and importance of wellmarked boundary lines (NY FORESTOWNER SIO '93)

The NYFOA Board of Directors hasvoted to undertake a multi-year educationaleffort to help thwart unreasonable and dis-honest timber harvest practices and to helpfoil timber land trespass and timber theft.As timber prices nave risen, so has timbertheft. Enthusiastic attendance at a recentworkshop by the Northeast - Petroleum-Forest Resources Cooperative with SUNYIESF and at an October program put on withthe help of a Stewardship Grant by theCatskill Forest Association. NYFOA affili-ate, demonstrated wide spread interest inthe problem of timber theft. (See page 10this issue) These programs focused atten-tion on the importance of prevention, andthe frustrating problems associated withprosecution.

Poor business practices and timber theftare not new, nor are they challenges thatthose concerned with sound resource man-agement have ignored. DEC, for example,some years ago instituted its cooperatingconsultant forester program, has loggerguidelines, and pushes use of its model tim-ber sales contract. Cornell Cooperative Ex-tension and SUNY /ESF have bulletins and

* How serious do you think timber trespass and theft are? If you know of any ex-amples, please share the circumstances and the amount of the loss with us.

* Who are the interested parties in timber theft and trespass? Please send your sugges-tions on individuals, groups, associations, businesses, industries, professions, publi-cations, and agencies that have an interest or might help.

* What are the most effective ways to reach as many landowners as possible with themessage - Be informed! Get advice! BEFORE you sell! What other steps should betaken?

* In what ways would you be willing to help?Please take a minute to respond. We know there is a wealth of information and lots ofexperience and ideas among NYFOA members. Please share your insights and ideasby writing today to: NYFOA, clo Ronald W. Pedersen, 22 Vandenburg Lane,Latham, NY 12110-1189.

Ron Pedersen is a Master Forest Owner and a charter member of NYFOA. He and hisWife own a tree farm in Broome County.

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

interest in the law enforcement communityin putting more effort into this area.

NYFOA does not want to reinvent thewheel; but it does want to build upon pastefforts and provide further impetus tospreading the word among landowner andforest industry people. Be informed! Getadvice! BEFORE you sell! We are hopingthat the Stewardship Program will help pro-vide the resources for this effort.

We have two broad objectives in mind:getting the message to as many landown-ers as possible, probably over several yearsand on a continuing basis. Only a smallfraction of woodlot owners receive the NYFOREST OWNER, or other forestry pub-lications; so it's felt that a widespread cre-ative outreach effort with the help of allinterested parties is called for.

Secondly, working with law enforce-ment agencies to determine how NYFOAand other non- law enforcement interestscan best help. Some have mentioned theneed for training or that penalties may notbe an adequate deterrent. It's very difficultto get convictions for timber theft and somehave suggested that it would be easier toenforce some kind oflicensing or notifica-tion law. The Catskill Forest Association'sworkshop pointed to the need for greaterefforts in this area.

As part of NYFOA's planning, we in-vite - no! we urge! - readers to respond tothe questions noted below and to add com-ments about personal.experiences and whatothers are doing, have done, or can do tohelp promote fair and honest timber salepractices and to reduce timber trespassthefts. Your responses, as soon as possible,will be most helpful as we move ahead onthis effort.

-- VOSS Signsl>cpt. NYF. Box 553. Manlius. N.Y. 13104

Ph.. (315) 882-&418(Mon.·F"r1. 9-5t

JAN/FEB 1995 • 7

Master Forester Owners Are Special PeopleA CASE STUDY

By Michael C. Greason"Pick up the pace. Those guys have

sticks and knives." That utterance wasmade to me by Master Forest Owner(MFO), Jack McShane as we were walk-ing across Manhattan.

We were carrying boxes of pamphletsto a Forest Stewardship Seminar that wasbeing conducted as a part of a series to en-courage forest owners from the northeastwho reside in the city to manage their re-sources. Jack had volunteered to be our fea-tured speaker for this series of five semi-nars for absentee forest owners, one in eachborough of the city.

We were just a few blocks south and eastof the precinct that Jack had served as apoliceman during his career. This was aspecial effort he had agreed to even thoughreturning to the city was not high on hislist of wants; he'd much rather be out onhis Tree Farm watching deer and turkeysthan those turkeys carrying the sticks andkni ves. After all he'd spent a couple of de-cades watching that kind. In addition, hefollowed through on this volunteer com-mitment in spite of the fact that his wife,Nancy, had two weeks off to be on vaca-tion from her job as a flight attendant.

Just a few nights before, Jack had en-joyed my awkwardness while I drove downFlatbush Avenue heading for one of theseminars in Brooklyn. My eyes had wid-ened once when a bicyclist with blank,glazed eyes the size of saucers cut in frontof us from a side street defying us to usehim as a hood ornament. From that pointon Iwas an extreme example of defensivedriving. Jack chuckled for several miles toand from that meeting.

~~ CLEAR CREEK~~ CONSULTING

Prof.salon., For•• try SeIYic:n

TImber Appral8als • TImber MarttJng •

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PATRICK J. McGLEW(807) !9f-38Ae

P.O. Boll 104Nichols. NY 13812

8 NY FOREST OWNER

During the seminars, Jack gave a slidepresentation about his management activi-ties on his and Nancy's 240 acre propertyin the Catskills. Slides showed trails, seeps,seedlings and shelters that had been in-stalled under SIP, ponds that had been built,wildflowers in bloom and apple trees re-leased and pruned. All showed a landownerwith a sincere appreciation for wildlifehabitat and nature. To say that Jack effec-tively conveyed his love of the land andhis stewardship ethic to the limited num-ber of attendees that showed up would bean understatement. Feedback from thosesessions give the bureaucrats the idea wecould have stayed home and let Jack be aone man show. These landowners were re-ally motivated by one of their peers. Mostindicate they are going to follow throughand meet with a forester. Jack offered tomeet with those in surrounding counties tohis Tree Farm and made referrals to otherMFOs in more distant counties. He com-mitted to meet several of the attendees inspite of the fact he has just undertakenbuilding a new home; now, that is dedica-tion!

And that's what the Bureau of ForestResource Management of the Departmentof Environmental Conservation is lookingfor from the MFO program. MFOs havecredibility with landowners. They effec-tively serve as a bridge between landown-ers and foresters. As volunteers, MFOsmeet one on one with neighbors or partici-pate in various events promoting forestmanagement. Their interest and enthusiasmare contagious. Once a new client has hadcontact with a MFO and contacts a forester,the client has thought about, among otherthings, management goals and locatingboundary lines. Consequently the forester'smeeting is more efficient and productive.The client is less frustrated because therehas been the opportunity to make progresswhile awaiting the appointment with a for-ester who may be backlogged on appoint-ments.

