The New York Forest Owner - Volume 37 Number 5

The New Yorl(

Forest OwnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

September/October 1999

Volume 37Number 5 FOUNDED 1963

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERS

ASSOCIATIONVolume 37, Number 5

Officers & DirectorsRonald Pedersen, President

22 Vandenburg Lane,Latham, NY 12110; (518) 785-6061

Jim Minor, Vice President

22 Bryn Mawr Road

Rochester, NY 14624; (716) 247-7069

Robert Sykes, Secretary

4786 Foster Road

Elbridge, NY 13060; (315) 673-3691

Don Wagner, Treasurer

5330 Graham Road,

Utica, NY 13502; (315) 733-7391

Deborah Gill, Administrative Secretary

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

2000Hugh Canham, N. Syracuse; (315) 457-4972

John Hastings, Queensbury; (518) 798-0248

Ronald Pedersen, Latham; (518) 785-6061

Betty Wagner, Utica; (315) 733-7391

2001Jill Cornell, Johnsonville, (518) 753-4336

Nick Polee, Remsen, (315) 831-5301

Dave Swaciak, Franklinville, (716) 676-2349

Robert Sykes, Elbridge, (315) 673-3691

2002Harry Dieter, Honeoye Falls, (716) 533-2085

Mike Greason, Catskill, (518) 943-9230

Jack Hamilton, Wayland, (716) 728-5769

Rolf Wentorf, Johnsonville, (518) 753-0228

Chapter RepresentativesCharlie Mowatt, Allegheny Foothills; (716) 676-3617

Stephen Davison, Cayuga; (315) 496-2392

Joan & Hans Kappel, Capital District; (518) 861-8753

John Druke, Central New York; (315) 656-2313

Gene McCardle, Lower Hudson; (914) 945-0504

Pat Ward, Northern Adirondack; (315) 268-0902

Don Fraser, Niagara Frontier; (716) 773-7011

Peter Gregory, SE Adirondack; (518) 399-1812

Larry Lepak, Southern Tier; (607) 656-8504

Peter Smallidge, Southern Finger Lakes; (607) 255-4696

Jim Minor, Western Finger Lakes; (716) 247-7069

The New York Woodland Stewards,Inc. (NYWS) is a 501(c)3 foundationof NYFOA and tax deductible dona-tions to this organization will advanceNYFOA's educational mission.

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproducedwithoutprior written permission front the publisher.NYFOA does not necessarily support or approvepro-cedures, products, or opinions presented by authorsor advertisers.

© 1999 New York Forest Owners Association

In This Issue • • •

FROM THE PRESIDENT

RON PEDERSEN , 3

IN THE MAIL 4

LISTENING

DINNIE SLOMAN 5

A NEW RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE

STACIE EDICK AND TIM VOLK 6

RESERVATION FORM FOR NYFOA FALL MEETING 9

ALONG THE FINGER LAKES TRAIL

IRENE SZABO 10

GETTING STARTED IN FORESTRY

PETER SMALLIDGE 12

DEFOLIATION BY OYSTERSHELL SCALE

DOUGLAS ALLEN 14

MOTORIZED ATV's AND DIRTBIKES

RICHARD GIBBS 16

WOODLOT CALENDAR 19

LEISURE LOGGING

PATRICK IZELLY 20

THE MARKETPLACE 23

The New Yorlz

Forest OwnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Materials submitted for publication should be sent to: Mary Beth Malmsheimer, Editor, TheNew YorkForest Owner, J 34 Lincklaen Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035. Materials may alsobe e-mailed to [email protected]. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and ifrequested,are returned after use. The deadline for submission for the November/December issue isOctober 1,1999,

Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to P.O. Box 180,Fairport, N.Y.14450. 1-800-836-3566. Cost ofindividual membership/subscription is $20.

COVER: Felling and bucking crew at Munro Woodlot in Camillus, NY.October, 1922. Photo courtesy of SUNY College of EnvironmentalScience and Forestry (SUNY ESF) Archives.

The New York Forest Owner 37:5 • September/October 19992

mailto:[email protected].

FT~PresidentA couple of weeks ago Peggy and

I stopped for dinner at Brooks'

Chicken Barbecue in Oneonta.

While waiting to be seated, we weredelighted to see on the bulletin board a

NYFOA patch, a Tree Farm sign, andthe "I am an American Tree Farmer"bumper sticker. My thanks to Joan and

John Brooks and their family for

displaying signs of good forestry in a

place for many to see.The signs are reminiscent of a

plaque hanging in my office many years

ago from a community service agencywith which I was affiliated. Visitors

used to ask me about the plaque-whichof course, was exactly its purpose.

There are many facets to spreadingthe word to landowners and the general

public on the wise use of our forest

resources. While we can sometimesspeak directly with landowners, weneed to consider indirect communica-

tion to landowners and the generalpublic as well. Messages through

roadside signs, bumper stickers, andbulletin boards can all be helpful.

Perhaps you know of a bulletin board

near you that would help, or possibili-ties for a sign in your office or place ofbusiness that would attract questionsand convey a message.

The Brooks family has set anexample for all of us -let's run with it!

Let me know what works in your area.At the June 26th Board of Directors

meeting, the list of ideas on future stepsfor NYFOA was discussed further and

consensus reached on short termobjectives in the following areas:

Chapter Development, LandownerOutreach, Public Policy, Communica-

tions, and Youth Education. I hope allNYFOA members will pitch in withtheir ideas and energies as committees

are formed in these areas and efforts goforward.

County units of the New York Farm

Bureau are being invited to considertimber theft prevention and wiseharvesting practices as programs for

their meetings for this fall. Earlier thisyear, State Farm Bureau President John

Lincoln told me that he feels theirfarmer members would benefit fromlearning more about their farm

woodlots. He pointed out that manyfarmers might be vulnerable to less-

than-ideal proposals regarding theirtimber, since their major focus must be

on their livestock and crops.As a result, Farm Bureau and

NYFOA are sharing local contact listsso that county Farm Bureau leaders cancontact local NYFOA leaders, and vice

versa, in those counties in which FarmBureau wants to explore use of

NYFOA's TIMBER THEFT!!! videoprogram. This is an important outreachopportunity for both NYFOA and theFarm Bureau.

I hope to see many of you at

NYFOA's fall meeting in Rochester onOctober 9th

. Our Western Finger Lakes

chapter has put a lot of work intoplanning and arranging an excellentprogram on urban forestry - see page 9for details. See you there!

- Ron Pedersen

President

J · ,NYFOA is a not-for-om profit group of NY• State landowners

promoting stewardship of privateforests. Stewardship puts intopractice knowledge of forest ecosys-tems, silviculture, local economies,watersheds, wildlife, natural aesthet-ics and even law for the long termbenefit of current and future genera-tions. NYFOA, through its localchapters, provides this knowledge forlandowners and the interested public.

Join NYFOA today and begin toreceive the many benefits including:six issues of The New York ForestOwner, woodswalks, chapter meet-ings, and two statewide meetings forall members.

IIWe would like to support goodforestry and stewardship of NewYork's forest lands

( ) IIWe own acres ofwoodland.( ) IIWe do not own woodland but sup-port the Association's objectives.

Name: _

Address: _

City: _

State/Zip: _

Telephone: _

County of Residence: _

County of Woodlot: _

Referred by: _

Annual Dues (Please Circle One):Student $10Individual $20Family (co-owners) $25Contributing $30-$100Sponsoring $101+

Please make check payable to NewYork Forest Owners Association, or,if you prefer, by check payable toNew York Woodland Stewards, Inc.(NYWS, a tax deductible fund),including any contribution in excessof your NYFOA membership andsend to:

NYFOAPO. Box 180

Fairport, New York 144501-800-836-3566

The New York Forest Owner 37:5 • September/October 1999 3

In TheMAIL

Woodlands Field DayThe Southern Finger Lakes Chapter

had a Woodland Field Day at CornellUniversity's Arnot Forest on July 10.Many people came and we had a goodtime. In addition to a walk through a

wildlife habitat and forest demonstrationarea, a special program was presented inthe afternoon, one which may be ofinterest to other Chapters of NYFOA.

