the new york forest owner - volume 38 number 1

The New Yorl(

Forest OwnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

JanuaryjFebruary 2000

vvlume 38 Number 1 FOUNDED 1963

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERS

ASSOCIATIONVolume 38, Number 1

Officers & DirectorsRonald Pedersen, President

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

Jim Minor, Vice President

22 Bryn Mawr RoadRochester, NY 14624; (716) 247-7069

Robert Sykes, Secretary

4786 Foster RoadElbridge, 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

2000

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

John Hastings, Queensbury, (518) 798-0248

Rouald Pederseu, Latham, (518) 785-6061

Betty Waguer, Utica, (315) 733-7391

2001

Jill Cornell, Johnsonville, (518) 753-4336Nick Polee, Remsen, (315) 831-5301

Dave Swaciak, Franklinville, (716) 676-2349

Robert Sykes, Elbridge, (315) 673-3691

2002

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

Mike Greason, Catskill, (518) 943-9230Jack 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) 861-8753John Druke, Central New York; (315) 656-2313

Gene McCardle, Lower Hudson; (914) 945-0504Pat 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. Contentsmay not be reproducedwithoutprior writtenpermissionfrom thepublisher.NYFOA doesnot necessarilysupportor approvepro-cedures.products. or opinionspresented by authorsor advertisers.

© 2000 New York Forest Owners Association

In This Issue •• •

FROM THE PRESIDENT

RON PEDERSEN 3

IN THE MArL 4

ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR THE MFO/COVERTS PROGRAM

GARY R. GOFF 6

HAR.n WOOD

JACK A. WARD 9

ALONG THE FINGER LAKES TRAIL

IRENE SZABO 10

CITY IN A FOREST

MARK KEISTER............................................................................................. 11

GENERAL DIRECTOR CANDIDATES - Includes Mail in Election Form 12

38TH ANNuAL SPRING MEETING - Registration Form Included 13

WOOD-DESTROYING INSECTS: THE POWDER POST BEETLES

DOUGLAS ALLEN 14

THE CATSKILL WATERSHED

HENRY KERNAN 16

WOODLOT CALENDAR 19

REpORTS FROM CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION MEETINGS

DICK Fox 20

NYFOA NEWS 22

THE MARKETPLACE 23

The New Yorl(

Forest OwnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

The New York Forest Owner is a bi-monthly publication by The New York Forest OwnersAssociation, P.O. Box 180, Fairport, NiY, 14450. Materials submitted for publication shouldbe sent to: Mary Beth Malmsheimer, Editor, The New York Forest Owner, 134 LincklaenStreet, Cazenovia, New York 13035. Materials may also be e-mailed to [email protected], artwork and photos are invited and if requested, are returned after use. Thedeadline for submission for the Marchi April issue is February 1, 2000.

Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to P.O. Box 180,

Fairport, N.Y. 14450. 1-800-836-3566. Cost of individual membership/subscription is $20.

COVER: West Branch of the Neversink River. Town of Denning, Ulster

County. Photo courtesy of the Watershed Forestry Program,

Walton, New York.

The New York Forest Owner 38: 1 • January/February 20002

mailto:[email protected].

FT~PresidentW

e had a treat last week drivingthrough the Charlotte Valleyto Henry Kernan's home.

There were a couple of inches of newsnow, and typical of early December, itwas the wet stuff that sticks to thetrees. It was gorgeous, and I thoughtthat while there is only one "firstsnow" per year quite like that, there isone every year, just as uniquelybeautiful as though being experiencedfor the first time. A natural wonder tobe sure, and perhaps worth remember-ing, since snow may be having adifferent impression on us when thesewords appear in print.

Two upcoming dates are of particu-lar importance to all of us in NYFOA -please put them on your calendar andinvite a friend:

NYFOA's spring program andannual meeting is on March 18th -check out the agenda later in this issue.Jim Minor and Betty Wagner haveplanned an excellent program for us,taking into account meeting evaluationcomments in recent years with respect tomaking the trip worthwhile by having afull day, a variety of topics, tighteningup the time spent on lunch andspeeches, but continuing the silentauction and breaks for socializing. Ihope every chapter will promote

invitations to friends and car pooling sothat a record number can enjoy thecamaraderie and the contributions ofthose who take the time to developpresentations for us.

Less than a month later, April 15thwill also be a big day for NYFOA-this time helping to make CornellCooperative Extension's satellite video-conference on the economics of foreststewardship a huge success. Theprogram is to be presented in a numberof County Extension offices throughoutthe state on the morning of April 15th,and in some cases taped for a laterpresentation. NYFOA has been askedto help arrange afternoon programs inthe field which will complement themorning teleconference.

With our experience withwoodswalks of every kind, this is achallenge we can easily accept, andeven as I write, early preparations areunderway in some areas. This is awonderful outreach opportunity forNYFOA members to make contact withothers who are also interested invarious aspects of woodlot stewardship.Since the several county area coveredby most NYFOA chapters is likely tohave more than one program, it willtake extra effort from a number ofmembers to make the day a fullsuccess. I would encourage all mem-bers to pitch in and do what they can tohelp. Jerry Michael, Southern TierChapter, has agreed to help relayinformation and planning notes to andfrom the chapters as programs andplans develop. Thanks Jerry!

Give your county extension officea call today - let the folks know thatall aspects of managing and enjoyingthe benefits of private forest ownershipare important to you, as well as to thecounty's economy and environment. Ifyou don't tell them, who will?

- Ron PedersenPresident

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.

I1Wewould like to support goodforestry and stewardship of NewYork's forest lands

( ) I1Weown acres ofwoodland.( ) I1Wedo not own woodlandbut 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 founda-tion), including any contribution inexcess of your NYFOA membershipand send to:

NYFOAP.O. Box 180

Fairport, New York 144501-800-836-3566www.nyfoa.org

The New York Forest Owner 38:1 • January/February 2000 3

http://www.nyfoa.org

The program establishes a systemfor referrals of landowners in need ofassistance to a directory of foresterswho have voluntarily entered into anagreement with DEC to furnish assis-tance per provisions of program policy.Not all foresters in the private sectorparticipate in the program and respon-sibilities under it apply only to thoseproperties and landowners referred byDEe. A process is established whereDEC reviews work done by Cooperat-ing Foresters to insure that servicesprovided are within the framework ofthe program. This process starts withcontact with the landowner to deter-mine his or her level of satisfaction.Additionally, the Department isobligated to investigate complaints thatare made in writing by landowners whohave been referred to a CooperatingForester and have experienced asignificant problem.

The intent of both the reviewprocess and complaint investigation isto determine if a problem exists andoffer a solution to correct it. The DECRegional Forester has a primary role indeveloping resolutions at the local levelto mediate conflicts and to influencefuture behavior. Principals involvedwill be interviewed, sites whereforestry work has been done may be

In TheMAIL

Monitoring Private ForestersI would like to address Mr.

Martin from Germany. I sincerelyhope that this country's ideals setforth by our founding fathers has noteroded to the point that everybodyhas to be "monitored." If a person orpersons is not supplying goods &services to the satisfaction of theconsumer, that person or personsbusiness will not survive the market-place without losses. The only placethis does not hold true is within therealm of government employment.Possibly we need to "monitor" ourgovernment employees, as we haveno vehicle for remedial actiontowards them. They set the rules, setthe penalties, enforce the rules anddetermine the verdicts. They areuntouchable; you cannot removethem through the ballot box. Icertainly do not want a chosen fewgoing around making lists of goodpeople and bad people. That's beendone before. Maybe we need amaster plan or a master race ormaster monitors now there's a mastersolution.

- Benjamin HaadBuffalo, NY

Private Sector ForestersIn reading the November/Decem-

ber issue of The New York Forest

Owner, I see that this publicationcontinues to be a forum for discussionabout the role of and landowner benefitthat private sector foresters can providethe nonindustrial private forest land-owner.