But what is a MFO? Simply put theyare people who have attended a trainingcourse put on through a Stewardship Grantby Cornell Cooperative Extension, whothen agree to go out and perform volunteerservices promoting forestry. They arepeople from all walks of life and from allover the state; but they share a common

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

bond to the land. They have outgoing per-sonalities and are generous with their time.Most have far exceeded their commitmentto Director Gary Goff, for the training pro-gram. I would be remiss at this point if Idid not mention that John Marchant, Ex-ecutive Director of the New York ForestOwners Association (NYFOA), has beenthe individual I would credit for being thefather of our MFO program. John has rec-ognized, better than most of us, the valueof asking volunteers to be involved.

MFOs tend to be involved people. Backto our case study, Jack McShane is Presi-dent of the Board of the Catskill Forest As-sociation which is an affiliate of NYFOA.He is a Tree Farmer and member of theSociety of American Foresters. Jack serveson New York's Forest Stewardship Com-mittee and officially represented NewYork, along with MFOs Polly and ErwinFullerton and John Krebs, at the first Na-tional Forest Stewardship Conference heldin Nebraska. He talked to the NortheasternCooperative Forest Management Supervi-sors and Extension Foresters at West Pointthis past spring as a part of a panel includ-ing a consulting forester and a saw millowner speaking on forestry in the LowerHudson Valley. It seems this volunteer isworking full time promoting the wise useof our resource.

Similar stories could be written abouteach MFOs experiences. This part of theForest Stewardship initiative is consideredhighly successful due to the spirit and gen-erosity of some very caring people.

Mike Greason is an Associate Forester forNYS DEC Division of Lands and Forest inthe Central Office in Albany and 1993 win-ner of NYFOA 's Heiberg Award.

Crop Tree ManagementBy Lfee SignorSome trees should be harvestedTo give others room to grow;A fact that some folksDon't really seem to know.Trees need lots of sunlightAnd room for spreading roots.People also like the limelight;

But hate tight fitting boots.

JAN/FEB 1995

Frustrations of AMaster Forest Owner

By Jack McShaneOnce in a while I question the purpose

of my activities within the New York For-est Owners Association (NYFOA), the af-filiate Catskill Forest Association (CFA)and Master Forest Owners (MFO) program.All these are great stewardship orientedorganizations aimed at ensuring the futureof our tremendous, renewable forest re-source.

An incident occurred recently that leftme with lingering doubts; yet deep down Iknow that my resolve will write this offas,"well you can't win 'em all".

A logger with a questionable reputationentered a valley in my area and approachedlandowners with offers for their trees. Hewas successful with three of them and theharvesting was initiated. During the opera-tion, Fred, an acquaintance of mine, toldme he had been offered $5,000 for his treesby this logger and was considering the of-fer with favor. Fred, whom I had recruitedfor membership in NYFOAlCFA and whohad attended woodswalks and workshopsput on by CFA, asked me for an opinion. Itold Fred that he should wait and to hire aforester who could mark his trees for aproper harvest, develop a prospectus andsolicit bids.

Fred procrastinated and was again ap-proached by the logger and the offer wasincreased to $10,500. Again I urged himto hire a forester and finally he did. Fred

NY FOREST OWNER

was delighted to receive a high bid of$26,500. This "success" story was highlytouted by CFA and was a feature article ofone of our newsletters. This was a primeexample of "good forestry": good for thelandowner, good for the industry, and goodfor the resource ... or so it would seem. Ifelt good that my advice caused such a fineresult.

Later that year I was on a fishing trip inCanada with some friends, one of whomwas the forester who had marked Fred'stimber. One evening after a few cold beers,the forester confided in me thai all was notas glorious as it appeared on the surface.After the initial marking, he had told Fredit would be possible to have another har-vest in eight to ten years and that careshould be exercised in laying out properskid trails that would hold the soil in placeon this steep topography and serve as per-manent access. He was concerned that al-lowing the logger to remove the timber inthe most economical manner, straight downthe slope would cause serious erosion. Fred,at this point, informed the forester he wasnot interested in a future harvest nor anyrestrictions which would reduce the finalprice of this present sale. At 78 years ofage, Fred wanted it all now. His son wasn'tinterested in the property so the order stood,"Put no restrictions on the logger that wouldimpinge on the price paid and mark everysalable tree".

So what was the result of all my andCFA's efforts in this affair? In reality allwe did was take the money from the log-ger and put it into Fred's and the forester'spockets. Is the moral of the story: not allpeople will be willing to embrace our callfor a stewardship ethic? Human behaviorcan be greatly affected by need and greedand not necessarily in that order. Destruc-tion and stewardship go on. The final out-come remains to be seen; and we probablywill not see it.

I remain the optimist and surround my-self with friends who believe in a steward-ship ethic - so might you and, if so, we cansucceed! I am fortunate to find most of mycontacts through the Master Forest Ownerprogram and the association with other fineMaster Forest Owners has been a reward-. .ing expenence.

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

By Bill Ridge

What is the Catskill Park?("Blue line area")?

The Catskill Park is a geographic re-gion encompassing over 700,000 acresof the most mountainous tracts of bothpublic (41 %) and private land (59%) inDelaware, Greene, Sullivan and UlsterCounties. Created in 1885, it was oneof the earliest attempts at land preser-vation in the United States.

What is the Catskill Forest Preserve?The Catskill Forest Preserve is the

State-owned land within the CatskillPark. The 1885 legislation directed thatthe Forest Preserve "be forever kept aswild forest lands." In 1894, an amend-ment to the New York State Constitu-tion gave further direction that the For-est Preserve land, "shall not be leased,sold or exchanged, or be taken by anycorporation, public or private, nor shallthe timber thereon be sold, removed ordestroyed. This mandate, now ArticleXIV of the Constitution, assures lastingprotection for one of the State's mostvaluable resources.

Since 1885, the Catskill Forest Pre-serve has grown from 34,000 acres toover 288,000 acres. To best manage thisresource, Catskill Forest Preserve landshave been classified according to theircharacteristics and capacity to withstanduse to include four (4) wilderness areas,18 wild forests, seven (7) campgrounds,a day use area, and a ski center. Togetherthey serve as watershed, wildland rec-reation area, and ecological and scenicreserve.