This program introduced us to themysteries of property surveys. It had

two parts: Allen Fulkerson, a chaptermember and land surveyor, spoke about

current land surveying procedures.Later, members Tim Levatich and

Robert O'Brien gave us exercises onhow to locate survey elements in thefield.

Where do we find our property

deeds? Do we know the boundaries ofour forest accurately or only vaguely?

How many of us can locate corners, finddistant points with ease, know how to

settle disputes about the exact locationof property lines and corners with our

neighbors?These and many other questions

were answered in detail. Al showed us

modern surveying equipment and let us

use it. He talked about old and new

surveys, how they were prepared andhow their accuracies differ, where andhow to find deeds and surveys of ourproperties. Tim taught us how to pace

distances accurately without dragging along tape around the woods and Bob

had us use our compass to walk in astraight line towards a given target. It

was all very fascinating.These are topics and skills every

forest owner should be very familiar

with and all Chapters would be welladvised to conduct instructive programson these subjects. How, for example,

can we deal with timber theft unless weknow all of the above? Most surveyors

will be pleased to participate if asked bytheir local forest owners. Most foresters

will be equally glad to teach membershow to find things in the forest using

compass and pacing. This knowledgeand these skills are easy to acquire at aChapter field day such as we had. Try it,

it is a lot of fun!

-Peter S. LevatichBrooktondale, NY

Woodland Field Day at Arnot Forest.

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4 The New York Forest Owner 37:5 • September/October 1999

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LISTENING

As a proud member of the Societyof American Foresters, I hold

foresters in high esteem. They

have at least a college degree, with some

holding graduate degrees. Regardless ofthe level of education, most foresters haveyears of on-the-ground, practical experi-

ence. These two traits mean that foresters

have the knowledge to manage forests.Foresters are interdisciplinary managerswho balance the landowner's goals with

the science and methodology required toenhance timber, wildlife, water, recre-

ation, livestock and other resources.

Equally important, most foresters have apassion, beyond the need to earn a living,to help society get the natural resources it

needs, to help landowners meet theirgoals and to protect ecosystem health and

function. As professionals, forestersrecognize their ethical duty.

Unfortunately, we all know that this

positi ve vision of the forestry profession

is not shared by everyone. Due to thecontroversies over owl habitat and clearcutting, environmentalists have criticized

foresters harshly. But are radical activiststhe only ones pointing fingers? In the last

few months I have heard several interest-ing comments about foresters. Here arethree examples:

"Foresters only look up at sawlogs.If you want to manage for Wildlife, youwill have to force them to look at theground where wildlife lives. Forestersdon't really care about wildlife. They willtry to tell you that managing for timber

RICHARD CIPPERLYNORTH COUNTRYFORESTRY LLC

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5

DINNIE SLOMAN

will always improve wildlife habitat, evenif the species you wish to favor has otherneeds. "

"When starting to manage your land,begin by getting independent advice.Don't make the mistake of beginning witha logger or a forester. Neither isindependent since both have a financialstake in the management of yourproperty. "

"It's too badforesters don't consideranything but the value of timber. Theyshould admit that they don't knowanything or care about Wildlife and fish.Then maybe they could help landownersby reaching out to wildlife and fisheriesmanagers. "

These comments did not come from

ignorant, anti-forestry people. In fact,they came from some of our biggest

supporters. The first quote was made by aformer New York State Tree Farmer ofthe Year and Master Forest Owner who

knows, likes and uses foresters for themanagement of his property. His

statement was made to a group oflandowners just beginning wildlife

management on their properties. Thesecond quote came from a member ofNYFOA and a Master Forest Owner,who has used the services of a forester

during his timber harvests. He wasspeaking to a different group oflandowners thinking about their

management options. The third statementwas made at a project planning meeting

involving representatives from severaldifferent agencies and organizations. It

was made by an employee of the NYSDepartment of Environmental

Conservation.

My first inclination, as a forester, isto get a little angry and dismiss thestatements as misguided. I know many

foresters who do not fit the imagedepicted by these statements. Yet,

knowing the sources, foresters have totake them seriously. These perceptions,


having been based on years of experiencewith foresters, are just as valid as mine.

Foresters must admit that, in general, wehave failed to create a positive image of

our profession even with people activelyusing our services! Foresters cannot

excuse these attitudes as being the smear

tactics of radical activists. They (1) onlyhave themselves (myself) to blame.

Here are my suggestions to foresters,including myself. (1) Foresters must listenand learn. Take every comment seriously

and evaluate whether behavioral changeswill improve our image. Small, individual

steps by many people will add up. (2)Adopt strategies and business practicesfrom the realm of customer service.

Pleasing the customer requires that we

listen and serve them as best we can.Within reason, deliver what they want.(3) If we wish to be treated as

interdisciplinary experts, then we musteither learn the other disciplines or bring

in experts as needed. (4) We mustexamine our fees and commissions to

expose systems that create potentialconflicts, and then adopt different,

creative methods of compensation that arenot tied to our management decisions.Since I know that many foresters believethat timber sale commissions are the only

way to earn a living, this suggestionprobably will rile a few of them.

Nevertheless, it is hard to argue with theconcerns of our knowledgeablelandowning friends.

Image is built one forester at a time.

Big media public relations campaigns bythe Society of American Foresters will

not have the same impact as a bunch ofthoughtful, independent foresters "doin'the right thing." Iknow we are proud of

our profession. Let's spread that goodfeeling to our clients and the rest ofsociety .•.

Dinnie Sloman is the current chair of the NewYork Society of American Foresters andExecutive Director of the Catskill ForestAssociation, Arkville, NY.

A new source of renewableenergy is growing on farms inWestern New York. Carefully

selected hybrid willow and poplarbioenergy crops are being planted tosupply fuel to be co-fired with coal inelectric power plants. (See NYFO"Commercialization and Scale Up ofWillow Biomass For RenewableEnergy" NovlDec 96, Vo1.35, No.6) Todate, almost 300 acres have beenplanted on leased, privately owned landin Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Coun-ties. Over 20 organizations have joinedtogether under the umbrella of the SalixConsortium to develop a commerciallyviable and environmentally sustainablewillow bioenergy industry. The projectis funded by the U.S. Department ofEnergy's Biomass Power for RuralDevelopment Program, USDA, andNYS Energy Research and Develop-ment Authority. Niagara MohawkPower Company is the lead agency onthe project. The State University of NewYork, College of EnvironmentalScience and Forestry (SUNY ESF) hasbeen conducting research in short

rotation intensive woody crops since1983. Cornell University Biological andAgricultural Engineering has adaptedSwedish planting machinery to meetlocal conditions. South Central NewYork Resource Conservation andDevelopment (SoCNY RC&D) hasbeen helping with landowner/farmerparticipation, and community outreachand education efforts.

MarketBioenergy crops are attractive to the

power generation industry because theycan reduce emissions at the power plant.Co-firing wood with coal reduces sulfuremissions, and under certain conditionsmay reduce nitrous oxide emissions aswell, both precursors of acid rain.Willow biomass crops are consideredcarbon dioxide neutral because thegrowing crops absorb as much CO

2as is

released during production and burningof the fuel. This aspect will becomeincreasingly important with the growingconcern over global warming and theneed to reduce levels of atmosphericcarbon.

The first Willow Biomass Community Meeting was held in Fredonia, NY onOctober 28, 1998.

Deregulation of the electric utilityindustry in New York State has createda new challenge for the Salix Consor-tium. Niagara Mohawk recently sold theDunkirk Power Plant to NRG, a subsid-iary of Northern States Power ofMinnesota. It is still too early to deter-mine if NRG will choose to join theSalix Consortium. But it is encouragingthat Niagara Mohawk has been in theprocess of making retrofits to one of theDunkirk boilers to allow co-firing ofwood. The handling and storagefacilities for wood are near completion.

