The New York

FOREST OWNERA punncauon ot the New York ••orest Owners Association

Marchi April 1993

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERVOL. 31, NO.2

OFACERS & DIRECTORS

Stuart McCarty, President4300 East AvenueRochester, NY 14618(716) 381-6373

Don Wagner Ist Vice PresidentRD #1, Box 203CUtica, NY 13502

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary300 Church StreetOdessa, NY 14869-9703

Clara Minerd, Treasurer1123 Cold Spring RoadLiverpool, NY 13088

.John C. Marchant, Executive Director45 Cambridge CourtFairport, NY 14450(716) 377-7906

Deborah Gill, Administrative SecretaryP.O. Box 180Fairport, NY 14450(716) 377-6060

1993David J. Colligan, BuffaloVerner C. Hudson, ElbridgeMary S. McCarty, RochesterSanford Vreeland, SpringwaterDon J. Wagner, Utica

1994Norman Richards, SyracuseRobert M. Sand, OdessaCharles Mowatt, Savona

1995Elizabeth Densmore, MachiasRichard J. Fox, MoraviaJohn W. Krebs, Honeoye FallsStuart McCarty, Rochester

AFFILIATE REPRESENT ATIVESCharles Sprague- TJuuFTDlnnie Sioman-Calsklll Forest Assoc.

CHAPTER REPRESENT ATIVESPeter Childs-Allegheny FoohlllsWendell Halfield-Cayugairwin K1ng-Capital DistrictThomas L. E1l1son-Central New YorkRobert S. Davis-Lower HudsonWes Suhr-Northern AdirondackTom Casey-Niagara FrontierErwin Fullerton-Southeastem AdirondackLarry Lepak-Southern TierPatrick J. McGlew-TlogaEileen VanWie-Western Finger Lakes

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced with-out prior written permission from the publisher. Opinionsexpressed by authors are their own and do not necessarilyreflect the policy of the publisher.

COVER:Larch

Photo by Jim Peek

NY FOREST OWNER

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners ASSOciation

Editorial Committee: Batty Densmore, Alan Knight, Mary McCartyNorm Richards and Dave Tabar.

Materials submitted for publication should be addressed to: R. Fox, R.D. #3, Box 88,Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and are normallyreturned after use. The deadline for submission forMay/June is April 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 $15.

. CAY Cayuga, 1985 .......•.•.•..•...•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.......•.•.•.•........•...........•.•••..•.•..• 66 :STC Southern Tier, 1985 ...•..•.......•.•.....•.•..•.•.•.......•..•.•..•.••.•••....•.•.•... 112TIO Tioga, 1986 ......•...........•.•...........•.........•.•..............••.•..•....••.•.•...••. 88WFL. Western Finger Lakes, 1988 ..•..•.•....•.•.•.•.....•.•..•.•••.....•...•..•..••..• 24liAFC ..•.Allegheny Foothills, 1989 ..............•.....•.....•..•..•.•..•.•.........•.•..•.•. 107NFC.....Niagara Frontier, 1990 ........•...............•...................•.....•.•......•.. 127CDC•...Capital District, 1991 •.........•........•..•..•••...•.•..•.•............•..•.•.....•••.. 81SAC .•...Southeastern Adiorndacic, 1991 •...................•.•........•................• 79LHC Lower Hudson, 1991 •..••........•...........•......•.•...............•.•.......••..•. 46CNY Central New York, 1991 ..•...•............•..•..•.••.........•..•........•.•....••... 78NAC Northern Adirondack, 1991 .................•.•.•...............•.......•..•....... 76

CFA .•....Catskili Forestry Assoc., 1982 •.•..•....•.•.•.•........•.•......•.......•....•. 120THRIFT .....Tug Hill Resources, Investment for Tomorrow, 1982 •.•.•••.• 140

With membership as of February 1, 1993.

Table of ContentsPresident's Message 3What Do You Do With Larch, James R. Peek 4NYFOA & Free Information, John Marchant; Bill Minerd 7Maple Malady, Douglas Allen et al 8Chapter Reports , 10Arbor Day & Teddy Roosevelt 12NYFOA & Forestry Plus 30 Years, John Marchant 14Lament For A Law, Henry S. Kernan 16Tree Eaters, Potions, and Lotions, Jane Sorensen Lord 18Pine Shoot Beetle, David Taber 19

2 MARCH/APRIL 1993

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEWith this issue of the Forest Owner,

we mark the 30th anniversary ofthe founding of our association. It

is a significant milestone, attesting aboveall to the devotion and tenacity of ourvolunteers over the past three decades.

While it may seem a bit corny andcertainly not novel, I like to compare thegrowth and status of the Forest OwnersAssociation to that of a tree, may be a whiteoak, Quercus alba. As if a small acorn, westarted out as an idea in the minds ofseveral farsighted people.

With the help of the Forest PracticeBoard, the DEC and professors at the Col-lege of Forestry in Syracuse (now theCollege of Environmental Science andForestry) NYFOA became an organizationon April 27, 1963 - a seedling.

Over the years, we grew straight and tallas the Forest Owner became a more profes-sional magazine and as membership pickedup. Our roots were deeper in the soil ofNew York.

In 1985 branches began to develop realheft and were able to carry weights equiva-lent to what the whole tree carried in itsearlier stages. These branches representour chapters which since 1985 have grownto eleven.

NY FOREST OWNER

And in 1982 seedlings appeared nearbyand have grown to such a degree that theyhelp the NYFOA oak grow and prosper.These trees are our affiliates, the CatskillForestry Association and THRIFT, both ofwhichjoinedNYFOA in working arrange-ments in 1987.

As our tree has matured, its acorns havebeen spread far and wide through the workof many. Ruth Thoden who served as ourExecutive Secretary for almost four yearsuntil 1989 helped get us more involved.More recently, since the fall of 1989, JohnMarchant, our volunteer Executive Direc-tor, has been invaluable in widening thescope of NYFOA. Thanks to him we arenow an oak that commands respect andattention.

I have carried the metaphor too far,perhaps, but it is fun to dream about thesimilarities. At the same time I don't wantto lose sight of the most important ingredi-ent in the success ofthe association, namely,the volunteer. Back in the November/De-cember 1991 issue of the Forest Owner Iwrote about the virtual explosion of activi-ties sponsored by the chapters and affili-ates of the association. This has comeabout only because of the energy and hardwork of volunteers. At one time we had a

3

handful of people keeping NYFOA going.Now there are handfuls in each chapter,affiliate and at the state level making thetree grow stronger and taller week in andweek out through the year. We owe them'all a great big THANKS!

Eastern Bluebird

Help NYFOA toUpdate its Archives

At the January 16, 1993 meeting ofthe Board of Directors, the Boardsupported a direction which would

complete the NYFOA Archives at MoonLibrary of SUNY ESF. An appeal is herebymade to the members to advise the Editorof any NYFOArecordsofwhich the ownerwould permit copies to be made or theowner would donate outright. Particularlyhelpful would be back copies of the FOR-EST OWNER/NY FOREST OWNER. Aneffort will be made to create a detailedindex and to determine the items missing.At this time there appears to be many"holes in the record", notably through theseventies.

MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

What Do You Do With Larch?By James R. Peek

What do you do with Larch? That'sa question 1 first asked my super-visor Al Richard when 1was a

Forester Trainee exactly twenty years ago.Al is a practical man of few words and I stillremember his reply, "If we grow enough ofit-- they'll find a use for it!"

For many years, Larch served to amuseforesters and confuse Iandowners. The rea-son: Larch is a conifer (cone bearing tree)that loses its needles annually (deciduous).Each Fall, when the hardwoods are finallybare, Larch needles turn an attractive yel-low that changes to a golden-brown beforethey falloff. This little trick of nature hasprovided foresters with a lot of stories thatusually start out: "I got a call about thesedying pine trees and ...". Variations on thetheme usually involve Christmas tree plan-tations for sale ... cheap; local reporterswriting articles on acid rain damage; or"dead" landscape trees being cut down.

WHICH LARCH?Larch grows in the cool northern forests

of Eurasia and North America. Larch isn'tone species but a group of species. Thedifferent Larch species have slightly dif-ferent growing requirements, but the tech-nical properties of the woods are similarenough that buyers don't bother to distin-guish between the different kinds. I'veincluded a table to help the botanicallycurious tell them apart.

Tamarack is New York's native Larch.We are close to the southern limit of itsrange so it's not surprising that Larch isfound mostly in cold bogs and swamps.Under these conditions, the size and growthrate of Tamarack isn't exactly impressive.Experiments with Tamarack planted onupland sites in Maine have shown growthrates that challenge Southern Yellow Pine.I'm not aware of any Tamarack plantationsin New York, so it's a pretty safe bet thatLarch planted in rows isn't Tamarack.

No discussion of Planted Larch inNew York would be complete withoutgiving credit to Dave Cook formerly of theNew York Conservation Department -- heliterally wrote a book with that title. Hecorresponded and swapped Larch seed,with people allover the world. He grewmany races of Japanese and EuropeanLarch, and a hybrid cross called DunkeldLarch on his Rensselaer County forest(Cooxrox Forest) starting in 1930.

He was also an excellent speaker andprolific writer who promoted Larch plant-ing on both public and private land. In1967, he received the Heiberg Memorial

NY FOREST OWNER

Award (see FOREST OWNER, June 1967)from the New York Forest Owners Asso-ciation in recognition of his achievementsin forestry.

Why was Dave Cook promoting Larch?BecauseLarch is one ofthe fastest growingconifers that we can raise here. Good Japa-nese Larch stock, for example, will out-grow other conifers commonly planted inthe Northeast by more than two to one(Cook, 1971), and the trees do get tall! It'snot uncommon to find an eighteen inchDBH (Diameter Breast Height) tree witheighty useable feet to an eight inch topdiameter. We had one sale on State Forestland which included 60 year old treescontaining more than one-thousand boardfeet each. After the sale we received a callfrom a distressed hiker complaining aboutour cutting the last "oldgrowth" in thatneck of the woods. Imagine her surprise,when she found out that the trees wereyounger than she was!

> ''''~.,

Larch Growth Rings

POINTS ON PLANTINGThe introduced Larch species adapted

well to all but the most extreme soil condi-tions. Extremely dry soils will not sustainLarch through droughty years. Leave ex-tremely wet soils to Tamarack, as theintroduced species won't do well there.Larch needs soil that's at least 16" deep,because the roots need to go deep and wideto keep tall trees from tipping over.