Bill Ridge is a NYS DEC Sr. Foresterworkingfrom the New Paltz office of Re-gion 3 with special responsibilities tothe Catskill Forest Preserve. His wife,Patricia, is a NYS Ranger assigned tothe same area.

JAN/FEB 1995 • 9

CHAPTER! AFFILIA TESNorthern Adirondack

On October 8th, we were treated to aforest soils tour by Master Forest OwnerGerald Smith in Essex County. Gerald is aSoil Scientist with the USDA Soil Conser-vation Service in Westport. We begun thetour in his office as he described how soilssurveys were made and basic soil charac-teristics. He also explained how the cur-rent soils were formed from the last ice ageand how much of the Champlain Valleywas at one time under water. Gerald thenled us to the field where we examined vari-ous soil profiles and discussed how thesesoils related to how the timber on these sitesshould be managed.

Allegheny FoothillsOur annual walnuts, cones and acorn

collecting fundraiser was the best ever; atthis point we have put $1641.00 in our trea-sury. Many members put in hours of timeand deserve a big pat on the back. Nextyear we will be able to fund lots of worthyactivities.

On November 12 our chapter met at thePierce Whitney forest to see what our chap-ter funded intern, Vincent Marzolf haddone this summer. We were all pleased tosee how much trail had been cleared, andthe native species marked on the trails withnice, legible signs. Vincent and member,Steve Eaton, also surveyed and recordedflora and fauna observed this summer. Wejust may have a New York record biggestHop Hornbeam on the Pierce Whitney!

After the walk many of us met in theMachias Library meeting room for a spir-ited committee meeting to plot next year'sevents. We hope to fund next year's internat an even higher leveL.perhaps $1000.00.

Capital DistrictThe chapter is sponsoring a slide talk

on the rain forests of the Amazon on Sat-urday, January 21,1995 at 7:30 PM. Thepresentation will be held at theVoorheesville Cooperative Extension onMartin Road off of route 85A.

Mike Greason, Supervising Foresterwith DEC will be the speaker. He went tothe Amazon in the spring of 1994, becausehe wanted to "see the forests before theydisappear". Greason's professionallytrained appraisal of the situation thereshould be of interest to woodlot owners andenvironmentalists.

Western Finger LakesWFL has a meeting January 17th at

10 NY FOREST OWNER

7:30 PM, at the Cornell Cooperative Ex-tension on Highland Avenue. BruceRobinson, a private consulting foresterfrom Jamestown, will speak on tree dis-eases. Identifying diseases and saving dis-eased trees will be discussed.

Now that the year is ending, I would liketo thank all of the speakers, woodswalkhosts, woodswalk guides, and the manyvolunteers who have helped our chapterthroughout 1994. We hope to provide moreinformation that will meet our members'needs in the coming year.

TiogaWe held a meeting on Dec. 1 in Spen-

cer, NY. The featured speaker was DaveForness of the NYS DEC, Cortland office.He enlightened over thirty interested lis-teners with information on New York'sforest tax law. He explained the pros and

cons of becoming involved with 480-A.Some of the audience shared their experi-ences with application of the tax law to theirproperties. Dave emphasized that the for-est tax abatement opportunity wasn't foreveryone, but for woodland owners withover 50 acres of forest it deserves investi-gation. Homemade cookies and coffeerounded out an enjoyable evening.

THRIFTThere was a meeting held Dec. 2, at

Pulaski, between members of Cornell Co-operative Extension and THRIFT councilto discuss mutual programs between the or-ganizations; to set up an educational pro-gram concerning a 261 acre parcel of for-est land, donated to Extension, for educat-ing various public groups about forest man-agement.

Jim and Marjorie Dunbar were selectedas the 1994 Outstanding Forest Landown-ers for Region 3. The Forest Practice Boardfor Region 3 chose the Dunbars because oftheir long commitment to forest steward-ship on their 80 acre Marbletown (UlsterCounty) property. Management activitiesdate back to 1949. The Dunbars, who werefeatured in the Mar/Apr 1987 issue of TheForest Owner, have accomplished much ontheir land, including timber harvests, TSI,wildlife plantings, and a cut-your-ownChristmas tree business. An award cer-emony will be scheduled in the spring.

On October 25, CFA and the DEC Re-gion 4 hosted "Timber Theft: Law and Or-der." This workshop targeted the law en-forcement and legal communities of theCatskill and Capital region. The event wasan effort to raise the awareness of the in-creasing timber theft problem and to beginto develop procedures for dealing with theissue. Forty-eight participants, represent-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 -INFO

Suter Woodswalk:Forester JackKarnig, (I) TomStudwell, Kenny& Sherry Chase(with backsfacing).Photo by LarryStudwell.

ing the New York State Police, countySheriff's departments, district attorney'soffices, private attorneys, and DEC, learnedof investigation and prosecution of timbertheft cases. CFA Executive Director DinnieSloman spoke on timber trespass laws. Thetopic of civil prosecution was presented byKaren Mankes of the NYS AttorneyGeneral's office. Gary Kropkowski, Assis-tant District Attorney for Dutchess County,shared his experiences with criminal pros-ecution. Consulting forester Bernie Braundescribed some of the aspects of investi-gating a timber theft case. During the wrap-up, all agreed there is much more work tobe done and cooperation is essential in tack-ling the problem.

Betty Suter hosted a Marking and Log-ging woodswalk on her property in WestSaugerties on Sunday, November 13. Sheis having a timber sale on about 30 acresof her property.

JAN/FEB 1995

NYFOA In The 21stBy John Marchant, Executive Director

There is a lot of talk these days aboutthe Information Super Highway; andmany of us are using it in various waysto increase the effectiveness of our com-munication. One of the simplest, yetmost useful capabilities, is being ableto generate and receive Electronic or E-Mail. E-Mail is effective because iteliminates all those missed phone callswhere two people go back and forth try-ing to catch each other at home. If youwant to send information to someone,just send it. They read it at their conve-nience and answer it, literally, by typ-ing the answer and pressing another but-ton. No addresses to look up, no enve-lopes to address and then deliver. It'sideal for people in an organization tokeep in close touch.

I used this for communication exten-sively in putting together the programfor the First National Conference onForest Stewardship. I was in constantcommunication with the US Forest Ser-vice, Cooperative Extension specialistsand other landowners across the nation.The direct costs were less than the costsof mail and phone calls; and, if you con-sider the time delays of a returned phonecall or letter, it was - faster as well.

More recently, Don Wagner and Ihave been in touch via the internet (theSuper Information Highway) on a num-ber of occasions. We thought it wouldbe interesting to ask how many of youalready have internet addresses or howmany would be interested in participat-ing in the transmittal of forestry andNYFOA information this way?