The need for a renewable source ofenergy is the driving force behind theWillow Bioenergy Project, but with thecomplexities of deregulation in NewYork State other markets are beingexplored. Supplemental markets forwillow may include feedstock forchemical production, institutionalheating, medium grade pellet fuel forhigh efficiency residential pellet stoves,landscaping mulch, composting mate-rial, basketry and craft uses, andcomposite materials such as fiberboard.

Why Willow?Many people know that willow is

not a good choice for firewood andquestion why it would be grown forfuel. While willow does not comparewell on a volume or per cord basis toother woods such as maple and beech, itdoes in fact provide as much energy orBTU's on a per ton basis. So, althoughit is not a good choice for a wood stove(which would require frequent loading),it is an excellent choice as a fuel cropfor power plants.

Willow shrubs have been selectedfor their ease of establishment, rapidgrowth, strong coppicing ability (shrubsgrow back when cut low) and disease


The Frobbesta plants 10-inch cuttings at the rate of one-half acre

per hour.

resistance. Once established, willows

fully occupy the site and are a low

maintenance crop compared to otherannual crops. Coppice harvesting allowsmultiple harvests from the same root-

stock, so fields do not have to bereplanted for 21 years or 7 harvests.

Yields are very high. Willow crops

produce 5-7 oven-dry tons per acre peryear, or 15-21 oven-dry tons per acre atharvest. These advantages make willow

a promising bioenergy crop.

Production SystemWillow is spring planted in a dense

double row system, at a rate of about6,200 cuttings per acre. The hybridwillows selected for this system do not

spread by root suckers. The SwedishFrobbesta was the first planting machine

SAF Certified

. GREASONSBRYlCBS

518) 943-9230reason@francomm,com

5476 Cauterskill RoadCatskill, NY 12414

used in the project. It

plants one double row

using lO-inchcuttings, at a rate of112 acre per hour. A

third of this year's

200 acres was plantedwith a new StepPlanter. This is the

first machine of itskind in North

America. TheSwedish Step Planter

can plant two double

rows at a time using4-6 foot whips, at arate of 2 acres per

hour. Cornell University Biological and

Agricultural Engineering supervises and

trains crew on the new machinery and

makes adjustments and changes asnecessary, FORECON Inc. of

Jamestown has provided the crew for

the planting season and maintenance ofthe willow crops.

Weed control is extremely impor-tant during establishment. Both chemi-

cal and mechanical methods are used.The willow is cut back in the winter of

the first year to encourage growth ofmultiple stems the following spring.

Harvest occurs every 3 to 5 years from

the same root stock. Harvesting in thewinter after leaf fall allows nutrients toreturn to the root system to assure

vigorous growth the following spring.

The Salix Consortium has been

considering three harvesting options.The Claus Jaguar is a corn harvester

with a modified head. It cuts and chops

the willow and blows the chips into a

wagon. The advantage to this machineis that it can be used for corn harvest in

the fall, and by changing heads it canalso be used in the winter for harvestingwillow. The Bender is a smaller, tractor-mounted harvester. It also cuts and

chips the willow and blows the chips

into a wagon. It is smaller and less

expensive and could be used on agreater variety of fields, smaller fieldswith more slope. However, it does not

harvest as many acres per hour as theClaus does. The final option is a whole-stem harvester. The advantage to this is

that the whole stems can be left in the

field to dry before chipping, therebyreducing transportation costs by de-

creasing the amount of water beingtransported.

Landowner and FarmerParticipation

The Salix Consortium has designedtwo options for landowners who want to

participate in the development of thisnew crop. The first is to lease landwhere the Consortium is responsible forall aspects of production and mainte-

nance of the crop. The second option isto contract with farmers to grow the

willow. In order for the project to

continued on page 8

The new Step Planter plants two double rows at a rate of 2 acres per hour.


ANew Renewable Energy Source (con't from page 7)

benefit from the extensive knowledge oflocal farmers, and to provide them withhands-on experience with willowbiomass crops, the Salix Consortium isnegotiating with area farmers who willbe closely involved in the productionprocess. They will be responsible forsite preparation, planting, weed controland maintenance. The Consortium willprovide technical supervision andharvesting. SoCNY RC&D is assistingthe Consortium to identify and workwith these local farmers.

Dennis Barmore of Gerry, NY wasthe first farmer to sign on under thegrower option. He is enthusiastic abouttrying this new crop on his farm. Hisneighbor, Al Brown is leasing 20 acresto the Salix Consortium. Al was at-tracted to the project because he says,"The Willow Biomass Project includesthree dominant themes of this centuryand the century to come. These areresearch into and development ofalternative sources of energy produc-tion, more usage of renewable andsustainable resources, and greaterconcern for the environment. Althoughbiomass fuels are already used inNorthern Europe, this is a new conceptfor our area as a crop and as a source ofincome on today's marginal farmland.Biomass fuels also can be a partialanswer to the problems of pollution forcoal-fired power plants. We are lookingforward to working with the manyparties involved in getting this projectunderway for the sake of the environ-ment, the economy, and technologicalprogress in general."

Other BenefitsWillow crops can also provide

multiple non-market benefits. CornellUniversity's Department of Ornithologyis conducting studies on bird diversity inwillow crops. Thirty-four bird specieshave been seen and 7 of these have beenfound nesting in the willow plantings.Harvesting occurs in the winter months

LandVest The Next Level of ServiceA company of experienced professionals dedicated to providing consulting and

marketing services to owners of forest land. Our Timberland,Consulting & Marketing Divisions specialize in:

when birds are not nesting. Further-more, willows attract successionalspecies, birds that choose habitats offields changing into forest. These birdsare accustomed to finding new nestingsites every few years or even everyseason. With other willow acreage inthe vicinity, and similar natural habitatavailable as well, the loss of harvestedfields should not cause a problem forthe birds. Three-year-old willow standsmight provide a suitable habitat forGolden-Winged Warblers. These birdsare rapidly declining in New York,partly due to loss of habitat, and partlydue to hybridization with Blue-WingedWarblers.

Because of willows' rapid growth,extensive perennial root system andhigh rate of nutrient uptake, willowcrops could be used on farms in nutrientmanagement plans. Willows have beenused for phytoremediation: they areplanted on contaminated sites to provideboth ground cover and to reduce levelsof contaminates in the soil. Willow hasalso been established along highways asa living snow fence and it provides agood windbreak for farms and residen-tial uses.

While co-firing wood with coal inpower plants reduces CO

2emissions,

there is also the possibility that scien-tists will develop a way to measure theamount of carbon that willow and otherbioenergy crops store in the soil. Thiswould provide a "carbon sink" to storecarbon that would otherwise be cycled

Adirondack Office64 Park Street, PO Box 873,

Tupper Lake, NY 12986;(518) 359-2385

OTHER LOCA TIONSBoston.Ms.> Albany, VT' Concord, NH

Portland and Jackman, ME

into the atmosphere. (See NYFO"Forests and Climate Change" July/Aug98 Vol. 36, No.4)

To Find Out MoreThe Salix Consortium will be

hosting a Community Meeting onOctober 6, 1999 at the AgriculturalService Center in Jamestown, NY. TheCommunity Meeting is intended toinform the public about the WillowBioenergy Project and to continue adialogue about economic, environmen-tal and agricultural benefits. A presenta-tion will be made, giving an overviewof the project and Salix Consortiumpartners will be available to answerquestions. A site tour of willow cropswill also be available.

.For more information on theWillow Bioenergy Project or theCommunity Meeting, please contact:

Stacie EdickBiomass Field RepresentativeSoCNY RC&D99 North Broad StreetNorwich, NY 13815Phone 607-334-4715 ext 4oremailstedick@nynorwich·fsc.usda.govYou can also visit SUNY ESF's

Willow Biomass web sitewww.esf.edu/willow •..

Stacie Edick is Biomass Field Representative,

SoCNY Resource Conservation & Develop-ment. Tim Yolk is Biomass Program Directorat SUNY College of Environmental Science

and Forestry.

