The New York

FORESTOWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

May/June 1998

The Eastern Coyote

Ponds

Volume 36 Number 3

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERSASSOCIATION

VOL. 36, NO.3

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Jill Cornell, President

703 Johnsonville Rd.

Johnsonville. NY 12094; 5 I 81753-4336

Ronald Pedersen, Vice Preasident

22 Vandenburg Lane.

Latham. NY 12110; 5181785-6061

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary

300 Church Street

Odessa. NY 14869-9703: 607/594-2130

Don Wagner, Treasurer

5330 Graham Road.

Utica. NY 13502: 3151733-7391

Deborah Gill. Administrative SecretaryP.O. Box 180

Fairport. NY 14450: 71 6/377-6060

1998Jill Cornell, Johnsonville; 5 I 8/753-4336

Elizabeth Densmore, Machias; 716/ 942-6600

Robert Sand, Odessa: 607/ 594-2130

Bob Sykes, Elbridge; 3 I 5/673-369 I

1999Harry Dieter. Honeoye Falls. 716/533-2085Thomas Ellison, Manlius. 3 I 5/682-9376

Richard Fox, Moravia; 3 I 5/497- I078David Swanson, Mount Morris. 716/658-4601

2000

Hugh Canham. N. Syracuse: 315/457-4972John Hastings, Queensbury; 518179,8-0248

Ronald Pedersen: Latham; 5 I 81785-606 I

Betty Wagner; Utica; 3 I51733-7391

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES

Dave W. Swaciak, Allegheny Foothills; 716/676-2349

Stephen Davison, Cayuga; 315/496-2392Joan & Hans Kappel, Capital District; 518/861-8753

Allyn Wright, Capital District; 5 I 8/239-6767

Tom Graber, Central New York; 315/255-3662

Elizabeth Nichols, Lower Hudson; 914/ 241-7289

David Daut, Northern Adirondack: 5 I 8/359-3089

Rita Hammond, Niagara Frontier; 7 I 6/652-2857

James Durller, SE Adirondack: 5 I 8/ 747-5958

Larry Lepak, Southern Tier: 607/ 656-8504

Don Schaufler, Tioga; 607/ 589-6095

Jack Hamilton, Western Finger Lakes; 7161728-5769Dale Schaefer. western Finger Lakes: 716/367-2849

All rights reserved. Contents mar not he reproduced with-

out prior written permission from the pub/is/lei: NYFOA

does I10T necessarily support or approve procedures. prod-UCTS, or opinions presented by authors or advertisers.

COVER:The Eastern Coyote sketch is by

Donna Curtin (see page 8) cour-tesy Cornell Cooperative Exten-

sion, Department of NaturalResources.

2 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

Editorial Committee: Betty Densmore, Chair, Alan Knight, Mary McCarty, Jim Minor,Bob Sand, and Eileen Schaefer.

Materials submitted for publication should be addressed to: R.J. Fox, Editor, R.O. 3, Box88, Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and are normallyreturned after use. The deadline for submission for July/Aug is June 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.

GRAY TREE FROG

Photo courtesy of Glenn Johnson

Table Of Contents

President's Message, Jill Cornell 3Building A Pond, Part II, Mary Binder 4Beaver, Love Them Or Leave Them, John S. Braubitz 7NY's Own Barking Dog, Robert F. Gotie 8The Return of the Wolf, Lexi Nichols 10Those Other Tick Diseases, Elizabeth Nichols 11LETTERS, 12Forestry Fast Forward, David Beers 13ASK A FORESTER, Stephen Davison 14My Favorite Tree, Mike Greason 15Wanted-A Few Good Neighbors, Gary R. Goff 16Propagation and Use of Black Walnuts, Michael Bedoian 18To Cut Or Not To Cut, Henry S. Kernan 19Pine False Webworm, Douglas C. Allen 20Bee Well, Jane Sorensen Lord 22

NYFOA . 1-800·836-3566 . INFO MAY/JUNE 1998

President's MessageBy Jill Cornell

When someone asks me to tellthem about NYFOA, I tell themthat we are a volunteer organi-

zation and that I see us as a bridge betweenenvironmentalists on one side and eco-nomic developers on the other.

I believe we are environmentally consci-entious and at the same time we supportthe wood industry. We need to sell our tim-bel' to the industry periodically to help payproperty taxes, etc., and we want our har-vests to be done with best managementpractices so our woods are improved by thecutting and improved for timber produc-tion, wildlife habitat and recreation.

From seedlings to finished furniture andpaper, the branches of the forest family in-teract and are mutually dependent. We allneed each other. Buyers need sellers, andsellers need buyers. Different species ofwildlife need differing types of habitat.

Recreational needs vary over the seasonsand over time. The forests are dynamic andconstantly changing, usually slowly, butoccasionally fast and furious as they didthis winter with the ice storm. Agenciesshift focus, and personnel change. Marketschange. Conditions and demands change.Environmental awareness and focuschange.

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

President Jill Cornell

With so many factors and so many vari-ables within these factors, it is imperativethat all the branches of the forest familycommunicate their perspectives, concernsand needs to each other. We won't agreeon every issue (what family members everdo?), but there is common ground. We needto build on that ground to work togetherfor mutually beneficial legislation and poli-cies, and to foster communication ex-changes of the issues and areas where thereis disagreement, even if we can only agreeto disagree.

The NYFOA bridge creates opportuni-ties for that communication flow. Ourmagazine, woodswalks, programs andworkshops offer chances for meaningfuldialoques. Our partnership events withDepartment of Environmental Conserva-tion, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Natu-ral Resource Conservation Service, FarmService Agency, County Soil and WaterConservation Districts, environmentalgroups, private consulting foresters, indus-try and Tree Farm Program all provide fer-tile ground for information exchanges.

A wonderful example of a partnershipwas the two Woodland Workshops orga-nized by Peter Smallidge of CCE in theBuffalo and Capital Districts. Speakers rep-resented many agencies, industry and en-vironmental groups, and NYFOA.

The Family Forest Fair on October 3rdand 4th at the Washington County Fair-grounds in Greenwich will be another op-portunity for all of the forest family to worktogether to produce the fair, and for all ofus to share in the information exchange.

Let's keep the bridge open!

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

New FORESTOWNER PolicyAfter careful consideration by the

Editorial Committee, followed bythree month's deliberation byNYFOA's Board of Directors, theBoard, January 31, 1998 approveda trial period of one year commenc-ing with the Jan/Feb 1998 issue fora new policy for the NY FORESTOWNER.

The NY FOREST OWNER in-vites woodland owners and othersto submit articles to BettyDensmore, Chairperson, Edito-rial Committee; 8228 S. CanadaHill; Machias, NY 14101, for pub-lication. Writer's Guidelines will bemailed to anyone requesting themand who includes a self-addressed,stamped envelope. The guidelinescontain a modest payment sched-ule for articles, poems and photo-graphs.

We are especially grateful to pro-fessional foresters and members ofthe forestry community, includingacademics, who are encouraged tocontinue to donate articles to the NYFOREST OWNER as part of theirmission to educate forest owners andto promote good forest stewardship.

NYFOATOURof

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

A ten-day visit to forest ownersand woodlots of Oregon andWashington is being planned

for August 16 through 26.Planned with the assistance of

forest owner associations in thosestates, the tour will combine woodswalks in member forests, visits tolocal sawmills processing plants, andample free time for historical andcultural sites, shopping, and on-your-own walks.

For further information, contactAlan Knight at PO Box 325, WhitePlains, NY 10603 or via e-mail atalan50000@aol.com.

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 3

outlet. Again, these calculations shouldonly be done by someone with the knowl-edge to do it correctly.

BUILDING A POND-An Art as Much as a ScienceBy Mary BinderThis is the second part of a three part se-ries on ponds. Part I reviewed finding thebest location to build apond (NYFO 36:2.)Part II will give ideas on pond design andconstruction. Part IIIwill give informationon pond maintenance, safety, and fishstocking.

Part II - Design and ConstructionBuilding a pond can be a large invest-

ment and finding a good site is half thebattle. Now that a site has been choosen,proper design and construction becomecritical factors in saving money and in pro-viding long term enjoyment.

Watershed CalculationsIt is not necessary to find out how much

water will drain into a dug pond becausethey usually rely on groundwater or springsto maintain their water level. A pond witha dam, however, usually relies on surfacewater or runoff to keep it full. Watershed(or drainage) calculations will show youhow many acres you need of surface run-off to drain into your pond to keep it full.

Plant cover, soil type (infiltration), andsurface storage must be taken into consid-eration while doing these calculations.Rainfall intensity, amount and duration willalso give differing amounts of runoff. Onceyou have determined the number of acresand the average depth of your pond, youcan calculate the number of acre-feet. Oneacre-foot equals the number of surfaceacres of the pond times average pond depth.For example, a half acre pond times a fivefoot average depth, will yield 2.5 acre-feet.In the Helderberg Mountains of AlbanyCounty two to two and a half acres of drain-age area is needed for one acre-foot. Thisinformation is taken from a chart found inengineering books. For the above pond tomaintain an adequate water level, it wouldtake 5 to 7.25 acres of watershed. I am giv-ing this as an example, because New Yorkhas many areas with more or less intenserainfall amounts. The same pond locatedin certain parts of central New York wouldneed twice the amount of watershed, as-suming all other land characteristics werethe same. Calculations must be done bysomeone who has access to watershed es-timate charts and the knowledge to usethem.

Once you have determined the amount

4 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

of watershed required, you should walk thepond watershed to make sure all the waterdoes indeed drain toward your pond. Anold diversion or drainage ditch directingwater across the slope and out of your wa-tershed could seriously effect the amountof water that makes it to your pond. Some-thing as simple as an old log road could actas such a diversion.

Maintains water level

Fig. I: Hooded inlet pipe spillway withtrash rack.

Runoff EstimatesRunoff estimates are done to assure the

correct size of the pond outlet or opening.You must be sure there is an opening largeenough to allow water to escape from yourpond. Too large an opening (or outlet) willcost you too much money; too small andthe dam could "blowout".

The procedure to size the outlettakes intoconsideration plant cover, soil type, water-shed size, and rainfall intensity and dura-tion. Many charts, maps and calculationsare used. More information can be obtainedfrom an engineer, the Natural ResourceConservation Service, or from a more de-tailed book on pond building.

The two major mistakes made in pondbuilding are incorrectly calculating thedrainage area and incorrectly sizing the

Pond DesignPond designs should include pond depth,

side slopes, profile of centerline of the dam(including all elevations), core trench di-mensions, and the spillway design and lo-cations. (See Fig. 4). Specific and itemizedquantities of building materials should belisted. Special notes should be placed onthe blueprints for any additional items youmay want installed in your pond. Theseblueprints may become part ofthe contractwith the excavator which may enable youto enforce the contract.

