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FOREST OWNE'RA Publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

MARCH/APRIL 1991People and Trees; Partners in Time

FRONT COVER:

OFFICERS&DIRECTORS

Allen Horn, President (19902978 Pompey Center Rd.Manlius, NY 13104

Stuart McCarty, ~.stVice President (1992)4300 East Ave.Rochester, NY 14618

Richard J. Fox,,2nd Vice President (1991)RD 3 Dresserville Rd.Moravia, NY 13118

Morgan Heussler, Treasurer900 Porterville Rd.East Aurora, NY 14052

John Marchant, Executive DirectorPO Box 180Fairport, NY 14450(716) 37H06O

David Colligan (1993)173Woodbridge Ave.Buffalo, NY 14214

Thomas A. Conklin (1991)10 Artillery LaneBaldwinsville, NY 13027

Robert Hellmann (1992)PO Box 231Brockport, NY 14420

Verner Hudson (1993)246 E. Main St.Elbridge, NY 13060

Alan Knight (1992)96 Targosh Rd.Candor, NY 13743

Mary McCarty (1993)4300 East Ave.Rochester, NY 14618

Harold Petrie (1991)RD1,Box 117Parish, NY 13131

Sanford Vreeland (1993)PO Box 185Springwater, NY 14560

Don Wagner (993)RD I, Box 203CGraham ~oad.utica, NY 12870

Affiliate/Chapter Representatives:

THRIFT-Donald Colton5595 Trinity AvenueLowville, NY 13367

Niagara FrontierBobWhite56 WalerSI.Holland, NY 14080

Catskill Forest Assn.Richard BlackCatskill Forest AssociationArkville, NY 12406

Allegheny FoothillsCharles MowattDEC Office, 115 Liberly SI.Bath, NY 14810

Tioga ,Howard Ward240 Owego SI.Candor, NY 13743

Southern TierDonald KellicottRD I, Box 103Lisle, NY 13797

Western Finger LakesRaymond Wager365 Log Cabin Rd.Victor, NY 14564

SOUTHEASTERNADIRONDACKSErnst Spencer9 Horican AvenueGlens Falls, NY 12801

CayugaWendell HatfieldRD1Moravia, NY 13118

CAPITAL DISTRICTJoe Messina32 Elon DriveSlingerland, NY 12159

Three-year beds of christmas tree andornamental seedlings. Blue spruce, fore-ground; pine, cedar and juniper, background.Photo/Treehaven Evergreen Nursery, Elma,NY.

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

Karen Kellicutt, Editor

Materials submitted for publication should be addressed to: R. Fox, R.D. #3,Box 88, Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invitedand are normally returned after use. The deadline for submission is 30 daysprior to publication in May.Please addr,essall membership and change of address requests toExecutive Director. P.O. Box 180.Fairport. N.Y. 14450.

President'sMessage

Our Board of Directors held a veryproductive meeting on February 9th.We voted two new chapters intoexistence, the Capitol District andSoutheastern Adirondacks, and Iwould like to thank the organizingcommittees headed by Joe Messinaand Ernie Spencer respectively andBoard member Stu McCarty for allthe effort required to get thesechapters started. Currentmembership stands at 1533.And about460members joined us in 1990.We feelgood about our progress and it looksas though the momentum can bemaintained into the future.Much of our success has been due to

the diligence of Executive Director,John Marchant. He has devotedcountless hours to the several projectsthat have gained state and nationalattention and increased ourmembership. These efforts arebeginning to become burdensome toJohn and the Board must come upwith a plan to relieve him of theroutine secretarial duties.Mark the date of April 27th on your

calendar. That will be the day of ourannual meeting to be held in MarshallAuditorium on the ESF CollegeCampus at Syracuse. You will receivea separate mailing about the meeting,but I want to discuss the theme withyou, Forest Practices Under theStewardship Incentive Program. Thisis a brand new program with anopportunity for landowners to obtainfinancial assistance for instituting awide range of forest practices on theirlands. There have been other cost

Allen Horn

sharing programs in the past but theirgoal has been to increase commercialtimber production. The Stewardshipprogram recognizes the recreational,water, wildlife, esthetic interests ofthe private owner and offers tosubsidize appropriate practices forthis wider range of purposes. Themeeting will be designed to explainthe program to you and experts in'their fields will describe differentforest practices that might bevaluable to meet various landownerobjectives and site conditions. Asubstantial amount of monetaryassistance is going to becomeavailable and if you have any interestin improving your forest property youshould be sure to attend.