We would like to list the E-Mail ad-dresses of any of our members in an is-sue of the NY FOREST OWNER. If youhave an address you wish to share,please send it to our editor, Dick Fox. Ifyou are interested in getting started andhave a computer and modem, you arealmost there, even a computer gets youwell on your way. For more informa-tion call Debbie (1-800-836-3566) andshe will refer you to one of us who ispresently using the system.

E-MAIL ADDRESSESJohn Marchant-JCM1REES@AOL.COMDon Wagner-WAGNERDJ@AOL.COM

NY FOREST OWNER

A Dollar and a Sweet DreamBy Elizabeth Densmore

Would you spend a dollar for a chanceon a beautiful work of art that is worth$1500.00? Would you spend a dollar for achance on a practical, stunning accessoryto your home? Would you spend a dollarthat included a financial boost to your chap-ter and a boost to NYFOA? One dollar cando all of the above.

Betty Wagner, member of NYFOA'sBoard of Directors, donated a quilt to theCentral New York Chapter two years ago.They sold chances on this quilt and madenearly $1000.00 for their chapter and theysay it was easy. Betty has now donated aquilt to NYFOA and every chapter can selltickets, with $ .25 of each ticket sold goinginto the chapter's treasury and the balancegoing to NYFOA. Betty Wagner doesn'tjust make quilts; Betty makes prize win-ning works of art, destined to become heir-looms.

Betty says, "I'm from a family of stitch-ers-garments-not quiltmakers! My in-terest in quilts came as a result of the NYSFair and their quilt exhibit. I found a classbeing offered at the Munson Williams Proc-tor Art Institute in 1980, since then I'vebeen hooked and take as many classes as Ican. For the last 12 years, each summer, Ispend a week at Morrisville College attend-ing a conference known as "Quilting by theLake". For the last two years I've beenteaching classes at our local shop. It alwaysamazes me that even though I'm the in-structor, I'm learning from my students!

I usually enter one or two quilts in localexhibits and usually receive a ribbon ortwo. The Ohio Star which hung in theBarrett Art Gallery Exhibit is my mostdecorated quilt, having won four ribbons:1st, Workmanship, Judge's Choice andViewers Choice. I have other quilts whichhave also won multiple ribbons.

I am making a design based on a tradi-tional quilt design known as Sunshine andShadow, I have named the NYFOA quilt"Adirondack Beauty". I see in it all thewonderful color Mother Nature presents tous, in particular, when we're at our campon Piseco Lake.

We need to enlist everyone in everychapter in selling these raffle tickets. I'veplaced the order for 13,000 tickets. (Hus-band Don always tells me to think BIG, setyour goals high!) If each chapter sells 1,000tickets (as the CNY chapter easily did with

their quilt), not only will the NYFOA trea-sury increase substantially, but each chap-ter will be $250.00 richer.

The quilt top will be shown at the Janu-ary board of director's meeting. Tickets willbe bundled and distributed to each chap-ter/affiliate at this time. The completed quiltwill be on display at the Springmeeting .... also tickets will be sold then.After the Spring Meeting, it can travel toany chapter having an event to display itat, and tickets can be sold. If the quilt isdisplayed at any large event someone muststay with it and take it home each night; asquilts often come up missing. I've heardof too many quilts stolen from galleryspace, quilt shops, or even never deliveredenroute from place to another. The raffledrawing will be held at the Fall Meeting."

Well, NYFOANS, it seems that BettyWagner has given us all a golden opportu-nity to possibly win a real treasure and tomake money for our organization. Her giftis more than a valuable item, it is hundredsof hours of painstaking craftsmanship andartistry. Those of you who saw the quiltgiven to the CNY chapter will certainlywant to buy chances on this one. Even ifYOU don't care about quilts; itis absolutelycertain that you know several people whowould be ecstatic to have this quilt. Almostevery chapter needs funds for their activi-ties or is searching for an easy fundraiser;this can give you both in one easy step.Let's all think BIG and sell a thousand tick-ets a chapter. Let's help fill chapter trea-suries, NYFOA's treasury, and take achance on owning a valuable work of artthat will warm our sweet dreams.

Elizabeth Densmore is a Director ofNYFOA and Chairperson of the Editorial

Committee.

JAN/FEB 1995 • 11NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 -INFO

1994 - The Year of the DefoliatorBy Douglas Allen

This past year New York's hardwoodforests experienced extensive defoliationby a number of native defoliators. Forestlandowners throughout the state under-standably are concerned about the effectthat damage by these insects will have ontheir woodlots. Though some of the com-ments that follow may be repetitious of in-formation discussed in previous articles, Ithought it might be worthwhile to summa-rize the current situation and attempt toanswer the most commonly asked ques-tions.

THE DEFOLIATORS INVOLVEDBy far the most prevalent hardwood

problem in New York during 1994 wasforest tent caterpillar. Our current situationrepresents the most extensive (geographicdistribution) and intensive (level of defo-liation) outbreak of this early season defo-liator that the state has witnessed since theearly 1950s.

In many areas of Central and SouthernTier regions, elm spanworm, fall canker-worm and cherry scallop shell moth (spe-cies of inchworms or loopers) also causedconspicuous defoliation to a variety ofbroadleaved trees.

THE CONCERNCertainly crown dieback and tree mor-

tality are the most visible immediate effectsassociated with forest tent caterpillar defo-liation. The historical record in both Canadaand the United States indicates that "typi-cal" outbreaks last for 2-4 years beforenatural mortality returns numbers to sparselevels. This scenario usually causes crowndieback (the tree's response to stress), a de-gree of mortality in all host size classes,

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reduced growth of surviving trees, andlower quantity (volume/tree) and quality(% sugar) of maple sap.

With this experience as a background,it was surprising when in the early 1980sextensive sugar maple mortality occurredin Delaware county after only a single yearof heavy defoliation (75-100%). We specu-lated that this rapid mortality resulted fromthe interaction of two stresses that occurredsimultaneously; defoliation and drought.Observations following previous episodesof tent caterpillar indicate that defoliationimmediately before, during or followingother stresses (e.g., a second insect defo-liation later in the same season, drought,thinning) can be lethal to most northernhardwoods. Even knowing this, however,the extent of mortality that occurred in thisDelaware Co. outbreak was surprising.