I know it doesn't seem logical that a treeof the northern forests is sensitive to late

4

frosts, but it's true. Late frosts are verydamaging and may prove fatal to seedlingand small sapling Larch. European Larchbreaks dormancy later and seems to with-stand frost better than Japanese Larch andis better adapted to the colder portions ofnorthern New York. Avoid planting Larchin depressions that can fill with heavy coldair to form a frost pocket.

Soon after planting, Larch establishesitself and rapidly starts growing taller. Thisallows it to keep ahead of the hardwoodsand brush and dominate the site. One thingyou don't do with Larch, is plant it in ashaded location-- it needs full sunlight tosurvive and prosper.

In many early Larch plantings the treeswere spaced only six feet apart. Underthese conditions Larch soon becamecrowded and needed to be thinned beforethey could get big enough to be sold forlogs.

If they weren't thinned, the lowerbranches became heavily shaded and diedleaving a relatively small crown to pro-duce their food, which greatly reduceddiameter growth.

I usually suggestlandownersplantLarch8'x 10' or lO'x 10' to reduce the need forprecommercial thinnings. Every third rowcan be removed in the first thinning (prob-ably at about 25 years). This provides roomfor the trees to grow and the skidder tomove. Some ofthe material should be largeenough to be saleable for saw logs and thesmaller material might find a use as fire-wood, fenceposts or (in some locations)pulpwood.

MARCH/APRIL 1993

FUELWOOD?We live in an area with abundant hard-

woods and burning a softwood might seemlike a novel idea, but in parts of the westernUnited States, Alaska, and the Scandina-vian countries, softwood is often used forhome heating. A full cord (4'x4'x 8') of air-dried Larch contains 19 million BTU'swhich is about the same heat content as thesame volume of Cherry.

Larch is a good wood for kindling andworks well to rebuild a slow fire Orto warmthe morning chill in the Spring. I've hadgood resu lts building small, hot fires whichburn relatively cleanly but require fre-quent refuelings. Filling the stove com-pletely with fuel and then restricting the airto get a long burn results in a smolderingfire that produces a lot of creosote, espe-cially ifthe wood is a resinous softwood. Ifyou must operate your stove to give a longburn use dense hardwood, inspect yourchimney frequently and clean before creo-

sote builds up to worrisome levels. Ownersof catalytic stoves (which are designed toreduce creosote build up), Russian fire-places and outside furnaces should haveless trouble with creosote.

FENCE POSTS & PRESERVATIVESWe have had some success selling Larch

fenceposts. Our customers have told usthatLarch posts last aboutten years, whichis comparable to White cedar posts thatcontain a lot of sapwood. Sapwood, re-gardless ofthe species, has little resistanceto decay. The heartwood of some species,including Larch, contains deposits of natu-ral preservative chemicals that retard thegrowth of the fungi that cause rot. Larchheartwood has a moderate resistance todecay. What this means is that Larch heart-wood will last longer than Hemlock, butwill rot faster than White oak when ex-posed to the damp conditions that favorfungi.

In critical installations in contact withthe ground, only wood that has been prop-erly treated with preservatives will givepredictable, long service life.

Conventional wisdom says that Larchheartwood will not absorb enough water-borne wood preservative to make a productthat meets industry standards. This is un-fortunate, as pressure treated wood is alarge softwood market in New York. Re-cent studies have shown the preservativeretention in Larch heartwood can be greatlyincreased by incising. Incising is a processwhere the wood is slit in places along the

grain with sharp knives to allow deeperpenetration of preservatives. The processis rather like poking a tough steak full ofholes with a fork to let tenderizer soak in.I doubt that New York wood preserverswill feel the need to purchase incisingmachinery because of the abundance ofeasily treated Red Pine.

LOG CABINS & GUIDE BOATSLarch's natural resistance to decay is

one of its best selling points. Larch haslong been used for planking on woodenfishing boats. The "knees" of the famousAdirondack guide boats were saw'n fromthe stumps of Tamarack trees. The pio-neers considered Tamarack to be a desir-able species for pilings and posts and thefirst course of log cabins.

Larch is still being used in log homestoday although the less dense pines domi-nate that market. I recently visited JoshWebb of Lok-N-Logs in Sherburne, NewYork to see how he makes hand crafted loghomes using the Scandinavian full-scribedmethod. In this method the logs are fittedand notched individually using chain sawsand hand tools. The logs were fitted soclosely that we couldn't blow air throughthe joints with an air compressor, evenbefore a foam gasket was installed be-tween the logs.

Josh prefers Larch because it's easy toget the 13" to 14" small end diameter logsand long logs he needs for his cabins. Thewood's natural decay resistance is also abig plus, which he supplements by spray-

COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME(S) 1WIG

A LARCH WHO'S WHO

CONESNEEDLES

Tamarack Larix laricina glossyorangy-brown

European=Larch

green oblong1/2-3/4" long,about 20 conescales

Larix decidua straw yellow It. green oval 1- 2 1/2"long straightbrown scales,40-50 conescales coveredwith soft,brown hair

JapaneseLarch

Larix leptolepis rusty brown blue-green rounded 1 1/4to 1 1/2"stronglyrecurved scalemargins

Dunkeld*Larch(hybrid crossof Europeanand JapaneseLarch

Larix x. eurolepis variable,in betweenEuropean &JapaneseLarch

oval, partiallyreflexed scalesvery variablein size

* These trees can show a lot of genetic variability.

5NY FOREST OWNER

green

ing the outside with a borate wood preser-vative. Josh uses logs that are bought inearly June when the bark can easily beremoved with a shovel and lets the logs drythrough the Summer before building withthem.

I don't like to see cabins assembledfrom small, green Larch logs as they some-times develop deep spiral checks whiledrying.

I also think I'd use a finish that con-tained an ultra violet (U.V.) light inhibitoron the outside of the cabin in order toprevent the wood from darkening.

Josh Webb and Tight FitLUMBER & PULP

Larch lumber can be used for roughconstruction; it's strong, durable and holdsnails well, although putting a nail in dryLarch can be challenging. Many peoplethat have used Larch prefer it to Hemlockfor farm construction projects fromhayracks to buildings. Proper lumber dry-ing procedures must be followed, becausesome pieces show a tendency to distort.Mills are also using it for special purposepallets and boxes. C.O.T. Corporation inWhitehall, New York makes plywood fromLarch. ,

There's something else you should ¥nowabout Larch lumber--it' s downright pretty!It has a strong grain pattern and is anattractive medium reddish brown, ratherlike Cherry. One of our local sawmillowners even tried to sell it as "EnglishCherry". Despite his P. T. Barnum stylesalesmanship, his mill is no longer operat-ing. When properly dried, Larch makeshandsome panelling. I've been told it makesgood flooring too. I suspect this is correctbecause Larch is one of the hardest com-mercial softwoods.

Pulpmills in New England andPennsyl-

MARCH/APRIL 1993

Larch Cont'd. Governor Cuomo Forms ForestResource Development Council

This council was recently formed toprovide follow up and implementation onkey strategic issues identified by theGovernor's Task Force on Forest Industry.The council has a broad cross section ofrepresentatives from industry, governmentand private organizations. The New YorkForest Owners Association was invited tobe a member of the council to represent

vania make paper from Larch, but I'm notaware of any New York mill pulping it.The same chemicals that color the heart-wood and give Larch its rot resistancecomplicate the pulping process.

There are lots of uses for this admi-rable tree, but buyers tend to be localniche markets, and stumpage prices arerelatively low. We simply don't haveenough Larch to sustain a large special-ized industry. Only about 500 acres ofNew York are planted to Larch each year,so high volume mills haven't felt the needto "find a use for it".

If you have Larch to sell contact theDEC Wood Utilization and MarketingForester in your Region for addresses oflocal buyers, or local specialty markets.

Early next November, about the sametime DEC offices start taking calls aboutdying "pine" trees, take a moment to lookup in the hills and appreciate Dave Cook'sgolden legacy.

private forest land owners and JohnMarchant attended the meeting held onFebruary 3, on their behalf.

At this stage the council is developingthe structure and methods which they feelwill produce substantive, measurable re-sults in the shortest time. John will reporton the results of the council's efforts in theFOREST OWNER as appropriate.

GOTAGOOD RECIPE?

he New York State Tree FarmT Committee is planning to publisha cookbook to raise funds for our

programs. TreeFann Treats will contain250 favorite recipes contributed by any-one interested in New York's forests andforestry.

To contribute one or more recipes, inany category, please type or write on oneside of a piece of plain paper, making sure

your recipe(s) is legible, complete, andlists your name. The deadline for submis-sion is May 1, 1993, and all recipesshould be sent to Valerie Luzadis Alden,ESFPA, 123 State St, Albany, N. Y.12207 or to Harriet D. Hamilton, 8785Schribner Rd., Wayland, N. Y. 14572.

The book will sell for $6.50 and willbe ready for distribution by October 1993.

Jim Peek is the U & M Forester for NYSDEC Region 7out of the Cortland Office.Jim is Editor/Writer of the informativenewsletteroftheLAKEERIE &ONTARIOSAWYERS & FILERS ASS'N.

. ~<;,R L(J4,..$'SAWMilL ~=: & :0

LOGGINGO~ 687.5362 -\.

(C'G ~.0,

WAGNERLUMBER SAWMILL

4060 GASKILL ROADOWEGO, NEW YORK 13827

PH.607-687-5362 FAX 607-687-2633VENEER P S #1 #2

(14'+)HARD MAPLE 1200 (1/3 heart} 700 525 425 225

(16'+)CHERRY 1500 (no gum) 1200 750 550 225

(15'+)RED OAK 1000 (no mineral} 800 575 450 225

BLACK OAK 400 300 200 125(14'+)

ASH 1200 (1/3 heart} 800 475 325 200WHITE OAK 1000 (16'+) 450 325 250 125

ROCK OAK 450 325 250 125(non-wormy) (16'+)SOFT MAPLE 500 (1/2 heart) 375 275 200 125BASSWOOD 500 (16"+) 375 275 200 125BEECH 250 (16'+) ~ 150 100

(All BEECl::ll Q' lOGS mil Y). TULIP POPLAR 250 200 160 100BIRCH/HICKORY 150 70

(ALL BIRCH/HICKORY 10' ONLY)

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SPECS: VENEER-CLEAR 4 SIDES; STRAIGHT; NO DEFECTPRIME - CLEAR 4 SIDES; 15" & UP, FOR 10'-12'

14' & UP, FOR 14'-16'SELECT-CLEAR 4 SIDES; 14' & UP FOR 8'-12'

13' & UP FOR 14'-16'#1- CLEAR 3 SIDES; 12' & UP

CLEAR 4 SIDES; 11' Bun LOGS, 10' AND LONGER#2- CLEAR 2 SIDES; 11' & UP

PALLET LOGS - SOUND: LESS THAN 2 CLEARSIDES; OR UNDER 11'; $100/M

PLEASE NOTE: THESE GRADES ARE GUIDELINES-THELONGER AND/OR LARGER THE LOGS THEMORE FLEXIBLE THE GRADING.