There are some general guidelines to fol-low when designing a pond. Most pondsare round, but a more irregular shape willlook more natural. A pond should be at least6 feet deep for warm water ponds and 8feet or more for trout (cold) ponds. Thesteepness or shallowness of the pond slopesshould be constructed according to yourdesires. For a general recreation pond, a onefoot rise to two foot run (slope) on the in-side banks of the pond, is sufficient. Thisdiscourages pond weeds from becomingestablished. If you are designing a wildlifepond, then you would want more gradualslopes, possibly even fourto one. This willencourage weeds and provide habitat. Theoutside bank of the dam should be nosteeper than three to one side slopes, so youcan safely mow it.

Principle and Emergency SpillwaysAll ponds, whether they are dug or

dammed, should have two different outletsor spillways. The principle spillway main

Fig. 2: Drop Inlet Riser with plug to drain pond.

Anti-seep Collar

Barrelf{TS.

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1998

Level portion of spillway(see inset)

NTS

backfilled with clayeysoil in layers of six toeight inches. Eachlayer is then com-pacted. You shouldwatch the excavator tomake sure the trench isbeing installed. Oncethe dam is built, thereis no way to tell if the

trench was put in correctly or at all.

Inset: Cross Section of Level Portion. Thisslows the water and forces runoff to spreadout in the channel. Rock- or sod-lined.

that you cannot easilydrain the pond for main-tenance.

Most plastic or metalpipes have anti-seepageco llars installed to pre-vent the water fromworking its way alongthe pipe and out theother end of the dam.Fig. 2 shows an exampleof an anti-seep collar.

Most pipe spillwayshave a steel screen ortrash rack, with largeopenings at the inlet tokeep logs and debrisfrom clogging the pipe.These must be inspectedto clear away leaves tokeep it open.

Emergency spillwaysshould be placed at the

end of the dam where it meets the native orundisturbed ground. The location will bedetermined using a survey level because itmust be at the lowest point where waterwill flow out of the pond. Rock should beplaced to create a drainageway and protectthe soil when water is running in it. Thewater should also be directed away fromthe bottom of the dam so it does not erodethe base.

An extra foot of fill is designed into ev-ery dam, "just in case". This is known asfreeboard and will give added protectionto the dam. Freeboard may be higher forlonger dams.

Fig. 3: Plan View of Natural Spillway. Placed at end of dam,on native, undisturbed ground; may have sad or rock lining.

tains the water level of the pond and haswater flowing thought it most of the time.The emergency spillway has water runningthrough it only during large storm eventsor spring melt. The emergency spillwayallows extra flow to escape the pond in-stead of washing the principle spillway out.Many ponds have been dug without anemergency spillway. Their owners are onlytempting fate, since eventually a largestorm will come along and destroy the dam.

There are many different types of prin-ciple spillways. (See Figs. 1,2,& 3). Somehave a simple pipe laid in the bottom ofthe dam, some have a riser pipe attached tothe pipe laid in the bottom, and some haveno pipe at all. I would like to caution aboutthe latter. Allowing the water to run overthe dam may save money because youdon't have to buy pipe, but over time theytend to erode due to lack of maintenance.An outlet running over the dam would haveto be reinforced with rock rip rap and moni-tored after every storm to be sure it is hold-ing up. Engineering calculations should bedone to correctly size the rock to be placedin the spillway. Another disadvantage is

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

Core TrenchSome dams need a core trench or cutoff

trench to assure against excessive seepage.Fig. 4 shows such a trench. Once the pondis excavated and before the dam is built,the core trench is dug. The trench is dugalong the centerline of the dam deepenough to extend beyond any pervious lay-ers. The trench must be dug into each endof the dam abutments and also extend be-yond any pervious layers. The trench is then

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

ConstructionOnce you have chosen a contractor,

checked their references, and insurance,you can begin construction when theweather is good. Unwanted vegetation andtrees should be removed. You should se-lect trees to give the pond a natural edgeand provide wildlife habitat. You shouldremove most deciduous trees directly nearthe water edge where their leaves may falldirectly into the pond. Any organic matterthat falls into the pond will decay and useup valuable oxygen in the process. Any fishin the pond may become stressed or diedue to oxygen depletion.

Large boulders and tree stumps should-be removed. Watch the excavator to be surethe stumps are not buried. Wood will de-cay in a few years and voids in the damwould be created. Valuable topsoil shouldbe scraped from the pond area and stock-piled for use later. Plan ahead and decidewhere you want to place any extra spoils.This is a good opportunity to fill in anyproblem areas on your land. You may alsowant to create mounds for landscaping andto serve as wind breaks near the pond edge.

The contractor should survey and stakethe pond water level. The centerline ofthedam should also be staked and the depthof cut will be written on the stakes. Spill-ways will also be located. Digging of thepond basin will be done next. Ifthe springsare strong or ifthere is a lot of runoff, thepond will have to be dewatered to allowthe dozer to continue working. A ditch canbe dug to keep water flowing or submers-ible pumps can be installed to keep thewater from collecting. Stockpile any claytype soils to be used in the core trench ordam. All unwanted soil, rock, and shale canbe removed until proper depth is achieved.Proper depth will be checked by takingsurvey shots.

The remaining clay type soils can thenbe spread around the pond basin and com-pacted to seal it. It is best to compact theclay soil when it is at the appropriate mois-

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 5

(1) Original ground line(2) Pond water level(3) Freeboard(4) Dam(5) Core trench at least 12" into impervious material.

ture content. If you can ball the soil up inyour hand and not have it crumble, it is thecorrect content. Too moist or too dry a soilwill not compact well enough to fonn aseal. Laboratory tests can also be conductedto check the moisture content.

The core trench can then be built, withattention given to compacting it in six oreight inch layers or lifts. Again, the mois-ture content must be correct. The spillwaycan then be installed.

Spillway ConstructionIf a pipe spillway is used, it should be

placed on a stable foundation. Some pipesare placed on a concrete slab. Good back-fill should be placed around the entire pipebefore placing the fill for the dam. This willlessen the chance for cracks and openingscaused by uneven settling.

Backfili and dam material should be freeof rocks greater than six inches, sod, trees,or roots. Do not use frozen soil or placebackfill on a frozen foundation.

The emergency spillway should then beconstructed on native, undisturbed landwherever the surveyed grade shows thelowest point. Rocks large enough to handleanticipated flows should be laid by hand tostabilize the slope.

The pond inlet also should be stabilizedwith sod or rock if necessary.

Beach ConstructionIf you want to install a beach for recre-

ation purposes, plan a proper place for it.You may want it oriented towards the sun,but yet have a shade tree nearby. It shouldalso be placed near the access road or pathand away from the inlet or outlet. The slopeshould be graded to a four to one slope forsafety. This slope should extend out ten totwenty feet and then drop off at a two toone slope.

The excavator should dig up about sixinches of soil to allow the filling with beach

6 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

---

Fig. 4: Typical Pond Profile.

sand to remain at the same elevation as therest of the pond. A filter fabric, that is po-rous to allow water and oxygen exchange,can be placed over the excavation. This isrelatively inexpensive and will stop themixing of expensive beach sand with theexisting. pond soil.

Masonry sand can be purchased and de-livered to the site. Do not use another, lessexpensive type of soil because it can causethe pond to become turbid. When order-ing, the company will want to know howmany cubic yards you need. Simply multi-ply the length of your proposed beach timesthe width times the depth (usually 112foot)to get the cubic feet. Then divide your an-swer by 27 to convert to cubic yards.

Final Grade and SeedingOnce all the rough grading has been com-

pleted, the contractor can provide the finalgrade. A construction survey check shouldbe conducted to make sure everything is atthe correct grade.

A seed bed should be prepared by discingor harrowing. Contact your local grain storeor the Soil Conservation District for someideas on appropriate seed mixtures. Somesort of legume and perennial grass in themix would be useful. A soil sample shouldbe taken to a local nursery or CooperativeExtension for fertilization recommenda-tions. Once seeded and fertilized, the areashould be mulched with straw or hay tokeep the seed and fertilizer from washinginto the pond. Again, any additional organicmaterial that finds its way into your pondwill be a source for pond weeds and algaeto develop.

Some companies can hydroseed yourpond shore with a machine that pumps aslurry of seed, fertilizer and tackifier. Thetackifier acts as a sticky substance thatholds the whole mixture into place untilgermination. Some are even dyed green tomake it look better. If you are seeding dur-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

-ing the summer months, you must irrigatein order to provide germination. Livestockshould be fenced out of the pond area toprotect the shore from overgrazing and ero-sion. Gravity feed watering troughs can beinstalled to bring water from the pond tothe cattle.

Small trees and shrubs planted aroundyour pond will provide a food source andcover for birds and wildlife, as well as pro-vide a natural look to your pond. Contactthe Soil and Water District, NYS Depart-ment of Environmental Conservation andCooperative Extension for some ideas.

Once all the hard work is done, sit backand enjoy your pond. Spring peepers andturtles will find their way to your pond in amatter of days. Pond vegetation will growand dragonflies and water striders will de-light your senses. It will not be maintenancefree, but if constructed correctly, your workwill be minimal. Enjoy. .•.

Additional References:Ponds - Planning, Design, Construction,

SCS Agricultural Handbook Number 590,June 1982. Out of print.

"Build Your Own Pond", by John Weiss,Country Journal, June 1993.

Book of Pond Information, Compiled byDutchess County Soil and Water Conser-vation District, $ 3.00, P.O. Box 37,Millbrook, New York 12545.

Earth Ponds. the Country Pond Maker'sGuide to Building. Maintenance and Res-toration, by Tim Matson, 1991.

"Beach-building on a Lake or Pond", byTim Matson, Country Journal, July/August,1995.

Mary, who lives in Westerlo, with her hus-band and two boys, is Vice-Chair ofNYFOA's Capital District Chapter. She is

a graduate of SUNY ESF with experiencewith the Forest Service, Bureau of IndianAffairs, and Conservation Districts.

MAY/JUNE 1998

where the beaver are going through an un-impeded growth. There are many examplesof other states and one of these is Utah.Their Division of Wildlife documented sev-eral case studies. One of the best examples

is a study done on Red Butler Can-yon'.