Mr. James Martin, in his letter tothe editor, raises several questionsconcerning services provided byprivate foresters and "quality control"associated with such services.

As a basis to any discussion on thissubject, one should understand thatthere does not currently exist, profes-sionallicensing or registration in NewYork of qualified individuals trained inthe forestry profession. Therefore,there is no professional review or othereffort of a regulatory nature, governingthe activities of those representingthemselves as foresters under a profes-sional licensing or registration pro-gram.

The Department of EnvironmentalConservation sponsors a voluntaryCooperating Forester Program, de-signed to complement forestry assis-tance services provided by the agency.My letter printed in the July/Augustissue speaks to this subject at length.

271 County Road#9Chenango Forks,NY 13746

607648·[email protected]

AppraisalsTimber Sales

Stewardship Plans480·A Plans

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continued on page 5

RICHARD CIPPERLYNORTH COUNTRY FORESTRY LLC

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8 Stonehurst DriveQueensbury. NY 12804(518) 793-3545 or 1-800-862-3451 SINCE 1964

4 The New York Forest Owner 38:1 • January/February 2000

mailto:[email protected]

inspected and documents developedmay be reviewed in this process.Opportunities to sit down and developmutually acceptable solutions areafforded.

If a resolution to the problem cannot be developed at the regional level,a process is established which involvesrepresentation by the program partners- the Department, NY Institute ofConsulting Foresters, NY Associationof Consulting Foresters, Empire StateForest Products Association as well asthe US Forest Service, to review thematter and recommend correctiveaction to the Director of the Division ofLands and Forests for consideration.The canceling of a cooperative agree-ment with a private forester, a decisionmade by the Director of Lands andForests, is an option available in thisprocess which results in removal of thatperson from the directory of Cooperat-ing Foresters.

Expanding the availability ofprofessional assistance, of appropriatequality to meet landowner needs, is adesired outcome. It is recognized thatperiodic evaluation of activities isneeded to insure that program objec-tives are being met and that action betaken to correct problems encountered.Program policy and procedures areestablished to accomplish this.

Other elements of the CooperatingForester Program require the acquisi-tion of continuing forestry educationcredits by participants. Numeroussilvicultural and land managementreference materials have been providedto Cooperating Foresters by theDepartment. Annual meetings are

Nolan'.'Sporting Supplle.

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obligatory which provide a forum forexchange of information and discussionof issues, including the quality ofservices provided on referred proper-ties. Adherence to the Society ofAmerican Foresters Code of Ethics isexpected regardless of membership inthat professional society. These re-quirements help insure that appropriateprofessional services are rendered onreferred properties.

Landowners seeking services fromprivate foresters also have responsibil-ity. Soliciting quotes from severalforesters rather than dealing with onlyone individual, obtaining and checkingreferences, reviewing affiliation withprofessional organizations and probablymost important, specifying in detail theservice being sought, can help topromote a satisfactory experienceworking with a private forester. If aForest Stewardship Plan has beendeveloped for the property, perhaps bya DEC service forester, that details

Ph. (716) 665-5477Fax. (716) 664-5866

e-mail [email protected] CAMP ST. EXT.

JAMESTOWN, NY 14701

landowner goals and managementactivities recommended, this documentcan serve as a basis in discussions witha private forester to prevent anymisunderstanding as to exactly what thelandowner expects in terms of serviceand outcome from management activi-ties.

No matter how well conceived aprogram is, or how well individualsfunction in it, problems will occur fromtime to time. The Cooperating ForesterProgram is no exception, it has safe-guards and procedures established in itto deal with occurrences highlighted byMr. Martin's correspondence. Thankyou for the opportunity to respond toMr. Martin's concerns and to share thisinformation with your readers andmembers of NYFOA.

-Frank Dunstan, DirectorDivision of Lands and Forests

NYS DEC

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5The New York Forest Owner 38:1 • January/February 2000


Another Great Yearfor the MFO/Coverts Program

GARY R. GOFF

ASignificant milestone wasreached in the summer of '98(our last reporting year),

when a Master Forest Owner* (MFO)volunteer completed the 1,0001hdocumented visit to a forest ownersince the start of the program in1991. With an average of 62 acresper visited owner, that means over62,000 forested acres have benefitedfrom the program! The true total mayeasily be double that though, as onlyabout a third of the volunteers returnreport forms annually. These num-bers reflect an incredible effort onthe part of a dedicated corps of some240 volunteers who have beencertified through the program overthe years. As of this year, there are137 active volunteers from 45 NYScounties.

The mission of the MFO/CO-VERTS Program is to provideprivate, non-industrial forest ownersof NYS with the information and

encouragement necessary to managetheir forest holdings wisely. The topthree reasons (in order) forestowners give for owning their hold-ings are: 1) recreation, 2) wildlife,and 3) privacy. The volunteers helpforest owners based on their years ofexperience owning and managingforest land and the informationlearned at the 4-day training work-shop hosted annually at CornellUniversity's Arnot Forest. Typically,volunteers arrange a half-day visitwith a neighbor, friend, relative orreferral at their woodlot. Volunteersare not professional foresters so theiradvice is limited to encouragementon setting realistic managementobjectives and suggestions on whereto find more information or neededservices. MFO volunteers oftenreport back that forest owners trulyappreciate knowing where to start themanagement process. The manyissues involved in forest ownership

* The term "Master" Forest Owner implies teacher or instructor as in "school master." Thetraining received by the volunteers complements their experiences as forest owners.

This year's Northern Refresher was hosted by Lew Staats at theUihlein Maple Research and Extension Field Station in Lake Placidwhere volunteers learned about "sweet tree" research.

can appear rather daunting to newand inexperienced owners!

Volunteers also work within theircommunities on hundreds of forestry-related educational activities andevents. In 1998, 51 volunteersreported 351 activities that reachedan estimated audience of 32,890!Many of these "contacts" are basedon readership of various newslettersand magazines, but thousands ofpeople are more directly contactedvia woodswalks, 4-H clubs, schoolpresentations, and educationalworkshops hosted by CooperativeExtension, NYS DEC and NYFOA incounties throughout the state. Anexample of a great effort coordinatedby Al Brown and other volunteers inChautauqua County is the annual"Forest Stewardship" supplementprinted by The Jamestown "Post-Journal." This year's edition con-tained 9 articles and activities writtenmostly by volunteers from westernNY. Yet another good example of

continued on page 7

Jack McShane hosted the Eastern Refresher workshop where weobserved the impact deer have on regeneration as evidenced by theprofuse aspen sprouts inside the deer exclosure.


outreach activities by volunteers iswhen 4 MFOs gave testimony at theUSDA Private Land ConservationForum held in Syracuse this fall.

Refresher WorkshopsThree regional (Eastern,

Western, and Northern) workshopsare held annually to bring certifiedvolunteers together for a day-longrefresher training. We typically havea few speakers on current localissues in the morning and then go toa field site in the afternoon. Thisyear a total of about 70 volunteersattended the three workshops. MFOJack McShane hosted the Easternworkshop in Delaware County. Wereceived an update on activities andprograms for forest owners as part ofthe NY City Watershed Programadministered by the WatershedAgriculture Council (WAC) in themorning and then toured Jack'sbeautiful home and woods. If youknow Jack, wildlife is his primaryobjective and he has accomplisheddozens of habitat improvementprojects including ponds, food plots,apple tree plantings, old fieldreclamation, nest boxes, standthinnings, and use of tree tubes.

The Northern refresher washosted by Lewis Staats, Sr.Extension Associate, at Cornell'sUihlein Sugar Maple Research andExtension Field Station in LakePlacid. In the morning we heardfrom two local maple producers who

COVERTS: \l: like cover)meaning good ruffed grouse habitat,refers to a similar program funded bythe Ruffed Grouse Society, and issymbolic of the importance of habitat toall wildlife.