UNLOADING HOURS: TRAILERS 6:30-4:30 M-FPICKER TRUCKS ANYTIME-PLEASE MARK NAME ON LOGS

EVENING PHONE #'s TOM GEROW LOG BUYERSTEVE SCHAEFFER VP.CHUCK CROSS......LOG SCALER

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WALNUT, 8UnERNUT, ASPEN, PINE & HEMLOCK-CALL FOR PRICES

- - -ALL LOGS (INCLUDING VENEER)SCALED ONE BARK SCRIBNER LOG RULE-··

We Will BuyStumpage and Roadside

NY FOREST OWNER 6 MARCt-VAPRIL 1993

NYFOA To Offer Free Information ServiceBy John Marchant, Executive Director

W e all know there is a lot of valu-able information to support theinterests we have in our woodlots

somewhere out there, but where do youstart looking for it? In an effort to offermore value to our mem bers and eventuallyall woodlot owners in New York State,NYFOA has established an informationdatabase to help locate various kinds ofinformation. It will be available on an 800telephone number and will involve a com-puter search for topics of your interestwhile you wait. Hopefully no longer thanthree minutes. Searches will be made in thefive following categories:

1. Literature referencesWe now have about 1000 references

and hope to double that by theendofl993.The topics cover many aspects of forestry,wildlife, and some legal matters affectinglandowners. Most are Cooperative Exten-sion bulletins and pamphlets, DEC publi-cations, well known textbooks (aimed atprivate woodland owners) and selectedpublications from the Northeast ForestExperiment Stations. They can be searchedprimarily by subject matter expressed in"Keywords". Examples of typical Key-words would be: Woodlot Management;Oaks; Wildlife Habitat; Deer; Taxes; Ease-ments; etc.

2. Professional Land ManagersThis category will list private consult-

ing foresters, state service foresters, wild-life biologists, ecological consultants andother special services. They would nor-mally be searched for by the county inwhich you are interested in having a ser-vice performed. Name searches will alsobe available. All the areas they work in andthe services they perform will be available.

3. Timber HarvestersLike the category above these would

normally be searched by county or DECarea where you may be interested in havingtimber cut for sale. Name searches willalso be available as will all the areas theywork in and the services they provide.

4. Prime Users (Basically Sawmills)These are sources who might be inter-

ested in buying tim ber you are interested inselling. Searching by county would prob-ably be most appropriate although name

NY FOREST OWNER

search may be requested where known.Information about what species are pur-chased and what wood products are pro-duced is available. Methods of buying andselling are also available. For example dothey purchase Stumpage or Roadside orDelivered and do they sell Wholesale orRetail or all the above.

5. State and Institutional OfficesThis is simply a listing of Cooperative

Extension, DEe and other governmentoffices across the state.

The in tent of this service is to aid privatelandowners in locating information andservices. In almost all cases the caller willreceive addresses and telephone numbers,over the phone, after a search is success-fully completed. In the case of some litera-ture searches it may be useful to sendaddition hard copy but we want to keep itto a minimum because of the added costs.

I must stress this is an experiment andwe need your help to find out if its worth-while and what would make it better. It hasbeenreviewed by a number of professionalnatural resource managers and they agreethe need exists and this is a good first step.It is an opportunity for NYFOA to providesomething of value and sell ourselves inthe process. Help us make it fill thoseneeds. 2.3' -35;t~.,.,.,.,,~pto~ltam

To use the service diaI1-800-3'j''j'-6~ rWj,I]J;7i]:nw;HwffiHjM;I~If no one is available at the time to takeyour call please leave your name and num-ber on the answering machine and some-one will get back to you as soon as possible.Give us a try and please give us yourconstructive ideas for making it better. Wewould like to restrict the use of this servicetoNYFOAmembers for thefirsr sixrnonthsor so. If the membership finus it useful,then we will consider broader exposure.

I am indebted to several sources forproviding considerable information in elec-tronic form without which this servicecould not exist. Thomas McEvoy, Coop-erative Extension Forester at the Univer-sity of Vermont supplied much of theLiterature Reference material. The NewYork State Department of EnvironmentalConservation supplied most of the listingsfor Consulting and Service Foresters, Co-operating Timber Harvesters and PrimaryWood Users.

7 MARCH/APRIL 1993

Solving The Mystery of "Maple Malady"BLAME THE PEAR THRIPS!

by Janet Knodel, Mary Bartley,Sana Gardescu, Lawrence Abrahamson,and Douglas Allen

INTRODUCTIONThe adult pear thrips, Taeniothrips

inconsequens, is unusual-looking and aboutthe size of a comma (0.04 to 0.06 inch),with two pairs of feather-like wings (Fig.1). This introduced or "exotic" insect wasfirst observed in the United States in 1904on pear blossoms in California. By 1907pear thrips had been reported in New Yorkon apple and pear trees. In both its nativeEurope and in North America it attacks avariety of orchard and forest trees. Primaryhosts in the northeast include maple, bass-wood, beech, walnut, oak, white ash, dog-wood, lilac, grape, pear, apple, cherry,peach, plum, apricot, and quince.

As early as 1978, sugarmakers in Penn-sylvania reported late spring leaf damageon sugar maples, which was thought to becaused by early spring frost. However, theculprit that was actually responsible forthis injury, called "maple malady", wasnot determined until the early 1980s whenpear thrips was identified as the cause.Following an explosion ofpearthrips popu-lations in the late '80s, it temporarily gainedstature as an economically significant pestin the northeastern United States. The out-break of 1988 left over a million and a halfacres of sugar maples leafless or withbrown and distorted foliage. Consequently,considerable public and political concernfocused for the first time on the negativeimpact of pear thrips on sugar maple andmaple products.

LIFE CYCLE AND DAMAGEDespite the fact that pear thrips has only

one generation each year and spends mostof its life in the soil, it has spread success-fully across the Northeast. One factor con-tributing to the dispersal and build-up ofthis pest lies in the nature of its sex life. Allpear thrips in this country are femaleswhich reproduce asexually (without males).Males have been observed only in theindigenous European populations. Femalesdo not need to spend time searching for amate, therefore, they can begin to feed andlay eggs as soon as they emerge from thesoil at the end of March or early in April,

NY FOREST OWNER

just when sugar maple buds are starting toswell. At this time, they feed on foliagewithin expanding buds. Later, using a sa-ber -like egg-laying device (ovipositor), eachfemale deposits 100-200 eggs in the baseand veins of young, developing leaves.Eggs hatch after 6-14 days, depending onthe temperature, but usually by the first partof May. The wingless larvae are pale totranslucent white with red eyes, althoughsometimes appearing green due to the mapleleaf background. Larvae habitually congre-gate on the undersides of the leaves. Bothlarvae and adults feed upon the foliage for2-3 weeks. Larvae drop from the leavesduring mid-May to mid-June and burrow 6to 26 inches into the soil where they trans-form into overwintering adults by late Oc-tober. Adults remain in the soil withinprotective chambers until warm soil tem-peratures (above 43°F) thefollowing springbeckon them to emerge.

Bud development of sugar maple andemergence of new generations of pear thripsfrom the soil occur almost simultaneously.Herein lies the greatest threat to the welfareof the host. If pear thrips are able to entersugar maple buds just as buds begin toswell, but before leaves expand, they havefound a safe, dry environment within whichto feed. In this refuge, the insect can wreakhavoc on newly developing foliage, espe-cially if buds develop slowly. The thripspierces leaf tissue with a straw-like, pierc-ing-sucking mouthpart, then siphons outthe plant's juices, which creates a shriv-eled, discolored and wilted leaf (Fig. 2).Heavy feeding, followed by ovipositiondamage, can seriously deform sugar mapleleaves. A heavily infested tree may dropthese damaged leaves and attempt to pro-duce a new complement of foliage. Such

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Fig.1.Adult pear thrips resting on a sugarmaple bud.

attempts at refoliation draw upon carbo-hydrate reserves in the roots, which fur-ther stresses the tree. Under these condi-tions, prudent sugar makers should usefewer taps per tree or cease tapping previ-ously infested trees altogether the yearfollowing thrips damage to prevent addi-tional stress.

In addition to leaf damage, scientistssuspect that pear thrips can transmit afungal disease, maple anthracnose. Mapleanthracnose infections on sugar maplefrequently coincide with pear thrips infes-tations. This disease decreases the photo-synthetic ability of leaves and, in severecases, it can be fatal. The recent increasein maple anthracnose, possibly spread bypear thrips, poses yet another potentialthreat to the overall health of sugar mapleforests.

A SURVEY OF PEAR THRIPSPOPULATIONS IN NEWYORK'S SUGARBUSHES

Pear thrips can be monitored usingseveral different techniques: soil sam-pling, emergence traps, bud counts, andvisual traps. Visual traps in commercialsugarbushes were used in our New Yorksurvey to monitor population levels in1990 and 1991. Traps were placed at 13sites in 12 counties during 1990, and at 17sites in 15 counties during 1991. In thespring of 1992, trapping has continued at

MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

12 sites in 12 counties. Our survey is partof a larger effort in conjunction with 17other states, and its goal is to monitor thedamage caused by pear thrips as well as theinsect's distribution and abundance. Sup-port for the survey is provided by theNational Cooperative Agricultural PestSurvey (CAPS), a program of USDA -Animal and Plant Health Inspection Ser-vice (APHIS).

Pear thrips was present in all of thecounties surveyed in New York State dur-ing 1990 and 1991. The first trap catch ofadult pear thrips in 1990 occurred betweenMarch 17th and 24th. In 1991 the first trapcatch occurred much later - between April3rd and 10th. Peak trap capture, however,was at approximately the same time bothyears- between April 21stand 28th in 1990and between April 24th and May 1st in1991. The highest average trap counts in1990 exceeded 100 thrips per day. In con-trast, 7 was the highest average count perday in 1991. The difference between theaverage number captured per day duringthe peak emergence week decreasedfour-teen fold from 1990 to 1991!

Defoliation and leaf quality ratings werealso estimated in mid-June each year ofthesurvey in order to determine the extent ofpear thrips damage. At most sites, defolia-tion caused by pear thrips was low « 30%)or absent in 1990. Only slight leaf discol-oration and distortion occurred in siteswith low defoliation. Extent of damageappeared to be associated with the closetiming of peak thrips emergence with theoccurrence of the most susceptible stage ofsugar maple bud development (early budstage - "bud break"). Thus, given the rela-tively late emergence dates cited above for1991, it is not surprising that defoliationwas almost totally absent that year.