2 FOREST OWNER

Big Trees, Big Money orEconomic Concepts in Forestry

By MICHAEL C. GREASON,Associate Forester

NYS Department of EnvironmentalConservation

This author's wry, Yankee, forestryprofessor continually stated, "If youare gonna practice forestry, you gottamake it pay." And, except in a fewrare cases where an owner's primeinterest was to improve woodland forself-gratification without regard ofeconomics, that statement hasgenerally been borne out. A couple ofaxioms could be added to theprofessor's philosophy."Cut no tree before its time." The

time frame varies with species,quality, size, desirability, and ahundred other variables. A weed treecompeting with a good crop tree maybe removed quite young and at a costto the owner. A veneer tree may beencouraged to grow more than 100years. Each has an opportune time forremoval based on economic maturity,biological maturity, or managementgoals."If you don't like the timber

market, wait five minutes." Whatmay not be saleable today may selltomorrow. I advertised one timbersale on state forest land and receivedno bids. Upon reducing the advertisedminimum acceptable bid and sendingnotices to the same potential buyerswithin a two-week period, the sale soldfor twice the original minimum price.So many variables exist in forests

and in economics of forestry,foresters continually differ in opinionon management schemes. Forexample, I remember following astable market trend for red oak thatcontinued twenty years. Overnightprices increased 60%. I was sure the

BrooksideBuildersWilliam F. Millier, Jr.

Owner

- Firewood -Logging- Racks

Telephone (315) 497-0937R.D. 4 Dept. F, Duryea StreetMoravia, New York 13118

change would be short term; so Ihelped many owners sell their oak tothis much improved marketcondition. I was right the marketchanged radically in another couple ofyears; only I misjudged direction, forit rose again almost five fold. Could Ihave predicted it? The year before,hard maple had risen sharply only toreturn to its former level. What I sawhappen in my county was a statewidephenomenon when one looks at agraph of stumpage price reports from1953to present.The forest owner has to make

management decisions based on,first, personal needs and, secondly, onan understanding of forestryinformation. All too often a forest cropis sold without any considerationgiven to long term impacts. Thosesellers don't think through concepts ofbiological or economic maturity,future site productivity, or futureinvestment opportunities. Theysimply react to an offer of money by abuyer who has his own interests inmind. To turn this around the ownersneed some basic forestry concepts.Biological maturity is reached

when individual tree growth equalsdecline. In regard to a forest, this canbe when mortality and rot equalgrowth. In the case of an individualtree it is the time when the tree losesvigor, starts to die back in the crown,and/or rot exceeds growth. Biologicalmaturity can occur at different agesdepending on soil depth and type,species composition, insect anddisease impacts, catastrophic events,and similar conditions.Economic maturity is more

complex for it is speculative anddependent on the investor'salternative investment opportunities.One has to estimate the resource as anappreciating asset under a variety ofmanagement alternatives.Consideration has to includeconsideration of the owner'scommitment to retain the propertyand evaluation of other ownershipgoals. A property owner who plans tohold onto the land or whose primaryinterest is wildlife habitat oraesthetics has a different requiredreal rate of return than someone whois only interested in maximizingfinancial returns. Because stumpage

prices are dependent on access,logging chance, species mix, timberquality, distance to market,purchasers' sense of competition,fluctuating markets, other variables,and - not least - whim of the buyer,assessing future stumpage prices canbe very subjective. One can look attrends and probably be pleasantlysurprised because most futuristicspeculations tend to be conservative.Figure 1 shows that tree value tends

to make significant gains as the tree

Q)~e>•..c(5-co:.::cQ)-oc....

veneer

I sowlbgsI

Pulpwood I: firewoodIIIII

o 4 8 12 16

Average tree diameter-

Figure 1. The sale value of a good quality treeincreases dramatically with diameter especially asit grows into the next product class.

grows into higher product categories.From past experience as a logger, Ican state that I was willing to paymore per unit volume for large trees(22" to 28" diameter, 400 board feet+) than I was for medium sized treesin the 16" to 20" range of the samegrade. This is a more difficult value toestimate than a #3 sawlog 15"diameter tree growing into a #1veneer tree at 16". In my case, Igained logging efficiency throughhandling fewer trees. Biologicallymaturity occurs for many species inmost well managed forests on goodsites when trees exceed 24" indiameter. As with most generaliza-tions I bite hard committing myself tothat statement. And I have arguedtirelessly with peers over economicmaturity. However, in those same

Continued on Page 17

MARCHI APRil 3

left hand and the moving chain tomeet are also desirable.Twenty-two percent of chain saw

hits occur in the upper body and torso.Hard hats with face shields areextremely important in reducing thechance of injury from fallingbranches, spring poles, flying objects,and to keep wind blown sawdust fromthe eyes. Good headgear can helpreduce injury from chain saw cuts aswell but let's take a hard look at whythe saw is hitting the upper body tobegin with - namely kickback.Kickback injuries 15,000

people/year in the United States andcauses the greatest majority of chainsaw deaths. Kickbacks result whenthe tooth is overloaded and can't cutthrough the wood so the chain stalls.The motor is still running and spins inthe stalled loop of chain resulting inthe saw kicking straight back (linearkickback) or if caught at the tip of thesaw, a rotational kickback. Akickback occurs seven times faster

Chain Saw Safety: Be AwareThe chain saw is a versatile and

enormously useful power tool. Youcan fell, buck, and limb trees with oneor trim lumber and cants with one. Infact, you can make a home with achain saw and heat it too.Anyone who uses a chain saw should

always be aware that the saw isn'tselective about what it cuts. In atypical chain saw, the chain is passingaround the bar at around 60miles/hour with 600 cutters persecond passing over any point on thebar. Injuries can occur much fasterthan your brain can react - and toooften with devastating consequences.Chain saws kill about 100

people/year in the United States andinjure 18,000.The average dollar costfor medical treatment from a chainsaw accident was $3,570in Montana in1987.The cost in time lost from work,lawsuits, and pain from thosethousands of accidents is more thananyone can comprehend.If you work in the forest products

industry, you probably have heard ofpeople who have had chain sawaccidents, have known people whohave been cut, or may have even beencut yourself. The rest of this article isdevoted to reducing the health andsafety hazards from chain saws; and Ithink you'll see ways that theaccidents you are familiar with couldhave been prevented or made less, severe.