Another unusual event occurred during1994 in parts of northeastern Pennsylva-nia where tent caterpillar defoliation appar-ently was followed by a severe outbreak ofanthracnose, a fungal disease of sugarmaple foliage. This one-two punch assuredthat affected maples were unable to retainuneaten foliage; or heavily defoliated treescould not produce a new compliment ofleaves for the remainder of this growingseason. It remains to be seen what the endresult will be; but because of these com-bined stresses extensive mortality is antici-pated on some sites after a single year ofheavy defoliation.

WHAT TO DO?Forest landowners can take steps to

minimize or even prevent significant dam-age by forest tent caterpillar:

1. Be able to recognize its life stages (seeSept./Oct. 1992 issue of Forest Owner, callESF Extension [315-470-6751] for a copyof Pest Leaflet No.9). Early warning al-lows adequate time to assess and plan.

2. Look for early signs of a building popu-lation (e.g., light feeding, ragged leaves inthe crown margin) in your woodlot and (or)adjacent areas. Ordinarily, light to spottydefoliation is evident to the careful observera year or two before significant defoliationoccurs. Also, observing an unusual abun-dance of caterpillars resting on tree bolesduring daylight hours or on foliage mayindicate a general increase in population

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

density.

3. Determine whether or not your woodlothas experienced another major stress orstresses during the past year or two. Forexample, drought, forest managementevents such as a major thinning, or signifi-cant defoliation by another agent. If youbelieve your woodlot was stressed recently,this may increase your need (depending onmanagement or ownership objectives) totake action. The purpose being to preventcompounding effects of stresses. That is, itmay be dangerous to allow heavy defolia-tion to follow on the heels of or occur alongwith another major disturbance.

4. If forest tent caterpillar is present in largenumbers (i.e., you did not detect the popu-lation buildup until moderate to severe de-foliation occurred) look for signs of natu-ral mortality; abundance of "wilted" (dis-eased) caterpillars, small irregular eggmasses. Symptoms such as these may in-dicate that severe defoliation is not likelyto occur next year.

5. With the help of a consulting or DECforester, estimate egg mass density. This isbest done in late fall or winter when massesare most visible on branch tips. This infor-mation is more difficult to obtain, but it canprovide the most accurate informationabout the likely course of future events.

MAKING A PESTMANAGEMENT DECISION

Results of a general assessment such asthat outlined above must be weighedagainst individual ownership objectives. Interms of how quick one should react, con-cern over sugarbush values require the most

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JAN/FEB 1995

immediate response. One must protect fo-liage in the summer to get adequate qual-ity and quantities of sap the followingspring.

Next, certain wildlife values may requirerelatively quick attention. For example, ifthe landowner is concerned about nestingsuccess of song birds that typically occurin northern hardwood stands it may be de-sirable to protect foliage.

Generally, a sawtimber objective willnot be affected until at least two years ofheavy defoliation so if this is your principlegoal control may be delayed. However, itmust be remembered that there have beenexceptions to this rule of thumb. If you havereason to believe that the woodlot is of poorvigor due to a previous or concurrent stressor it is characterized by generally poor siteconditions for northern hardwoods, treat-ment may be desirable to reduce the dan-ger of growth loss, crown deterioration and(or) mortality.

AVAILABLE TOOLSSeveral "hard" chemicals are available

for direct control of forest tent caterpillar.The choice of which material to use should

be made after consulting with DEC person-nel and a professional pesticide applicator.

The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis(commonly referred to as "Bt") is anotheroption that can be very effective and is morecompatible environmentally. Formulation,timing of application relative to pest andhost plant development, and weather con-ditions at the time of application are morecritical when applying Bt than when usingone of the chemicals. However, forest tentcaterpillar is very susceptible to this bio-logical and when the material is appliedproperly it does an excellent job of protect-ing foliage. Again, one should discuss thecharacteristics of this material, includingcost, relative to hard chemicals before mak-ing a decision.

[I thank Phil Sanders, Paul Trotta andPeter Ennis, Department of Environmen-tal Conservation, Stamford, NY for review-ing this article.]

This is the 18th in the series of articles pro-vided by Dr. Allen. Professor of ForestEntomology at SUNYIESF. Reprints of theseries may be obtained by request.

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ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT:The Human Element Is More Than Population!By Jim Coufal

This morning the leaves seemed to leapup to get in my face; red, yellow, orange,purple, brown, and fading green, splashedwith the brilliance of a painting by Gaugin,crying out like a shooting star, "Look, lookat me now, for soon I will be gone!" Amonth ago, the Tundra of Denali NationalPark, in Alaska, was a softer palette: theyellows of dwarf birch and willow, the redof blueberry, and the dark green of spruce,the latter 2-10 feet tall, twisted and wind-blown, and likely 100 or more years old.In the morning mist, viewing the tundra waslike seeing through the soft veil of impres-sionism as painted by Monet. The world isa wondrous place, a tapestry of ever chang-ing scenes.

Aldo Leopold talked of forestry as anart, whereby foresters and landowners cre-ate landscape tapestries. In the tapestry ofnature that I see and sense in other ways,there is a time and place of the gentlenessof Claire de lune, and another of the wildpower and passion of The Rites Of Spring.One view of nature, even just here in my

'This is not a critique of Charlie Mowatt'sessay, "Ecological Management Must In-clude The Human Element, ...or, how canthis be called ecological management,"(Sept/Oct 1994) but rather it is a reflectionon his thought-provoking ideas. Frankly, Iagree with most of what Charlie said, (andI'm glad that you have only "retired" fromDEC, Charlie, and not from the world ofthought and action !).

Chittenango Creek gorge, brings the real-ism of a Rembrandt, while around the cor-ner is the gaudiness of Gaugin, over myshoulder the light plays in a pattern as if byMonet, and across the creek the view is likethe wacky insight of Dali. I can't imaginehumanity reaching the time of The Peace-able Kingdom in such a state that there willbe no lion to lie down with the lamb, butonly humans, cows, dogs and cats. Howimpoverished a kingdom that would be! IfI am to multiply and subdue, I am also toldthat the Lord creator looked and saw thatthe creation was good, and I believe that itwas and it is. As Charlie Mowatt so point-edly asked, how long can this wondrousnature remain if we don't address "demand-side ecology" and human populationgrowth?

But humans are part of this wondrousnature; and I am just as fascinated by theact of creation that brought about the jet Iflew in to Alaska and home again as I amby the creations of nature, of which we areone. I am staggered by the magnificent rep-ertory of music in the world based on justnine notes, and by the variety of instru-ments created around the world used to playthat music. I am awed by the fact that hu-man minds fashioned tapes and discs fromwhich flow the music of the world. And sostarts the problems, dilemmas and para-doxes.