The beaver were all trapped in thelast part of the last century. In 1928,the Utah Division of Wildlife rein-troduced beaver. The populationtook off and then finally exploded.In 1981, it was recommended thatall beaver be eliminated from theCanyon because their feces contami-

!:l nated the water with the parasite:g Giardia lambia. In 1982, Fort Dou-co

03 glas, a community that got water-§ from Red Canyon, applied for a per--, mit and received it from the Divi-

Beaver, Love Them Or Leave Them-Part TwoBy John S. Braubitz

Eutrophication of a Beaver Dam in the Cranberry Lake Area sion of Wildlife to remove the bea-ver from Red Canyon. All the bea-

Country. Some of my favorite sites were imagine some migrating trout made it sue- ver were harvested.up near Paul Smiths College, Cranberry cessfully to their breeding sites on some of Studies were done before and after theLake and Old Forge. On these trips I dis- these dark nights, but the very next day the harvesting. After the first large flood it wascussed my interest about beaver with many dams would reappear. The beaver never determined the canyon lost 0.62 acres of

of the local residents, and to my surprise see~nedto tir~.I. ..~u~SS!h,~I;!)~wh~f~,t9-~saY-?(7'C?t;.~.ils.~.r~,l7hala!!f.0lia) and many othermany of them did not love these WOlncjer"<"'i::'[GiI'i·i··~·i\';':·'I·ji.is·,y.a~sa~bea~eY;'~corri~~·from.F;naiix;.""""g~~~~t~u:ch:5's<'El~ochatisrScifPus, Juncus,ful animals. As a matter of about five years !lg'O the D.E;C.trapped a'll Poa 1nr<1 Equisetum.Becairse ofthis loss of

i"'"<""''''''' .f. ,.-<$; .•.•""':-

them and often took the beaver to allow a free . .' .n plants-and habitat~itbe U.S. Forest Service-,-,.-~',~ !'

destroy their lodge ./ of trout. I'm norso sure .' Lake District, requested the Utah Di-months to elimi"" of Wildlife Resbtlrces to reintroduce~y-- ~ ...•

in the summer of 1991.opinion, tb~eRed Butler Canyon

be6bme as well known in bea-~mlj,rC!.gt:IIJjt:Ul{iC!:' th: Kiabab Study was

manazementrt know some of youaccuracy of the Kiabab

vs. prey relation-Inmy opinion this

This is the second part of a two part article(see NYFO 36:2,6 MariAPR 1998for PartOne)

In 1959, I moved To Central New York.That's when I caught the "beaver fever."The beaver up here were not asscarce as they were in Lycoming,PA; there were enough beaver uphere to spark my earlier infatuationsinto a full blown addiction. Oncepeople knew I was interested in bea-ver, they kept calling me up tellingme where they or someone else spot-ted a beaver, and I would be off tochase the elusive rascals. This wasexciting, but if you really wanted toobserve beaver in the early 60's,theAdirondacks were the place to go. Ispent the next twenty summers look-ing for new beaver dams and walk-ing through abandoned BeaverMeadows. We ran all over the North

eutro

larly true in the '-"'><"''''was hard for me tosee how anybody indespise these wonderful

In the late seventies andthe beaver population for some reasonstarted to explode in Central New York.There was no reason why anybody had tovisit the Adirondacks to observe beaver.You could see them any day you wantedto and some days when you didn't.The bea-ver were here to stay. I live near a tributaryto Owasco Lake called Dutch Hollow. Thepopulation on this stream in 1982 seemedto explode. There were fifteen dams fromthe lake to Cream Hollow road. Migratingtrout were having a difficult time gettingover two or three of the largest dams. Thelocal fishermen started to sound like thoseCranberry Lake fishermen who did not love

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

beaver. The largest beaver dams started todisappear mysteriously in the dark of night.In 1982 this was not legal. The beaver vs.fisherman drama continued with the bea-ver winning almost every encounter. I

, a protozoan disease,Giardia lambia, appears to be transportedby beaver, and you can get a severe diar-rhea now called "Beaver Fever."

The question many of us are asking our-selves is, "are we still infatuated with bea-ver?"

For me the answer is yes, but I have ahard time loving them when their popula-tion is exploding and over-running theirhabitat.

New York State is not the only state

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

an importantecosystems,

but they need some environmental resis-tance. This does not mean complete de-struction. Balance is the answer. We musthave legal access and a new group of youngtrappers to meet the challenge. We may notall love the beaver any more, but let's notLEAVE THEM!

!If you would like more information onthe Red Butler Canyon Study, the websiteaddress is: http://ecophys.bio ...r/riparian-beavers .•.John Braubit; is a Professor in the ScienceDepartment of Cayuga County CommunityCollege. Web Page: http://www.cayuga-cc. edu/braubitz/

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 7

by about 16%. The largest coyote I weighedwas an adult male that tipped the scale at53 Ibs. Weight is deceiving with this spe-cies because it has long fur and a largebottle brush tail. The coat color of easterncoyotes is also highly variable. I have seencoyotes jet black in color and as red as itslittle cousin, Renard, the red fox. Typically,though, their coat color is a grizzled graybrown with black markings down the cen-ter of their back.

I examined the ages of coyotes using atechnique called tooth cementum analysis.This method of aging coyotes has beenaround for years. After softening a largecanine tooth, thinly cross slicing and stain-ing the section, you can count under a mi-croscope the rings of cementum that are laiddown each year, just like the rings of agrowing tree. In my study I found that56.2% were less than one year old. Theoldest male I examined was four years oldand the oldest female was 11. This highnumber of juvenile animals in a popula-tion is generally indicative of high death·rates. When you look at the human domi-nation of the landscape in central and west-ern New York, it is not hard to imagine whythis might be so.

Like people, a coyote embryo grows onthe wall of the uterus. After a coyote pup isborn, a scar remains at the place where theplacenta was attached to the uterus. Whena coyote's uterus is carefully examined, youcan actually see these scars. One scar meansone pup and so on. Although this techniqueis not perfect, it also has been used for yearsto determine reasonable rates of reproduc-tion or litter sizes in this species. By thismethod, I was able to determine that nocoyotes in their first year of life had pups.Coyotes breed once each year in Januaryand February with whelping occurring 60-63 days after conception. Since the bulk ofthe animals I examined were collected be-fore this mating period, no young of the

es would have yet reached sexual. Nearly 63% of female coyotestheir second year (yearlings) oflife

or having bred the first time whelped pups.Their average litter size was three pups.Females in their third or more year of lifebred successfully 92% of the time and av-eraged seven pups.

The diet of the coyote is highly variable.

MAY/JUNE 1998

By Robert F. Gotie

Inlate January at about eight o'clock inthe evening my wife, standing at thekitchen window, called to me excitedly.

"Bob there's a pack of wolves outside thehouse howling and carrying on." "Theysound just like a bunch of crying babiesand this eerie sound so close to the househas me unnerved." Since I was busily oc-cupied in the basement, my immediate re-sponse was to nonchalantly call out to herthat they were not wolves but merely east-ern coyotes. And, rather then being at thedoor ready to pounce on any of us or ourchildren, they were probably on MorganHill just across the Labrador creek valley,a short distance away. I also interjected thatthey pose no real problem to us and thatshe should enjoy the serenade while it lasts.An hour later my teenage son yelled out,"they're still at it"; thinking the whole af-fair was neat, after all he had to go as far asCranberry Lake a few years ago, with hisdad of all people, to hear this same ca-cophony. Had my wife not been marriedto a wildlife biologist, I'm almost positivethe local DEC office would have receiveda frantic call next day requesting that theydo something before the kids were maimedor eaten by these evil beasts.

The scene I've painted here, and I fullyadmit that I have taken some editorial li-cense, is playing itself out more and morethese days in central and western NewYork. The reason for it is quite clear. Asthe landscape in New York, especiallysouth of the Adirondacks and west of theCatskills mountains have become moforested over the last half

coyotes. Likewise,doning the citiesof the

8 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

the sporting community in the MohawkValley. According to the author of the"Seven Year Predator Control Plan," brushwolves (which he estimated in the thou-sands) were attacking children and deci-mating New York's deer herd. At the time,I was a recent college graduate who hadjust been keenly honed to accept the factsnot the fiction about our wildlife, includ-ing those critters considered vermin. Thiseagerness to find the facts rather than makevalue judgements led me a decade later tobegin a modest study of this interesting andoften maligned member of the canine fam-ily here in central New York.

After more than 20 years of study with adozen of those years personally examin-ing the remains of 181 coyotes taken bytrappers and hunters in 13 counties of cen-tral New York, I present here some factualinformation about New York's own wildcanid. I hope it will help dispel some ofthemythology surrounding this secretive crea-ture.

The eastern race of coyote is commonlycalled the coydog or brush wolf. Its scien-tific name is Canis latrans. var. It was firstidentified in New York during the 1920's.It now occupies all of New and islisted as a game species w andclosed hunting an s. Re-search conducted ithe 1970's and 80'

igh less thanadults and females weigh less than males

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

They basically eat what is abundant andeasily obtained. At the time of my gradu-ate studies in Texas I met the famous bi-ologist Dr. Clarence Cottom. His descrip-tion of the eating habits of coyotes will for-evermore remain with me. "They uptheir mouths and take in thebits, woodchucks and other smallform the bulk of a coyote's diet,will also take deer or livestockobtained. Insects, fruit, carrionetables are also taken in season.small dogs would certainly be corrsideretable fare by coyotes, especially if leftattended to roam about in the backchained to a box like a junk yard dog.

The social organization of this spe-cies revolves about a mated pair andtheir young of the year. A family

group or as some people call it a "pack"can range from four to 10 animals. Coy-otes give birth in late April and early May.Both sexes provide parental care whichnormally takes place from May to August.At this time growing puppies require largequantities offood and both parents help byincreasing their time hunting. It would beusual to see healthy coyotes in the daytimeduring June and July because of the needto provide for their young. Neither is itunusual to hear coyotes howling nor bawl-ing in the early evening hours, after all thisis when they are most active. Also, its sci-entific name ( given to the world by Tho-mas Say) means "barking dog."

Group hunting is most typically observedwhen the family group is hunting largerprey. It is most obvious during the wintermonths when deer are concentrated in thickwinter cover trying to escape the ravagesof the "hunger moons." Although deer aretaken by coyotes for food, their predatoryimpact on the deer population in New Yorkis insignificant. On a local level, especiallywhen deer population densities are low, thecoyote like its cousin the gray wolf can slowthe rate of recovery of a winter ravaged deerpopulation by preying on the malnourishedsurvivors and their fawns.

Important mechanisms for regulatingcoyote populations are availability offoodand territoriality. Adult females, matedpairs and groups defend territories, Our bestinformation about territory size comes fromradio tracking studies in the New EnglandStates. Biologists there have found thateastern coyote territories are about 6.5square miles per mated pair in farm landand about 18 square miles in forested ter-rain. Food availability seems to be the caus-

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

ative agent influencing the size of territo-ries. This is probably why coyote territo-ries are smaller in farm countryvariety of habitats proviber of prey anim

a nrr\nn,~"1

coyote an unprotected species. A clearmajority (80%) of participants at thesemeetings and in letters to the DEC did notsupport this proposal. Neither did thesepeople feel that a change in this species sta-tus was justified because of complaints andconcerns about the increased presence ofcoyotes in northern New York.