Damaging to your hearing mightnot be as obvious an injury as a chainsaw cut, but damage will occur if youdon't use ear protection. Mostpeople's ears will tolerate about 85decibels of sound and chain sawsproduce over 100decibels. If you don'tuse earmuffs or plugs, you are goingto "wear out" your hearing missingthe high pitched sounds first."White fingers" is another common

health problem associated withoperating chain saws and otherequipment that give off strongvibrations. The blood vessels andnerves for the hand funnel through aportion of the wrist known as thecarpal tunnel which is wrapped by thecarpal ligament. Vibration causes thecarpal ligament to swell whichreduces the blood and feeling in thehands. The numbness in the hands canbecome a permanent condition whichmay be helped only by surgery to theencircling ligament. Anti-vibration

systems found on many saws havehelped a great deal with this problem.Saws with heated handles also helppromote good circulation in the handsin cold weather.Your first line of defense from chain

saw accidents should be your mindpaying attention to what you are doingand keeping the saw pointed in a safedirection. If this first line of defenseisn't working (which is a lot morelikely to happen if you are tired,pushed, or angry), it's awfully nice tohave a second line of defense inprotective equipment. If you've everwatched a race car driver at work,you've seen a professional thatappreciates protective equipment.The helmet, fireproof suit, and rollcage and harness have made racing amuch safer occupation, and rules orno rules, the real pros wouldn't bewithout their protective gear.Loggers are five times more likely

to be hurt on the job as a race cardriver. Take on a truly professionalattitude and use a pro's safetyequipment as a routine part of yourjob.Steel toed boots with ballistic nylon

inserts will be a big help as onequarter of chain saw injuries occur tothe feet. The sturdiest safety pants ofchain saw chaps should be worn as themost common chain saw accidentsinvolves cutting the legs and feet. Thismay result from sloppy handling orfalling with the chain still rotatingaround the bar,Drop starting the saw is a common

cause of leg injuries. ·Chain sawmanuals suggest you start the saw onthe ground, and although this is a safemethod, it's not always practical inmud and snow. There is acompromise method of starting a sawthat's almost as convenient as dropstarting and, much safer. The rearhandle of the saw is held betweenknees with the saw level and the leftelbow locked and the left hand in theusual position. You can start a saw ofany displacement with this method.The second most common area to be

hit are the hands and arm, especiallyon the left side. Gloves can be helpfulto dampen vibration and make it lesslikely for your hand to slip off thehandle. Gloves with ballisticnylon/Terylene layers will resist asaw cut. Safety handles with brushguards that make it less likely for the

Continued on Page 5

2 !;;I AnnualCentral New York

The Ideal

Destlnetion

For a Drive in

Early Spring

at Marathon, N.Y,

Saturday, SundayApril 6 and 7, 1991

It's Fabulous!HIGHLIGHTS ...• The Famous Marathon-Cortland

Train Ride• Springtime Bazaar• All-Day, Two-Day Entertainment• Craft Exhibits• Over 100 Booths• Fabulous Sugar Shack• Expanded Maple Museum• Helicopter Rides• Pancake Meals• Chicken Barbeque• Pony and Hay Rides• Trappers' Log Cabin• Antique Engines• Original One-Room Schoolhouse• Quilt Show• Petting Zoo

FOR INFORMATION:Call 607/849-3812; 607/849-3278

FREE PARKING

4 FOREST OWNER

Chain Saw Safety -Continued from Page 4

than the human brain can react. Testequipment has measured the force ofa kickback at 476inch pounds. You arenot fast enough or strong enough tostop a kickback by reacting with yourmuscles, but you can position yourselfto reduce the chance of injury should akickback occur, and you can usesafety features on your saw and chainthat will minimize the energy of thekickback.You can cut the risk from kickback

by keeping your left arm stiff (lockedat the elbow) and your upper armtight to your body. Always hook yourthumb under the handle; it will giveyou a better chance of controlling akickback and reduce the risk of yourleft hand slipping from the handle andbeing struck by the moving chain. Inthe felling position, brace your rightelbow against your leg and run thethrottle with your thumb.If you are cutting vertically, use the

top of the handle as holding the sidewill not allow you to control akickback. Terrible accidents haveresulted from the left hand not beingable to prevent the saw from strikingthe face or throat. Avoid cutting aboveyour waist.Normally the rakers (also known as

depth gauges) prevent too much woodfrom entering the gullet. When thecutter turns the corner to go aroundthe tip of the bar, the depth gaugesdrop down and allow the tooth to snagenough wood to start a kickback. Youmust recognize that the tip of the sawis the most dangerous zone forkickbacks and prevent the tip frominadvertently coming in contact withanything.Manufacturers of bars have taken a

number of measures to reduce the sizeof the kickback zone, resulting in"banana bars" and other bars withsmaller tips. One majormanufacturer went so far as to place aguard over the tip which is totallyeffective as long as it's left in place.Tip guards might not limit theusefulness of the saw for trimminglumber but the guards prevent plungecutting and are soon removed bywoods crews.Special safety chain has been

designed that has been effective inreducing the energy of kickback. Thischain has additional depth gaugesbetween cutters to prevent the sawfrom being overfed.