• Timberland Management

• Forest Land Marketing & Sales

• Real Estate Asset Planning

• Land Use Planning

• Appraisal & Conservation Services


http://www.esf.edu/willow

NYFOA Fall Membership MeetingSaturday, October 9, 1999

Sponsored by

Western Fingerlakes Chapter

Urban Forestry at Cornell Cooperative Extension249 Highland Avenue

Rochester, NYRochesterhas been a leaderin urban forestrysincetree planting on city streets commencedin 1837. Theworld'slargestnurseryof the 19th centurybecameHighlandPark,designedbyFrederickOlmsteadin 1888.It containedmanyexotictreesand 315 speciesof conifers.Seesomeofthe unusualtreesthat willgrowin ourarea.Their managementand that of the park will be discussedby City, County, and DEC foresters.

Agenda:10:00-11:00 am11:00-12:00 am12:00-1:00 pm1:00-5:00 pm5:30-6:30 pm6:30-7:30 pm7:30-8:30 pm

Coffee and Registration at Highland AvenueUrban Forestry in ParksLunchTour of Highland and Durand Eastman ParksSocial Hour: Cash Bar at Winton PlaceDinnerUrban Forestry in Cities

Directions:You can reach 249 Highland Ave. via Interstate 390 from the south from Route 17 or Thru-way Exit 46. Go North on 390 to Exit 16. Then north on Route 15A to South Avenue or Mt.Hope Avenue. Proceed 1.5 miles and turn right on Highland Ave; Exit 16 on Interstate 390can also be reached, through several confusing interchanges: from the Thruway exit 47 take490 to 390 south, or from Exit 45 take 490 to 590 south to 390 north. Maps for tours) dinner)and lodging will be available at the meeting.

Lodging:At Exit 14 on Interstate 390 - West on Jefferson Rd. (Route 252)

Holiday Inn: $79 until 9/11/99, Phone: 800-HolidayEconolodge: $59 until 9/8/99, Phone: 800-837-9906

At Exit 12 on Interstate 390 and Thruway Exit 46 - West on Lehigh Station Rd.Microtel: $35.95 (1-4 people), Phone: 716-334-3400Marriott: $80 until 9/24/99, Phone: 800-228-9292 (go south on Route 15 for one halfmile)

Detach Reservation Form

Reservations and cancellations must be received by Thursday September 30, 1999

Attending from 10 am - 5:00 pm # @$15.00 _Attending from 10 am - 8:30 pm # @ $27.00 _Total Enclosed: -----------Names:Address:Phone:

Send to: NYFOA, Box 180, Fairport, NY 14450


IRENE SZABO

Along the Finger LakesTrail:A Giftfrom the Beans

ofMcGraw) NY

About ten miles straight east ofCortland, lies Taylor ValleyState Forest. It runs along both

sides of a road by the same name, andparallels Cheningo Creek at the bottomof a steep-sided (viciously understated!)valley. The state forest sports its owntreasures and treats, upon which I shalllater wax rhapsodic paragraphs, but thecrowning surprise is along the level topof the west side. There, a privateinholding within state forest has re-mained accessible to the hiking publicdue to the echoing effects of a deadman's land ethic.

After World War I their father eachgave Merton Bean and his brothers$1,000.00, and urged that they invest itwisely in "safe" railroad stock. To hisfather's dismay, Merton Bean boughttwo tired-out hilltop farms for $500apiece; properties at 1,800-1,900 feet inelevation that were reachable, even in1920, only by abandoned town roads!Before the state even began reforesta-tion, Bean had all the open areas handplanted to young trees by hiring thewives of Italian immigrants for that

painful and boring task. One shud-ders to think what Bean paid them,but Bean's foresight in replantingthese useless fields was astoundingand well ahead of his time.

I wish I'd met Merton Bean; hewas a landowner who welcomed theFinger Lakes Trail (FLT) across hisproperty in a neighborhood I've onlyhiked through. The AdirondackMountain Club's Onondaga Chapter,out of the Syracuse area, made all thelandowner contacts. They built thetrail through this region so I didn'thear of the Beans until after Merton'sdeath. I was fortunate to speak to hisson William only then because hisheirs gave the Finger Lake TrailConference a permanent easementbefore they sold the forested prop-erty. Merton had been so interestedin conservation, hiking, and sharingthe outdoors with youngsters, as wellas delighted to have the Finger LakesTrail cross his property, that hisgrown children knew he would havegranted a permanent trail routepermission had we been smart

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Merton Bean pruning one of his trees

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William did solve one mysteryfor me: the Beans came to nearbySolon from New Hampshire in1804. They immediately built farms

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10 The New York Forest Owner37:5 • September/October 1999

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on hilltops, as did all their neighbors,because it was accepted "fact" thatlowland swamps and mosquitoes caused"fevers." Today the public enjoysthousands of acres of public reforesta-tion land, mostly on hilltops, becausethat's where settlers thought they should

try to cultivate rocky, waterless knobswith thin soil and longer winters. Theirfarms' eventual failures gave New YorkState the opportunity to buy ruined landcheap that should have stayed forestedanyway. Lucky us.

There are literally several days'worth of hilly state forest hiking trailsavailable in this area, which are notsubject to the whims of changing privateowners. This is an immense relief to thegroup that must maintain trail continuityand good landowner relations for amind-boggling 90 miles of trail. Whilethe state can log its forests, causing trailreroutes or extra clean up by volunteers,that's not a patch on the agony ofworrying over the critical private trailsections that connect each long stateforest walk. For instance, what good is aten-mile trail through a state forestwithout access from a road? Bean'sproperty, plunk in the middle of exten-sive public land with a dizzying drop-off along the east edge, was one of thosevital links; if the FLT had lost permis-sion through there, the long and sense-less reroute around it would have meanta sad loss in trail quality.

The Bean property has provided aquality walk: nearly level, it features

both middle-aged evergreen plantationsand 75-year-old maturing hardwoods. Aspring walk one year showed surpriseclumps of old-fashioned double daffo-dils in bloom, hinting at the farm homesthat must have stood nearby perhaps ahundred years ago. The new owners ofthe Bean estate had much of the immi-grant-planted hardwoods harvested soonafter the trail easement went into effect,but plenty of seed trees remain in theforest. In the unexpected sunshine afterselective logging, wildflowers ran riotthat year, and we hikers on a wonderfulday in early May 1997 thought we'dseen the best a day could offer in theway of varieties and quantity.

Then we dropped off the hill intoheaven. The west side of Taylor Valleyis so incredibly steep that the trail routefollows a DEC truck trail, called"Cortland Two Road," that was dugslanting gradually across the hillside forover two miles after World War II. Aperfectly drivable dirt road, in otherthan snowy times, affords even thelegless and lungless a close look at themost flower-bathed hillside imaginable.Under a dark forest canopy of mapleand ash there were literally millions ofnodding white and deep red trilliumcarpeting the ground, and this ecstasykept going for miles! Both squirrel cornand Dutchman's breeches showed theirsimilar little upside-down pairs ofwhitish pants for learners to comparethem. Every special wildflower thatappears in that wondrous first week of

May was availablethere, and not just instingy doses either.There was a veritablegluttony of beauty onall sides, and one wasgrateful for thegradually gradedroad for walking, lestfootfalls squash fourflowers per step.

The footpathleaves the roadbefore the bottomand slants back

Merton Bean

across the base of the dark hillside justabove the boggy and busy Cheningo at1200 feet. While summer thunderstormscan render the creek unapproachable,most times it can be crossed on a rusticwooden footbridge into the state'sbriefly level picnic and camping areaunder tall Norway spruce, 700 feetbelow the Bean forest. Soon, of course,the trail climbs the east side on a slopethat tilts just shy of requiring travel onall fours ... one of those toils that mademe ask between grunts and gasps justWHY I was hiking this a second time!

Why, indeed. Suppose I had notfollowed friends there for the treats ofearly May just because I had already"done" that trail on FLT Map 21? 4-

In addition to tending New York trails, IreneSzabo is a member of the Western FingerLakes Chapter of NYFOA and a Director of

the Finger Lakes Land Trust.