So how does the DEC, Division of Fishand Wildlife classify this wild canine andwhat provisions are there for managing it?Before 1972 New York attempted to con-trol coyotes with bounties. After this yearbounties were prohibited for all species,except when the New York State HealthDepartment determines that a species rep-resents a human health threat. Prior to 1976the coyote was an unprotected species.They could be taken at any time by hunt-ing and trapping. As their value grew inthe world fur market, trappers and hunterswere the first to propose laws to protectthem during the pup rearing season. Thus,the first open season for the taking of coy-otes, as well as their little cousins the redand gray fox, was established for the 1976-77 season. This simple action in the mid1970's resulted in the classification of our"barking dog" as a game animal. It also setthe stage for managing this species as morethan just a pest. In a nutshell the currentapproach to coyote management is to es-tablish an annual open hunting and trap-ping season with the goal of removing sur-plus animals by licensed hunters and trap-pers. The DEC has done this each year since1976.

Every coyote legally taken duringthese seasons and possessed or soldmust have a plastic seal attached to

it or its pelt. Seals are obtained by first send-

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ing in a report card to a DEC office. Thereport card includes when, where and how

was taken. Report cards arenearest DEC Wildlife Of-

any action to halt its spreadacross the environs of New York

To directly assist landowners who areaggrieved by this species, New York En-vironmental Law also provides for the tak-ing of coyotes at any time by landownerswho are experiencing property damage.Landowners or their designated agents cansolve localized problems with coyoteswhen it's happening without jeopardizingthe continued existence of this species else-where. New York State does not pay anyindemnification for damages caused bywildlife, nor does it provide predator con-trol trapping as a routine service to indi-viduals. Ifhistory is a good teacher, then itis to the state's credit that we have learnedfrom the Western experience and notsquandered millions of tax dollars and li-cense fees trying to control this very adapt-able creature.

To those of you who read this article andwhose experience may be somewhat lessapproving, I have no argument. Just asStanley P. Young found while writing hisclassic work, "The Clever Coyote," I alsohave found a subject worthy of respect. Toa big tooth predator with the audacity tohave expanded its population size and rangein a place where the human population ofmore than 19 million people is bent towardtotal homocentricity, I tip my hat. And Ihope that Young's final sentiments ex-pressed nearly 50 years ago, will eventu-ally become our collective view of the east-ern coyote in New York: "the coyote, whennot an economic liability and therefore re-quiring local control, has its place amongNorth America's fauna." .•.

Bob Gotie is Sr. Wildlife Biologist, NYSDEC, at the Cortland office.

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 9

THE RETURN OF THE WOLF-Should Wolves Be Reintroduced To The Adirondacks?

By Lexi Nichols

IntroductionRecently, the thought of reintroducingwolves to the Adirondacks has brought alot of conflict to people all over New YorkState. My 7th grade teacher brought thisissue up during school this year, and reallygot me thinking about the argument. Ourteacher has introduced us to live wolves,shown us videos, and gave us the chanceto study the habitat and the social structureof wolves. Our forester, Ron Cadieux, ad-vised me to write to a wildlife biologist withthe Department of Environmental Conser-vation, Mark Brown, who is responsiblefor introducing endangered species backinto their historical habitat. Since our treefarm where we spend summers is locatednear the Adirondacks, I am interested inthis issue.

A WoWs Eating HabitsWolves (Canis lupus) are carnivores, andeat large game. In Yellowstone, wherewolves were reintroduced, they have beenstudied closely, and it has been noted thatthey chase coyotes (Canis latrans) out oftheir range, except around the edges, wherecoyotes come and eat the leftovers of awolfs kill. Since coyotes eat small game,like rodents, the rodent population mayincrease, which may be good for hawks,owls, eagles, foxes, pine martens, and otherrodent-eating mammals. Bear, fox, ravens,and eagles might eat of the leftovers thatwolves leave. In Yellowstone, the wolfsdiet is elk. In the Adirondacks they wouldeat white-tail deer and available moose.

Are the Adirondacks Big Enough for theWolf?In 19920ver 90 Canadian lynx ,:~e' -tTt5ChrcwevdL'b-fl1e-111~ 0 f the

Adirondacks. They require large areas ofland, larger than the Adirondack Park, andthe lynx has been found as far away assouthern Pennsylvania and NewBrunswick, mostly as road kills. The wolfpack requires large areas as well, maybeup to 300 square miles. Because there maynot be enough land in the Adirondacks, theymight spread outward and establish inneighboring farmland. It is sometimes dif-ficult to tell wolves apart from coyotes, es-pecially since they might interbreed. This

10 - NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

could be a problem for the farmers,

Would It Cost Too Much to Reintroducethe Wolf?It is estimated that a wolf reintroductionproject would cost about one milllion dol-lars. Would this be the wisest use of thatmuch money, especially if they may notsurvive, like the lynx? Or could that moneywith more success be used to help otherendangered species?

Conflicts With Other AnimalsCurrently, the eastern coyote lives through-out the state. The wolf may have an effecton its population, based on the studies atYellowstone, as well as the fox and thefisher. The fisher has been recently rees-tablished. The wolf will effect the deerpopulation, which may have an impact onhunters, who do not want competition. Themoose has recently been making its wayback to the area, and wolves may causethem to become extinct once again.

Public AttitudesA large percentage of people who livewithin the Adirondacks don't like the ideaof having wolves in their backyard. Theydon't even like the coyotes, who are not asaggressive as the wolf. People who live inthe towns and communities might fee

~omfo~able,. or very ~u~}Jromg their childre 'lay ~sitle, w

school, have.cnips, rc:s knowinwolvesmTl~lt"be nearby- Tjley f~ouldAll~.kn Jdb' ~// 1:';,1, /1

ow t s wou ,". eiav~!):.;" "