Application for Membership in theNew York Forest Owners Association.

Annual Dues) I!We do not own woodland but (PLEASE CHECK ONE)

support the Association's objectives.

Probably the most effective secondline defense in chain saw design is thechain brake feature now common tomost professional saws. Varyingsomewhat from manufacturer tomanufacturer, chain brakes aredesigned to stop the clutch drum/sprocket from driving the chain. Thedevice is activated by the left handstriking the brush guard as thekickback occurs. A spring loadedmechanism then grips the clutchdrum stopping the rotary motion ofthe chain. Chain brakes aresometimes designed to becomeactivated by an abrupt change ininertia such as might occur upondropping the saw or the operatorfalling down.In conclusion the chain saw is a very

dangerous tool, regardless of thedegree of skill and experience of theoperator or the maximum use ofsafety equipment; the risk in using achain saw requires an ever vigilantmanner.

JIM PEEK,NYS DEC Utilization and

Marketing Forester

I!We would like to support goodforestry and stewardship of NewYork's forest lands.

( ) I!We own acres ofwoodland.

NAME _

ADDRESS _

CITY ZIP

Timber Sales IncomeAnd the IRSBy DAVID W. TABER,

Department of Natural Resources,New York State College of Agriculture

and Life Sciences, CornellIncome to a landowner from timber

sales needs to be reportedappropriately to the IRS when filingannual income tax reports. Accordingto Stuart F. Smith of the Departmentof Agricultural Economics at CornellUniversity, "The Tax Reform Act of1986 contains major changes in taxreporting and severely reduced taxmanagement options starting in1987."For additional information, you can

obtain a copy of the 96-page "ForestOwner's Guide to TimberInvestments, the Federal IncomeTax, and Tax Recordkeeping" (USDAForest Service Agriculture HandbookNo. 681; GPO Stock #001-000-04540-7).It may be purchased for $5 from theSuperintendent of Documents, USGovernment Printing Office,Washington, D.C. 20402.

FOUNDED 1963

5

County of residenceCounty of woodlot _Recommended by _

INDIVIDUAL $15

FAMILY (or co-owners) $20

CONTRIBUTING $25- $100

SPONSORING $101and up

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:Six issues of FOREST OWNER, wood-walks - both statewide and local, chap-ter meetings and two meetings for allmembers.

PLEASE make check payable toNYFOA and SEND TO:

NYFOA, Inc.P.O. Box 180Fairport, NY 14450

MARCHI APRIL

wetland woes and worries mustbecome winning with wetlands, orshame on us all. Two articles alreadyin the past works have been done byWes Suhr for the New York ForestOwner (Jan/Feb 89 and Mar/Apr 89).Non-Industrial Private Forest Ownersshould put wetlands management atthe top of the agenda and keep it there.

-R.Fox

Chapter ReportsCAPITAL DISTRICT CHAPTER

(CDC)Thirty-five people met for a

program by NYFOA's John Marchantand DEC's Mike Greason and CarlWiedemann. Joe Messina is thechapter's first chairperson.

SOUTHEASTERN ADIRONDACKCHAPTER (SAC)

Forty forestry folk met atQueensbury Middle School in GlensFalls, N.Y., formed a chapter anddecided their Chairperson in ErnstSpencer and Program Chairperson inErwin Fullerton.

SOUTHERN TIER CHAPTER (SOT)Patrick McGlew reports the

meeting of January 19, 1991featuredDean Frost, Chapter Founder andrecently elected Chairperson of theState Forest Practice Board.Chairperson Frost discussed therelation between the Forest PracticeAct of 1946,the State Board, and the 9Regional boards. Dean has urgedNYFOA and the chapters andaffiliates to use the Forest PracticeBoards as an official path forcommunication and cooperation withthe Department of EnvironmentalConservation and the localgovernments. Dean is hopeful of usingNYFOA as an important vehicle ofeducation of the Non-Industrial Pri-vate Forest Owner. Pat reported thatChairman Dean seeks NYFOAsupport in this endeavor.

WESTERN FINGER LAKESAt the January 23 meeting,

according to Ray Wager, an awardwas presented by Stu McCarty tonoted outdoor writer Floyd Kingwhose publicity has led to spectaculargrowth in WFL. DEC's Billy Morrisalso introduced a new Tree Farmmember Warren Pressler. The mainspeaker of the evening was BobStegemann (past Executive VP of theEmpire Forest Products Association)who described the general health andeffectiveness of Forestry Today.