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11The New York Forest Owner 37:5 • September/October 1999

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Whether your forest orwoodlot is mixed amongagricultural fields, part of a

larger tract of forest, or on the edge ofa suburban area, you share somethingsimilar with other forest owners whoare interested in forestry - you allhad to start someplace. However,getting started can be a barrier formany people to fully enjoying theirforest.

People own forests and woodlotsfor many different reasons and havean equal number of benefits they wantto receive from their property. Know-ing your reasons and desired benefitsare your forest management objec-tives, a critical first step in gettingstarted. Your objectives are thestarting point in forestry because youcan't know what you should do untilyou know what you want to do. Manypeople think of forest land as a placeto produce timber, but many morebenefits are also possible. Actually,most forest owners have objectivesthat focus more on wildlife, recre-ation, and aesthetics than sellingtimber. If you jointly own yourproperty, with your spouse or businesspartner, discuss your objectives soeveryone has the same vision. If youaren't quite sure what your objectivesare, then ask yourself some questions:Why do you own the land? What doyou like about your land? What doyou dislike? What are your needs in 5,10 or 20 years? Not all of your forestland will necessarily have the sameprimary objective. One area may be asugar bush while another area isdevoted to wildlife or recreation. The

PETER SMALLIDGE

answers to these questions and discus-sions with some of the people men-tioned below will help you clarifyyour objectives. Having a clear sense,and ideally a written statement, ofyour objectives is important becauseyour objectives should be the basis forall future activities on your property.

A good activity once you havestarted thinking about your objectivesis to make a list of the people who areavailable to help you. These peoplecan be divided into two groups, non-technical and technical. Non-technicalassistance is provided throughvolunteers such as theMaster Forest Ownerswho are trained byCornell CooperativeExtension. MasterForest Owners, orMFOs, are forestowners like youwho have aninterest and com-mitment to helpingother forest ownersget started. Theyhave a wealth ofexperience from theirproperty and those of otherforest owners they have met,and can help give you someideas. They are also familiarwith the people and publications that

can help you make a final decision.Additional non-technical assistance isavailable through groups such asNYFOA or the Catskill Forest Asso-ciation. Your local office of CornellCooperative Extension can help youfind a MFO in your neighborhood andthey or the Department of Environ-mental Conservation can help you findthe forest owner associations.

Technical assistance is alsoreadily available throughout NewYork. For general information offorest and woodlot managementcontact your local office of CornellCooperative Extension. They havepublications and bulletins with infor-mation on a variety of subjects such astree identification, wildlife habitat,and forest owner planning. CornellCooperative Extension will also know

of upcoming forest ownerworkshops that may be of

interest to you. If youare interested in

aerial photographs,topographicmaps, or soilsinformation youshould checkwith you localSoil and WaterConservationDistrict. Forprofessionalforestry advice

you should contactyour local New York

Department of EnvironmentalConservation (DEC) office.The DEC has professional

foresters who will visit with you on


your property for free to discuss yourforest management options. An earliervisit from a MFO may help give yousome ideas and questions for the DECforester. The DEC foresters will haveinformation on cost-share programsand the New York Forest Tax Law.Finally, if you decide to contact aprivate forester, the DEC forester hasa list for your county.

The next thing you will likelywant to do, if you haven't already, isto become familiar with your property.Look over the maps and photos youreceived from your Soil and WaterConservation District. Walk throughthe woods on some of the old trailsand woods roads that may exist. Walkthe boundary lines and make sure theyare evident so others don't mistakesome of your trees for their own.Spend some time talking with thosewho own the adjacent property. Yourneighbors may know something of thehistory of the area, the history of yourforest, and perhaps the previousowner. Ideally you would mutuallyagree to inform each other of loggingactivities so there are no surprises.

Once you have started gettingmore familiar with your property youshould work with your DEC foresteror a private forester to write a forestmanagement plan. Plan writing is ateam effort with your forester, but asthe owner you are the final decisionmaker for what happens on yourforest. A written management planwill offer many benefits, including astatement of your objectives, a de-scription of your property, the condi-tion of the forest, the potential benefitsyou can expect from your forest,streams and soils, unique features, andthe types of wildlife habitat that exist.The plan will also let you decide aschedule of activities that are consis-tent with your objectives. A plan isn'tnecessarily a complex document, andthere may be cost -share moneyavailable to offset the cost so checkwith your DEC forester.

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These ideas will hopefully helpyou get started in the right directionwith the management of your forest orwoodlot. There are many benefits youcan enjoy from your woodlot, andgetting started correctly will ensureyou can realize all those benefits. Ifyou would like additional informationyou can contact Cornell UniversityDepartment of Natural Resources(607) 255-2814 and request the"Extension Forestry General Informa-tion Packet." Also, contact your localoffice of Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion for publications such as theConservation Circular "Assistance forNew York Forest Owners" or Infor-mation Bulletin 193 "Wildlife andTimber from Private Lands: ALandowner's Guide to Planning".Participating in forestry is the fun part,so enjoy the process .•.

Dr. Smallidge is the State Extension Forester,Cornell University. This article, which is part of aseries entitled "Forests For Tomorrow, " isavailablejrom Cornell Cooperative News Service.

Bruce E.Robinson,

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13

DEFOLIATIONby Oystershell Scale

DOUGLAS C. ALLEN

This bizarre looking animalbelongs to a group of insectsknown as the "hard" scales, the

general biology and description ofwhich appeared in the Marchi April1997 issue of the Forest Owner. In thatarticle, oystershell scale was depicted asa sucking insect found on the bark ofthe host. Indeed, this is its usual habitaton a variety of broadleaved trees andshrubs throughout the northern two-thirds of North America.

Principle HostsNortheastern forests include

maples, beech, ash, elm, linden, poplar,and willow. Oystershell scale firstgained notoriety as a major pest in fruit

Figure 1Twig of American beechinfested with oystershell scale.

growing regions where heavy infesta-tions often reduced the quantity andquality of produce, reduced leaf size,discolored foliage, and often killed theplant.

Damage to BarkSevere damage to bark of favored

hosts such as apple, pear, plum, and ashoccurs when scale populations are sohigh they completely encrust the barkwith their waxy excretions. An indi-vidual scale's thread-like, suckingmouthparts are very small. Even so,during the feeding process cells arekilled in the immediate vicinity of thefeeding site. At high population densi-ties, feeding sites eventually coalescecausing the bark to dry, crack andeventually it sloughs away.

The ScaleThe scale is approximately 118inch

long, narrow at the anterior end with abroad, round posterior (Fig. 1). Thegrayish to polished brown appearance is

Figure 2 Beech twig and leaf petiole

encrusted with scale.

due mainly to the waxy excretionproduced by the scale which becomesmatted and fuses with cast skins of theimmature stages. The scale's eggsoverwinter beneath this covering.

DefoliationUnusual damage by oystershell

scale in the form of defoliation occurredlast summer in the central Adirondacks.Over the past several years, I have

Help for New York's forest owners ...is available from the ExtensionOffice of the SUNY College of

Environmental Science & Forestry. We offer information and guidance onvarious issues and problems confronting forest owners including plant andtree characteristics and preferences, wildlife, insects, and diseases. Damagesamples and on site inspection, when appropriate, are used to aid indiagnosing insect and disease problems followed by advice on controlmeasures. Your call will also help alert us to potential forest health issuesfor New York's forests and enhance our ability to keep abreast of currentconditions. Contact us at (315) 470-6751.

14 The New York Forest Owner 37:5 • SeptemberlOctober 1999

.worlds meetbeneatha bright and broadseagull si9'.

Ufe pushes. and swirls

at my foreign feetsmall creatures

communingin the warmand friend!ysunfrom habitatsof seaand laad.,

The wate~s ripplewith a joy thatshames IT!)' en'Yas J slow!y passthese bordersof peace.

And the struggle·of the worldswithin mestaresas hungry eyesdenied a feast.