As awed as I am by nature, soalso am.Iawed by the adaptability of humans, andby the creations of their minds. Some ar-gue that our greatest natural resource is thehuman mind, and that to limit human popu-

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BalanceJ.E. Coufal ©

The beautiful blue herondid spear the lovely little fish,and dropped it on the shore.Then, without a heavy thoughtit speared that lovely little fishonce, twice, thrice more.

The beautiful blue heronthen took the lovely little fishand dipped it in the water.This it did to make it slickto slide easily downthe sinuous neck of slaughter.

Quite at ease with itself,the beautiful blue heron returnedto once more stalk the shore;an uncondemned serial killerfor now and evermore.

lation is to limit the chance of solving en-vironmental and economic problems andattaining the elusive "acceptable level ofquality" of life so often talked about. Asmuch as I believe this, so also do I believethat we - individually and.through.ourmarket system - often mistakenly assumean endless supply of the foundations oflife;of air, water, soil, genes, species, and eco-systems, and that we must be concernedwith human populations. But when I hearsome environmentalists say the humanpopUlation of the earth must be cut by 90%,my first response is, "Yeah, and I knowwhat 10% these folks intend to be in!" Howdo we honestly and equitably deal withpopulation problems?

As much as I know that we must be con-cerned with human population growth, andas much as I am pleasured by nature, mygreatest joy is in seeing the reflection ofeternity in the eyes of my grandchildren.Should I deny anyone such joy? And forwhom, after all, do we sustain the earth be-yond ourselves? The quandry is, for ex-ample, how do we manage a Yellowstoneor a Yosemite for people's pleasure with-out loving these crown jewels of our conti-nent to death? Will the only way these

JAN/FEB 1995

grandchildren of mine and yours be ableto see wild nature be either by being partof a ruling elite or through computers and"virtual reality?"

As awed as I am by human adaptabilityand ingenuity, so too am I afraid of it, andour destructive capacity is so widespreadand known that examples are unnecessary.It is frightening when 1,600 scientists, in-cluding 102 Nobel laureates, issue a "Warn-ing to Humanity," saying that "no morethan one or a few decades remain beforethe chance to avert the threats we are nowconfronting will be lost..." What an awe-some responsibility we have to own thecapacity to create both powerful good andoverwhelming destruction! And we don'teven get the chance to say, "But I don'twant to play this game!"

The human element of ecological man-agement is more than a simple populationproblem of numbers. It involves distribu-tion and equity. It involves technology, af-fluence, political ideologies of all sorts thatfocus on limitless economic growth, anddoctrinaire belief systems that, each one ofthem, know that they hold "the truth." TheU.S. has less than 5% of the world's popu-lation but consumes nearly 30 percent ofthe planet's resources. Ninety percent of

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American households own cars, while only8% of households worldwide do so. TheAmerican lifestyle is now the global model:can we deny other populations the chancefor the quality of life we have? can we leadby creating a new and sustainable alterna-tive, admitting that sustainable develop-ment is not the same as sustainable growthand that what we often really seek is sus-tainable consumption, at our level of con-sumption? There are no easy answers, onlygreat threats to our way of life.

Human population growth is part of theproblem of ecological management, andwhen coupled with affluence, technology,and ideology it creates questions that areso overwhelming that we deny them, areparalyzed by them, or hope that someoneelse will deal with them because they de-mand real changes in our lifestyle, Can wehave a sustainable and thriving economythat doesn't require constant growth andcause environmental destruction? Can weresist the demands of want, not need, cre-ated by advertising, mass media, and peerpressure such that we reduce consumptionwhile providing jobs for all? In our afflu-ence, can we practice real conservation ina culture that promotes indulgence andimmediate gratification? Can we find dif-ferent measures of value to measure thequality of life, getting past more, bigger,and how much is it worth in $$$? Can therichest fifth of the world learn to share withthe poorest? Can we do all this without im-pinging on cherished traditions and values,such as national -soversigaty -and-privateproperty rights? These are questions thatgo much beyond technical detail to funda-mental attitudes and values. Looking at my-self, I can only answer that, despite goodintentions, change comes slowly.

The scientists' "Warning to Humanity"said that "A new ethic is required - a newattitude toward discharging our responsi-bility for caring for ourselves and for theEarth ...This ethic must motivate a greatmovement, convincing reluctant leadersand reluctant governments and reluctantpeoples themselves to effect the neededchanges." My fear is that we will wait untila crisis situation occurs - dissension, fam-ine, pestilence, war - that will force us tochange. My guess is that we will muddlethrough in standard human fashion, chal-lenging tradition and change in the ritualdance of human evolution. My hope is thatwe have more than a decade or a few de-cades to bring the needed changes about.

With apologies for the paraphrase, and

kudos to those who believe nature has in-trinsic value, ecological management cannot help but contain the human elementbecause it is management of ecosystems ofwhich humans are an integral part, forpeople, and it is done by people. In a finalparadox, ecosystem or landscape manage-ment, and human population as part of it,must begin in the attitudes and values ofindividuals. Aldo Leopold said it long ago:"As a land-user thinketh, so is he." Is for-est stewardship a concept and belief sys-tem - a "new" old ethic - deep enough,powerful enough, and appealing enough tobring about needed changes?

Professor Coufal serves Forestry at SUNY/ESF as coordinator of Undergraduate Edu-cation. The Editor regrets that the publi-cation of this article lags both the issuewhich followed the one containing CharlieMowatt's challenging article and the fallcolors which inspired Jim Coufal.

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JAN/FEB 1995 • 15

ASK A FORESTER

Know Your ForesterBy Dinnie Sloman

Many landowners have not had the op-portunity to learn proper forest manage-ment techniques. A forester's skiIIs andexperience wiII help landowners to realizeownership goals and minimize negativeimpacts. Nevertheless, landowners mustdiligently hire and responsibly oversee anyforester working on their land.

In New York anyone can call himselfor herself a forester. No law or regulationhas established forester qualifications, andno group officially oversees the forestryprofession. [NYS DEC Regional ForestPractice Boards may help a complainant.]

To hire a forester, begin by looking attheir credentials and affiliations. Forestryis a science with some art sprinkled on top.Most of the science is learned in the class-room, while the art comes from experience.Two levels of education are recognized na-tionally. Forest technicians have completeda two year associates degree. Typically theyhave concentrated on the technical aspectsof forest management such as forest inven-tory and timber harvest control. Forestershave completed a four year degree; somehave a masters degree or even a Ph. D.