Funding for the NY MFO/COVERTSProgram comes from the NYS ForestStewardship Program administered byNYS DEC, The Ruffed Grouse Society,and the Renewable Resources ExtensionProgram with cooperation from NYSDEC Div. of Lands and Forests and theNY Forest Owners Association.

7

were severely impacted by the '98 icestorm. In the afternoon we touredLew's greenhouse and plantationwhere he is working on selection andpropagation of genetically "sweettrees." Special thanks are due PeterSmallidge who acquired funding fromthe USDA Ice Storm RecoveryProject to cover the costs of theNorthern refresher. Pete also gave apresentation at each of theworkshops.

The Western refresher washosted by MFO Rick White at thenewly established "Pfeiffer NatureCenter" in Portville. The morningprogram covered the topics ofhardwood regeneration and oldgrowth. In the afternoon we touredthe Nature Center where Rick is theExec. Director. The site is bothbeautiful and unique with a historicAmerican Chestnut cabin and old-growth stands of hemlock/white pineand red oak. Rick is very interestedin establishing a demonstration forestin a portion of the Center's second-growth mixed hardwood stand.

New in '99We tried a couple new things for

the '99 program year. A chronicsuggestion by attendees of the newvolunteer trainings, is to lengthen theprogram's duration. This year weadded a day to the overall program,but added very new material. Theresults were very favorable with the

continued on page 8

PatriciaRolf Wentorf

Chuck Winship

"Class of 1999" Master Forest Owners.

The New York Forest Owner 38:1 • January/February 2000

Another Great Year (Con't from page 7)

largest class ever (38 volunteers)making the commitment and nearlyuniversal agreement that the programwas not overly rushed. Uponcompletion of the training, thevolunteers rated their ability toaccomplish the goals of the MFOprogram 4.3 on a 5-point scale. The2000 workshop will be held at theArnot Forest, Wednesday eveningSept. 13'h until noon on Sunday the17'h•

Another effort made this yearwas to conduct two "focus group"meetings in northern NY with thegoal of identifying what could bedone to generate greater participationand activity in the program. Thereare only 10 volunteers in the 9northern counties; 4 counties have novolunteers. Programs such as MFO/COVERTS build best on theirsuccesses. It is difficult to buildmany success stories with such athinly stretched corps of volunteers.There will be a concerted effort torecruit more volunteers throughinteraction with all organizations andagencies to solicit new volunteers.Referrals from such organizations areimportant sources of forest owner"clients" and from which to receivenew candidate names. Provided thereis enough interest, Peter and I will

organize a new volunteer training inthe Adirondacks in the fall of 2000.If the focus group approach workswell in the Adirondacks, we willlikely use it elsewhere in regionswhere the program could use somebolstering!

How to Arrange for a VisitA free, no-obligation, on-site

visit is yours for the asking! MFOvolunteers are within easy drivingdistance of all citizens of NYS. Callor write a volunteer near you.Listings of volunteers and a programflyer are available at all NYS DECregional offices, Cornell CooperativeExtension County Associationoffices, or through a phone call tothe NYFOA information line at1-800-836- 3566.

How to Become a MFOVolunteer

For more information on theprogram or to request an applicationform, contact MFO/COVERTSProgram Director, Gary Goff, atFernow Hall, Cornell Univ., Ithaca,NY 14853, ph. (607) 255-2824, ore-mail at [email protected]."

Gary R. Goff is MFO/COVERTS ProgramDirector and Extension Associate at CornellUniversity .

Passage

Now the year has slipped away,The challenge of another in its wake;

There are those who welcome the

turning,

And some open wide memory's gate.

Many dream by winter's gleam of fire

As though to mourn summer's fevered

glow;

Some gaze through the frost of

windows,

Glad there is nowhere they must go.

The young challenge winter's decrees,

Bundled against elements of ice and

snow

As life weaves its magical journey

And pause all life in its magical flow.

I see the children pass by each day,Red of cheek and bright of eye,And though elderly I now may be

Their youth is reflected in my sigh.

C'est bien!

-Dorothy Darling

Odessa, NY

Hurricane Hugo forced the Tree Identification exercise inside at the'99 MFO volunteer training.

Arnot Forest Manager, Don Schaufler, addressing the '99 MFOtrainees on timber sales at Cornell University's Arnot Forest.


Well. I found out why they callhardwood lumber "hardwood," especially when it is

made into chairs.On September 15th I accompanied

my wife Pat to the Master ForestOwner Training School at CornellUniversity's Arnot Forest. I could notbecome a Master Forest Owner as I amin the industry, but they did allow meto attend as a nonperson.

We had to arrive at 2 pm onWednesday and they owned us untilnoon on Sunday. Breakfast was servedat 7am and the training ended at 9pmeach day . We had a lO-minute breakmid-morning and mid-afternoonwhether we needed them or not. This iswhen I became aware of "hard wood."All meals were served right at the samefacility and everyone but my wife and Istayed in cabins at the Forest. I thinkthis was to keep escapees to a mini-mum.

The cabins were unheated, butmost had screens in the windows.There was a heated restroom andshower facility that was well main-tained. I had read in the fine print onthe registration information that if youwere really a wimp, you could stay at amotel down the road. Knowing thatfrost and cold weather can come inSeptember and Hurricane Floyd wasalready promising heavy rains, Iswallowed my pride and we acceptedthe "wimp" designation. Since ourmotel room had a TV with news andweather reports and no one else hadaccess to the outside world, we werevery popular first thing in the morningand no one actually called us "wimps."

The program was led by GaryGoff, Program Director of the Depart-ment of Natural Resources at Cornelland in a former life, I'm sure, an armydrill sergeant. Peter Smallidge whoheads the Cornell University ExtensionForestry Program assisted Gary.

JACKA. WARD

During the deluge of rain from Hurri-cane Floyd on Thursday, Peter wentout and gathered leaves and branchesfor us to study as part of our treeidentification. I think he might beafraid of Gary also.

Mornings were spent inside withspeakers and classes on subjects asdiverse as agroforestry opportunities,sawtimber economics, using yourcounty soil maps, finding boundaries,stream-side management, timbermanagement and how to identify,provide and enhance habitat for smallgame, game birds and songbirds. Ieven learned that worms are as bad formy forest as they are for my dog.

The afternoons were spent mostlyin the field with visits to different partsof the Arnot Forest for tree identifica-tion, saw timber management, findingproperty boundaries, and a visit to alarge sawmill to see how scaling andgrading of logs is done (I wish my logswould be scaled and graded thatliberally but I guess there might havebeen some pressure on them with ourlarge group looking on).

The evenings were spent with moreclassroom work and one night theyeven planned an "owl walk;" but mostof us were pretty tired from the daysevents and after a bit of group snack-ing, headed back to the cabins for somemuch-needed rest.

Sunday morning we actually got tosleep an extra half hour and after a bigbreakfast we approached the final half-day of training with great zest. Sundaynoon arrived before we knew it and weleft for home with our heads brimmingover with newly-gained knowledge, mywife with her Master Forest Owner

Certificate and lots of memories of theevent and the many new friends thatwe had made.

There are presently over 100MFO's across the state. As forestowners we should get to know them ifwe don't already. Your local Coop-erative Extension and DEC officeshave a listing of MFOs in your area.Why not try to coordinate some ofyour chapter activities with them sincewe both have the same goal ofpromoting stewardship of privateforests? I would highly recommendthis program to anyone with theinterest and the time to do it. I canpersonally guarantee that at the end ofthe training you will truly know themeaning of "hardwood. " •.

Jack Ward lives in Potsdam, NY and is a

member of NYFOA.