Figure 3 Scales on a beech leaf

noticed this in other areas of central andnorthern New York state. Each time thehost was either American beech orsugar maple. In addition to infestingtwigs, the scale attacked leaves and leafpetioles (Figures 2 & 3). Feedingeventually caused leaves to drop,leaving a very thin crown. The groundbeneath infested trees was covered withgreen to yellow-green leaves whicheventually turn brown, and curl. Somebrown, curled leaves may remainattached to branches. Other thandiscoloration, however, foliage appearsundamaged; that is, there are no signs offeeding by a typical defoliator.

As yet, this has not become a widespread problem, but observant forestowners may encounter defoliation ofthis nature in late June or early July ..•.

This is the 46th in the series of articlescontributed by Dr. Allen, Professor ofEntomology at SUNY-ESF. Reprints of this andthe complete series are available from NYFOA.

It is also possible to download this collectionfrom the DEe Web page at: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/privland/linkspag.htm.

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Motorized ATVsand Dirt- Bil(es

What to do about them?RICHARD GIBBS

All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) anddirt-bikes represent for manyyouths and adults alike, an

invitation to uncontrolled freedom andexcitement. Unfortunately, this usuallymeans freedom to use and abusesomebody else's land, not their own. Onmy farm, I have an uneasy truce withthe ATVs and dirt-bikes which means Ilet them ride on two access trails fromsuburban Wynantskill to reach the bigpower line. I would like to not havethem anywhere near my land, as they ripand roar in spite of my quest for peaceand quiet. Yet, they come in herds andcan't be traced, caught, or accosted.

I have tried to accommodate,endure, and moderately contain wherethe ATV s and dirt -bikes operate. Mostlocal ATV riders with whom I havemade this multi-user trail accommoda-tion follow my rules, but new ridersalways are coming of age. Seeing newtrails being cut into my forest where Ihave woodroads and trails for skiing,mountain bike riding, and walking iscommon.

When Shari and I first purchasedour farm and woodlot in the early1980s, there were trees being cut, fortsbeing built, fires set, and alcohol beingconsumed with bottles and cans strewnabout. As this occurred, we tried tofigure out what it meant to take owner-ship control of the property we werenow making monthly payments on. Anespecially poignant event started ourrelationship with that crop of young-sters-I was angry at the destruction,but did not want to just lash out. I wrotea note to the unknown intruders, and putit in a jar near a log-cabin fort theyoungsters were building with maplepoles. I didn't know who I was writing

to. Nevertheless, I told them I remem-bered being a youngster in the woods. Itoo wanted them to feel free to comeand enjoy the woods, but that they"...should not come to the woods to seeif they could change the woods, rathercome to the woods to have the woodschange them ..." I imagine it took someirrational instinct on my part to supposethat their primal need to act-out innature could rise to a higher level. I left

"an amended AlV registra-tion law might equate anAlV not having an approvedradio tracer device as anunregistered vehicle subjectto impoundment and removalfrom service if operatingoutside the owner's property"

this note and returned a few days later tosee what would be the reaction. I foundone of the young maple poles that hadbeen cut for fort building cut in two, andon the pieces had been carved a reply tomy note: "We care and understand, andwill abide, The Builders." These carvedpieces are treasures that hang in ourfarmhouse as a constant reminder to ourpreferred approach in managing land-use interactions. However, ATVs anddirt-bikes seldom wait for even thisvulnerable approach to friendship totake root.

There is a great difference betweenthe ATVs and snow machines. Snow-mobiles are self limiting with respect to

soil erosion and damage. They only runwhen there is snow cover, and stopwhen there is not. By contrast, ATVsand dirt-bikes rip and cut through sodand soil. If they chum a mud hole up,they immediately head for wider routesand soon they turn an entire wet area, ona previously firm hiking trail, into amud-soup bog. These huge mud sinkholes are common on any trail used byATVs.

As a back-country skier andsnowshoe trekker, snowmobiles canalso offend my need and desire forclean, quiet experience. However,having served on the Trails Committeeat Grafton Lakes State Park, and being ayear-around rider of the mountainbicycle (MTB), I have come to under-stand the need and benefit of satisfyingall trail users, and I support a "multi-user" philosophy when possible.

A recent issue of the regionalclassified magazine "Want Ad Digest, "had three full pages of ATVs and dirt-bikes for sale. The number of thesemachines greatly exceeds any imagin-able set of trails where they could beridden, even if allowed. Local police areunable to deal with them in any mean-ingful way. The same is true in remotetrail areas such as the Taconic Crestsystem and Wild Forest areas of theAdirondack Park. The state DEC andother agencies will never have sufficientstaff and facilities to patrol these remotelocations and catch violators of the trailsystem. The electric utilities are alsounable to enforce any meaningfulrestrictions on the use of these ma-chines. The power line rights-of-wayprovides most of the links that riders useto reach private and public lands withno permission or enforcement.


According to NYS law, ATV anddirt-bikes are not allowed on any public

lands in New York State unless postedsigns authorize their use. Thus, figuring

out how to welcome these users in any

multi-user public forum is hard. They

are by law disenfranchised and thuscommonly unrepresented at local trailmeetings. Power lines, abandoned townroads, state forests, private lands, gravel

pits, snowmobile trails and unpatrolledmaintained gravel roads serve as the"bandit" areas of common widespread

use. Being cast in the official position ofbeing outside the law couples with thechosen position of seeking care free

reckless fun. Hey ! We all need our"getaway" activities, and these ma-

chines provide that for many people.

Not everybody is going to pedal a bikethrough the rocks and mud, nor under-take aerobic cross-country skiing for

pleasure. The personal value for peace

and quiet seems to come late in life.NYS law has long required that

ATVs and dirt-bikes pay fees and have

registration plates attached to themachines. Yet these requirements,suitable for cars and machines that stay

on set roadways and trails, are oftenmeaningless for non-road machines

already operating in a grey legal zone. Ihave seen ATVs with out-of-state

plates, no plates and NY plates on myfarm. However, even if one knows theplate, the process to take action withlocal authorities is clumsy and long in

comparison to their speed and ability tohead for cover. The police are respon-sive, but have been overrun by ATV

technology. Perhaps it may be time toadd more technology to the registrationand oversight for this class of land andtrail user.

A key problem is that officially

there are no places in NYS where thesedevices can be directed for use. Theofficial NYSIDMV booklet for ownersof ATVs and dirt-bikes [7/95] says:

"You may not drive an ATV onpublic lands unless they arespecifically designated and postedfor ATV use. Public land is notopen for ATV use unless a signspecifically says so. "

Regarding operation on privatelands:

"You must have permission ofthe land owner or lessee. "I have been on public lands in every

sector of the state and never seen a signsuggesting that using an ATV is OK.

Similarly, I know all my neighborlandowners, and none have given

permission, yet at times we literallyhave herds of them ripping up trails dayand night. I have further seen many of

them on snowmobile trails in Wild

Forest areas of the Adirondack Park. In

spite of the official ban on their use,they are everywhere. So what can bedone?

A Suggestion for Remote Monitoring ofATV and Dirt-Bike Use

Common computer and communi-cations technology exists that permitstracking of people, cars, trucks and

other machines. Low cost GlobalPositioning Systems (GPS) are increas-

ingly available for every sort of applica-tion. Many ATV operators already carry

GPS locator technology to track wherethey are operating in remote areas of theAdirondack Park. These sorts of devices

are also commonly used to track stolenvehicles. Similarly, persons who are out

on parole are routinely given GPSbracelets so authorities always know

their whereabouts. Truck companies usethis technology to track their operatorsand vehicle movements. This is not"futurama;" this is just what is going on

in other sectors of society.

Similar technology could be madeinto law regarding A TV s and dirt -bikes.Authorities could easily identify, at adistance, which ATV is running over a

remote location. There would be no

need for foolish and unsuccessful chasesas operators head for home or cover.

Obviously ATV s could officially

operate absent of such radio device if itis on the owner's property. There arefarms and forests where ATV s serve a

real work function, and/or are allowedfor trail riding. Yet an amended ATV

registration law might equate an ATVnot having an approved radio tracer

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device as an unregistered vehicle subjectto impoundment and removal from

service if operating outside the owner's

property. ATV operators with permis-sion to operate on any given parcelcould easily have that information linked

to the radio receiver that informsauthorities. ATVs with and withoutpermission could then be known

immediately.