Affiliations can provide some assurance.The Society of American Foresters (SAF)is the oldest forestry association in the

country. Both foresters and technicians canjoin as long as they have completed spe-cific educational requirements at a SAFaccredited college. Members must abide bya code of ethics; although SAF does notactively police its members. Private con-sulting foresters can join the Associationof Consulting Foresters (ACF). ACF rep-resents foresters who work with non-indus-trial private forest owners. In addition tothese two private associations, the NY StateDEC coordinates the Cooperating Consult-ant Forester Program listing those whoagree to follow certain guidelines and toadhere to the SAF code of ethics. In return,DEC includes their name on a free referrallist.

References are vital. Regardless of edu-cation and affiliations, a forester must beable to determine and satisfy the goals ofthe landowner. Many landowners have onlya vague understanding of what they wantfrom their land. Foresters must be able tolisten to clients and elicit such information.Trust is needed and references build trust.Landowners should talk to the referencesand visit some of the properties.

Usually landowners hire foresters toperform a specific task, such as prepara-tion of a management plan, planting trees,or planning and supervising a timber sale.

ASK A FORESTER - COUNTERPOINT

Stump Marking and Locked DoorsBy David Tregaskis

Tree marking like door locks help tokeep harvesters, consulting foresters, and(or) competing bidders, honest. But evenmarking the stump, (ASK A FORESTER,NYFO Nov/Dec '94), does not necessarilyensure the woodlot owner is protected fromdisreputable chain saw and spray can wield-ing harvesters, foresters, or buyers.

A member of NYFOA who reads thismagazine and attends local chapter meet-ings, gains insight into the many ways ofselling standing timber from woodlot tosawmill. With this added knowledge theforest owner may then come to know thelocal reputable timber harvesters who foryears have dealt with neighbors, have cutwoods under sound forest managementprinciples, and were recaIIed for periodicharvests.

But for these harvesters, time is alsomoney. They may not stump mark; but they

16 NY FOREST OWNER

may provide a species count, volume esti-mate, price per thousand, and a contract!Generally more information than just alump sum price or percentage split, as isall too common.

The local harvester wants to come backagain, or to a neighboring woodlot.

Therefore beware, when it is said,"stumps are not marked"; "only 18 inchtrees will be cut" (18 inch, where?); thebusiness card is from 4 counties away; orthe commissioned consulting forestermarks (stump or not) only the best and doesnot recommend culling.

Perhaps the only way to be certain ofsatisfaction (and full value) is to supervisethe sale and (or) harvest yourself.

David Tregaskis is an insurance agent of-fering service to the New York forest in-dustry. Dave owns and manages severalwoodlots and played a prominent role inorganizing the Cayuga Chapter.

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Dinnie SlomanPhoto by Larry Studwell.

As always, best results are obtained whenthe details of the task are written into a con-tract. Any ambiguity can be resolved be-fore the contract is signed. Any legal ques-tions can be referred to a lawyer.

The cost of the task is a factor in theselection of a forester; there are no uniformprice scales. Not only do different forest-ers charge different fees, the particular con-ditions at a property can increase the cost.Foresters perform most of their work on aper-hour or per-acre basis. Unfortunately,for most timber sales in New York forest-ers require a commission based on the valueof the trees harvested. This policy can cre-ate a conflict of interest. The forester might,albeit subconsciously, mark valuable treesprematurely. Even if a forester can sepa-rate the owner's interest from his or herown, a commission creates an appearanceof impropriety .

The landowner should continue controlover the operation. The forester shouldoversee the contractors or the loggers.However, the landowner must inspect theoperation regularly and discuss any prob-lems with the forester. One landowner re-ported that a forester restricted him frominspecting: because the job was "too dan-gerous". Much to the landowner's chagrin,the forester did not follow the landowner'sinstructions; and the job was a mess whencompleted. At the time of discovery theforester and logger were off the property,and the landowner no longer had remedy.

Many foresters are skiIIful and profes-sional; they will serve the landowner well.Nevertheless, the profession is made up ofpeople and in any group of people preda-tors await to take advantage of the unwary.

Dinnie is educated as both a lawyer and aforester. He serves as the Executive Direc-tor of NYFOA' s affiliate The Catskill For-est Association.

This article was excerptedfrom CFA NEWS(Vol. XII, No.3).

JAN/FEB 1995

The Earth At Its BestBy Homer E. Stennett

New York State is, environmentally, ina spectacular period of transition.

Three hundred years ago New YorkState was all in forests. The forest soils werehigh in organic matter and the soils werevery porous. By one hundred yearsago most of the land had been con-verted to agriculture. There wereprobably as many as one millionsmall farms. Even a farm of a fewacres would contribute significantlyto the food and fiber needs of theoccupants.

The farms as they were operatedwould be about one third in woods.It was almost a universal practiceto use the woods for pasture. Cowstramping through the woods com-pacted the soil. The pressure persquare inch by a horse, ox, or cow'shoof was sometimes greater than thepressure exerted per square inch bya tractor tire. So the compaction ofthe soil was great.

Old forest soils would readilysoak up and hold for future releasehuge amounts of water; air couldeasily penetrate into the soils. Com-pacted soils had little room for airand water.

Farm abandonment has beenvery high in New York. Today 62 %of the state or 21 million acres areforested, or are in the process of re-turning to woods through plant suc-cession: first grasses, then weeds,herbs, shrubs, then trees. Environ-mentally this represents an enor-mous change returning millions ofacres of compacted soils back to the looseporous soils common in old woods. It is inthe soils that the biggest change takes place,but the process is slow. The energy ex-pended by nature in this process is tremen-dous; but as nature does it, the changescome quietly and unobtrusively. If a likeamount of energy were expended in aproject done by men, there would be greatnoise and turmoil.

Here is some of what is happening:In a field that had been used for farm-

ing over one hundred years; but has re-cently been abandoned, a tree seed germi-nates and grows. From the beginning thetree has difficulty pushing its roots throughthe compacted soils. A large amount ofgrowth energy is used for that purpose and

NY FOREST OWNER

detracts from the energy available for aboveground growth. Then the roots will growin diameter, as large as a man's thigh - or awoman's. This lifts and displaces a hugeweight of soil. The whole growth periodfor the tree is one of struggle, pushing the

mals. See a chipmunk's hole going straightinto the soil. Chances are it is going to anold root hole that provides a cozy home.

It is likely that these root holes are themost, biologically, active parts of the wholeearth.

Then a new tree grows where an-other had been. Its roots find easieraccess into the soil by following theold root hole which it will extendand expand.