SUGAR MAPLE REGENERATIONIn a study of sugar maple regeneration

in Tompkins County, New York, pear thripswas the most numerous and damaginginsect that fed on tree seedlings. At siteswhere pear thrips was abundant, most ofthe newly emerging seedlings died afterbeing fed upon by thrips larvae. This hap-pened even in years when thrips damage tooverstory trees was low to moderate. Inmid- to late-May, pear thrips larvae thatfeed in the tree canopy dropped to theforest floor, or were washed off overstoryleaves by a heavy rain. Many of theselarvae crawled onto understory plants tofeed before going underground. If the thrips

NY FOREST OWNER

Fig. 2A sugar maple leaf damaged by pear thrips.

fed on newly germinated sugar maple seed-lings in large numbers (10-100 larvae perseedling), the cotyledons and leaves soonshriveled and died. At this early stage theseedlings were not able to refoliate, andwithin a week many died. If one is notconsciously searching the woods for seed-lings during the first few weeks in May, itis easy to overlook this impact on sugarmaple by pear thrips, because by mid-Junethe dead seedlings have disappeared.

Nevertheless, sugar maple seedlingsremain abundant in most northern hard-wood forests. Even at sites where thripswere numerous there were occasional yearswhen the crop of new sugar maple seedswas especially large, such as 1985 and1990, and some of the seedlings survivedthe thrips damage.

FUTURE IMPACT OF PEAR THRIPSON SUGAR MAPLES

It is clear that pear thrips will be apermanent resident in northeastern hard-wood forests and will continue to be asso-ciated with sugar maples. Although pearthrips has been recognized as one of themajor insect pests contributing to the re-cent "maple dieback," the current trend ofdecreasing pear thrips populations is en-couraging. We may never know exactlywhy a pear thrips outbreak of such magni-tude occurred in the northeastern UnitedStates in 1988. Research is presently fo-cused on finding biological control agentsto manage pear thrips populations, such asnaturally occurring soil fungi. Current stud-ies also examine ecological factors thataffect pear thrips populations and theirability to cause extensive damage. For

9

example, the number of thrips present insoil from the previous fall, thrips wintersurvival rates, and the impact of localweather conditions on thrips emergenceand damage levels. As mentioned above,the most important variable appears to bethe phenological synchrony between buddevelopment and thrips emergence, so 1988may very well have been a "fluke"! Never-theless, with improved awareness the sugarmaple industry will be better prepared todeal with this tiny pest in the years to come!

The authors would like to especiallythank M. Heinmiller, editor of IntegratedPestManagementSupport Group at CornellUniversity,for her careful and invaluableediting of this article. We would also like toextend their gratitude to: M. Birmingham,D. Fasking, S. Warne and T. Wolfe ofNYSDEC; C. Clift and R. Gaines of USDA-APHIS; L. Staats of Cornell ExtensionService; D. Marion and 1. Jones ofCom-munity College 'of the Finger Lakes; D.Dale of Western Delaware Tech Center,BOCES; J. Gibbons and J. McKelvey, Jr.,sugar maple growers.

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MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

~~C-==-=H==-..::::APTERREPORTS(ALLEGHENyrOOTHILLS ) KAREN VEDA ANDERSON C;::;;:.....;~C~E~N=TR==AL~=N=E=W~\',..,..,·(=)R=K~··--)On Jan. 16 a few AFC'ers attended the

NFC/AFC Joint Pot Luck dinner at Hol-land. The AFC's Bruce Robinson gave aslide presentation on wildlife habitat.

Feb. 27 a winter picnic in AlleganyState Park with a walk focusing on identi-fying tracks in the snow.

At the Stewardship Incentive Program(SIP) sign-up and informational meetingheld by the ASCS in the Ellicottville Coop-erative Extension Building on Jan. 23 theAFC catered lunch for the crowd of over200. This brain child of Audrey Childsnetted the AFC treasury $596. 25. Lots ofmembers gave freely of their time andtalents to-make this come off smoothly.

On March 27 at 10 a.m. we will meet atthe Jamestown Audubon Center, 1600Riv-erside Road, Frewsberg, N.Y. to tour thegrounds and discuss the new arboretum onpremises. Ted Griez will lead our group.For more information call Al Brown at716-763-9067.

( ........................HTtOGA.····On a cold and snowy December 4th,

Tioga Chapter members enjoyed thewarmth of a wood stove and friendly con-versation at the Arnot Forest in VanEtten.The dish-to-pass dinner was superb, as wasAlan Knight'spresentationonpastNYFOAtours to Austria, Germany, Scandinavia,and Canada. Our "Christmas Dinner" doorprizes included a wreath donated by theKnights, NYFOA signs and patches, andvarious chainsaw operating essentials sup-plied at cost by Signs Equipment of Owego,NY. A nice pair of chainsaw chaps waswon by Alan Knight.

The next scheduled program is a horselogging seminar, cosponsored by the End-less Mountains Draft Horse Club. Theprogram will run for two days, March 27 &28 at John Walker's farm on DiamondValley Road in Tioga County. We had asimilar program last year, which was verywell received.

NY FOREST OWNER

)

Karen Anderson died January 28,1993 after a short illness.

Karen joined NYFOA in 1986.She was one of the founders of the 'Allegheny Foothills Chapter. A cer-tified Tree Farmer, Karen managedand enjoyed her 70 acres. She wasalways planting and experimenting;American Chestnuts, walnuts anyvariety of tree or shrub that came herway.

Karen was a board member of theNannen Arboretum in Ellicottvilleand helped design and begin an arbo-retum at Beaver Meadow AudubonCenter in Java; of which she was anactive member and volunteer. I I

Karen retired in 1977 after 30 IIyears (and 1/2 day!) at New York IItelephone. She retired to take up full II. "time work as a volunteer to many, 'many organizations and as a vital,energetic friend to hundreds. It wouldjust wear ANYONE out to followKaren around for one day. She was abuilder, a planter, an organizer, a Ivolunteer, a prime mover. I

The Allegheny Foothills Chapter 'can thank Karen for hundreds of Idollars earned selling items at our I

activities and for hours spent col- Ilecting walnuts and balsam cones tosell. We can thank her for dozens of Inew members, too. Karen was al-ways good-humored with the ready Ismile, the hug, the paton the back forall of us. She never needed to be Iasked, she always pitched right inchairing committees, greeting newcomers, brainstorming at meetings.

We in the AFC will miss thisfountain of encouragement, ideasand fun. Her hundreds of friends willmiss the one person who alwaysseemed to have time for the little,extra acts of thoughtfulness thatmeant so much. All the organiza-tions to which she belonged will I'

miss this committed, generous Iwoman who gave so much time andtalent to each and every cause in I,

which she believed and which she soardently supported.

1 0

We recently held parts one and two ofa three part program at Vern Hudson'sTree Farm. Part one was a timber cruisewith John Thorington, a Consulting For-ester. He led the group of twenty-fivepeople through Vem's woodlot and showedus why we marked the trees. We discussedthe harvest of the timber and future plansfor the forest Part two was watching theactual timber harvest and talking with thelogger that is doing the job. Part three willbe to go back in two years and see thechange in the forest and how the under-growth has come in. It will also be interest-ing to see how the logger repaired themany miles of road that was put in for theharvest.

We have added some new members toour steering committee and would like tothank them. They are: Vem Hudson, BobSykes, Pete and Judy Gianforte. They joinBill and Clara Minerd, Dr. Allen Horn,Jack Cottrell and Tom Ellison on the steer-ing committee.

C_. __ T_H_R_ll_'T_A_F_FI_I_JI_A_T_E-=--.:..-)

On December 3 at 6 PM the Colton'shosted members of the THRIFT Council totheir Annual Holiday DinnerTheresultsofthe recent election were announced:JEFFERSON COUNTY - George BibbinsJr., Charles Valentine, and Charles Sprague;LEWIS COUNTY -DaveLum,FredMunk,and Glen Roberts: ONEIDA COUNTY -Stanley Bates, Bernard Davies, and RobertWatson; and OSWEGO COUNTY -HaroldPetrie, Richard Marks, and Connie Smith.

MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

( WESTERN FINGER LAKES) CNORTHERN ADIRONDACK)

The January 20th Meeting included asits main topic - A Presentation of theAmerican Chestnut Foundation, by HerbDarling. The foundation's goal is to re-store this great tree to its former place inthe forest; and they have many dedicatedvolunteers across the state. The meeting-was well attended and Herb answered allthe questions to everyone's satisfaction.

Our March meeting will consist of awoodswalk: hosted by Eric Randall. Eric isa professor of botany at the University ofBuffalo, and is active in the production ofmaple syrup. We will follow this productof the woods from tree to container. Thesite is located in Genesee County on SmithFieldRoadoffUS Route 20 near Alexander.

Eileen VanWie has graciously agreedto serve as Chairman for the Chapter.

(§OUTHEASTADIRONDACK~

Our last meeting was indoors at CrandallLibrary in Glens Falls with 22 peopleparticipating. The subject was cutting prop-erty taxes. John Hastings, Senior Environ-mental Conservation Service Forester, in-troduced the speakers. Pam Cali discussedsome tax relief options: property ease-ments such as conservation, agriculturaland historic preservation. These easementsare an indirect form of zoning that requireowners to give up some property rights.

Joe Driscoll, Washington CountySWCD Manager, discussed agriculturalassessments that allow up to 50 acres ofwoodland to be considered under agricul-tural assessment. Steven Warne, SeniorService Forester, answered questions onsection 480-A of the Real Property TaxLaw. Since getting involved with ease-ments and tax incentive programs requiresconsiderable study and even legal advice,we were pleased to be given a large packetof literature on the subject.

Richard Nelson gave an interesting talkon the American Chestnut Foundation.Anyone interested in literature or in orga-nizing a local chapter please write Mr.Nelson at Box 196, Warrensburg, N.Y.12885.

A maple sugar tour to be announced inour next newsletter.

NY FOREST OWNER

NAC Staff wants to congratulate theNACers who attended the last MFO con-ference: Gerald and Deborah Smith,Donald H. O'Shea and Theo and HarryHowe. Additional thanks to Theo andHarry Howe for promoting NYFOA, re-sulting in two new members. Harry, didyou get your NYFOA cap and patch?

Theo and Harry are also responsible fora great article, Master ForestOwners ShareTheir Knowledge in the Watertown DailyTimes, Jan. 20. We also want to thankMike Bridgen for bringing in a new mem-ber. Mike, you will soon receive your capand patch. It seems NAC is on a "roll".Hope our members keep it going!