Presently ATV s pay a NYS regis-tration fee, but receive no land or trailaccess service for this fee. Snow-

mobilers get their fee turned into trailfunds that help build and maintain

snowmobile trail networks. The regis-tration fee already paid by A TV s could

be used to fund the radio tracer system,

continued on page 18


What to do about ATV's (con't from page 17)

as well as include some designated areaswhere ATV and dirtbike use is legal.

Control of ATVs via satellite willnot by itself achieve the result ofkeeping them from places where theyare not allowed. An additional part ofthe ATV control system must be toprovide a meaningful alternative to theirpresent improper use. Some mightsuggest simply making them totallyillegal, but that is not correct or practi-cal. I recommend that besides the radio-tag system, NYS take action to providesome identified areas where ATV scanlegally operate. Perhaps they offer hugegravel pits legal protection so allliability is removed, let them collectfees, and bring in the ATVs to interactonly with each other and not the rest ofthe trail users.

Our communities lack regional trailsystems for walking, skiing and (at leastfor me) riding the mountain bicycle.Yet trail developments that couldincrease the livability of the communi-ties are often stymied by communitiesknowing that there will be no way tocontrol bandit ATVs and dirt bike use.So we have no official trail system, onlythe unofficial ones that serve the ATVs.Things are indeed upside down in thisrespect. The only real trail system wehave is for the class of user that offi-cially has no legal trail access! So if wewant any new trail systems we mustfirst face the issue of ATVs.

A combination of required radio forall ATVs, coupled with opportunitiesfor tightly controlled areas of alloweduse is needed. What I have suggestedbelow should be understood as only aconcept suggestion. It needs consider-able study and information from manyquarters before it can be considered acomplete and practical idea. NYSshould fund a public policy institutestudy for the following purposes:

Investigate the status and forecastof radio-tag identification and howthey might apply this to the registrationand enforcement of ATVs and dirt-bikes.

Assess and suggest how selectedlocations for ATV and dirt-bike useshould be made available to coupleenforcement of land-use restrictions(theoretically in effect now) withrespect to providing ATV users placesto ride.

The study report should makestate-wide recommendations about thecost, feasibility, and operationalimplications for radio-basedregistration of ATVs and dirt-bikes inthe form of a draft regulation forsubsequent policy debate. 4-.

Richard Gibbs, Ph.D., P.E., is Director,Bureau of Mobile Sources, Division of Airresources at the NYS DEC.

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September 10&11, 1999Southern Adirondack Chapter: Friday evening and Saturday morning, woods talk/walk, "Keep Tracking" - nationally renowned presentation onidentifying animal tracks/activity in the forest. Friday evening talk and slide show to be held at the Glens Falls Library, and the Saturday morning

tour to be held at a location to be determined. For more information contact John Hastings at (518) 798-0248.

October 2, 1999Northern Adirondack Chapter: Visit and Picnic at the ADK Visitor Interpretive Center at Paul Smiths, NY (Fall Woods walk). For more information

contact Pat Ward at (315) 268-0902.

October 3, 1999Capital District Chapter and Southern Adirondack Chapter: 11 a.m. Tour the Wentorf's woodlot, Johnsonville, Rensselear County. The VermontForest Woodland Owners will join our chapters as we tour post-tornado damage and view a harvesting and logging equipment demonstration. We will

walk some trails along the Hoosic River and enjoy a bag lunch. For more information contact Rolf Wentorf at (518) 753-0228.

October 4-5, 199915th Annual New York State Geographic Information Systems Conference at the Holiday Inn Turf, 205 Wolf Rd., Albany, NY. Fee is $55 forconference registration by September 20th deadline. Call SUNY ESF Continuing Education at (315) 470-6891.

October 9, 1999NYFOA's Annual Fall Meeting sponsored by Western Finger Lakes chapter in Rochester. Contact Jack Hamilton at (716) 728-5769.

December 11, 1999Capital District Chapter: Pot luck dinner in the Colonie area. The holiday gathering will feature a raffle and a brief educational topic. For more

information contact Mary Binder at (518) 797 -3705.

LANDOWNERSMaples, Cherry & Red Oak are in strong demand, if you are interested in

selling some of your standing Timber consider ...• Each tree to be sold is marked according to YOUR specifications.• We send notlcesto reputable log producers & exporters• Sealed bid opening determines the highest bidder• Payment is made in advance to any harvest operation• All harvest operations are supervised by our foresters• We retain a security deposit until owner is completely satisfied.• Guaranteed to net YOU the highest price for your timber.

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19The New York Forest Owner 37:5 • September/October 1999

The weather was so nice last fallBob and I couldn't resist going down tothe woods to do some cutting. We bothhad enough fuel wood for a year ormore, but gosh, the weather was just sonice. You must realize we don't put inlO-hour days working in the woods.We are retired. Why not take advan-tage of it? We usually get started by 9a.m. (that's early). Quit for dinner,notice I said dinner not lunch, about aquarter of 12. Our wives get fidgety ifwe are not sitting down at 12 sharp. Aleisurely nooning, maybe a short nap.We head back to the woods aroundone. Sometimes we don't go back atall. We skip days, weeks, evenmonths. For instance, the weeklygrocery shopping trip to the cityusually kills a whole day. It is not justhitting a supermarket and returninghome. It is hitting three or four super-markets. This is called coupon determi-nation. Some where in between there islunch. Of course, there are alwaysother items to pick up. Perhaps some

LEISURELogging

PATRICK KELLY

This article is about one approachto one phase of woodlotmanagement. It may sound

familiar, low key and somewhatjocular . Yet, it is a brief glimpse ofwhat the other fellow is doing (ortrying to do) to improve a woodlot.Perhaps, in some small way, presentinga few ideas can help you solve theendless problem of removing undesir-able dead and down trees. As RedGreen says, "remember we are all inthis together."

Bob Simkin and his wife, Thelma,reserved the woodlots on their farmwhen they sold it. The location issouthern Cayuga county. We have beenlong time neighbors and friends of theSimkins. Helping one another hasalways been our way and workingtogether in the woods is one of thoseways. We both have had some experi-ence with wood work. Bob planned tocut fuel wood from the lots for homeheating as a retirement activity as long

as health permitted. Bob practiced"stewardship" long before it becametoday's popular designation. Removingthe "weed trees" (down and dyingtimber) over the years produceddesirable results - a woodlot thatlooks nice as well as productive.

This woodlot, consisting mainly ofsugar maple, white ash, and basswoodintermixed with black cherry, bitternuthickory, beech and yellow birch, hashad three commercial harvests over a40-year period, the last in 1993. In themid-forties Bob set some conifers(white pine, Scotch pine and Norwayspruce) on some highly erodible landadjacent to this all-hardwood (decidu-ous) lot. These woodlots supplythe basis for our Timber Stand Im-provement (TSI) leisure loggingoperations.

Low budget might be anotherdesignation. Perhaps you can think ofsome others ... antique, anemic (lowon iron).

Dead Scotch Pine to the left of center. A skid trail leads betweenthe two trees ... notice little ground disturbance.

One of the log piles along side the skidway.


bar oil and another yellow plasticwedge.

Usually, Or maybe it is unusually,we put in a good three-hour afternoonin the woods, slacking off around four.This gives us some time to round upthe tools and equipment and lookaround to see where we will start thenext work. We mark a big X with ayellow lumber crayon on trees to becut. Supper is at five in both houses.We don't linger in the woods. Besidesat that hour it is starting to get dark nomatter how nice the day. If it sounds toyou that meal time controls our time onthe job, you are absolutely correct. Thenews, the paper, "Wheel of Fortune,""Jeopardy." These pass in bits andpieces as the chin is on the chest agood deal of the time.