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The New York Forest Owner 38: 1 • January/February 2000 9

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IRENE SZABO

Along the Finger LakesTrail:An Unplanned

Article

RCkground: My series onandowners along the Finger

Lakes Trail who love theirplaces and are generous enough toshare them last featured GeorgeFraley, volunteer DEC fire wardenfrom southern Ontario County, who hasbuilt and maintains a switchback trailand campground below the WildlifeManagement Area at Hi Tor. My veryfirst article lavished appreciation onBill and Ellen Garrison from SteubenCounty, between Prattsburgh andHammondsport, who have given apermanent trail easement to the FingerLakes Trail AND built the best-ap-pointed and most welcoming shelter inour whole 800-mile trail system ontheir property.

Just after dawn on December 4th01' fire-fighter George Fraley called mewith grim news heard on his con-stantly-crackling Disaster-Radio thatsome shelter on the Finger Lakes Trailnear Bean Station Road had burneddown. So Ellen Garrison was flabber-gasted when she called a half-hour later

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and I already knew the horrid news. Somuch for serendipity; the rest of the daywas no fun.

Hunters climbing the Garrisons' hillon the trail to get to the Urbana StateForest above found the still-hot remainsin early morning darkness. Before noon,while the county arson investigator andstate police combed the site uphill, amother from down the road arrived withher tearful teenage son at the Garrisons'house. Two local boys had cookedthemselves dinner the night before in themasonry fireplace in front of the three-sided shelter. They were sure they'd putthe fire out, even had brought water forthe task. They left before dark, leavingbehind a can of liquid fire-starter.

This three-sided log shelter was bigenough for six bunks inside, a smallkitchen table, cupboards on the wallsfilled with amenities and staples that theGarrisons generously provided. A lowroof extended in front to cover thecook's approach to the fireplace, a giftof masonry work from a local teacher,and the roof was lined beneath withsheet metal to prevent accidental flyingspark ignition. Inside was a handsomelyroute red wooden sign with a verse fromEvangeline, surrounded by the paintednames of the Americorps kids whoworked a few days on this huge year-long undertaking. Untold hours of workwas done by Prattsburgh Boy Scouts,FLT volunteers, local friends, threegenerations of Garrison family mem-bers, and those federally-funded helpers,the young adults from across the nationthat Americorps supplied the trailorganization one summer only a fewshort years ago.

Unfortunately the life span of theEvangeline shelter was abysmallyshort. Only three years ago it wasopened for hikers' use in October but itwas almost constantly occupied sincethen, in any season. Just this last fall Iwas descending the hill from a day oftrail work and found a young sixty-ishcouple inside with their grandchildren,staying overnight in the midst of amemorable backpacking adventure forthe four of them.

"This is the forest primeval.The murmuring pines and thehemlocks, Bearded withmoss, and in garments green,indistinct in the twilight,Stand like Druids of eld, withvoices sad and prophetic ... "

-Evangeline Verse

Of this tall log structure there nowremains only a flat bed of black coals,two slender blackened remnants of logswith 12" spikes through them, awarped griddle from the fireplace, andthe scorched metal tubular legs fromthe kitchen table. Hemlocks 12 and 20feet away, big ones 14" and 16" dbh,are badly charred on one side, eventhough it rained the night the shelterburned. Those burnt trees all face whatwas the open side of the shelter, and apicnic table even further away had onlyits facing edges on fire, not the rest ofthe table top or benches in that rain.To my untutored eye, this damagebespeaks a fireball from inside the

continued on page 11

10 The New YorkForest Owner 38:1 • January/February 2000

shelter, fueled, I imagine, by a can offire starter.

Parents, teach your children well.Woodscraft, fire-building, and camp-fire safety are things many of uslearned years ago, but how often do weleave the passing of those lessons toothers, such as Scout leaders andteachers? Fire is unendurably fascinat-ing to many kids. Mother hid foreverfrom my father that one of my brothersnearly burned down the garage byigniting the hedge behind it. I myselfexercised my own milder pyromaniacaltendencies on Girl Scout campfires,insisting on building all cookfires forour troop campouts no matter howheinous the weather.

Foresters jest that New York has"asbestos woods," but if this fire hadstarted last August, 3000 acres with alot of red, white, black, and chestnutoak could have become ashes, too. Thesecond-best stand of American chestnutI've run across is up that hill, too, plussome unusual tupelo and black spruce.A few nice "camps" have also beenbuilt on private land surrounding thestate forest. Parents, teach yourchildren well.

Most astounding to me is that BillGarrison, who had a debilitating strokeonly six weeks before this and isrecovering speech and mobility at agreat rate with typical determinationand teeth-gritting zest, was alreadyplanning by the afternoon of December4tll how we could together find a way torebuild the Evangeline shelter. Ii!:-.

In addition to tending New York Trails, IreneSzabo is a member of the Western Finger LakesChapter of NYFOA and a Director of the FingerLakes Land Trust.

City in a ForestMARK KEISTER

The Western Finger LakesChapter played host to this fall'sstate NYFOA meeting. Urban

Forestry was highlighted at this year'smeeting in Rochester. The Rochesterarea has a long history of recognizingthe benefits of trees in urban areasdating back to early tree planting in the1830s.

Joe Bernal, Monroe Countyforester, and Richard Cook of Cook'sLandscaping were featured guides ofthe daytime program tour of two of thearea's premier parks, Highland andDurand-Eastman. These parks weredesigned by the architect FrederickLaw Olmsted, around the turn of thecentury. His knowledge of plantmaterials and creativity, combined witha climate moderated by Lake Ontario,provided the basis for some trulyunique parks. Joe Bernal demonstratedsome of the equipment needed to carefor the plantings in the parks, and hisslides showed the challenges in manag-ing older trees which have been subjectto two major storms within the last tenyears, the ice-storm of 1991 and amicro burst in 1996. Richard Cook, avolunteer with the county parksdepartment, provided a crash course inhorticultural tree and shrub identifica-tion. Many of the species were veryrare in New York.

City of Rochester forester AndyPleninger was the evening's program

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speaker. Andy focused on the City ofRochester's street tree program. Sincethe 1830s, the city's program hasevolved into a comprehensive manage-ment system using computer technol-ogy to inventory every tree in thecity (60,000 street trees and 12,000trees in parks and public cemeteries).An aerial view reveals Charles SpragueSargent's quote "Rochester is a city ina forest." Mr. Sargent was the founderof Harvard's Arnold Arboretum.

Every forest has its enemies and acity forest is no exception. Rochester'sspreading elm's succumbed to DutchElm Disease in the 1960s. The 1991ice storm badly damaged many of thegreen ash in the city, many of whichhad to be removed. These occurrencesstressed the need to avoid monocul-tures, even in urban plantings. The citynow plants 60 different species oftrees, and strives to plant no more than10% of any single species on a street.Species selection is based on theplanting site conditions and the desiredaesthetic effect. Public input is encour-aged in the planning process. Rochesterplants an average of 1000 trees peryear but Andy stresses the need toprovide follow up care and mainte-nance at least every seven years.

Andy points out that Rochester isjust one community. Nearly all residen-tial communities in New York haveurban trees. Many small villages andtowns have limited expertise andbudgets to care for these trees. It isespecially important for residents tobecome advocates for the care andmanagement of them. Trees add a greatdeal to the community's quality of life,and are often taken for granted. Ii!:-.

Mark Keister is a member of the WFL chapterof NYFOA and editor of its chapter newsletter.This article originally appeared in the Octoberissue of the WFL Chapter newsletter.


General Director CandidatesHugh CanhamHugh Canham currently is Professor of Forest and Resource Economics at the SUNY College of Environmental Science andForestry. He has done extensive research and teaching about New York Forestry, especially concerning the economicimpact of forests and the wood-using industry. He is a forest owner and active in the Society of American Foresters. Healso serves as a member of the Town of Salina Zoning Board of Appeals.