After this tree has occupied thesoil and the air above for its lifespan of 100 years of so, it dies andis followed by another. This tree in-creased the number of root holesand enlarged those that were inplace. In two generations of treesvast change has taken place. Butquietly and unobtrusively.

The change will continue. Afterten generations of trees in some1000 years the forest will havereached a stage than can be calleda climax forest. This is the best that,environmentally, the earth can get.The soil will be a great labyrinth ofroot holes filled with organic mat-ter and harboring great quantitiesand great diversity of life. Therewill, indeed, be a marriage of thebiosphere and the atmosphere.

The soil will have reached one ofits greatest purposes. It will soak uphuge amounts of water during rainyperiods, providing a great reservoirto hold the water for later releasethrough seeps and springs duringlong dry periods, and will add muchwater to the earth's aquifers.

THIS IS THE EARTH AT ITS BEST.During this period of time the forest will

be forever changing. There will be damag-ing storms. There will be insect and dis-ease invasions. There will be benevolentperiods. There will be changes in themakeup of the forest community mostly de-termined by nature but in a minor waythrough management to meet the needs ofindustry.

Through it all the forest will survive andwill lend its strength and endurance to man-kind.

Some shelf mushrooms - Photo by DavidHecei, Jamestown Audubon Society.

roots through the soil and then expandingtheir thickness.

In 80 years or 100 years the tree willhave reached its maximum growth. It willbe mature-ripe. It will be cut or will die.The roots in the soil will deteriorate. In thesoil will be a long, wide root hole that isfilled with punk like organic matter. Theroot hole provides easy access for air andwater to penetrate deeply into the soil. Theorganic matter, damp and rich in nutrientsthat are released as the root deteriorates,provides a near ideal place for life to existand flourish. There will be huge numbersof bacteria, protozoa, mites, worms, bugs,millipedes and insect larva. Even larger ani-

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Homer Stennett, a resident of Jamestown,retired after 39 years employed by the USSoil Conservation Service.

JAN/FEB 1995 • 17

The Gotsh Land, Sullivan County: Settled 1895By Jane Sorensen Lord

Come. It is cooler here; and there is abreeze in the pines.

We walked through the family preserveof hemlocks, too big to hug, on JerryGotsch's Tree Farm located within the BlueLine of the Catskills; and then we entereda stately stand of red pine, pruned, straight,and tall and old enough to practically shadeall the ground. Ferns grew here and there;but mostly there was a thick loose cover-ing of needles.

It's beautiful, isn't it? Jerry and his fa-ther planted them in the sixties. Until thenthey grew food for the family here. They'vetaken care of the treessince they firstplanted them. Not atall the gone-to-weedred pine stands that somany deserted.

We walkedslowly, breathing thescented air, listeningto the soft rustle ofwind in the canopy. Icould never seesomething like thison my Tree Farmwhich had overgrownfor 70 years beforemy husband and Ibought it. We willnever live to see thefullness of our effortsno matter how muchwe plant, prune, orTSI.

Look. Look overhere. Jerry did this tosee what would hap-pen. He clear cut thisacre about 15 years ago. It's still coveredwith brush and plants; because deer con-tinually browsed the regenerating trees. Seethe trees he started in tree protectors acouple of years ago? They are proper sized;because the deer cannot get to them. I don'tknow where they all came from; but alltypes of small animals like chipmunksmoved in right after he cleared. Theycouldn't hide anywhere in the pine grove.

The ground was covered with tall plantsand thigh high bushes. Wintergreen andpartridge berry were gaining footholds. Itwas an interesting contrast to the pines.

18 NY FOREST OWNER

We walked back under the pines whichstarted to become interspersed with younghemlocks.

Did you see that? The deer had troublelast winter because of the deep snow. Jerrydropped hemlocks to feed them. He toldpeople that the deer cleaned the needles likeyou clean corn on the cob. But that onecouldn't make it. Must have been small oryoung.

All of us who Tree Farm in the Catskills,seem to have a love-hate relationship withdeer. You can't plant all the types of florayou want because of deer browse or rub.But there is an awe when, at dusk, a six

The Gotsh land and view.

pointer stands on your lawn silhouetted bythe rose in the sunset. And a thrill whenyou round the corner on a wood's trail and,with a sudden snort, a deer rises up on itsrear legs, thrashing with its forelegs, twists,and, before your eyes, disappears back intothe woods. And it is sad to see the small,white, complete skeleton facing where thehemlocks were felled only a hundred feetaway.

We walk by an area covered withbrambles. More wildlife cover. And justabout opposite are pine stands, youngerthan the previous, which are being thinned

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by removing every third row.Leave two and take one and eventually

they will become majestic like the others.Jerry pays close attention; so as plantingsbecome crowded he releases them. Peoplemust understand how important the thin-ning is. The trees will stop growing, be-come stunted when they are not thinned.Through the 100 years the family hasowned and taken care of this land, they havelearned to manage it like a family raises asecond child. They know what is apt tohappen and take care of it before it does!

Come. You must appreciate one lastthing. As you walk through the steeple

bush, you will fronton a Christmas Treeplantation. Walk to-wards it, but don'tcross the road. Turnright and start to walkback to the farm-house.

The right turnprovides a panoramalike one in Church'sCatskill paintings.The road graduallydrops crossing asmall wooden bridge.Straight ahead is amiles-away view offorested mountaintops shrouded in lightsun mist.

"Wow!", Ithought "Land, youare so beautiful andlucky to have beenloved and cared for sowell."

And it seemed,as I walked downhill, back to my car, thatthe mist across the valley lifted, revealingglittering gemstone greens; and that theearth sprung more beneath my step.

Jerry Gotsch is aforester in Region 3 ofthe New York State Department of Envi-ronmental Conservation. His great-grand-father bought the farm as the family home-stead. Jane Sorensen Lord is a Tree Farmerand Master Forest Owner. She serves asCommunications Liaison to the New YorkTree Farm Committee. This was a Julywoodswalk sponsored by the Catskill For-est Association.

JAN/FEB 1995

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FOUNDED 1963

WOODLOTCALENDARJan 17: WFL; 7:30 PM: Tree Diseases:

Bruce Robinson; County Extension; (716)

637-2849 (eve)

Jan 18: STC; 7:30 PM; Chapter Meet- .

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Jan 19: CNY; 7 PM; Wildlife Rehabili-

tation; Cynthia Page; Manlius Library;

Manlius, (315) 673-3691

Jan 21: CDC; 7:30 PM; Amazon Foret;

M. Greason; Voorheesville Extension

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Park; So. Wales; Bring a can of soup

(716) 655-4995

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JAN/FEB 1995