I /:1'.;,r/~man~allle}~(W,yl~hool, lytw2:j1et»v?~~es,jormy g;adejo mter-

~~~;~!~/:tl~'~:~~:/:e;e~~0t1~i:~' i~~i~

of them ran~w~y to/apeighborf house andgot in a fight with lid- over a pIece ofbreadthat she was holding. He bitfher hand andgot away with the bread. Vfl couldn't cometo see the wolves with ai1y food, becausethey might attack us f~lit. Usually, wolvesweigh 60 to 100, ,,~ even 160 pounds,which is big eno,;/gh to cause problemsbeing hit by cayt, like deer in some com-munities wh~er~they are overpopulated.It might,btvery difficult for scientists tostudy J;h'~wolfin the Adirondacks, because

t

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Sketch by Lexi Nichols

the terrain is rough, and the mountains arefull of woods with underbrush, so sightingswould not be very easy.

ConclusionI believe that wolves should not be intro-duced to the Adirondacks at this time, be-cause of the high cost of the project andrisk offailure. Ilove wolves, and Iam grate-ful that Ihad the experience of looking at awolf up close, and petting his fur. They arebeautiful, intelligent, and mysterious andshould never be allowed to go extinct. Ifthey came back from Canada on their own,like the moose, then people could get usedto them gradually, and they would be lesscontroversial. ia.

Lexi Nichols, 12, is a 7th grader at BellMiddle School in Chappaqua, Westches-ter County. She is learning about steward-ship practices at the tree farm her familymanages in Washington County.

-Expert on timber sales and marketing.

D,AVE I\IOI\D,A~Consultant Forester

-34 years experience in Central New York

-Graduate of ESF College of Forestry

-lndependant-will work for you.

-No connection with wood industry.

-Woodland owner & NYFOA Member

CALL FOR FREE ADVICEPHONE (315) 696-5746

701 Lake Road • Thlly, NY 1315

MAY/JUNE 1998

THOSE OTHER DEER TICK DISEASESBy Elizabeth Nichols

Most people who work in or around for-ests are aware of the hazards of contract-ing lyme disease carried by the tiny deertick, ixodes scapularis. In recent years, thisdisease has spread throughout different ar-eas of the United States, with the heaviestconcentration in Westchester County andsome areas of Connecticut. Two otherlesser known diseases, both prevalent insoutheastern New York, are carried by thesame deer tick. It is entirely possible thatthese diseases may spread as well. (Birdsare carriers of the deer tick, and they dotravel!) Since the symptoms are differentthan lyme, it is important to be able to iden-tify them so treatment can begin quickly.If you're not familiar with them, read on!

Human granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE)is caused by a type of bacteria (Rickettsia),and the symptoms may include a high fe-ver, severe headaches, and occasional vom-iting. Amoxicillin is useless against thisbacteria, but other antibiotics are effective.It is not known how long the tick needs tobe attached to transmit the disease, but it isbelieved that it is only for a short time, asopposed to contracting lyme, when the tickneeds to be attached for about 36 hours.(When I had HGE, I had pulled a tick offthat had only been attached for a few hours,so I didn't worry about lyme. A day or twolater I developed symptoms that were sounpleasant-high fever and terrible head andbody aches- that I definitely wanted to goto the doctor. I was put on antibiotics im-mediately, and had to take several bloodtests over the course of a few weeks, to ruleout other diseases and see if the antibioticswere working. Thankfully, HGE respondsquickly to the right medication, which is adifferent antibiotic than the ones used totreat lyme!) How common is HGE? InWestchester County and Long Island, it isnow about as prevalent as lyme, with 25%of nymphs carrying the disease and 50%of the adults. Co-infection (contractinglyme and HGE) can occur in 10 of nymphbites and 32% of adults.

Babesiosis is a malaria-like illness causedby a protozoan parasite. Symptoms ofthisdisease usually begin about a week afterbeing bitten, and include a gradual onsetof malaise, fatigue and loss of appetite fol-lowed by fever, drenching sweats, musclepain and headaches. Recommended treat-

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

ment includes a seven-day course of oralquinine plus c1indaycin (intravenous ororal) under careful supervision of your phy-sician. Fortunately for most of us, this dis-ease is only being detected along coastalareas at present.

It may be possible to contract several ofthese diseases from one tick bite. There isalso a virus which has been found in 1/2%of deer ticks, called powassan, which is likeencephalitis.

If you have been bitten by a tick and de-velop any of these symptom, call your phy-sician IMMEDIATELY. HGE and Babe-siosis CAN BE FA TAL in rare instances,so early diagnosis and treatment are essen-tial. Lyme disease is easily curable if treatedearly, but can cause serious complicationsif undetected. Remember, deer ticks aretiny, and sometimes look like tiny moleson the body. If you live in a tick-infestedarea, keep a magnifying lens readily avail-able, to see if your mole has reensy-weensylegs. (Warning: they are UGLY beasts un-der magnificationl)

This information was provided by theAmerican Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc.,an organization dedicated to controllingtick-borne infections through support of re-search and education. They are currentlylooking at methods to kill the tick in yourenvironment, detecting other possible dis-eases carried by the tick, and supportingresearchers who are creating vaccines. Ifyou would like to make a contribution, orwould like educational material, pleasesend it to ALDF, Inc. Mill Pond Offices,293 Route 100, Suite 204, Somers, NY10589. (E-Mail: ALDF@computer.net) ~

Elizabeth Nichols is the Newsletter Editorof NYFOA 's Lower Hudson Chapter.

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APplication or Facsimile Appli-

cation for Membership in the

New York Forest Owners As-sociation,

IfWe would like to support good forestry

and stewardship of New York's forest

lands.

( ) IfWe own acres of wood-

land.

( ) IfWe do not own woodland but sup-

port the Association's objectives.

NAME, _

ADDRESS _

City Zip

Telephone. _

County of Residence. _

County of Woodlot. _

Referred by _

Annual Dues(Please Check One)

INDIVIDUAL $20

FAMILY (or co-owners) $25

CONTRIBUTING $30-$ 100

SPONSORING $lOland up

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:

Six issues of the NY FORESTOWNER, woods walks, chapter meet-ings, and two statewide meetings for allmembers.

PLEASE make check payable to:NYFOA and SEND TO:

NYFOA, IncP.O. Box 180.

Fairport, New York 14450

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 11

LETTERSLandscaped State Land in LimboHundreds and hundreds of landscaped

acres are being mowed and still look thesame or worse year after year. The acres towhich I refer are the medians between ourexpressways and thruways.

Why not plant these acres to shrubs (li-lacs, forsythia, rhododendron, etc), ground-cover (myrtle and all the ivys), and to allthe species of trees appropriate to the area?

As the plantings grow, it will reduce theheadlight glare between lanes and makedriving more pleasurable. Cost of mowingand equipment will be reduced.

The towns and counties the roads runthrough may help plan the projects and dosome of the work. It may take a long timebut could be fun and rewarding to us andnature.

-David Swanson, Mt. Morris

12 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

Mummy shows embalmingolder than once thought

A 4,000-year-old mummy indicates thatancient Egyptians started using embalm-ing techniques about 1,000 years earlierthan previously believed.

Ulrich Weser of the University ofTabingen in Germany and his colleaguesexamined bones of a man unearthed in Gizain Egypt in 1914. The researchers discov-ered that the bones had been treated withpine resins and sodium-based compoundsthat preserved the remains and served asan antiseptic. The skeletal remains wereheavily impregnated with the preservinggoo, suggesting the embalmers "defleshed"the skeleton of Idu II, at least in part, be-fore embalming, according to a report inthe Jan. 22 issue of Nature.

Idu II served as secretary general of thePine Wood Trade Office during Egypt'sOld Kingdom period, roughly 2150 B.C.While it may not sound like a glamorousjob, it probably provided such executiveperks as mummification, the researcherssay, and a ready supply of pine and pinebyproducts. -The Washington Post

THE KILLING FORESTThe National Institute for OccupationalSafety & Health reported that 1,492fatalities were recorded in the loggingindustry during 1980-89, making fatalityin this line of work 23 times more likelythan in the average American job.

-RURAL FUTURES, March 1998

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SOUTHEASTERN ADIRONDACKCHAPTER

Jim Durller, SEA Chapter Chair (I) andDale Monroe.

The Southeast Adirondack Chapter of theNew York Forest Owners Association re-cently presented their first annual "KennyBandel Outstanding Logger Award" toDale Monroe of Lake George. The awardwas given at the Annual Winter Meetingof the SEA Chapter, held at Crandall Li-brary in Glens Falls. The local chapter cov-ers Saratoga, Warren and Washington

Counties.Dale has been in business for over 13

years and is active in numerous logging andcommunity programs. He is an active mem-ber of the regional New York LoggingTraining, Inc. Committee and has sup-ported the program through his assistanceto many of the training sessions. Dale com-pleted the Trained Logger Certification in1996 and continues to take additional edu-cational credits for certification. He alsoattends many programs/workshops relatedto the logging industry to enhance his ownprofessionalism. In 1997 Dale received theConservationist of the Year Award fromWoodmen of the World. Dale also is anactive volunteer in school and communityprograms serving as an instructor in the 4-HAdirondack Guide program and advisingseveral of the 4-H environmental trips.Dale, his wife Hildy, and children live on

Stone School House Road in Lake George.

The award is named in memory of KenBandel, a well-known local logger fromShushan. Ken and his father, Warren, werevoted N.Y.S. Outstanding Loggers of theYear in 1984 by the NYS Timber Produc-ers Association.

MAY/JUNE 1998

Forestry Fast ForwardBy David Beers

As a forester in 2008, I need to satisfy the landowners and the millswhile I stay competitive with log-

gers, land speculators, developers, preser-vationists, and other foresters. I need to sellmy services and do the job efficiency.

Word of mouth still provides the major-ity of business, but supplemental sourcesgive me the edge. I update my web site andsend out emails to potential customers. Iperuse a realty web site for any recent trans-actions of wooded acreage in the surround-ing three counties. The realty site includesproperty descriptions, locator maps, andpictures of parcels. This site gives me thenames of new woodland owners I couldcontact. I also search the aerial photos andprocessed satellite imagery on the web fortimber that looks promising. I pay amonthly subscription to a company thatinterprets satellite imagery and turns thedata into timber type maps that they poston a members-only web site,

I just bought a small, waterproof, impactresistant, and inexpensive data recorder tomake field work easier, faster, and moreaccurate, I affectionately call this machineCruiser. While flagging boundaries, Cruiserkeeps me on the correct bearing and mapsthe boundaries with its GPS receiver. It alsohas a metal detector to help find iron stakes.

Cruiser automatically overlays a 400'x400' grid of measurement points onto theparcel map. Using this default grid, Cruisercan direct me to any point I choose. I canchange the default in numerous ways. I canmake the grid 300'x300'. I can exclude anarea from cruising by simply highlightingit. I can specify that points at the end ofeach line must be more than 100' from theborder. I can manipulate measurementpoints by dragging them to a new location

Before leaving the office, I scanned thetopographic quad, soils map, aerial photo,and tax map into Cruiser. Cruiser can over-lay any of this spatial data onto the map ofmeasurement points. I overlay the contourlines and an aerial photo and decide to gowest. By selecting the next point on the lineheading west, Cruiser knows what point todirect me to and points the way with anarrow. Cruiser also shows my distance tothe next point. Whenever I cross a standboundary I select the "Stand" key. Cruiserrecords that position and automatically rec-ognizes the points within the stand bound-ary as a separate stand. At any time, I can

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

easily manipulate stand boundaries with thekeypad's direction arrows.

At each point, I enter species, diameter,height, and any other pertinent informationby voice or typing. Cruiser automaticallyassigns the data to its measurement loca-tion. I also record every trail crossing andstream crossing for later mapping.

With cruising done, I am back at thetruck. Cruiser downloads its data into thelaptop. I enter a few more items, like siteclass and then I tryout a few cutting sce-narios on Stand One. First I take out all thebeech and fir, and cut everything over eigh-teen inches. Then I try taking out all thelow value trees. After every scenario, thelaptop projects the cut stumpage value,growth in value of residual timber, netpresent value, rate of return for the next 20years, and any other data I choose. Thelaptop also shows the present conditions ingraphs, maps, and numbers; conditions likepercentage composition by species and di-ameter.