Roy EsiasonRoy Esiason became a Washington County independent forest owner in 1967. As a forest owner he constructed two ponds,planted DEC environmental packets, and developed small Christmas Tree, Black Locust and Red Pine plantations. Heoperated a feed/supply store and kennel in Granville for 17 years and raised and bred Newfoundland dogs since the midsixties. Ray served as Granville town supervisor for 4 years. He worked with DEC Sr. Forester Ron Cadieux on 4 SIPprojects of thinning trees, pruning wild apple trees, and developing a one mile recreation trail. Roy attended the 1999Master Forest Owner/Coverts program at Cornell University's Arnot Forest. While Chairman of the Environmental Com-mittee an Arbor Day program was established that included distribution of 1,600 tree seedlings to elementary school chil-dren each year for the past 12 years.

Jerry MichaelAfter retiring from a career in Human Resources Management with IBM, Jerry Michael has pursued his avocation inforestry on a more-or-less full time basis. He manages his 40 acre family Tree Farm in Broome Country and 1650 forestedacres in Delaware County owned by his hunting club. He has worked closely with DEC and consulting foresters for the 20years the club property has been enrolled in the 480A Forest Tax Law program, and has been heavily involved in planningTSI work and numerous harvests. Jerry has been an active Master Forest Owner volunteer since 1995 and helps staff theHorticultural Hotline at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Broome County. He has served as Secretary/Treasurer for theNYFOA Southern Tier Chapter for several years and served on the NYFOA State By Laws Revision Committee in 1998 and1999. One of Jerry's top priorities is to promote continuing research and forest owner education on the subject of regenerat-ing our hardwood resources.

Ron PedersenRon is a candidate for a second three-year term as a Director. He is a charter member of NYFOA and helped found theCapital District Chapter. The Board of Directors elected Ron NYFOA President last spring. In addition to NYFOA, activityon behalf of private forest owners since his retirement from State government in December 1994 includes timber theftprevention and enforcement, and membership on NY's Sustainable Forestry Implementation Committee and on the NationalForum on Sustainable Forestry. Ron is a 1993 Master Forest Owner. He and his wife Peggy own a tree farm in BroomeCounty and were named New York's Outstanding Tree Farmers in 1998.

DETACH AND COMPLETE MAIL BEFORE MARCH 4,2000

Election FormVOTE FOR FoUR (4) CANDIDATES

Hugh Canham ( )

Name(s)AddressCityChapter / Affiliation _

Roy Esiason ( ) Jerry Michael ( ) Ron Pedersen ( )

State --------Zip _

Send registration to: Debbie GillP.O. Box 180Fairport, NY 14450


Joined by members of the New York Tree Farm System

Saturday, March 18, 2000Marshall Hall, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY

8:15

9:009:05

10:00

10:5011:00

12:0012:401:001:15

1:45

3:153:303:354:00

New York Forest Owners Association

38th Annual Spring Program

Registration and Coffee/Tea/Soda/Danish/Donuts. Check out silent auction items and placeyour bidsWelcome - Ron Pedersen, President, New York Forest Owners AssociationTimber Harvesting in New York - Ralph Nyland, Distinguished Service Professor, SUNYCollege of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NYStrategies to Effectively Regenerate Hardwood Forests - Peter Smallidge, New York StateExtension ForesterBreakEffectively Communicating with Your Forester: The Three Ring Model - James Finley,Associate Professor of Forestry at Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State ExtensionForesterLunch (provided) - Nifkin Student Lounge. Update silent auction bidsAwards - Robert Sand, NYFOA and Charlotte Baxter, Tree FarmContinue Silent Auction. Final bids at 1: 1O!Overview of his new book "Trees of New York State" - Don Leopold, DistinguishedTeaching Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of EnvironmentalScience and Forestry, Syracuse, NYRecovery of New York Bald Eagle Population - Mike Allen, Wildlife Technician DECRegion 8Silent Auction Results - Rod Jones, Private Consulting ForesterAdjourn Spring ProgramNYFOA Business MeetingAdjourn NYFOA Business Meeting

---------------------------------------------

Name(s)AddressCity State Zip _Chapter I Affiliation _Please find my check for registration(s) at $16 each, made out to NYFOA. Total enclosed: ----

Send registration to: Debbie GillP.O. Box 180Fairport, NY 14450

For more information, call 1-800-836-3566

DETACH AND COMPLETE MAIL BEFORE MARCH 4,2000

Registration Form, NYFOA 38th Annual Spring Program


Itis very likely that at one time oranother many forest owners haveseen evidence of powder-post

beetle damage in the timbers of oldbarns, camps, outbuildings, or instored furniture or other items built ofuntreated, seasoned wood. Recognitionand proper identification of these tinyinsects is necessary to understand whythis wood-in-service was susceptible toattack.

Termites and beetles comprise themajor insect groups capable of destroy-ing seasoned wood. In this article, Iwill discuss two of the more commonfamilies of powder-post beetles, socalled because in the course of feedingthey reduce wood to a very fine dust orpowder. When the grubs completedevelopment they transform into adults

Figure 1Close-up of powder-post beetleexit holes (A) and frass (B).

that emerge from infested materialleaving behind tiny, round holes on thesurface of the wood, called "shot-holes" or "pin holes" (Fig. 1).

Seasoned wood is a precarioushabitat where it is difficult for an insectto make a living. It is a very dry,compact environment. Generally, anymoisture that is present is chemicallybound and is only available to theinsect when the wood is digested. Thecompactness of this material meansrelatively little wood is digested, andenergy gained in digestion is smallrelative to the energy expended toconsume the wood. Additionally,seasoned wood contains very littleavailable nitrogen, a necessary sourceof protein for insect growth anddevelopment.

Anobiids or Furniture BeetlesThese beetles belong to the family

Anobiidae (an-no-bee-i-dee). Adults are0.1" to 0.3" long, cylindrical andreddish to dark brown. When the beetle

Figure 2 Top view of an anobiid orfurniture beetle adult.

is viewed from the top (Fig. 2), itshead is entirely hidden by the hood-likesecond body segment (Fig. 3). Manymembers of this group are foundoutdoors in seasoned wood such asfence posts or dead, but still solid,parts of trees that have been damagedby a skidder, ice or wind. Otherspecies are pests of dried vegetableproducts such as cereals and tobacco.The latter are known by commonnames like "drugstore beetle," "ciga-rette beetle" and "deathwatch beetle."

The white,humpbacked, grub-like larvae (Fig. 4)may be as much as0.5" long or shorterthan 0.1" and havewell developedlegs. The wood-inhabiting membersof this family feedon seasonedsapwood of bothconifers (needle-bearing trees) andhardwoods (broad-

Figure 3 Side view of an anobiid. Note how the head (arrow) istucked underneath the body.

14 The New York Forest Owner 38: 1 • January/February 2000

Figure 4 Powder-post beetle larvae.

leaved trees). Infested wood is honey-combed with tunnels filled with looselypacked whitish powder called frass.The latter is composed of very fineparticles of undigested wood and fecalpellets. Frass often accumulatesbeneath infested material or on thesurface of the wood below exit holes(Fig. 1). Unlike most other groups ofwood borers, anobiids are able todigest cellulose with the aid of yeastcells found in their digestive tracts.Woodborers without this ability utilizeonly the cell contents (starch) fornutrition. For successful development,infested material must have a moisturecontent of 13-30 % .

Lyctids or true powder-post beetlesoccur in the family Lyctidae (lick-ted-dee). Adults are 0.05" to 0.25" long,elongate, narrow and slightly flattened.When the reddish-brown to blackbeetles are viewed from the top theirhead is clearly visible (Fig. 5).