Between us we have enoughequipment to satisfy most of ourrequirements. A couple of 16" chainsaws, an old Ford tractor with winch,peavies, axes, sundry chain, a home-made wood splitter, a JD 620 withfront loader, buzzsaw attachments, andwedges. Can't forget the wedges(although sometimes we do). Most ofthe foregoing were collected over alifetime and range from antique to oldmodern. My axe is single bit, Bob's isdouble. I like the single bit for whack-Jng the wedge. We don't chop much ifwe can help it. The only things reallynew are the yellow plastic wedges. Wecarry a yellow plastic wedge in a hippocket most of the time, ready for use,the exception being when it is left onthe last cut stump. Or worse, try

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finding a yellow plastic wedge amongfallen yellow leaves. "Where did Ileave it?" is a frequent game.

Bob has a 4 x 4 pickup. He hotroads (cuts and hauls immediately) thewood up to the houses while I skid thecut trees to an open field for process-ing. The bulk of the hardwood is buckedinto 16-inch fuel wood. Anything ofsawlog quality is cut to 8-foot 14-inchesor lO-foot 4-inches, pulled to one sideand later added to the pile awaiting thesawmill. Bob sometimes reminiscesabout his team of horses back on thefarm. No doubt we would be using ateam if we had one handy. No usedaydreaming, we have to settle forwhat we have. The little Ford is a closesecond to a team. It can't turn in a six-foot circle but can pass between twotrees six feet apart without debarkingeither one.

The job is usually governed by thelocation of the down, dead, or dyingtrees. Once the cut is located, we spota trail out to the main woods road.Some swamping may be necessary(remember we are anemic ... low oniron) then we are ready to cut. We droponly the number of trees that can beskidded out in a work day. We try todirectional fall, but more times than notthat doesn't work out. The occasionalbang up, we just hook the cable aroundthe butt, pull it out a few feet. Down itcomes, no strain, no danger. We havebeen boring the heart, via the notch,

before making the back cut. So far nobarber chairing to which dead ash andhickory seem prone.

Most of the trees we cut this lastfall were dead ash and hickory 8" to14" Diameter at Breast Height (DBH).Why the die back on the ash andhickory? We have some guesses butdon't really know. We worked thissection two years ago doing the samething. We trim up what there is to thetop and cut the stem into manageablelengths, usually about sixteen feet. Thismakes more hook-up work but elimi-nates the stump rub of tree-lengthskidding, which allows for easiercornering. By using a two-wheel trailingarch, the forward ends of the logs arehigh off the ground so there is littlegouging and reasonably clean logs. As Isaid previously, Bob keeps busy cuttingup and hauling. I trim and skid. Wework together on the falling. Four eyesare better than two at this job. Some-times if the skidding gets caught up Ihelp cut up.

Bob called a halt to the stove woodjob when dumping space ran out. Thenice weather held, so we moved overto the conifer planting. Again we areremoving only wind-falls and deadtrees. Seems we have had our fairshare of damaging winds lately. Forsome reason there is some die back inthe Scotch pine. Foresters told Bob theScotch pine probably should not havebeen planted here. The white pine and

continued on page 22


Same skidway (as in previous photo) partly hauled.

21

Leisure Logging (con't from page 21)

spruce appear to be doing well. Someof the white pine with good crownsmeasure 15" DBH. Bob used some ofthe white pine in his daughter's newhouse.

With the softwood we set a limit ofthree or four on the ground at onetime. This eliminates clutter and makesit easier to get around. After trimmingand topping (we lop the tops) we pullthese out full length, sometimes lessthan full length depending on thenumber of turns on our route. We skidnot more than 100-150' to a convenientclear space. Here we buck them to 8'4" down to a 5 or 6 inch top diameter.Yes, we save the pigs (random lengthtop pieces after the logs have been cutout of the trunk). They are handy forskids and evaporator wood. We bothmake a little maple syrup. The logs that.are not all that big and heavy are rolledon skids into a convenient pile(skidway). The front side of the pilefaces downgrade. The piled logs makea good place to sit while you catchyour breath savoring the brisk air andwooded environment.

December, (we keep out of thewoods during deer season) can youbelieve it, warm and nice just likeOctober. We worked up a few piles ofthe pine as weather and time

permitted. The Thanksgiving-Christmasholiday season of course placedincreased demands on the time sched-ule. Senior's activities, visiting rela-tives, relatives visiting you, the usualinterferences to our woods work.Probably a good thing; keeps us fromgoing stale on the woods work. Diver-sification. Can't overlook the craftfairs; Mary (my wife) and I sell itemsmade of wood. November and Decem-ber are a hectic time for the craftbusiness. Naturally, the wood comesfrom some of the trees we cut. Bob isbusy in his shop on inclement days.His rocking footstool is a gem.

Christmas passed quietly but theNew Year arrived with a vengeance.We had our cold and snow. Greathauling weather. We use a "scoot." Itis low and easy to roll the logs on andoff. The old JD crawler handles a sledload of eight footers through theeighteen-inch snow with little effort.The haul, a mile and a half round trip,travels up to my back lot to a pileawaiting the sawmill. Twenty-first ofJanuary, 40 degrees and rising, lower-ing clouds, south wind, the last loaddumped. The job is in.

We have an inkling our leisurelogging may incorporate more manage-ment goals than TSI. Does recreation

pass through yourmind? Wethoroughly enjoyour "leisurelogging." Coinci-dentally, Bob iseighty, I'm theyoungster atseventy -four. 4.

Scoot load of eight footers.

Pat Kelly resides inVenice Center, NY.

This is his first (buthopefully not his

last) article in TheNew York ForestOwner.

MAGAZINEDEADLINE

Materials submitted forthe November/Decemberissue should be sent toMary Beth Malmsheimer,Editor, The New York ForestOwner, 134 LincklaenStreet, Cazenovia, NY13035 or via e-mail [email protected], artwork and pho-tos are invited and ifrequested, are returnedafter use.

Deadline for material isOctober 1, 1999.

22

NYFOAScholarship Fund

As of June 1999, the NYFOAEndowed Scholarship Fundthat is administered by theSUNY ESF College Founda-tion, Inc. has a fund balanceof$18,116.

The New York Forest Owner37:5 • September/October 1999


~MAlu<ETPLACEWanted: Sugar maple stand(s) for development into a Sugarbushfor the production of maple syrup, "the old fashioned way." I amretired and will care for the forest in a sustainable way. Thepreferred location is the Western Finger Lakes area. The Countiesinclude Yates, Steuben, Wayne, Livingston, Seneca, and Ontario.The sugar maple stand does not have to be in current maple syrupproduction and may be a young or old sugar maple stand(s).Thank you. Chuck Winship. (716) 223-4617 or ew9@corne//.edu

White Spruce for Sale: For Christmas Trees or landscaping.Approximately 4,000 trees. Cortland area. On Town Road withgood access (less than 4 miles to Route 81). Take over shearingand harvesting. (607) 836-4505.

For Sale: A Forester's Westchester Forestfarm! Professionallylandscaped, with 33,000 board feet of quality oak and 10,000 ofseven other species on 4.14 acres of wildlife sanctuary. Picturewindows in all directions from contemporary cedar house, 4bedrooms, 3 baths, laundry in full basement, 7 rooms plus 2mezzanines on 3rd level above cellar. Double-faced fireplace, forliving-room and dining-room, takes 5-foot logs or short logs ofunlimited diameter. Electric central heating was notused last winter because firewood was usedcontinuously from September through February,along with four single-room, oil-enclosed, electricspace heaters. Total utilities averaged $210 perwinter month. Start your twelve-minute lakeshoredrive to Croton-Harmon RR Station and fifty-minuteHudson River express train to Grand Central inNew York City by waving good-bye to your break-fasting bio-diversity; the deer and squirrels, wildturkey, waterhole mallards and woodducks - wow!

View from the master bedroom.

List price is $449,700. For more information contactFrances Billingsley Realty, Inc., Katonah, NY 10536.(914) 232-5121 or via e-mail at/fjabi/l@ao/.com

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Forest OwnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FoREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

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The New York Forest Owner - Volume 37 Number 5

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