After selecting a few promising cut sce-narios. I am ready to visit the landowner.Working with the laptop, the landowner isable to choose a cut scenario that will bestmeet her goals, The laptop is invaluable infinding the optimal cut and then illustrat-ing how that cut is optimal. I find the laptopalso helps promote sustainable forestry.Many times I have convinced a landownerthat a strict diameter limit cut will not meettheir goals. Simply calculating a 20 yearrate of return is usually all the convincingneeded to avoid high-grading.

The landowner chooses a thinning ofStand One that will remove about onefourth of the trees. This cut scenario re-moves law value trees, to open up thecrowns, and increase the growth ofthe mostvaluable trees. The scenario removes allfinancially mature trees (having a diametergreater than 18 inches). The scenario alsomaintains areas of dense conifer cover aswinter shelter for wildlife. I head out thenext day with Cruiser, paint gun and treestick to mark the trees ..

This landowner wants higher pricesfor the wood by applying for a sus-tainability certification program. To

get the higher prices from the mill, thewood from this lot will need identificationas certified from the forest to the retail store.Cruiser has a bar code gun that works likea staple gun- At each marked tree I enter

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the species, diameter, number of logs, andpulp height. Cruiser assigns that data to thebar code and to the tree's location. Towardsthe end of the day I find areas I neglectedto mark by viewing a map of marked trees.

With marking finished, I am backat the track downloading thedata into the laptop, Software

processes the data and inserts it into a man-agement plan template. The software in-serts maps, graphs, numbers, charts, tables,and words. I read over the plan to makeneeded changes and use my creativity togive the plan uniqueness. The pull-downforestry menu in my word processing pro-gram helps. This menu has a forestry glos-sary, forestry regulations for each state,stocking charts, topographic maps, roadmaps, soils information, silvics infonna-tion, and more. Each year's upgrade hasgreat new features.

Back at the office I go on-line to fill outthe forms for sustainability certification. Isend the state a harvest notification and acopy of the management plan electroni-cally. The landowner receives the manage-ment plan attached to an email messageonly two days after the initial consultation!Lastly, I email adjoining landowners tonotify them of the upcoming harvest andask them to double check my boundaryflagging.

I soon get replies that the landowner, thestate, and adjoining property owners aresatisfied. I put the stumpage out to bid onthe internet and email all my favorite log-gers. When showing the lot, the loggersquestion some measurements. To justifymy work, I scan the barcode of a few treesto get their data. The loggers agree withmy measurements for each tree and are sat-isfied. I take bids, choose a logger, and su-pervise the harvest The landowner ispleased, the state is pleased, the mill ispleased, and the consumer in pleased. Mostof all, I am pleased to have the whole pro-cess condensed to less than a week withmore effective results.

In 2024, my pager tells me that this lot isready for another thinning. I had installedradio collars on a few trees. These collarssend me a signal when a certain tension isreached. Technology allows the forest totell me when crowding occurs and when athinning would be beneficial. It is time tomark again. .•.David Beers is a consultant forester resid-ing at Fort Edward, NY

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 13

stacking 4 foot fuel wood in ricks 4 feet highand 8 feet long and is defined as a unit ofwood equal to these measurements. Thecord also contains bark and space.

In a face or short cord, the wood is cutinto less than 4 foot lengths. This is usu-ally done for the convenience of everyoneinvolved. Not too many people have stovesthat can handle 4 foot long wood. Whenfirewood is sold, the length of the wood inthe face cord must be stated.

A short or 16 in.face cord measuring 16"by 4 ft by 8 ft is 0.33 standard cords. Theface cord in the above example in the LakeStates would contain 26.3 cubic feet ofwood. .•.

ASK A FORESTERBy Stephen Davison

FROST CRACKSQ. I've heard loud, gunlike noises on cold

winter nights and later noticed some seamson trees in the woods. Can this be frostcracks? -R.F., Moravia

A. It is possible that both the noises andthe seams are from so-called frost cracks.These cracks are misnamed because frostisn't the direct cause of the cracks. Bothhardwood and coniferous trees developfrost cracks. Frost cracks usually affectdormant trees.

Frost cracks occur during periods of widetemperature swings when there is sudden,severe cold weather. During a cold nightfollowing a warm day, the inside wood andwater of the tree remains warm and stablewith little shrinkage. The outer wood in thetree becomes cold and the water in theseouter wood cells moves out of the cells andfreezes. These outer cells dry and shrink.This unequal shrinkage between the innerand outer wood cells creates unequal pres-sure which causes the layers of wood toseparate and release the pressure. The sud-den pressure release can sometimes soundlike a "gunshot." The cracks usually startat the base of the tree and work their wayupward. Frost cracks are commonly foundon the south and west sides of trees.

It has been further suggested that whileall of the above is what happens when frostcracks are created, it is an injury to theyoung tree which is the biggest contribut-ing factor to the formation of frost crackswhen the tree is older. Following the in-jury, the cambium walls off the decay andprevents it from spreading to new growthby forming tissue that has been describedas a barrier zone. This zone is structurallyweak and differs from normal wood in itsanatomical and chemical makeup. When

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14 NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

wind or a rapid temperature drop causes achange in internal stresses in the tree, aseparation along the barrier zone may oc-cur, resulting in ring shake. The ring shakecauses separation along the radial plane,and separation outward to the bark of thetree causes the seams and cracks which arecalled frost cracks.

Canker, decay or wetwood organisms of-ten enter the tree through the crack. A ridgeof callus tissue along the length of the crackmay develop during a period of severalyears, where repeated healing andrecracking occurs. .•.

CUBIC MEASUREA question has been raised by Robert

Nowack concerning an article in the JanlFeb 1998 issue of NY Forest Owner (andLETTERS in the Mar/Apr issue) entitled"Forest Service to Convert to Cubic Mea-sure." The article states that in the LakeStates, full cords of wood will be convertedto cubic measure by applying a conversionfactor of .79. This would convert a full cordinto .79 cubic feet. Mr. Nowack (in his let-ter) feels that this conversion is in error. Itis. He says that the correct conversionshould be .79 times 128 cubic feet or 101cubic feet. His math is correct but there isan error with the .79 conversion factor.

A full or standard cord of wood is animaginary rick of wood measuring 4 feetby 4 feet by 8 feet or 128 cubic feet. Ex-cept for some pulpwood, trees are rarelycut into 4 foot lengths. So the formula forcords is: W (ft) x H (ft) xL (ft)

128Since a cord contains wood, bark and air,

the cord does not tell you how much woodthere is in a cord. Various conversions havebeen used to determine the amount of woodin a cord. These conversions considerstraightness, knots, roughness, position onthe tree and softwood versus hardwood.The Lake States will use 79 cubic feet asthe amount of solid wood in a full or stan-dard cord. The article in question shouldhave read "Conventional full cords will beconverted with a 79 conversion factor. Afull cord, in other words, will equal 79 cu-bic feet,"

But, you may ask, what about face cords?

The cord originated with the practice of

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Steve Davison is a NYSDEC Sr. Foresterin the Cortland Office. He has agreed towrite the Column, "Ask A Forester".

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MAY/JUNE 19981.1

MY FAVORITE TREEBy Mike Greason

Dick Fox asked me to write aboutmy favorite tree. I would guessmost DEC forestry staff, many

NYFOA members and quite a few of mywoodworking customers would guess rightwhen they would holler out, "Butternut."

My interest in butternut began, when asa boy, we had a mature butternut by theformer old chicken coop which served asour shop and my summer bedroom. I usedto gather the nuts, lay them out in the drive-way for the husks to rot away so my mothercould use those rich nut meats for cook-ing.

That interest exploded after I started log-ging. We tried to find the best markets forevery log. Early on we discovered we couldsell white hearted ash in Brattleboro, Ver-mont to be used for tennis rackets for $90per thousand board feet. By shipping thoselogs along with the rejected brown heartedones to Sherbrooke, Canada for hockeysticks, we could get $350 per thousand -now that was worth the extra fuel and timeto truck. At that time red oak veneer wasbringing from $190 to $225 per thousanddelivered to northern Vermont or Canada.Grade specifications had a lot to do withwhich market we would ship to. And someof those specifications seemed tighter inthose days than now; for example, whiteoak veneer had to be at least 22 inches onthe tip and could not have one catface orblemish anywhere. Butternut was muchmore gracious.

We discovered that butternut had someunique marketing advantages. First, noneof our competitors were even interested inbuying it. It was almost as popular as redmaple in those days. However we foundthat the veneer market on the St LawrenceSeaway would pay us $450 per thousandfor any log that even resembled veneerpotential. An occasional knot, frost crackor other minor defect was regularly over-looked. The obvious grade logs went to amill in Massachusetts that had a contractfor paneling Friendly Ice Cream Stores. Thehighly defective logs ended up being sawedat a friend's mill and kept in a barn for myown eventual personal use.

The high profit potential we found inbutternut gave us interest in seeking outindividual trees. One of the features ofthespecies is that its foliage starts to turn yel-low early enough in the fall so that, forexample, as we drove our overloaded logtruck up Greenfield Mountain, we could

NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

gaze over the Pioneer Valley, record indi-vidual tree locations on our internal GISlocators (My sense of direction far exceedsmy computer skills and I could lock thosetrees in my memory until I visited with theowner.), and check the trees out for pur-chase possibilities at a future date. One lotwe bought yielded 62 thousand board feetof veneer; that was the week we bought ourfirst St Bernard.

I once tried to pull a U-Haul trailer loadof butternut logs up Greenfield Mountainwith my Jeep wagon. Upon cresting the hill,the trailer lifted the back end of the Jeep

off the road and got it violently swingingback and forth. Just before pitching over a100 foot embankment, the Jeep tipped overleaving one embarassed young logger try-ing to explain the traffic tie-up to a statetrooper. At the time it seemed like an easyway to bring the logs to where our loaderwas; yet it was not a trick I tried again.

Upon becoming a DEC forester, my wifeand I bought an old farmhouse needing res-toration. I had all this free butternut, airdried several years. What better sourcecould I ask for for building kitchen cabi-nets, paneling, furniture and all those otherneeds we suddenly had. We bought a ra-dial arm saw and a new aspect of my lifeunfolded. I have always found butternutdefects fascinating. I'd seek out an openknot, a patch of wormy wood, a feathercrotch and highlight them in a door panelor cabinet side. Compliments flowed; I re-member one night when one bridge playercommented that our kitchen cabinetslooked almost as nice as knotty pine.

This personal woodworking, initiated outof need and a supply of butternut, led toentrepreneurial expansion into a customwoodworking business. What started withone radial arm saw has grown into a fullyequipped shop with all the toys and a stock-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

pile of over 10,000 board feet of lumber,of which 1,500 is butternut. I've built a halfdozen butternut kitchens and hundreds ofpieces of butternut furniture. It machinesfairly well and the whiskers sand off afterthe first coat of finish. It has a warmth tothe color and grain which I never get tiredof. I still seek out the defects preferringthem to clear wood. I even preferbutternut's appearance to cherry or walnut.

In 1972, I found a large tree which was,at that time, the largest butternut known inthe state. This 34 inch diameter tree wasthe largest of its kind I had seen. Because amajor portion of the top was broken and itwas a mile from the road, I offered to buyit for $130, a price that no one at that timewould have expected to gain. As one mightexpect, that was a chain saw cut that washeard around the state. The tree yielded 806board feet oflumber ranging up to 18 incheswide, some with a fluorescing bright greenstain, and it yielded a lot of conversationsabout cutting a state champion tree.

I redeemed myselfhowever when I foundyet another state champion at 57.95 inchesin diameter, scoring 253 points, in the Townof Catskill. And imagine my disbeliefwhena slightly smaller diameter, but taller andmore widely spreading champion scored267 points reduced the Catskill championto second place. The Catskill second placechampion still stands without any sign ofbutternut canker and it has no need to fearmy arriving with my Wood-Mizerbandmill. The owner had contacted me be-cause he wanted to rid his driveway of thetree that dropped a pickup load of nuts. Italked him out of cutting and found a younglady who sold the nuts to the State TreeSeedling Nursery at Saratoga.