To an untrained eye, the grub-likelarva looks very similar to that of ananobiid (an-o-bee-id). Lyctids rarelyare longer than 0.25", however, andtheir legs are not as well developed.Wood may be infested for many years

before the problem becomes evident.By this time, the material is riddledwith galleries that are packed with veryfine wood dust, almost the consistencyof flour or talcum powder (Fig. 6). Thisdust eventually accumulates on andbeneath infested material. Lyctids feedon the seasoned or partially seasonedsapwood of hardwoods. Wood with amoisture content less than 8 % appar-ently is immune to attack and a mois-ture content of around 15% is nearoptimum.

Susceptibility of Wood ProductsThe susceptibility of wood products

varies with type of wood (species,heartwood or sapwood) and moisturecontent, as mentioned above. Anotherimportant feature, which leads to aneffective nonchemical approach formanaging these pests of wood-in-service, is the fact that both speciesrequire openings in the wood for layingeggs. Anobiids utilize cracks in wood,joints that are not tight, openingsbeneath splinters, or old emergenceholes to deposit eggs. Lyctids also maytake advantage of cracks and splintersbut most often they seek the ends ofexposed cells or wood pores, such asthose found on the transverse surface orend of a log or board. Members of bothfamilies are able to re-infest suitablematerial.

Managing these pestsTo manage these pests first entails

an ability torecognize damage,to identify theextent of aninfestation and todetermine whetherthe infestation isactive. Woodproducts in verydry environmentsor locations wherehumidity is greaterthan 30% aregenerally free ofpowder-post

Figure 5 Top view of a typical lyctid or

true powder-post beetle adult.

beetles. The fact that females requireopenings for egg-laying means thattreating with paint, varnish, stain, oroil to fill cracks and openings willprevent attack (the beetles will not layeggs on smooth surfaces). For activeinfestations, repeated application ofcertain contact insecticides or fumi-gants may be necessary to eliminate theproblem .•

This is the 48th in the series of articlescontributed by Dr. Allen, Professor ofEntomology at SUNY-ESF. Reprints of thisand the complete series are available fromNYFOA. It is also possible to download thiscollection from the DEe Web page at: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/d/f/privland/jorprot/healih/nyfo/index.html. Photographs 1,4 and6 courtesy of Dr. John B. Simeone.

Figure 6 Hardwood beam destroyed by powder-post beetles.


http://www.dec.state.ny.us/d/f/privland/jorprot/

HENRY KERNAN

The Catskill Watershed

The Catskill Mountains ofsoutheastern New York presentmomentous challenges to the

worth of forestry. They are a heavilyforested semiwilderness west of theHudson and north of New York City.Nine million users look to them fordrinking water. All agree, residents,visitors, and health officials alike, thattheir daily flow of 1.2 billion gallons isof outstandingly high quality. Beforereaching a spigot they have passedthrough conduits and reservoirs thatare marvels of engineering skill. Yetabove them are even greater marvels,the forest soils that absorb, filter anddeliver the water to the reservoirs. Thechallenge to forestry is to keep themdoing so, without further filtering thanwhat they naturally give.

The forests have done their workwell for decades. Yet, now morepeople want more water while thesources of contamination proliferate.Ten years ago the EnvironmentalProtection Agency notified the Cityeither to filter its water or to enforcestronger rules and regulations withinthe watershed. Filtering 1.2 billiongallons is no light matter, an $8 billioncapital expense and a $500 million

annual operating expense. The Citychose the second; the EPA granted aFiltration Avoidance Determination,and the city's Department of Environ-mental Protection informed the water-shed communities of more stringentrules and regulations.

At this point the Catskill communi-ties had already had enough disruptionand grief in sending water to NewYork City for which they were notpaid. The City's choice to save wastheir choice to stagnate. Thirty-four ofthe communities joined to stop the newwatershed plan and they won. Negotia-tions were long and tortuous, but inJanuary 1997 a Memorandum ofAgreement was signed. It drasticallychanged relations between New YorkCity and the Catskills. The City agreedto support the economic developmentof the watershed and accept farmingand forestry as preferred land uses.

West of the Hudson the watershedtakes in about 1.2 million acres, mostof them parts of a glaciated anddissected plateau of Devonian origin.Highest points are around 4000 feet,with steep slopes and v-shaped valleys.The underlying rocks are horizontalsedimentary shales and sandstones, low

in salts and nutrients. The soils areacidic, of low to medium fertility.

Consequently three-quarters areunder forest and one fifth is farmed.The rest is commercial, residential,and flooded. The lack of natural bodiesof water is striking. The residentpopulation is 70,000, with manyvisitors in all seasons.

Ninety percent of the City watercomes from two systems west of theHudson, the Catskill and the Dela-ware. Both were built during thiscentury. But the process was hard onthe locals. With authority to condemnand regulate land, New York City tookover land and buildings and floodedwhole valleys along with their hamlets,villages and farms. Stories are rife offamilies displaced with ten days'notice, of farms bought for $250, halfpayable now and the other half youdon't know when. Clearly you do notflood 24,000 acres and drain them withhundreds of miles of conduit withoutthe risk of high tensions and hostility;and, in this case, the fact of both.

The Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) sets a new and better coursefor the city's watershed policies. They


Intake house on Neversink Reservoir. Town of Neversink,Sullivan County

Log landing for a small timber sale. Town of Roxbury,Delaware County.


pledge $1.4 billion to a comprehensiveplan for the water resource and theviability of the region's communities,farms and forests. The MOA iscooperative and largely voluntary, withstrong local input.

The farm program was under wayseveral years before that of forestry;with a fund of $35.2 million. Thus farthe Watershed Agricultural Councilhas been principally concerned withpathogenic contamination of waterfrom the region's 350 dairy farms. Foreach participating farm a Whole FarmPlan is prepared and carried out. Theirwoodlots average 100 acres but havenot been included in the farm plans.

The MOA has two forestry compo-nents, for acquisition ($260 million)and for management ($585 thousand).Evidently the federal EPA has con-vinced (or ordered) city officials tochange drastically the ownership of thewatershed forest. At present New YorkState owns just over 200,0000 acres,almost all of which are within theCatskill Forest Preserve. No timberexploitation takes place therein. NewYork City owns about 40,000 acres,but intends to acquire in fee simple andconservation easements another150,000 to 180,000 acres of forest andopen land from willing sellers. Willthey be open to active forest manage-ment? The answer has much import for

the timber industry. Herein is anotherchallenge to forestry.

Thus far the city's purchases offorest land have been few. Neverthe-less about 60 percent of the forest willremain in private ownerships number-ing between 18 and 20 thousand andaveraging 30 acres. Many ownersreside elsewhere; few manage theirforests actively, and their averagelength of ownership is about twelveyears. Here indeed is a formidabletarget for education and outreach.

The Watershed Task Force firstmet late in 1994. By August a forestry"green book" had appeared to clarifyand guide the mission of improvedwater quality protection and sustain-able forest management. A WatershedForestry Committee and Program haveevolved from that mission. Theyoperate through a manager and fivestanding committees.

The concern of one of them islogger training. The Forest Task Forceearly concluded that timbering as nowpracticed in the watershed causes noappreciable pollution. Nevertheless theindustry is important to the economyand operates best with skillful, well-equipped and well-financed loggers.The region has about 460 loggers, ofwhom perhaps one third are full-time.Over 100 are now participating in thecertification program. Each are

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attending a day-long session onproductivity, on first-aid, and on theforest. The program is also encourag-ing best management logging; and,through sale and lease, the use ofportable bridges.

Some question how a landscapewhose most notable product is potablewater can tolerate logging at any levelof skill and care. They do so in a statewith many town ordinances thatrestrict logging and with 2,692,000acres of productive state forest re-served from any timbering at all. Apurpose of logger training and BMP'sis to challenge and dissolve thosedoubts with visible evidence.