THRIFTDon Wagner reported tha t the

January 29 meeting - "IntroducingMoose Into The Adirondacks" was

well attended and very interesting.According to HILLTALK, THRIFT'SNewsletter, Alan Hicks, Seniorwildlife biologist from Albanydiscussed the pros and cons ofbringing the big animal back to itsnative habitat. Alan Hicks is doing thefeasibility study. Will this studyaddress interests of the lonesomemale moose and his demonstratedindifference to the New Yorkprofessionals' opinions on habitat?What will be the effect on the dairyindustry? Recent newspaperheadlines proclaimed: Moose Shot InGlen Castle (Broome County); MooseLovesick For Dairy Cow (Tughill),

NIAGARA FRONTIER (NFC)Bob White described a successful

meeting held January 19 as featuringa potluck dinner with a chain sawraffle for the 24attendees.

BIG APPLISHBob Davis of Wappingers Falls has

had good results from a survey ofchapter interest in this lower HudsonRiver area.

THE NORTHEASTDon Peterson of Wilmington is

working the woods around the LakeChamplain area for members to forma chapter there.

THE RIGHT STUFFAFC and NFC are off and running

with a joint newsletter. Since NYFOAbegan the chapter development andthe affiliation effort (1985),opportunities to see the forest and dothe community thing, have beenpresented in fantastic variety. Thejoint newsletter (edited by AFC'sChairperson Betty Densmore) mustbe one of the particularly usefulopportunities, grasped in this casewith a vigor that augers well for thenatural resources and its peope. Tothe point: Tughill's HILLTALKreproduced the joint NYFOA NEWSarticle entitled, "Wetland Woes &Worries" by NFC's contributor FredThurnherr; add to that, WFL's March27 program by DEC Reg. 8's ArtKirsch - "Wetland Regs. - WhatThe Woodland Owner Should Know".And to the underlying question,

THE WETLANDS OF ALBANYAND WASHINGTON

From Keith Argow's WoodlandReport; "If we liked federal tax laws,we're going to love a new Federalmanual devoted entirely to describingwho has jurisdiction over the wetlandsmany of us own." The definition ofwetlands is going to get everybody'sattention. And from The Empire StateForest Products Association's, TheEmpire Envoy: Governor Cuomoindicated that a policy of no net loss offresh wa ter wetlands has beenadopted and that he would proposelegislation to implement many of therecommendations of the FreshwaterWetlands Advisory Committee. Thiscould mean a reduction in thejurisdictional threshold for wetlands,and a change in identifying wetlandsfrom vegetation to soil indicators.

FOR THE DURATIONDespite a good early response to

Alan Knight's offer of a foreignwoodswalk/tour Alan has postponedhis deal due to the world situation.

THE CANADIAN CONNECTIONOntario Ministry of Natural

Resources-Forestry ManagementForestry personnel have agreed to aone day meeting at the IroquoisNational Wildlife Refuge nearBatavia (April 3, 1991). NYFOA'sJohn Marchant will describe NYFOA.Keith Argow, publisher of NationalWoodlands will join the group; as wellas NY Chief Forester Dan Weller andothers from the Department ofConservation. The main program willinvolve DEC staff and a tour of thewildlife refuge.

Continued on Page 7

6 FOREST OWNER

Chapter Reports -Continued from Page 6

Friends Support Ward

HOWARD O. WARD, long-timeDirector of the New York ForestOwner's Association and founder ofthe Tioga Chapter has been strickenwith a serious case of lung cancer. Heis now resting at his Candor, N.Y.,home and would greatly enjoy hearingfrom his friends in NYFOA. He can bereached at (607) 659-4520and at 240Owego Street, Candor, NY 13743.Howard is a past President of NYFOAand recipient of the NYFOA Awardfor service to the association.

- Alan Knight

MembershipReport

The new brochures are availablefrom John Marchant. Ourmembership grows at a healthy andencouraging pace, thanks to chapterdevelopment, the StewardshipNewsletter, and the networking withother organizations which sharecommon goals. Since the response forpictures from our members has beenminimal, the plans for a NYFOAcalendar have been temporarilyshelved.

- Mary McCarty,Membership Committee Chairman

MARCHI APRIL

Two Chapters FormCongratulations to JOE MESSINA

and JOHN HASTINGS. Their hardwork to form chapters has born fruit.Joe is responsible for organizing the

Capitol District Chapterencompassing the counties of Albany,Columbia, Greene (part), Rensselaer,Saratoga (part), and Schenectady.Two informational meetings forwoodlot owners in these counties wereheld in February.The Southeastern Adirondacks

Chapter is underway thanks to theefforts of John Hastings. This chaptercovers the Counties of Saratoga(part), Warren, and Washington. SAC

held a successful informationalmeeting in December. These two newchapters will bring to a large numberof forestowners in the Eastern part ofthe state NYFOA activities notavailable to them in the past. We arevery grateful to Joe and John for thetime and energy they have put intodeveloping these chapters.It is exciting to note that we have

eight chapters and two affiliatescovering 35counties!