(CATSKILL FOREST ASSOCIATION)

After four years of service to CFA,Kathleen Farnum has resigned as Execu-tive Director. Her skills, common senseand enthusiasm will be missed as CFAprepares its up coming programs. Whileshe attends graduate school in Albany,Kathleen will remain a part-time consult-ant to CFA, offering her experience forspecial assignments. Thanks, Kathleen,for all your help.

Dinnie Sloman will succeed Kathleenas Executive Director. After practicinglaw in Boston for a few years, Dinnieearned a Master of Forestry degree fromthe Yale School of Forestry and Environ-mental Studies. He has practiced forestryas a volunteer with NYS DEC Region 4 inStamford, NY, and as an employee of theUSDA Forest Service Northeastern Ex-periment Station inventory and analysisunit based in Herkimer, NY. Good luckwith your new position.

CFA continues to search for marketsthat broaden the opportunity f -. forestowners to conduct forest stand improve-men t operations in marginal forest stands.This winter we have expanded our sales of1 cubic foot firewood bundles. If yourforester has suggested an improvementharvest but loggers are not interested inbidding on the job, please call CFA.

CFA is cooperating with New YorkReLeaf and other organizations to plan atree planting workshop. New York ReLeafis organizing a number of workshopsthroughout the state, with one taking placein the southern Catskill region on May 8,1993 and another in Schenectady on June5,1993.

1 1

C ~SO~U~T~H~E~R~N~T~IE~R~)

Frank Rose of the State Tree FarmCommittee addressed the December Meet-ing. Frank discussed the Tree Farm Sys-tem, including future changes that will beimplemented. He also reviewed lumber,prices and trends as he has witnessed them.in his profession and as lumber buyer for;Cotten-Hanlon, Inc.

Property value reassessment was the,subject for the January meeting. Finegamand Associates, consultant for Broome:County, explained the reassessment pro--cess and how an individual property ownercan interact with the process.

The next meeting will be the annualpot-luck supper on March 26th at theCornell Cooperative Extension Buildingon Front Street in Binghamton, beginningat 6 PM. The evening's speaker will beChad Covey, the new DEC Region 7 chiefforester. Chad will discuss DEC forestryprograms and future forestry trends. Themeeting will also include door prizes.

( NIAGARA FRON'rIER ) i

Our Jan 16th Pot Luck Dinner in Hol-land was attended by 40+ people, whoenjoyed a fine dinner and a slide presenta-tion by Bruce Robinson on Wildlife Habi-tat.

Feb. 15 we hosted a tour of Attica·Package Co. following logs through themill as they are made into lumber.

The steering committee is working onseveral woodswalksand activities for thespring and summer. Call Tom Casey at716-322-7398 or watch the AFC/NFCNewsletter for upcoming events.

MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

NYFOA's Cayuga Chapter, theU.S. Civilian Conservation Corps,the 5th Cabin Fever Festival, and2000 people celebrated inMoravia'sFillmore Glen State Park.

"Lfee" Signor, CCC alumnus, NYFOA'splaque and Cc;C road.

. NYFOA display with bluebird and bathouses.

Photos by Ivan Clark

The 5th Annual Festival was expanded bythe Alliance of Parents and Teachers with26 arts & crafts participants at the MillardFillmore Elementary School.

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NY FOREST OWNER

Arbor Day Letter of President Theodore RooseveltTo the School Children of the United States

A rborDay(whichmeanssimply''TreeDay")is now observed in every statein our Union- and mainly in the

schools. At various times, from January toDecember, but chiefly in this month ofApril, you give a day or part of a day tospecial exercises and perhaps to actual treeplanting, in recognition of the importanceof trees to us as a nation, and of what theyyield in adornment, comfort, and usefulproducts to the communities in which youlive.

It is well that you should celebrate yourArbor Day thoughtfully, for within yourlifetime the Nation's need of trees willbecome serious. We of an older generationcan get along with what we have, thoughwith growing hardship; but in your fullmanhood and womanhood you will wantwhat nature once so bountifully supplied,and man so thoughtlessly destroyed; andbecause of that want you will reproach us,not for what we have used, but for what wehave wasted.

For the nation, as for the man or womanor boy or girl, the road to success is the rightuse of what we have and the improvementof present opportunity. If you neglect toprepare yourselves now for the duties andresponsibilities which will fall upon youlater, if you do not learn the things whichyou will need to know when your schooldays are over, you will suffer the conse-quences. So any nation which in its youthlives only for the day, reaps without sow-ing, and consumes without husbanding,must expect the penalty of the prodigal,whose labor could with difficulty find himthe bare means of life.

A people without children would face ahopeless future; a country without trees isalmost as hopeless; forests which are soused that they cannot renew themselves

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will soon vanish, and with them all theirbenefits. A true forest is not merely astorehouse full of wood, but, as it were, afactory of wood, and at the same time areservoir of water. When you help to pre-serve our forests or plant new ones you areacting the part of good citizens. The valueof forests deserves, therefore, to be taughtin the school, which aim to make goodcitizens of you.

If your Arbor Day exercises help you torealize what benefits each one of you re-ceives from the forests, and how by yourassistance these benefits may continue,they will serve a good end.

THEODORE ROOSEVELTThe White House, April 15, 1907

The cause of our American Trees wastaken up and zealously advocated by anumber of public-spirited men, prominentamong whom was B.G. Northrup, but theofficial father of the movement was J.Sterling Morton, secretary of Agricultureduring President Cleveland's second term.Before being appointed to that post, Mortonwas a member of the Nebraska State Boardof Agriculture, in 1872. He offered a reso-lution to that Board that April 10th of thatyear should be set aside as "tree plantingday". The resolution was adopted with therecommendation that people throughoutthe state plant trees on the day designated,andaprizeof$l00. would go to the agricul-tural society of the county that planted thelargest number of trees. For an individualwith the largest number of trees planted afarm library worth $25. was the prize.Newspapers were asked to give the ideagood coverage, and the result was morethan one million trees were planted on thefirst Arbor Day in Nebraska Later, a pro-vision was added in the Constitution ofNebraska saying that "the increased valueof lands, by reason of live fences, fruit andforest trees grown and cultivated thereon,shall not be taken into account in the assess-ment thereof."!

I. Schauffler, Robert Haven: Arbor DayMoffat, Yard and Co. 1911

By special Act of the NY State Legislature.Arbor Day is the last Friday in April.

1. Sterling Morton spent his childhood inNew York State.

MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

JOHN GIFFORD 716/664-5604 (8)Broker 716/487 -9709 (R)

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NY FOREST OWNER

"Right to Practice Forestry" Law Passed in PA

The Pennsylvania General Assemblyrecently passed, and the Governorsigned into law, a provision that

recognizes forestry practices as a legiti-mate land use activity that should not beprevented through unreasonable regula-tion, according to the Hardwood LumberManufacturers' Association of Penn sylva-nia(HLMA).

Known as the Right to Practice Forestrybill, the legislation took more than oneyear to pass through the legislative pro-cess.

The bill was in response to a prolifera-tion of anti-timber harvesting ordinancesat the local level. Many of the townshipordinances as proposed are not practical ortoo costly for landowners planning timberharvests. Such "unreasonable" ordinancesreportedly prevented the harvesting oftim-ber or did not allow the application ofsound silvicultural principles.

With the possibility of the more than1500 townships in Pennsy lvaniaof propos-ing such ordinances, the potential for im-proper forest management was significant.Consequently, the HLMA set out to amendthe Pennsylvania Municipalities PlanningCode (MPC) in an effort to address the

issue.Specifically the amended language

reads:Section 603. Ordinances Provision - (f)

Zoning Ordinances may not unreasonablyrestrict forestry activities.

After the House amended and passedthe bill on November 18, the Senate fmallyconcurred with the amendments and thebill went to the Governor.

There was no opposition to the bill on itsmerits. Other groups that actively sup-ported HLMA's initiative included: In ad-dition to the Pennsylvania State Associa-tion of Township Supervisors, the Penn-sylvaniaForestIndustry Association, Penn-sylvania Builders Association, and Penn-sylvania Landowners Association.

Reprinted from THE NORTHERN WG-GER AND TIMBER PROCESSOR FEB.93.

Bruce E.Robinson,

Inc.FORESTRY

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MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

NYFOA, Our Forest Lands and the Next Thirty Yearscreased to 15.4 million, an acreage reduc-tion trend which is expected to continuewell into the future. The inventory volumeis up to 1414 cu.ft. per acre and the growthto removal ratio has become 1.7 to 1.0.

After another decade, 2010, commer-cial forest land is down to 14.6 millionacres and the inventory volume has in-creased slightly to 1500 cu.ft. per acre andis leveling off. The growth to removal ratiois now 1.2 to 1.0. A short extrapolation ofthese data show that by the year 2016 wewill be removing the same amount ofwood we are growing. In that year thecommercial forest land acreage projects to14.3 million acres, the inventory volumehas leveled off at 1520 cu.ft. per acre andby definition the growth to removal ratio is1 to 1.

With these numbers in mind let us lookat the assumptions used to make the projec-tions to better understand what is happen-ing and address the question "Is this whatwe want to be happening?"

Assumption 1. After 1990 abandonedfarm land will not be converting to youngforest as fast as forest land will be clearedfor housing and business developments.This results in the peak of increasing forestland in 1990 and the slow but continual

By John Marchant, Executive DirectorBecause this issue of the Forest Owner

is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary ofthe New York Forest Owners Associationit is only natural that someone addressesthe question "What will NYFOA and ourforested lands be like in the next thirtyyears?" Since my own crystal ball has longsince developed multiple cracks I acceptedthe request with considerable reservations.Although I am willing to venture someguesses about what NYFOA could be like,I am not the person to present a technicalassessment about the future of our forests.I do however, believe the two should beclosely connected and considered together.Therefore Ihave chosen to use the projec-tions made by Thomas J. Considine, Jr. inthe Northeastern Forest Experiment Sta-tion Resource Bulletin NE-80, titled "AnAnalysis of New York's Timber Re-sources", to give us the forestry side of ourthirty year view into the future.

The President's Message in this issuereminds us that NYFOA began with just afew dedicated individuals in 1963. Usingthe past decade as an indicator, its safe tosay that growth has been fairly steady. Wehave grown from a very few to 1600withinthis thirty year span. We have 13 chaptersand/or affiliates across the state; and, al-though we have tried a number of ways toincrease membership, we continue to fol-low the straight line pattern. Consequentlyone might predict that unless we find newways to identify and contact potentialmembers, we will probably continue onthat same growth curve and have 3200members in 2023. Since we are attractingsome exceptional people with good orga-

nizational skills and leadership interestsand are becoming better known through-out the forestry community, we might evenventure to guess a little higher, say 5000 by2Q23.