Two forests are already demon-strating careful logging and multipleuse, one at the YMCA's Frost Valleyand another at the Four-H CampShankitunk. A further subject of studythere will be the influence of forestcomposition and stocking upon thewater yield and quality. Every tree is apump; but hardwoods intercept andtranspire less water than conifers, andabsorb more nutrients in their wateruptake.

The Catskill and Delaware water-shed forests have more to offer thanpleasant landscapes and naturallyfiltered water; they have tree species ofexcellent quality, of ash, maple, oakand cherry. The purpose of the com-mittee on economic development is tomake fuller and better uses of thatresource. This includes more localprocessing and markets for woodproducts. One possibility is firewoodpackaged and shipped to the metropoli-tan area as a luxury item.

Cull trees have long been lookedupon as burdens upon forest manage-ment, and logging slash even more so.That attitude is changing. We arecoming to realize that both have usesin the ecological balance of the forest,for wildlife, for soil, for diversity, andfor much else that we seek in a forest.They are certainly less burdensomethan once thought.



Catskill. Watershed (Con't from page 17)

For the mission of the Task Forceto succeed, active forest managementmust receive strong and widespreadsupport, in the City as well as in thewatershed. In such a massive object ofpersuasion forest owners are of specialimportance. Therefore the forestryprogram provides funding to them forforest management plans. Anothercommittee is active with educationaland outreach events.

The knottiest and most persistentproblem is that of forest taxation. TheGreen Book has the following: "Prop-erty taxes are perhaps the single largestdirect and indirect impediment tomaintaining forestry as a long-termwatershed land use."

That they (the taxes) are inequi-table is beyond dispute. An owner inthe Town of Andes may pay $2.46 peracre per year and one in Woodstock$33.02 per acre per year. They relateto the needs of local governments andschools, not to productivity or servicesreceived. They preclude growing andselling timber as an economic enter-prise. They are particularly high andburdensome in the Catskills where thecommercial and residential tax base issmall and where roads are difficult tobuild and maintain. They average $13per acre per year.

The committee on taxation hasproposed an ingenuous shift rather thana solution: the owner pays the schooltax (about half of the total) and re-ceives up to 90 percent back from thestate treasury.

The most famous view of theKaatskills (as he called them) is stillprobably that of Washington Irving. Ashe looked westward from the Hudson,the lights and shadows on theirrounded tops turned his thoughts andpen to a shiftless oddity with a shrew-ish wife, who fell asleep in a colonyand woke up in a republic, and namedhim Rip van Winkle.

Rip is still with us, and theKaatskills are still a place of wonder.Their bear, deer, eagles and bobcatare almost within sight of the Manhat-tan skyline. The trout fishing isexcellent and the landscapes havebeauties in all seasons. But the greatestwonder of all may well be the giftand results of the Big Apple's $1.4billion."

Henry Kernan, of South Worcester, NY, is a

consulting forester in World Forestry, aMaster Forest Owner and a regular contribu-tor to The New York Forest Owner.

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Woodlot CalendarJanuary 801, 20005th Annual New York Maple Producers Conference

Hosted for the first time by the Vernon-Verona-

Sherrill (V.V.S.) FFA, in conjunction with the CentralNew York Maple Producers Association, the confer-

ence will be heldat the V.V.S. High School onSaturday, Januar¥ 8th, 2000. The conference is sched-uled to begin at 9:00 AM, with registration starting at

8:15 AM, and conclude shortly after 3:00 PM. It isopen to the general public, as well as any maple

producer.More than 25 presenters from across New York

and New England will be on hand to deliver 21different workshops conducted throughout the day.

Presenters include maple syrup and maple productproducers, equipment and supply dealers, manufactur-ers of specialty maple equipment, and state mapleindustry researchers and consultants. The cost of theconference registration is $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for

students, and $3.00 for FFA members. A home style

luncheon, sponsored by the V.V.S. FFA Booster Club,is available during the Conference for an additional

$5.00.The V.V.S. High School is located between Utica

and Syracuse on State Route 31. For more informationcontact V.V.S. FFA Advisor Keith Schiebel at schoolat (315) 829-2520, fax (315) 829-4949 or email:

[email protected]

January 19, 2000The Western Finger Lakes Chapter of NYFOA

will host a meeting discussing Oil and Gas Leasing onWednesday, January 19, 2000 at the Cornell Coopera-

tive Extension Building, 219 Highland Avenue,Rochester, NY. Speakers will include Attorney David

Colligan who will address legal issues and leasecontracts. Also speaking will be Randy Nenecek,Regional Mineral Resources Program Director for theNYS DEC. He will be discussing environmentalregulations regarding oil and gas drilling. For more

information please contact Mark Keister at (716) 728-3044.

January 27, 2000The Wyoming County Maple Producers Associa-

tion and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wyo-ming County are co-sponsoring an educational meetingfor commercial and hobby producers of Maple Syrup

and Maple Products. It will be held on Thursday,January 27,2000 from 7-9:00 pm at the North JavaFirehall, Route 98, North Java, NY. The agenda will

include presentations and demonstrations on a variety

of maple related subjects. Displays of equipment andrelated products will also be present. Ryfreshillents and

door prizes provided. Registration is $2. For furtherinformation contact Steve Childs at (716) 786-2251.

February 12, 2000

Forest 2000 Issues, Values and OpportunitiesThe Central New York Chapter of NYFOA in

cooperation with New York State DEC Division of

Lands and Forests and the Cornell Cooperative Exten-

sion of Onondaga Co. will host a workshop to helpCNY forest owners to make informed decisionsregarding the future of their valuable forest lands. Theworkshop will be held from 10:00 a.m, to 12:30 p.m.at the DEC Log Cabin, State Fairgrounds, on Saturday

February 12, 2000. There is no fee for this program.

To make this a very special event, CEU-OnlineInc. of Londonderry, N.H. will broadcast the audioportion of this event live over the Internet. Internet

participants will be able to hear the presentations liveand submit typed questions to the presenters. For more

information and registration visit the CNY-NYFOAwebsite at: http://home.twcny.rr.comlwminerd or can(315) 689-7682 to register by phone.

February 26, 2000The 8th Annual Rural Landowner's Workshop

This workshop will be held at Pioneer High Schoolin Arcade, NY on Saturday February 26 from 9:00 amto 4:00 pm. Topics to help you with finances willinclude: Timber Taxes; Timber Sale Contracts; Leas-

ing Land for Farm Production; Growing Ginseng andMushrooms; and Beginning Maple Syrup. Thoseinterested in wildlife can choose from topics such as:Attracting White Tail Deer; Pond Ecology; Habitat for

Small Mammals; and Attracting Songbirds. If you areinterested in trees and timber production you'll want tosit in on the following classes: Write Your OwnManagement Plan; Chainsaw Safety; Tree Identifica-

tion; Growing Christmas Trees; and Cutting Firewood.Pre-registration is required and costs $15/person(which includes lunch). Registration forms can beobtained from Cornell Cooperative Extension -Allegany/Cattaraugus County, (716) 699-2377.



http://home.twcny.rr.comlwminerd

DICK Fox

REpORT FROMConservation Organization Meetings

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selling some of your standing Timber consider ...• Each tree to be sold is marked according to YOUR specifications.• We send noticesto 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.,,~ Write or Call For A Free Pamphlet~ Robert Synowiez - Professional Forestry Consultants

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New York State ConservationCouncil

The New York State ConservationCouncil (NYSCC) which representsover 350,000 members in 2000 county-wide clubs and state-wide associations,at their 66th Annual Fall conventionheld in Auburn, considered and actedupon 23 resolutions. Of the ten resolu-tions that were passed, two are espe-cially notable.