-Stuart McCarty,Chapter Development Committee

Chairman

May 25th Woodswalk at FLTCFLTC is the Finger Lakes Trail

Conference. It is a volunteerorganization responsible for theconstruction and maintenance of 775miles of hiking trails between NiagaraFalls and the Catskill Park. Atpresent 19 individuals in 16 groupsprovide the sponsorship andbackbones of trail construction andmaintenance. FLTC has agreed to

provide tour leaders for thewoodswalks so that we may learnabout the organization and the workassociated with the trails. CharlesMowatt asserts that these volunteerswith their love of the out-of-doors andof woodlands could share tha tcommon bond with NYFOA folk, andthat common bond nourishes bothorganizations.

NYFOA's First "Cast In Bronze"

U.S. CIVILIAN CONSER VATION CORPS\Ve do h c r c b v c o m rn em o r a t e the sire o fREFORESTATION CAMr NO. S 96Mn v 17. 1'134 - lo n o a r v I I. 1936

a n d those CCC men who rrot~ctcd n n d enhanced the n n t ur n lresources of the NYS Hewitt - Cnyugn Highland Miln;q~ement Unit

here at the h e n d wn t c r s ofSk a ne a r e le s , O\ v <lSCO, nnd C;1YUg<l Finger La k e s

Arhor Dn v, 1991

Ca vu p a Chapter New York Forest Owner's As s oc in t io n

The Cayuga Chapter celebrates itssixth year of existence at the sametime it culminates a six-year effortthat originated with a founding

member and a former resident-corpsman of this particular camp-Alfred Signor.

7

--~----~~~~------

Trees Dieback, Decline and DieByDAVIDW. TABER,

Department of Natural Resources,New York State College of Agriculture

and Life Sciences, Cornell

Many people love trees, but oftendon't realize that trees will not liveforever. Actually, most trees die longbefore they reach old age or the sizetypically attainable for mature treesof the species. This is a naturalphenomenon and should be expected.Many people never observe and

recognize as significant thetremendous number of seedlings andsaplings that die in the early stages oflife. If trees did not die as seedlingsand saplings, many forests anduntended lands adjacent to roadsideswould develop into and remain asthickets of brush without the beauty oflarge trees. For trees to grow largethey must be spaced far enough apartto receive adequate sunlight for theircrowns and space for roots to get soilnutrients and moisture.Three pathological and

physiological aspects of trees -death, dieback, and decline - will beaddressed here. They are importantconcepts that relate to the growth andvitality of trees and foreststewardship for the trees in a forest orhuman community.Loss of life for a tree has occurred

when its physiological processes. including photosynthesis and growthhave permanently ceased. Tree deathcan be caused by 1. a single biologicalagent like a fungus, 2. an abioticfactor like snow, or 3. a combinationof biotic and abiotic factors. Some ofthe many factors known to contributeto tree death are fungi, viruses, barkbeetles, leaf-defoliating caterpillars,high soil temperatures, highatmospheric temperatures, unusuallycold seasonal temperatures, droughtconditions, compacted root-zone soil,excessively wet root-zone soil, andmechanical injury to roots, branches,and tree trunks by natural causes orhumans.Decline diseases and crown dieback

may just damage the vitality andgrowth of trees; or if more severe, canprecede and contribute to the death oftrees.Dieback refers to the dying of

branches in the tops of trees, and it isa relatively common sight. When onlysmaller branches or a few branches

die in the upper portion of a tree'scrown, they may not be readilynoticeable. However, if a really largebranch, a cluster of branches, ormany branches scattered throughoutthe crown die, their presence becomesconspicuous. This condition of deadbranches in the crown is referred to asdieback.The cause of dieback, its severity,

and the presence or absence of otherphysiological stresses on a tree maydetermine whether the tree dies.Casual agents include such things asdefoliating insects, late frosts, anddrought. They stress a tree'sphysiological system, and can therebycontribute to the death of tree topbranches. However, one factor thatmay predispose or inherently protecta tree from dieback is its geneticpredisposition.

Decline diseases of trees are com-plex and apparently the result ofmore than one causal agent, althoughmore can still be learned about them.Paul D. Manion, professor of forestpathology at the SUNY College ofEnvironmental Science and Forestry,discusses a rather comprehensiveconceptual basis for forest declinediseases in his new book, Tree DiseaseConcepts, 2nd Edition, 1991,publishedby Prentice Hall. The decline diseasesmodel is based on several componentsthat include the interaction of"predisposing," "inciting," and"contributing" factors. Manion notesthat these were first suggested over 25years ago by Wayne A. Sinclair,professor of plant pathology at CornellUniversity.

Manion defines the declinesyndrome model as follows: "Declinediseases are caused by the interactionof a number of interchangeablespecifically ordered abiotic and bioticfactors to produce gradual, generaldeterioration, often ending in thedeath of trees." The specificallyordered factors that must occur insequence are "predisposing,""inciting," and "contributing." Thepredisposing (long-term) factors thatprecede inciting and contributingfactors include such things as a tree'sgenetic potential, tree age, andviruses. They interact with otherpredisposing factors such as climateand soil.