Over the past decade or so, butternutcanker has decimated the species. Alwaysa small component of the forest, butternutis now becoming a rare fmd. Hopefully dis-ease resistent trees will survive and retaina niche in our forest. Its sweet nut meatsbenefit us and wildlife alike. Its wood of-fers a beauty that enriches our lives. Al-though not on the same scale as the Ameri-can chestnut, losing butternut as a compo-nent of the northern forest is a loss that Iwould regret. But, as with chestnut, I keepmy eye out for those few that hang on andnow I will only consider cutting those treesthat are dead or dying. .AMike is NYSDEC Chief of the Bureau ofPrivate Land Service.

MAY/JUNE 1998 • 15

WANTED! -A Few Good NeighborsBy Gary R. Goff

Probably everybody would like a fewgood neighbors, or at least wouldn'tmind exchanging some of their cur-

rent ones! New York's Master ForestOwner/COVERTS Volunteer Program= isbased on the genuine neighborly interestof volunteers across the state in assistingneighbors with concerns, issues and oppor-tunities regarding forest ownership. Own-ing and managing forest land can be quite

agement necessary to manage their forestholdings wisely. The volunteers are notselling or promoting anything but goodforest stewardship based on the owner's ob-jectives! The volunteers generally are avail-able to visit with neighbors via a half-daywalk on their land todiscuss interests, op-tions and where to gethelp. The volunteers are

est resource" as a way of giving someth ingback to their community.

Volunteers also promote good foreststewardship within their communitiesthrough work with 4-H clubs, schoolmentoring programs, writing articles for 10-

Wildlife habitat enhancement projects can be as simpleas pruning, fertilizing, and releasing an apple tree from

competition to ...

an undertaking particularly to new owners.Taxes, trespass, sawtimber value, wildlifemanagement, water quality, access andboundaries are concerns all forest ownersmust contend with sooner or later. NY'sMaster Forest Owner (MFO) volunteers arepeers ready to help based on their experi-ences and some focused training suppliedby Cornell Cooperative Extension andother organizations and agencies.

There are currently 145 active, certifiedvolunteers from 43 counties across the stateready to respond to requests from theirneighbors for assistance. The simple goalof the program is to provide private forestowners with the information and encour-

... as ambitious as creating a 30-acre clearcut to promotefavorable sawtimber regeneration and ruffed grouse

habitat.

not professionals, donot provide technicalassistance, nor arethere any obligations

what-so-ever. Their greatest attributes arethat they are unbiased, knowledgeable, ex-perienced, and tied into an informal webof expertise in local communities andacross the state. Many belong to the NYForest Owner Association, are Tree Farm-ers, belong to their Cornell Cooperative Ex-tension County Association, and have par-ticipated in some forestry assistance pro-grams. They are willing to share what theyknow, tell what has worked for themand point out some possible pitfalls alongthe way. The most commonly stated rea-son for joining the MFO program given bynew candidates each year is that "theywanted to do something good for the for-

Jeff JourdainProfessional Forestry Services

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email: jforest@berkshire.net

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16 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

cal newspapers, assisting with forest ownerworkshops hosted by Cooperative Exten-sion, and serve on the NYS Forest Stew-ardship Committe, and the many activitiessponsored by NYFOA such as woods walksand the Forest Family Fair.

If you are interested in an on-site visitby a MFO volunteer, or just wish to speakwith one over the phone, a listing of vol-unteers is available at all County offices ofCornell Cooperative Extension, Regionaloffices of NYS Dept. of EnvironmentalConservation or via the NY Forest OwnersAssoc. phone-assist line, 1-800/836-3566.If you are interested in becoming a MFOvolunteer and attending the September1998 training workshop, call Gary Goff,MFO Director at 607/255-2824 or e-mail<<grg3@comell.edu>. .•.

"The NY Master Forest Owner/CO-VERTS Program is jointly funded by TheNYS Forest Stewardship Program and TheRuffed Grouse Society, Cornell Coopera-tive Extension, and the USDA RenewableResources Extension Program, with coop-eration from NYSDEC Div. of Lands and

Forests, and the NY Forest Owners Asso-ciation. The term "COVERTS" (pro-nounced like covel) meaning good grousehabitat, refers to a similar program fundedby The Ruffed Grouse Society, and is sym-bolic of the importance of habitat to allwildlife.

MAY/JUNE 1998

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PUBLICATION

TELLS HOW TO ENHANCE WILDLIFE HABITAT

shows landowners what kind of habitat at-tracts which animals.

The 42-page publication includes doz-ens of illustrations and detailed instructionsfor 10 low- to moderate-cost projects toprovide desirable habitats. It also citesnearly 50 references for additional infor-mation.

Many of the projects are applicable foran urban park, suburban backyard, or ruralarea. Most are suitable for adult-supervised

Have you ever wondered what you coulddo to help local wildlife or why you should?

-An increase in some insect-eatingbirds around a garden may naturally reduceinsect damage to garden produce and makeyour yard more hospitable. Habitat en-hancement can increase both the numberand variety of wildlife on your property toallow you close viewing or study of vari-ous birds and mammals.

youth activities.Copies of Enhancement of Wildlife

Habitat on Private Lands are availablefrom the Cornell University Resource Cen-ter, 7 BTP, Ithaca, NY 14850 for $7.50which includes handling and mailing. NewYork State residents should add applicablesales tax.

Copies may also be available at CornellCooperative Extension County Associa-tions throughout NYS.

271 County Road#9Chenango Forks,N.Y. 13746

Conversely, have you ever won-dered what kind of habitat attractsunwanted wildlife to your land?

-Racoons are attracted to water, squir-rels will come a long way to feed on nutsand fruits, and rabbits will nest in unmowedgrass.

One of the most popular Cornell Coop-erative Extension publications, Enhance-ment of Wildlife Habitat on PrivateLands, has been extensively revised. It

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PROPAGATION AND USE OFBLACK WALNUTS IN NORTHERN NEW YORK

By Michael Bedoian ©1998

We have been propagating blackwalnut trees from seed for al-most ten years. To date, we have

planted about 400 trees, the oldest of whichwere started from seed planted in 1989These trees are now about 20 feet tall andgrowing very quickly. Our seed source istrees which have been growing on ourproperty in theChamplainValley formany, manyyears.

To preparethe walnuts forplanting, weharvest themas they fallfrom the trees,husk them andimmediatelybury themabout one footdeep in loamygarden soil.We protect thenuts fromsquirrels byputting them inan old wireminnow trapprior to burial.The location is flagged and the nuts leftuntil spring. They are dug up in late Aprilor early May and planted individuallyabout two inches deep in a tilled nurseryarea, far from trees, to discourage forag-ing by squirrels. The walnuts germinatequickly, sending their reddish feather-likestems toward the sun and their strong tap-roots into the earth. Our germination rate

is about 65 per cent.

The seedlings grow in their nursery forone year, and the following spring are care-fully dug up and transplanted to their finallocations. We find they transplant well ifcare is taken not to damage the taproots.We plant the seedlings with a dibble, aheavy steel tool used for planting foresttrees. The site of each planted seedling isflagged, so it may be located amid sur-

rounding vegetation in succeeding years.

Black walnut trees are very intolerant ofshade and it is necessary to remove all

18 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

vegetation that shades the little trees. Weuse handsaws and pruning shears for thisimportant task, which must be repeated forseveral years until the young trees domi-nate their site. Our oldest transplants arenow "on their own", creating a hammockof walnut trees where only weedy scrub

species grew before.

We also harvest and sell our black wal-

nuts. Ifproperly prepared after harvest, thenuts are well worth the effort, as their fla-vor is rich, full and unique in its complex-ity.

Immediately after they fall from the trees,the nuts are gathered and the soft outerhusks removed. We wash the nuts in a steeltank in batches of about a bushel with justenough water to cover them but allow themto rub against one another as they are agi-tated, to remove pulp adhering to the shells.After being thoroughly rinsed and drained,the nuts are spread on shallow racks in alayer one nut deep and placed in a cool,dry and dark place with some air circula-tion, to dry. We dry ours across the beamsin our hayloft.

The nuts will dry in two to threeweeks, depending on air tempera-ture and humidity. When they are

dry we pour the nuts into onion sacks andsuspend them with wire from our barn

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

rafters, to protect them from squirrels untilwe are ready to crack them.

The nuts vary in size, flavor and ease ofextraction from tree to tree. A section ofrailroad track as an anvil and a ball peenhammer wielded judiciously are used toremove nut meats. With practice it is pos-sible to extract a pound or more of nutmeats per hour - a pleasant task for long

winter evenings. To pre-serve freshness, the nutmeats are stored in tightlyclosed plastic bags, in thefreezer. They remain freshthat way for many months.

Black walnuts are excel-lent in baked goods. Ourfavorite recipe is a varia-tion of the traditional SwissEngadiner Nusstorte, usingblack walnuts instead of theEuropean white walnuts.These "black walnut pies"are very popular with ourfanners' market customerswho enjoy the flavor thatonly black walnuts can of-fer.

We have a half dozenbearing black walnut treesaround our old farm house,the largest of which is fullyfive feet in diameter. It's

surely as old as the house, which was builtabout 1790. We suspect this tree wasplanted by the first settlers who probablybrought black walnuts with them. Walnutssurely were a luxury in those days, as Cali-fornia walnuts had not yet been inventedl.a

Michael Bedoian, a new member of NY-FDA, manages his Black Walnut planta-tion in Essex, NY

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MAY/JUNE 1998

TO CUT OR NOT TO CUT-Our National Forests?

By Henry S. Kernan

Several recent sessions of Congresshave had before them proposals toterminate timber sales from federal

lands. Their supporters are organizationswhose members profess to be concernedabout the environment. The forested areais about one quarter of the country's tim-berland and produces some four billionboard feet-a-year.

Last October the latest of these bills 'Vasintroduced as HR 2789, the National For-est Protection and Restoration Act of 1997.The bill has ten sponsors and was referredto four committees: agriculture, resources,education and workforce. In spite of thebroad name and referrals, HR 2789 has justone target: the end of commercial loggingon federal lands.

Congress will probably take no action to-ward that end. Nevertheless, its presencein Congress is significant as well as thecontent of the bill.

The title suggests forests under stress andat risk, in poor condition and in need ofprotection. Yet a publication of the United

atiorr's Food and Agriculture Organiza-tion dated 1997 states that from 1990through 1995, American forests gainedover seven million acres. The growth toremovals is a favorable 33 per cent increaseaccording to a 1991 Forest Service report.

Section 3' s Findings give much insightinto attitudes behind HR 2789. They addup to the perception of an ecological crisiscaused by the felling of trees and the re-moval of logs. As a result, the first findingstates, "a strong majority of the Americanpeople think that natural resources shouldnot be made available to produce consumergoods on public lands." The findings goon to cite logging damage to scenery andsalmon, to watersheds, recreation, fire con-

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trol, and taxpayers whose losses are hun-dreds of millions of dollars annually for asmall part of the timber consumption oftheUnited States. Another paragraph points tologging's small part in employment andincome.

Clearly the sponsors and backers of HR2789 believe that the Findings justify clos-ing timber sales on federal lands. They haveexisted for nearly a century and have cre-ated a workforce and communities depen-dent upon them. The bill therefore proposesseveral new programs of federal action.

One is to be a National Heritage Resto-ration Corps, to "restore areas to their natu-ral condition as existed prior to the occur-rence of commercial logging.

Another proposal is for a worker retrain-ing and relocation program to help thosedislocated by the termination of commer-cial logging.

Furthermore, the Environmental Protec-tion Agency would receive up to $3 mil-lion to investigate wood-free alternativeproducts for paper and construction. Andother grants up to $30 million would de-velop and produce such alternatives.

The National Forest Restoration and Pro-tection Act sees the exploitation of forestsfor timber as damaging and wasteful, log-gers better out of the woods, and woodproducts better replaced by other materi-als.