What about our forest lands? Where arethey headed and what will they look like by2023? As I mentioned above the followingmaterial was taken, almost verbatim, fromthe Resource Bulletin NE-80. The analysiswas based on the USDA Forest Servicesurvey conducted for New York State in1978 and 1979 and dated 1980. I am awareof the risk of oversimplification of verycomplex issues by lifting a selected set ofdata out of its larger context, but! sincerelyfeel it provides a valid perspective for ourpurposes. For those interested in moredetail I highly recommend obtaining acopy of NE-80. Unfortunately, a morerecent survey will not be available foranother year or two and I have taken theliberty of making a slight extrapolation tofind the year in which we are just growingas much wood fiber as is being removed. Ichose that particular point because it rep-resents an interesting turning point in thebroader perspective. We must rememberhowever, that the equality of fiber volumegrown and removed says nothing about thequality ofthat fiber. At the present time weare undoubtedly, on average, removinghigher quality fiber than we are growing.

Of the 18.5 million acres of forestedland in New York State, 15.4 million wereclassified as commercial forest land at theend of the 1980 survey. The mix was 75%hardwoods and 25% softwoods, the inven-tory of growing stock volume for all spe-cies was 1024 cubic feet per acre and wewere growing 2.8 times more wood thanwas being removed. Keep in mind thatthese numbers came from real measure-ments out of the survey. The numbers thatfollow are a prediction of what is mostlikely to happen in the coming years.

For 1990 Considine predicted we wouldhave 16.2 million acres of commercialforest land which represents a peak in agrowth curve that has been on the increasesince the turn of the century. The inventoryvolume in 1990 was projected to be 1241cu.ft. per acre and a growth to removalratio of 2.2 to 1.0.

By 2000 the number of acres in com-mercial forest land will have slightly de-

decline into the future.Assumption 2. Growth rates averaged

over all species on commercial forest land,for projected volumes, were held constantat 36 cu.ft. per acre per year. This valueis felt to be realistic but conservative,considering New York's forests are ca-pable of growing almost twice as much.

Assumption 3. Removals are expectedto increase between 3 and 4 percent peryear from 1980 on. All removals do not endup as products from the forest but thispercentage of removal compounds eachyear and should reflect a moderatel y grow-ing market for New York State timberresources.

Therefore, if things remain as they arewe can expect a slight but constant de-crease in forest land acreage with a stillincreasing inventory until about 2016. Atthe removal rate used for these projections,it should be years more before our forestresource supply would be in serious diffi-culty from over use. Certainly not a badprognosis but not as optimistic as it couldbe.

NY FOREST OWNER 14 MARCH/APRIL 1993

How optimistic coulditbeand what canwe do to make that happen? There is atleast one clear area of opportunity. In thesimplest terms it involves improving thegrowth rate and associated health of ourtimber stands from the 36 cu.ft./acre/yearto something approaching twice that ormore. Achieving that goal requires a broad,effective educational program reachingnearly 250,000 private forest landownersand some kind of financial incentive tohelp them implement the message of thatprogram.

The key is getting thousands of privateowners to recognize the value of managingtheir woodlots and providing some kind offinancial incentive to make things happenon the ground. Realistic tax abatements, atleast where forest management is beingpracticed, is one good example. The Fed-eral SIP program is another. But NO-BODY, Federal or State governments, pri-vate organizations or industry has beenable to make significant progress to date.Recent cooperative efforts between in-volved institutions and organizations such.as the Federal SIP program, NYSDEC,NYFOA, Tree Farm, and ESFP A haveshown promise but are only a beginning.

What if we don't wait thirty years forNYFOA to grow large enough to becomea more effective educator and pace setter.What if we decide to grow to 5000 in the

NY FOREST OWNER

next three years instead of waiting forthirty? If we can do that, we will be affect-ing the destiny of our organization and inturn, that of our forested lands. I fmnlybelieve with increasing growth and theassociated effectiveness we can have asignificant impact on the education andmotivation of the thousands of privateforest land owners in New York Statewhich is vital to changing the future health,productivity and overall value of our for-ests.

A very tall order? Yes, but there is atleast one simple way to take a giant stepforward, fast. If most members of NYFOAwill take it upon themselves to get one newmember every year we could be over100,000 strong before the turn of the cen-tury. If most of these members practiceforest management on their own lands wewill make enormous progress toward ourgoal of increasing both the quality andproductivity of our forests. As an organiza-tion we have a tremendous opportunity todrive this issue, perhaps better than anyother. That's not to say NYFOA can do italone. But we can provide the initial inter-est and motivation to the greatest numberof forest land owners, and that's how you

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teet towns with a narrow tax base and highland values. Moreover land use can beinfluenced in ways other than manipulat-ing the tax base: easements, zoning, ordi-nances, weight limits on roads and bridges,and cost-sharing for the forest practicesdesired.

The full title of the Report is "The 480-a Forest Tax Program: Utilization, Ad-ministration and Fiscal Impact." Theauthor is Jerome McCall. It is availablefrom the Board's OfficeofPolicy-Analy-sis and Development, 10 Sheridan Av-enue, Albany, NY 12210-2714. Shouldthe law come under critical review andrevision, NIPFO's will have a chance tomake their views heard. Our most con-structive voice will come from our experi-ence of owning and managing forest land.

LAMENT FOR A LAWBy Henry S. Kernan

eNIPFO's(Non-lndustrialPrivateW Forest Owners) are due a carefuland critical look at 480-a. This

amendment to the real property tax hasbeen the forest tax law since 1974 and inoperation since 1977. Of interest are theresults attained and the lessons to be learned.The law reflects problems and circum-stances twenty years ago. If they havechanged, 480-a should be adjusted accord-ingly.

In November 1992 the State Board ofEqualization and Assessment publisheda study or the forest tax law. The certain-ties of the real property tax are the crucialfact of forest land ownership in New York,far more than the risks of fire, insects,trespass and disease. If forests really areimportant for economic, social and envi-ronmental reasons, society has an interestin how they are taxed. Society also has aninterest in us small, non- industrial, privateforest owners. We number over half amillion in New York and own some 13.5million acres of forestland. Our annual realproperty taxes are about $123 million andour sales of timber about $99 million.

WHO USES THE LAW?The Board's Report states the results of

480-a insofar as data allow. In 1992 forestacreage certified under the law was 306,577acres -- 1.99 per cent of New York's com-mercial forest land. In 1990, the law hadenrolled 1401 parcels with an equalizedexempt value of $88 million and a tax shiftof $2.3 million.

State-wide those figures are minuscule.In the same year there were 1,067,128exemptions with for all reasons an equal-ized exempt value of $275 billion. Never-theless the forest tax law is not a localoption and can seriously erode the tax baseof townships which have much forest butfew buildings or land in other uses to tax.Exemptions are concentrated in four coun-ties of the Catskill-Lower Hudson regionand in the Adirondack county of Essex.Sullivan County's Town of Lumberton hasover 15 per cent of the state-wide exemptvalues.

In contrast to forest tax laws in severalother states, New Hampshire for example,New York's tax law is not mandated anddoes not apply to all private forest land. Toqualify, a parcel must have at least 50contiguous acres and be devoted to theproduction of a merchantable forest crop.The owner must take the initiative. In spite

NY FOREST OWNER

of the advantage of an 80 per cent reduc-tion of the tax bill, 480-a has not had wideappeal. Less than four per cent of thestate's eligible forest land is enrolled. Re-gardless of the level of exemption, ownersdo not readily give up the option of con-verting their land to uses more profitablethan forest, conversions which the generalreal property taxing system assumes underthe doctrine of highest and best use asrevealed by markets forreal property. Otherdisincentives to participation are the costsof enrollment with renewal every five yearsand the eventual stumpage tax set by a stateemployee's judgement as to the timber'sworth.

DO WE NEED ONE? WHY?Forest land deserves special tax treat-

ment because of low productivity of sal-able products, low demands for publicservices, and high values to the generalpublic. Such considerations did not shape480-a The threat of timber shortage did.The purpose was to grow and market moretimber. Hence the acreage and timber croprequirements excluded some 5.5 millionacres of forestland and most NIPFO 's. Thethreat does not have the force of twentyyears ago. Reported inventories of grow-ing stock, trends of stumpage prices andcomparisons of growth with removals havenot revealed serious timber shortages. In-dications are that New York's timber re-sources are increasing at rates which alarmoJ11y the prophets of doom. Moreover studyafter study has also revealed that weNIPFO's are not primarily growers andmarketers of timber. We have our severalreasons for owning forest land and payingreal property taxes in excess of stumpagereceipts, but the selling of timber for a netprofit is not the principal one. Nor is timbershortage within their state an urgent con-cern of the general citizenry.

Most of all, New Yorkers want theirforests to be purveyors of open space, ofwildlife, water, fresh air and the beauty oflandscapes; not spoiled and fragmentedinto sprawling, dispersed development. Theforest tax law addresses those concernsonly incidentally except for rare species.Were 480-a (currently 27 pages long) touse its methods to promote these widervalues, the effect upon the local tax baseand the DEC with present staff would bedevastating.

The Report suggests more flexibility inthe management plans and reimbursementfor tax shifts above a certain level to pro-

16

THE EVILS OF REGULATIONMy forest farm is just under 1000 acres.

In 1947 the real property taxes were $342.By 1978 they were that, with a zero and480-a looked tempting. I prepared a man-agement plan, enrolled my forest and re-ceived reduced tax bills. The plan calledfor 10 acres ofTSI in December 1979 andlOin January 1980. My son came home fora month in December and we finished the20 acres. I had requested a change in themanagement plan and revised the plan.Approval came in March. In the meantimeI was afoul of the law and subject to a fineof $6840. I withdrew my land and disre-garded a notice of violation. Fortunatelythe county treasurer disregarded the noticealso and I heard no more.

Like the manager of any enterprise Ihave a plan in mind but must take opportu-nities when they come by. Iplant, prune, doTSI, mark and conduct sales as time, helpand markets allow, not as granted by alegally enforceable document prepared tocover ten years. I cannot anticipate everysale and I cannot do 50 acres of TSI eachyear, nor can I pay and supervise others todo that amount of work, not with compen-sation insurance at 56 per cent of the wage.My schedule of woods work depends uponthe season, the weather, who can help meand other determinants. I spend about 250-hours a year working in my woods. Goodmanagement requires me to plan and carryout that work as circumstances allow. Thatis an option I cannot give up, tax exemptionor no tax exemption.