The interface of modern society witha "community forest" of roadsidetrees can sometimes create economiclosses caused by natural environmen-tal and forest-ecosystem phenomena.

CRREP PHOTO BY TABER)

The inciting factors are consideredto be short-term actions or eventscaused by such things as mechanicalinjury, frost, insect defoliation, anddrought.The contributing factors, which

occur after the actions of incitingfactors, are long-term sources ofstress such as canker fungi, barkbeetles, and root decay fungi.Manion notes that "it is important

to recognize that the interaction ofage, genetic potential, and viruseswith environmental and site variablesmay predispose or predeterminewhich trees are going to decline."From his explanation, declinediseases can be defined as those thatcause a gradual reduction in thehealth of affected trees by theinteraction of at least one factor fromeach of the groups of predisposing,inciting, and contributing factors.As noted earlier it is useful to

recognize that the death of many treesis a natural phenomenon. As Manionsays, "Like other diseases, declinediseases are usually normal,appropriate factors contributing tothe death of individuals is anecosystem. "

Continued on Page 9

8 FOREST OWNER

TreesDieback-Continued from Page 8

Once we have more understandingabout the natural life and death oftrees, it is worthwhile considering ouropportunities.From a forest stewardship

perspective, if people do not thin aforest stand by removing unwantedtrees, improve the composition andstructure of a woodland by treecutting, and harvest at least some ofthe large trees when appropriate,"natural mortality" (based onexisting environmental factors andforest ecosystems) will kill trees. Thedeath of a single tree or many treesclose to each other is often a gradualphenomenon, but it can occur quicklyamong the different size classes oftrees. The result may be thatseedlings, saplings, small sawtimber-size trees, and large trees will all dieat different times and perhaps fordifferent reasons in the process ofnatural forest growth and succession,if humans do not intervene withsilvicultural practices.If the natural mortality of a

dynamic forest ecosystem isunderstood, expected, anddetermined appropriate for a tract of

, woods, then one could say that alandowner's and perhaps society'sneeds are being met by allowing treesto grow and die without cultivation byhumans.However, an alternative to letting

trees become established, grow, anddie without human intervention wouldseem to be worthwhile in many cases.This alternative relies on usingsilvicultural techniques forestablishing, tending, and harvestingtrees and forests for the enhanced

and Endangered Species; 10. ForestRecreation; and, 40subcategories.$800,000has been grated to the New

York State's programs. Dan Weller'sOffice at 50Wolf Road, Albany, N.Y.12233or NYFOA's Executive Office atPO Box 180,Fairport, NY 14450,(716)377-6060 would appreciate input orrespond to inquiries with regard topotential programs. The State andFederal Agencies are currentlyworking hard to frame efficient andworthwhile procedures for forestowners to use this money. JohnMarchant, NYFOA's ExecutiveDirector is the landowner representa-tive to the New York State Steward-ship Advisory Committee whichconsists of sixteen members and ischaired by Robert H. Bathrick, StateForester. The thrust of this programwill greatly increase the intrinsic andmarketable values of the naturalresources held by the Non-IndustrialPrivate Forest Owner.

Stewardship.----_In---,centives ProgramFOR EST

PEOPLEANDTREES

PARTNERSIN

TIMESTEWARDSHIP

New York State's Chief ForesterDan Weller has forwarded a list ofrecommendations for cost sharingpractices that engage the federallyfunded Stewardship IncentivesProgram (SIP). SIP consists of tenbroad categories: 1. Reforestation;2. Afforestation; 3. Forest StandImprovement; 4. Windbreak andShelter belt Establishment; 5. Soiland Water Protection andImprovement; 6. WetlandEnhancement; 7. Fisheries HabitatEnhancement; 8. Wildlife HabitatEnhancement; 9. Rare, Threatened,

benefits provided by cultivated treesand forests.A planned small community of trees

in a city, village, or along ruralroadsides or a larger size forest canbe cultivated under the managementprinciples of forest stewardship tobring economic and environmentalbenefits. A professional forester canhelp people and communities ensurecost-effective establishment,thinning, and harvesting of trees whenand where appropriate.

Tree Cutting OrdinancesA Readers Comment

To the Editor:As a taxpaying resident of New

York State, owning and managingland in Southern Cayuga County, Ithink the State should draft a set ofrules which would govern erosion andwater pollution; but would in no waydeny the landowner the right toharvest the crops or sell the propertyat will. Many times sickness, death, ormisfortune may make it necessary toacquire funds in a hurry, even fortaxes. If towns or counties getinvolved, and some environmental"nuts" cause problems by

promoting a dozen different sets ofrules, the whole timber industrywould suffer. The preservationistswill have succeeded in preventingcommerce of the State's naturalresources.

Alfred Signor, CCCAlumnusEditor's Note: The article, NewHampshire's "Right to Harvest" Lawappearing elsewhere in this issue,may provide a model for the preferredpath. The May/June issue will providea summary of the material presentedto date in the NEW YORK FORESTOWNER.