Predictions are that we will use morewood, not less. Wood is low-cost, avail-able, versatile and more pleasant to livewith than plastic, metal and foam rubber.Yet logging must be and must be perceivedas being socially and environmentally ac-ceptable. To an extent and at a cost, plan-tations in Brazil, Chile and New Zealandcan send us wood. But choosing them forsupplies of wood is hardly a rational wayfor a country with nearly half-a-billionacres of productive timberland. .•.Henry Kernan is a consulting forester inWorld Forestry a Master Forest OwnerVolunteer and a regular contributor to theNY FOREST OWNER.

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Pine False Webworm-potential threat to NY's white pineBy Douglas C. Allen

Growingconcern about this defolia-or is a result of two current out

breaks in North America, one innorthern New York and another in easternOntario. For several decades following itsintroduction into the United States fromEurope around 1925, this insect was con-sidered little more than an occasional pestof ornamental red, white, Scots, mugho,Austrian, Swiss mountain, and Japanese redpines; or an infrequent problem of red andScots pine in Christmas tree plantations.

Fig 1. Nest constructed by a colony of pinefalse web worm (between arrows). Note onthis and the two adjacent shoots to the leftonly old foliage has been consumed.

Since 1981 in eastern St. Lawrence andwestern Franklin counties of New York andthe mid-1990s in Ontario, however, heavydefoliation has occurred to stands of saw-timber size white pine. The New Yorkoutbreak first appeared in 1981 on 75 acresof Scots pine near Fort Jackson, approxi-mately 15 miles east of Potsdam. The in-festation has persisted at this location forthe past 17 years and from here spread tomost Scots and white pine stands encom-passed within an area of approximately450,000 acres.

Because little natural mortality occurs inpopulations of this introduced pest, annual

20 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3

survival in all life stages is very high. Con-sequently, the infestation is expected topersist at damaging levels and to continuespreading south and east in New York.

The wasp-like adults are present for onlya short time from May through early June,but they are readily noticed because of their

An Odd Name! - Peoplewho are not familiar withforest insects find the name"pine false webworm" con-fusing. It feeds on pine andin fact does construct a webor nest within which the cat-erpillars live (Fig. 1). Sowhy refer to it as a "false"webworm? I think the pur-pose is to distinguish thissawfly, which belongs to agroup of insects in the Or-der Hymenoptera (hy-men-op-ter-ah) (along with the

Fig. 2. Female pine false web worm.

wasps, bees, hornets, etc.),from the true pine webworm which con-structs a similar nest but belongs to themoth and butterfly Order Lepidoptera (lep-i-dop-ter-ah).

size, appearance and very active behavior.The shiny blue-black females are approxi-mately 7/16 to 1/2 inch long and have abright orange head (Fig. 2). Males also arepredominantly blue-black but slightlysmaller (3/8 inch or so in length) with asmall patch ofyelJow to yellow-orange onthe front of an otherwise black head. Adultsare capable of flying but generally remainairborne for only short distances and spendmost of their time flitting from branch to

Appearance - The two things a forestowner is most likely to spot when the pinefalse webworm occurs in a pine stand arethe large, distinctly colored adults and con-spicuous nests made by the gregarious cat-erpillars.

Fig. 3. Opened nest. Caterpillar is immersed in a mixture of dried needle fragments, silkstrands and driedfecal pellets.

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1998

usually retain asignificant com-pliment of cur-rent-year foliagelargely explainstheir ability towithstand re-peated, heavydefoliation.

Significantgrowth loss oc-curs each yearof heavy defo-liation; that is,when all old fo-liage is con-sumed and par-tial feeding oc-

Fig.4. Approximate location of known infestations in New York. The current out- curs to current-break occurs in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties (shaded). year needles.

N

A

branch or crawling on the ground, treeboles and foliage.

The second piece of evidence that a for-est owner is likely to notice are the webs ornests which become especially conspicu-ous in late June and early July. Shortlyafter egg hatch, small groups of caterpil-lars begin constructing elongate nests ofsilk, dried fecal pellets and bits of driedfoliage (Fig. 3). Each nest is 4 to 6 incheslong when caterpillars are full grown andusually is wrapped around the previousyear's twig. Presumably, this structure pro-tects the insects from adverse weather andmay discourage many natural enemies.

Damage - pine false webworm prefersold foliage (Fig. 1) and only when popula-tions are high and competition for food isintense will it consume needles of the cur-rent year. Consequently, even following ayear of heavy defoliation trees retain somefoliage. Trees that look completely brownin July "green up" as the growing seasonprogresses and current-year foliage has anopportunity to expand. The fact that trees

However, treemortality usually does not materialize un-til stands have experienced 5 to 7 succes-sive years of heavy defoliation, at whichtime trees are weakened enough to encour-age invasion by bark beetles.

The Webworm Experience in NewYork - Webworm damage under forestconditions in New York was unheard ofuntil the 1981 outbreak in eastern St.Lawrence county. In 1984, heavy defolia-tion appeared on 24 acres of large red pinein Schoharie County. This area and a 20-acre, lightly defoliated buffer zone wasclearcut, which eliminated the problem.Additionally, two small « an acre) areasof Scots pine defoliation were reportedduring the late 1980s, one in MadisonCounty and another in MontgomeryCounty. Neither of the latter amounted toanything. Clearly, however, this insect iswell distributed in eastern New York (Fig. 4).

Management - Experimental work hasbeen done in Canada with various insecti-cides, but no chemical controls have been

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NY FOREST OWNER 36:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

attempted in New York. Plans are underway to explore the feasibility of develop-ing biolgical control methods, such as in-troducing parasites or predators known tobe important natural controls in Europe.The Canadian Forest Service is screeningand evaluating promising agents and, hope-fully, in the near future results of this pre-liminary research will allow us to under-take field trials. Before this can happen, agood deal of laboratory work must be doneto assure that we liberate an agent that isvery specific to the pine false webworm andis unlikely to disrupt life systems of nativeinsects. In the meantime,we will continueto monitor the outbreak in northern NewYork, and I encourage any forest ownerwho detects the insect on their land to con-tact their local DEC office. .•.This is the 37th in the series of articles con-tributed by Dr. Allen, Professor of Ento-mology at SUNY-ESF Reprints of this andthe complete series are available fromNYFOA, phoneJ-800-836-3566.

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to think of all of the benefits you

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idea could become a reality if the

right conditions prevail. From our

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good site conditions, owner-

commitment to stewardship for

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MAY/JUNE 1998 • 21

~ ~ ~BEE UfE~~By JaneSm.". Lord,PhO, OTR, NR ~

Icouldn't wait for "weeping golden again. As our plans got bigger-let's put

bell" .to bloom this spring. I've been in some fruit .and flowering trees-we de-studying Chinese herbs and was excited cided to put in a couple of bee hives be-

to gather and prepare it to use for Spring cause the fence will keep out bears, too.colds, allergies and earaches. The flowers The more I'd read about bees the moreare extracted in oil, and used like we use interested I got. Last year I took a beemullein for ears. course at the Sullivan County Beekeeper

For ingestion they make a very strong Society. I didn't proceed because of theinfusion, strain out the flowers, add sugar, bear problem. With a garden already threat-boil it down to crystals then store and use ened by deer, the last thing I needed was ait by the teaspoon dry or by diluting it in bear or two.hot water. I've used honeysuckle and chry- Then, one of my herb magazines did ansanthemum prepared this way. The sugar article on bees. They discussed the vastis soothing and the mixtures tastes a lot bet- benefits to the garden. But more impor-ter than tinctures or extracts. tantly, to me, they stressed the environmen-

When the forsythia bloomed, I was there! tal responsibility of keeping bees. In theI took a basket and went out to collect the, last five or six years, we've lost almost halfyes, weeping golden bells. I collected and our domestic bees. Mostly to bee diseases,collected. Then I collected more. It takes but also to pesticides, herbicides and envi-lots of little flowers to make a packed cup. ronmental pollution. Why, it was MY re-So many, that I stopped short, rather than sponsibility to keep the bee populationdenude the bush. alive!

I took them inside, spread them out on a The final decision was made on the com-paper towel, and left them to dry. In a few muter train to New York City. Waiting athours my 3/4 cup of flowers shrunk to a the station one Sunday evening, Gordonquarter of their size, and still weren't dry. and I started to talk to a woman who workedThere wasn't enough for an extraction with 011 Wall Street during the week and camean oil, or for a sugar mixture. Just a few up to her mountain home on weekends. Shecups of tea. had three hives of bees in the country. She

I'm going to stay with mullein oil for ear- also kept a leucite hive in her City apart-aches. It works great. And I'll use colts- ment! "You can see the bees come back infoot flowers for coughs and colds. Colts- the evening from Riverside Park! They arefoot flowers about the same time as for- incredible to watch!"sythia, and are bigger, fatter, and mucheasier to collect!

Also, I didn't want to collect all the for-sythia for me (as if I could) because mynew honey bees are coming and need themfor food.

We decided to put up an electric fenceso the deer couldn't eat up all my herbs

The next weekend we went to meet herbees. On a clear, sunny, early March day,her bees were having cleansing flights and,clearly happy, did not mind her openingand checking their hives. She worked with-out any protection.

Gordon went into the bee yard to watchher and stood fascinated. He apparently an-noyed one bee. He got stung, but exclaimedin surprise that it was nothing compared toyellow jackets.

We left with bee catalogues and books,after tasting her "forest" honey (strong andrich). She even gave me some propolis toexperiment with for healing.

After reading the books, we gotgung-ho, We drove to the biggest,closest (2 hours away) beekeeping

suppliers. Veils, gloves, smokers, tools. Wegot it all! We came home, assembled thehive and frames, then ordered the bees fromGeorgia to arrive here the first week of

30+ Years Experience

ROBERT DEMEREEProfessional Forestry Consultant

Timber Sales- Management PlanningTax Law· Tree Planting

3987 Northway DriveCortland, NY 13045-9317

Telephone:(607) 753-0497

22 • NY FOREST OWNER 36:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

~

AP'iL~ ~So, I'd been praying for flowers. And

they came the last week of March! Daffo-dils, forsythia, Kawazan cherry, Bradfordpear, and of course our forest trees. I willplant a bee flower and herb garden for theirsummer pleasure. Behind the electric fence,their hives will be safe. I just hope the beeswill be happy! ~

Dr. Jane is a Wellness Coach. She is a TreeFarmer and MFO May 24th at 2PM, shewill be leading a Nature Walk at the D&HCanal Park for the Neversink Valley AreaMuseum on Rt. 209 in Cuddebackville.

Tree Eaters: Stories of Herbs, Forestsand Well-Being, a collection of her articles,is $17.95 ppd.CaIl NYFOA 800/836-3566.

AdirondackForestry Inc.

Incorporated 1955

Services Include:Timber InventoryTimber Appraisal

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Garry 1.Nelson • (518) 793-9022James A. Farrar • (518) 623-9449Dennis M. Flynn • (518) 581-1055

Member of SAF, NYFOA,Tree Farm, NYS Coop. Cons. For.

E·Mail: fatbike@capital.net.

MAY/JUNE 1998.

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Contact: R.J. Fox, EditorRD 3, Box 88,Moravia, NY13118FaX/Phone:

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NY FOREST OWNER 36:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1998' 23

R.J. Fox, EditorRD#3,Box 88Moravia, NY 13118FaxlPhone (315) 497-1078dfox@baldcom.net New York Forest Owners Assoc., Inc.

Debbie Gill

PO Box 180

Fairport, NY 14450-0000NOTICETHE FOREST OWNER is mailed

third class and will not be forwarded;notify Administrative Secretary DebbieGill, PO Box 180, Fairport 14450 or call1/800/836/3566 with a change in ad-dress!

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NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

9810

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMoravia, N.Y.

13118Permit No. 21

rOUNDED 1963

WOODLOTCALENDAR

MAY 5: Ellicottville orMAY 6: Tully orMAY 7: Wanakena: Three day choice;The Hazard Tree Dilemma; A LoggerTraining Workshop; Apply SUNY, 315/470-6891

MAY 6: WFL; 7:30PM; Topic TBA;Mendon Fire Hall; 716/586-9098

MAY 9: SOT; lOAM; Ponds (3) Walk;Whitney Point; 607/656-8504

OCT 3,4: NYFOA's FAMILY FORESTFAIR; Washington County Fairgrounds;Greenwich; 5181797-3705

MAY/JUNE 1998