Seek Constitutional AmendmentThe most notable resolution

proposes that the DEC manage 5 % ofthe Forest Preserve for the improvementof wildlife habitat, including the cuttingof trees. It is expected that such apractice will require an amendment tothe NYS Constitution, in particularArticle 14 that prohibits the cutting oftrees in the Adirondack and Catskillforest preserves. According to Frank

Hartman, NYSCC Legislative VicePresident, the nearly unanimoussupport for this resolution represents acomplete turn around from the last timethis idea was proposed to the council.

The second supports the New YorkState Department of EnvironmentalConservation (DEC) maintaining thetwo pheasant-rearing Game Farms inNYS. It opposes the planned closure ofthe John White Farm in GeneseeCounty and the modernization of theRichard Reynolds Farm in TompkinsCounty. This department decision isonly part of the effort to balanceoperating expenses with revenuesbecause of projected Conservation Fundshortfalls in the absence of the DEC-requested 20 % fee increases.

Disagree on Coyote ManagementA resolution that did not pass was

attended by a discussion typical of the

variation in sportsmen opinions andpassions and was premature regardingthe scientific data. It was proposed toremove all regulatory protection fromthe coyote. It was argued that thenumbers were too high resulting inexcessive predation of domestic pets,farm animals and wildlife (particularlydeer). Trappers opposed the removal ofregulations; they considered the takingof coyote at any time when the fur wasnot marketable a waste of naturalresources. Some, speaking on behalf offarmers, argued that the coyote helpedto control the rodent population. Theyfurther added that the season had beenextended and that coyote could beharvested at any time when there was aclear case of predation of domesticanimals. The final vote was 24-yes; 26-no; 2-abstained. Many felt that theissue was clouded by human percep-tions and not determined by speciesmanagement goals.



HALE FORESTRY COMPANY610 East Main Street, Westfield, PA 16950

New York State Fish and WildlifeManagement Act Board

The New York State Fish andWildlife Management Act Board (NYSFWMB) is a statutory board establishedby the NYS Legislature in 1957 andformed by representatives from eachNYS DEC Region of the state. Threemembers to the regional Boards arechosen by each county to representsportsmen, landowners and countylegislators, respectively. At the three-day fall meeting of the NYS FWMB atLake George, after a welcome andshort description of Region 5 by TomWahl, Natural Resources Supervisor,the various regions and advisory groupmembers submitted their reports to theassemblage.

There were detailed special presen-tations on: (1) the upcoming computer-ized licensing (Tom Kaskey) withexpected dates of completion; (2) DECFish, Wildlife & Marine Resources(Gerry Barnhart), in particular, adjust-ments to expected revenue shortfallsresulting in loss of personnel andprograms; (3) DEC's MaintenanceManagement System (Rick Shearer)with a list of DEC assets for eachregion and county provided; (4) NYSCanal System (Linda Pomeroy) with adiscussion of access and regulations forrecreational activities; (5) DEC Envi-romnental Enforcement (James Tuffey& Terry Rivella) with a discussion ofthe new Team approach; and (6) the TVprogram, "Empire State Outdoors"(Laurel Remus & Neil Satterly).

Legislative DelaysDuring the course of the meeting,

frustration with the Legislature wasexpressed regarding: (1) The EddieEagle Legislation. This bill, which isdesigned to warn children attendingNYS Schools from touching firearmsand to report any firearms discovered toan adult, passed in both houses and is"just sitting in the Assembly"; (2) TheGeneral Obligations Law Amendmentswhich would help protect landownersfrom civil suit for non-fee recreational

use (This legislative effort is held up bylobbying of the NYS Trial LawyersAssociation; it was reported that acommittee from the 105 Associationssupporting the legislation will meetwith the Trial Lawyer's ExecutiveDirector); and (3) The license feeincreases which were recommendedand supported by the ConservationFund Advisory Board, NYSCC and theNYSFWMB.

The last day of the meeting focusedon resolutions. In addition to a Letterof Support for 5 Resolutions of theNYSCC, the NYS FWMB passed 7 of 8resolutions generated by the Board andconsidered independently. Significantly,there were two resolutions effecting theForest Preserve: managing 5 % forimproved wildlife habitat, includingareas of storm damage and utilitycorridors and a second, support for anational effort to curb acid rain. Also,the Board reaffirmed a license feeincrease, resolved support for anaggressive DEC cormorant controlprogram and the continued maintenanceof the two Pheasant-rearing GameFanns .•.

Dick Fox is the Cayuga County Representativeto the Forest Practice Board and a member of

NYFOA.

Lake GeorgeForestry

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• Detailed ManagementPlans

• Timber Trespass• Timber Sales• Appraisals• Deed Research• Timber Inventory• Watershed Management• Boundary Line Location• Tax Savings PlansNo property is too small or too large to

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NYFOANE~S

Multistate Video Conference". A multi-state satellite video

.••. conference, "Economic Issues ofForest Stewardship" is being plannedthrough the Cooperative Extensionunits of Cornell University, PennState University, University ofMaryland, Rutgers University, andthe University of Connecticut.

The satellite video conferencewill be downlinked on Saturday April15, 2000. The video conference willbe during the morning with field-based wraparound sessions at or neardownlink sites planned for theafternoon. Potential downlink sitesinclude Cooperative Extensionoffices. Agenda topics are: (1)Management issues and assessmentof property/family for naturalresource-based opportunities; (2)Examples of natural resource incomeopportunities; (3) Managing naturalresource taxes; (4) Estate planning;and (5) Panel discussion withphoned/faxed questions.

Resource materials will beavailable to all downlink sites tosupplement speakers and aid in thedelivery of wraparound sessions.Please mark your calendars and lookforward to more details in the nearfuture. Please direct all questions orcomments to Peter Smallidge by

phone (607) 255-4696 or email [email protected]

Edward G. Dixon Passes Away" Edward G. Dixon, 71, of 6690

.••. Bush Road, Lafayette, diedrecently in a tractor accident. Dixon,a member of the CNY Chapter ofNYFOA was born in Syracuse andgraduated from East Syracuse HighSchool in 1946. He retired in 1993after 30 years as a laboratory equip-ment designer at the SUNY HealthScience Center, Syracuse. He was aMaster Forest Owner and member ofthe American Tree Farm System.Contributions can be made toNYFOA in care of John Druke, 6341Kirkville Road, Kirkville, NY 13208.

Ask the Forester" There has been renewed interest

.••. in bringing back the "Ask theForester" column. We have an arrayof Foresters who would be willing toanswer questions NYFOA membersmay have pertaining to forestry andforest management issues. Pleasesubmit any questions or suggestions to:

The New York Forest Owner"Ask the Forester" Column134 Lincklaen StreetCazenovia, NY 13035e-mail: [email protected]

SUSANJ. KEISTER, L.L.e.Forestry Consulting Services

-480A & SIP Management Plans-Forestry Inventory and Appraisals-Tlmber Sales-Cost Basis and Real Estate TaxManagement Advice

(716) 728-30447025 Harpers Ferry Road, Wayland,

NY 14572

MAGAZINEDEADLINE

NYFOAScholarship Fund

As of December 1, 1999,the NYFOA EndowedScholarship Fund that isadministered by the SUNYESF College Foundation,Inc. has a fund balance of$19,872.17.

Materials submitted forthe Marchi April issueshould be sent to MaryBeth Malmsheimer,Editor, The New YorkForest Owner, 134Lincklaen Street,Cazenovia, NY 13035or via e-mail [email protected], artwork andphotos are invited and ifrequested, are returnedafter use.

Deadline for material isFebruary 1, 1999.

(518) [email protected]






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The New York Forest Owner 38: 1 • January/February 2000


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the new york forest owner - volume 38 number 1

Documents

central new york

new york woodland stewards

southern finger lakes

publication shouldbe

western finger lakes

nyfoa news

jim minor

bimonthly publication