Last winter a logger stopped by lookingforred pine. We visited my plantation andsigned a contract. I marked the trees for

MARCH/APRIL 1993

sale; he paid me in advance, and went towork the next day. A 30 days' notice to theDEC would have lost me the sale. Later aneighbor's son wanted to earn money dur-ing his vacation cutting firewood. We madean agreement and went to work, I markingand he cutting as his schedule allowed.There were no 30 days' notice; no inspec-tion by a DEC forester, and no payment tothe county of six per cent of what theforester thought the trees were worth.

Another aspect of 480-a made me hesi-tate to enroll and relieved to drop out. Onlyforest land devoted to the production ofmerchantable timber crop is eligible. Myforest has four stands of timber whichshould not be cut and removed. One is ofhemlock on a steep slope that overlooks anational historic landscape. No loggingshould take place on the soft ground aroundmy lake. The outlet is a steep gorge that hasnever been logged and should not be. Thefourth stand must predate settlement, forthe oak, ash, basswood and maple areenormous. The four areas total more than100 acres. They were once scheduled in theDEC-approved management plan but arenow safely out.

I honestly believe that my stewardshipover the years has been responsible, and Iinvite anyone to look and disagree if he sochooses. My woods are in far better condi-tion than when purchased in 1947. Theyhave brought me $48,856 worth of timberand have contributed $131,282 to localschools and local government. The differ-ence, $82,426 is what I have paid so far forthe inestimable privilege of owning andmanaging forest land. For the year 1992my non-participation in 480-a cost me$6848, but the tax was not shifted to myneighbors.

Several paths are before me. A wiseinvestment counselor tells me to sell andbuy shares in Amalgamated Horsefeathers.Another would have me give in to thepressures of 480-a. A third is the path ofhope that I will continue to exercise what-ever forestry skills are mine.

Henry Kernan is a consulting forester ac-tive in worldforestry currently reviewinga resource station and resource manage-ment plan in Ecuador, S.America. Henry,aM aster Forest Owner '91,was the host ofNYFOA 'sFirst WoodswalkinMay 1967 onhis Charlotte Valley - Otsego County for-estland (see FOREST OWNER Vol. V. No.6 & No. 7 which declared the FirstWoodswalk a "Resounding Success", andprovided a schedule of5 more in as manyweeks.)

NY FOREST OWNER

Bob Sand and Jim CoufalElected "Fellows" by Foresters

By Dave TaberRobert M. Sand and James E. Coufal

are renowned for their contributions toforestry. In 1992 the national Society ofAmerican Foresters (SAF) bestowed wellearned honors on them by granting eachthe grade of "Fellow," with its prestigeand status.

As recipients of one of the highestawards a professional forester can receive,Jim Coufal and Bob Sand are nationallyrecognized as Fellows, through the pro-cess of being elected by a vote of themembership of the New York State Soci-ety of American Foresters (NYSAF), ac-cording to provisions by its national asso-ciation, the SAF.

Bob Sand was recognized for his lead-ership, outstanding practice of forestry,

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and commitment to promoting steward-ship. His professional contributions toNYFOA since its origin; to the formerEmpire Forest System, as a director; and tothe NYS AF as its chair, are just a few ofthehighlights that exemplify his continualdedication to promoting excellence in for-estry. Bob,asChairoftheNYFOA AwardsCommittee, is well known for his graciousrecognition of others while making pre-sentations at the annual NYFOA WinterMeeting. Bob Sand is the Chief Forester,Retired, from Cotton-Hanlon, Inc. ofCayuta, NY.

1Jim Coufal was recognized for his vi:

sions, provocative insight, proactive re-sponsiveness, and leadership. He is a pastchair of the NYSAF and is currently amember of the SAF (advisory) Council forthe New England-New York Region. Notonly has Jim been a teacher of youth andadults throughout his career, but he hasbeen an advocate of principles and valuesthat create a basis to meet recognizedsocial, economic, and ecological aspectsof forestry. He is recognized as an advo-cate of stewardship, and known for intro-ducing the land stewardship cannon to theSAF for its National By-Laws. Jim Coufalis a Professor of Forestry at the SUNYCollege of Environmental Science andForestry in Syracuse, NY.

It is with pride and recognition for theirachievements that we of the New YorkForest Owners Association join the Soci-ety of American Foresters in saying toJames E. Coufal and Robert M. Sand,"Thank you for all you have done in pro-moting good forestry, and congratulationsfor formally being recognized by yourpeers through their election of you to thegrade of Fellow."

17 MARCH/APRIL 1993

stronger to use the bark, butthatneeds to besoaked for several hours then boiled. Sup-posedly, the leaves and bark boiled into atea, cooled, and strained stop dandruffwhen used as a hair rinse.

Properly collecting the tree parts to useis important to assure strength in the con-coction. Younger, new leaves yield themost power. My guess is like collectingherbs, the best time of day is right after thedew is off. Bark (not cambium) can becollected any time of year. I did not discussthe use of the cambium layer, because itscollection can kill your trees. 1 am minusone wild cherry teenager, even though Ididn't girdle the tree.

If you are not using leaves you collectimmediately, or wish to use them overtime, dry them. You can speed dry them inthe microwave on the programmed defrostcycle (underguess rather than overguessthe time or you'll get powder).

To make tea, use a teaspoon of driedleaves, pour boiling water over them andlet sit for 20 minutes. Honey covers badtaste better than sugar. A tea of bark shouldbe simmered for at least 35 minutes. It willget stronger the longer you simmer. Thebark teas taste the worst, 1 think.

You already know that one of my favor-ite forms to extract tree goodies is a tinc-ture. Using any 80 proof, or higher spirit,fill a jar 1/2 full of crushed leaves, etc. thenfill the jar up with booze. Label and datethis, because it is necessary to let it sit for6-8 weeks (the longer the better). Shake itperiodically. You can use the liquid andleave in the tree parts. DO NOT drink it inthe same amounts as non-treated liquor.The ingredient makes it stronger medicine.Start with tablespoon doses.

The skin oils can be made with any goodoil. 1 use canola as a base extractor (nonsmelly, good for skin, cheap) then dilutewith other oils (coconut, almond, sesame,etc.) after it is cured. Put ingredients in tofill 3/4 of a jar then fill the jar with oil.Squeeze in a 1000 Unit of Vitamin E toprevent molding. Let sit for 6-8 weeksshaking occasionally. You can add per-fume at this point. The oils can be used onthe skin directly orputintoa bath. Birch oilmakes a good after shave.

Tree Eaters, Potions and Lotions

By Dr. Jane Sorensen Lord

He looked at me straight in the eye,"Then, since you are a Tree Farmer,

you must know what Adirondack means.""No""It means tree eaters. The Indians of

that region ate trees in the winter".I cannot document the meaning of

Adirondack, but Pine nuts and most of theother mast tree nuts are high in phyto-protein and were definitely staples of In-dian diet.

They used trees for medicinal purposesas well. The sap of the Pine and Juniperwere used for colds and sore throats. In-deed, the sap of White Pine, with aconsis-tency in the mouth of raw honey and a tastelike mild Pinesol smells, does relieve araspy throat and leaves a pleasant mouth-wash aftertaste.

A tea of Juniper berries (about a tea-spoon full) calms down a too full stomachand acts as a strong diuretic. A cooled teawith two teaspoons of berries, applied tothe skin with a cotton ball or sprayer takesthe itch away from mosquito bites and issupposed to take away the sting of a bee (Ihaven't been stung since 1read about this,but it does work on mosquito bites).

New sprigs from the Hemlock tree (NOTthe hemlock plant which resembles Q'.I~')nAnne' sLace and which provided Socrates'sdemise) mulled in Scotch for six or moreweeks is a cold remedy. I made some anddid blind taste tests on my English hus-band, Gordon, and two of his peer agecompatriots and got the same response,"My mother gave that to me for cold duringthe War".

Adding Linden flowers (Basswood) toScotch is supposed to provide the sameremedy, but I couldn't test it because,according to Gordon it gives a delicate,aged flavor and the potion got drunk beforeanybody got a cold.

The same happened to new Birch leavesand twigs in vodka. That is supposed to begood for stomach ailments and diarrhea. I

NY FOREST OWNER

admit that it does taste good neat afterdinner.

Birch catkins and twigs irnparta winter-green smell to canola (rape seed) oil and acapsule of Vitamin E, and makes sunburnsting and itch disappear. Used without asunburn, Birch oil soaks rapidly into theskin removing dryness. 1 sent some to mybrother for his psoriasis and he said itstopped the itching when applied everycouple of hours.

1 have not made a tincture from Beechfor internal use (see Linden and Birch) butthe Indian used it for diabetes, to calmnerves, and to improve the appetite.

Beech leaves plucked directly from thetree and rubbed on the skin are supposed tobe an antidote to poison ivy, like JewelWeed--I don't get poison ivy so I can'tvouch for this use. I do make a skin oil fromthe early spring leaves and use it regularlyafter swimming in a chlorine pool. It worksbetter than any commercial product I'vetried. Supposedly, the smooth bark showsthe observant that Beech is good for theskin.

Trembling Aspen buds are also sup-posed to be of cosmetic value, if bathed inweekly (tie them up in cheese cloth so theydon't clog the drain) and should be useddaily for ulcers, bums and the like. They doseem to soften the water. I'm going to mixthem with Beech and Birch this spring tocreate a super oil.

More interesting, now that malaria ismoving back out of control (I know, 1know, it is not a problem in New York), isthe use of Trembling Aspen over Quininein its treatment. It is supposed to give thesame results with less after effect.

Boiled and strained Maple leaf tea wasused by the Indian as an eye wash insteadof Boric acid or Murine. I use fresh aloe onmy eyes and my cats successfully, which iseasier to collect, but! plan to try Maple thissummer. Three wine glasses imbibed perday of the tea is a liver tonic--too bad theFrench don't have many or any Mapletrees.

If you take the caps of acorns and smashthem up into a powder, they can be used forinternal and external infections and in-flammations. You can drink it in a tea(strain it) and gargle with it for bleedinggums. I tried this for a while and changedto Crest Plaque Control which tastes bet-ter.

I have also made pile suppositories withthe powder and cocoa butter. They didwork, but Preparation H is really a lot moreaccurate because of its highermeltingpoint!

Chewing White Willow twigs releasessalicylic acid, the healing component ofaspirin, and will relieve a headache. It's

18

Jane Sorensen Lord is the Communica-tions Liaison for the NYS Tree Farm Com-mittee. She has been an OccupationalTherapist for 28 years and likes therapeu-tic activity. She became a Doctor ofNaturopathy in 1991, and has been grow-ing and using herbs in her practice. Formore by Jane, see "Brooklyn's Little TreeFarmers". NY FOREST OWNER Sept/Oct'91 & Jan/Feb 92.

MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

Pine Shoot Beetle Situation Demands Business StrategyBy David W. Taber

wners and managers of businesses

O that depend on pine nursery stock,pine Christmas trees, pine logs with

attached bark, and other "regulated ar-ticles" may find it advantageous to takestrategic action. The common pine shootbeetle (Tomicus piniperda), an exotic in-sect (not indigenous to North America),from Europe, Asia, and Africa has becomea biological and economic threat.

As of November 13, 1992 thefederal APHIS, PPQ (Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service, Plant Protec-tion and Quarantine) of the USDA (U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture)invokedaquar-antine on all known "infestations" of thecommon pine shoot beetle. At that time, atotal of 42 counties in 6 states were placedunder quarantine to prevent the spread ofthe insect by transportation of "regulatedarticles" from (known) "infestations" topoints outside of the infested counties. ByFebruary 1, 1993, one additional countyhad been added to the quarantined area.

By definition, an "infestation" is theknown presence of at least one pine shootbeetle at a site. The presumption is thatwhere at least one insect is detected, moreof the same species exist.

Nationwide, the financial threat attrib-utable to the pine shoot beetle has beenestimated at $724 million during a 30- yeartime period, starting with the insect's de-tection in 1992 ($24.13 million per year),according to USDA APHIS data.

When an infestation of the pine shootbeetle is detected, the county in which it islocated is immediately added to the federal

(national) quarantine, by way of the stateinvolved. In New York, this is done by theNew York State Department of Agricul-ture and Markets, Division of Plant Indus-try (Robert J. Mungari, Director). Understandard federal and state procedures, astate can (and usually does) invoke a "par-allel" county quarantine rather than to havethe federal government quarantine the en-tire state. The "parallel quarantine" mustcontain regulations identical to those ofthefederal quarantine. Therefore, in New YorkState, with its parallel quarantine by theNYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets,both federal and state officials can enforcethe pine shoot beetle quarantine.

"Regulated articles" (according to theFederal Register, Vol. 57. No. 224, No-vember 19,1992), as specified in the pineshoot beetle federal quarantine includepine Christmas trees (Pinus sp.); pine nurs-ery stock (Pinus sp.); logs of pine (Pinussp.), spruce (Picea sp.), larch (Larix sp.),and fir (Abies sp.) with bark attached; andpine, spruce, larch and fir lumber with barkattached.

The six states, which have had43 coun-ties quaran tined for the pine shoot beetle asof February 1, 1993, are Michigan, Illinois,Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and NewYork. New York State's quarantine is lim-ited to two counties: Niagara and Erie."Parallel action," as a state quarantine bythe NYS Department of Agriculture andMarkets was taken to avoid a federal quar-antine of the entire state.

Regulated articles "May not be movedinterstate from quarantined areas except in

ROOTS AND BRABy~ayne Oakes. . .. . . .......y

h~e fOllowing;'}?te:wasiTl~~~~ by an appreciatien of both woods and word~and. ·tten as aparii<rlcorre$pO~dence with an old friend; DickPox. Most-of.the•C text is .. . .the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

tree was 'deru and meant not only ITPj~nllt·!lI~{\

from .

NY FOREST OWNER 19

Adult pine shoot beetle tunneling up intoshoot (current year's growth) of Scotchpine twig in summertime. Actual size ofbeetle is ca. 1/8". (CornellAgNewsPhoto)

accordance with conditions specified insections 301.50-4 through 301.50-10 ofthe federal quarantine. In addition, NewYork State, pursuant to law, invoked a rulethat "immediately adopts and enforces anintrastate pine shoot beetle quarantine forErie and Niagara Counties. According toRobert J.Mungari, if the pine shoot beetleis found to infest sites in other counties,those counties would immediately be addedto the federal and state quarantines.

Businesses that deal with pine (Pinus),spruce (Picea), true fir (Abies), and larch(Larix) trees, as well as forest owners whogrow these species, have apotentially costlystake in the pine shoot beetle situation. Theostrich syndrome, leadership vacuum, and/or "it's not affecting me stance" may proveto be prohibitively expensive. Keepinginformed, and working appropriately withpolicy makers and regulators in a pro-active manner, individually and through"trade" (not-for-profit) associations, is awise investment. Remember, as BobMungari said, "You are responsible forcompliance with all rules and regulationsassociated with this Pine Shoot BeetleQuarantine action. Failure to do so couldresult in substantial fines and penalties."Also, it could lead to more and moredeformed and even dead pine trees.

MARCH/APRIL 1993

R.J. Fox, EditorRD#3, Box 88Moravia, NY 13118(315) 497-1078

Years

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WOODLOTCALENDARMar. (?): WFL: Maple SyrupProduction, Eric Randall;Alexander, NY (716) 226-3944Mar. 26: STC; 6 PM; PotluckSupper; Extension Bldg; UpperFront St., BinghamtonMar. 27: AFC; 10 AM;Woodswalk; JamestownAudubon Ctr; Ted Griez;Frewsberg, NY: (716) 763-9067Mar. 27, 28: TIO; Horse Log-ging Seminar; Diamond ValleyRoad, Tioga County; (607) 699-3846April 24: NYFOA ANNUALSPRING MEETING:MARSHALL HALL, SUNYESF, SYRACUSE. See Insertwith Election BallotApril 30: ARBOR DAY

NY FOREST OWNER MARCI-VAPRIL 1993

------ - -' ---- ---

NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION31st ANNUAL MEETING

SATURDAY APRIL 24, 1993Marshall Hall Auditorium

SUNY College of E S and ForestrySyracuse, New York

8:30 a.m, Registration in Auditorium FoyerCoffee and Donuts in Nitkin Lounge

9:30 a.m. ---- Welcome and Opening RemarksDr. Ross S. Whaley, President, SUNY/CESF

9:45 a.m. ---- Business MeetingPresident's Report - Stuart McCartyExecutive Director's Report - John MarchantTreasurer's Report - Clara MinerdChapter Affairs - Charles Mowatt

PROGRAM: THIRTY YEARS OF CHANGE WITHIN NYFOA AND NEW YORK'S FORESTS

10:30 a.m. ---- Tree Diseases: State of NYS Forests - Past, Present and FutureDr. George Hudler, Professor, Cornell University

11:15 a.m. ---- Biodiversity and ForestryDr. Douglas Allen, Professor, SUNY/CESF

12:00 p.m. ---- Buffet Luncheon - Nifkin LoungePresentation of Awards

1:45 p.m. ---- Wildlife Management: The Return of the Wild TurkeyDr. William Porter, Professor, SUNY/CESF

2:15-2:45 ---- Concurrent Workshops - Please pre- register for 1 below:- 480a Tax Law - Ernie Hammerle, DEC Forester, Region 7, Sherburne, NY- Planning a Timber Harvest - Patrick McGlew, Consulting Forester, Nichols, NY

2:45 p.m. ---- NYS Forest Economics: Market Forces that Affect your Stumpage PricesDr. Hugh Canham, Professor, SUNY/CESF

3:15 p.m. ---- Program Evaluation and Summary

Advanced registration is required by April 9 to determine luncheon setting and workshop selection.

--------DETACH --------COMPLETE --------MAIL --------BEFORE --------APRIL 9, 1993 --------

31st ANNUAL MEETING RESERVATION FORM

Mail to:NYFOAc/o Deborah GillAdmin. SecretaryP.O. Box 180Fairport, NY 14450

Please reserve __ places for the Awards Luncheon@$15.00each:Amountenclosed$, _Payable to NYFOAName: _Address: _

480A Tax LawWORKSHOP SELECTION

__ Planning a Timber Harvest

NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

DIRECTOR: ONE YEAR KATHLEEN FARNUM

Nominations for Directors of the Association. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

To Elect: One DIRECTOR for a 0 N E (1) YEA R term: (1993)

KATHLEEN FARNUM has served as Executive Director of the Catskill ForestAssoc. for two years and as such a Director of NYFOA. She is now leavingher post at CFA to continue studies in computer sciences. An enthusiasticsupporter of NYFOA. Kathleen comes from Roxbury.

To Elect: One DIRECTOR for a TWO (2) YEA R term: (1993-1994)

TOM ELLISON is founder and chair of the Central New York Chapter and assuch has served on the NYFOA Board. Having completed the Cornell "WoodlandManagement" course and the "Master Forest Owner/Coverts" program, he iswell qualified to serve as a NYFOA Director. A member of the NY CommunityForest Council, he has also been a Wildlife Education Instructor at theBurnet Park Zoo in Syracuse for the past fifteen years. Tom, his wife andtheir three children live on a certified Tree Farm in Pompey.

To Elect: Four DIRECTORS for T H R E E (3) YEA R terms:(1993-1995)

ALBERT W. BROWN of Stow, NY. holds undergraduate and graduate degrees fromSyracuse University. He has been active as a teacher in conservationrelated courses and forest practices in IL and MI (1952-1965) and isPresident Emeritus, SUNY Brockport. He is VP of the Chautauqua County Co-opExtension Board, a Master Forest Owner and winner of the FBA Region 9Outstanding Forest Landowners Award (jointly owned).

VERNER C. HUDSON of Elbridge, and his wife, Marjorie, have owned a 297 acrefarm since 1947. They have done ~SI on all of their 180 acress of woodland,beginning in 1961. In 1988 they were recognized as New York's OUTSTANDINGTREE FARMER. Vern has been a NYS Forest Practice Board member since 1979,and has served on the NYFOA Board for the past three years.

PETER S. LEVATICH, a retired architect, lives in Brooktondale. A graduateof Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (56'), he served as a NYFOA director inthe early 1980's. He actively manages his 80 acre forest for timber andrecreation. Peter is a Master Forest Owner and a member of the Region 7Forest Practice Board.DON J. WAGNER is a native of Utica and a graduate of SyracuseUniv. (68').He is a business Officer at the NYS Rome DDSO. Don is a certified TreeFarmer, member of the NYCTGA, has been a director of NYFOA for three years,and currently is First Vice President of this Association.

DETACHN Y F 0 A

----- COMPLETE ---- MAILc/o Deborah Gill, Admin, Sec'y

BEFORE APRIL 9, 1993 To:----P.O. BOX 180 FAIRPORT, NY 14450

B ALL 0 T V 0 T E FOR S I X (6) D IRE C TOR S

DIRECTOR: TWO YEARS TOM ELLISON

DIRECTORS: THREE YEAR ALBERT W. BROWNVERNER C. HUDSONPETER S. LEVATICHDON J. WAGNER