GurneeWoodswalkA Success

January 26, 41 people with andwithout skis traversed a winterwonderland called Gurnee Woods,owned by Vern & Marj Hudson andlocated in drumlin country at thewestern edge of Onondaga County.Coffee and cocoa, a GREATcompany, five (5) foresters (countingVern, 1989 NY Tree Farmer of theYear), a cucumber tree, a yoyo, and amodel educational program completewith prizes were highlights of the day.Charlie Mowatt was helped in thetechnical and educational design byhost Vern Hudson, ConsultingForester John Thorington, DEC's Sr.Forester Bill Burlingame, and DickGarrett (our own gravely voiced pastpresident of NYFOA). In addition to aspecial joint effort with Region 7Forest Practice Board members(they were invited to join in the fun),this may have been NYFOA's firstwinter walk.

MARCHI APRIL 9

Send Questions to:Wes Suhr, R.R. 1, Box 59BOswegatchie, N.Y. 13670Ask a Forester

Fern N' AllBy WESSUHR

THE QUESTIONIn the last issue (Jan-Feb), I

answered part of Dick Fox's questiondealing with only fern as theundesirable vegetation in theunderstory. This article will completethe answer to his question, "What canowners do about limiting ferns,striped maple, and other <undesir-able> growths in the understory?"In attempting to answer questions

which affect so many forest owners,such as this one, other questions areoften generated by the answer itselfwhen the concerned reader tries tounderstand it, especially if he or shewants to apply the recommendation(the "answer"). For example, it wassuggested in the last article that adense carpet of fern in a specific standat a specific time may provide asilvicultural advantage. How can thisbe - how can it be an advantage tohave the competing fern eliminate alltree regeneration?My "forest" is composed mostly of

sugar maple with a much smalleramount of black cherry and white ash.Since the latter two species have agreater market demand and value, ascompared to sugar maple, I wouldlike to expand cherry/ash at theexpense of maple in my stands. Youhave to be very patient and clever(and lucky) to do this, becausecherry/ash are intolerant and sugarmaple tolerant of overstory shade.Over much of my thinned maplestands (with scattered cherry/ash),there is heavy advance regenerationof maple with very little cherry/ash inthe understory. If I do nothing with theunderstory, guess what the nextlandowner(s) will be managing andcutting? In fact, if we do notperpetuate the cherry/ash throughsilvicultural treatment' of bothunderstory and overstory (a two-pronged attack), my uplands willeventually be totally covered with thenatural climax forest - sugarmaple/beech.So after that first thinning, you may

have the case or condition where thatdense problem fern envelopes theunderstory - which excludes all or

most tree regeneration. Where thisoccurs with a predominate mapleoverstory and a few scatteredcherry/ash, it may be best to leave thefern until just before the secondthinning or harvest of the overs torymaple, retaining the scatteredcherry/ash as residuals. Thesilvicultural scheme being suggestedis this:

• The stand is thinned which mayregenerate fern; retain the fern toexclude undesirable tree reproduction(this could be beech, striped maple or,in this case, sugar maple).• Just before the second cut in thisstand, spray the fern canopy toeliminate it. Spray with a combinationof Roundup/Oust in theconcentrations suggested in the firstarticle. Spray BEFORE the cut toachieve a more uniform and complete(and easier) treatment when theground is free of slash. Wait two yearsto determine the success of theherbicide treatment (consider 80%+kill as "successful"). If notsuccessful, repeat the spraying andwait another two years.• Assuming the overs tory issawtimber (12" + dbh), and you'renot planning a sugarbush, harvest thesugar maple and poor cherry/ash.Depending on the density of thecherry/ash remaining, this may bethe first cut of the "shelterwood"method (where the overs tory offerspartial shading/air movement controlfor the regenerating understory), or itcould be a "seed-tree" reproductionmethod (where the overs tory issparse and offers very littletemperature/air control or "shelter"for the regenerating understory).• In either case, the object is toadequately regenerate cherry/ashwith this "reproduction cut". What'sadequate? David Marquis at theNortheastern Forest ExperimentStation (see reference 4 at end ofarticle), after much study withAllegheny hardwoods, feels that 25black cherry or 100mixed hardwoodseedlings (2-6" tall) - as an averagewithin 6-ft. radius plots - would berequired for adequate regenerationwhen deer populations are high. Todetermine this average, herecommends a uniform distribution of

at least 20 of these 6-ft. radius cir-cular plots in stands of 20 acres orless. If the seedlings are more than 13"tall, then 17 black cherry or 50mixedhardwoods would be required as anaverage for the plots. Normally, thisdensity should be achieved within 3-to-5years after the reproduction cut.• Once you have adequateregeneration, then remove theoverstory shelterwood or seed-trees.Now, you can really feel proud withthis high-value cherry/ash stand ofthe future. And you would also beincreasing biological diversity orincreasing the ". . . variety andvariability among living organismsand the ecological complexes in whichthey occur . . .", at least on mywoodland - by increasing thecherry/ash component within thecontinuous stands of sugarmaple/beech. (Definition fromTechnologies to Maintain BiologicalDiversity, Office of TechnologyAssessment, 1987). One other point -at any stage of cutting or harvesting,disturb as little soil as possible withthe skidders/tractors.

As mentioned in the last article, thecontrol discussion will consider twoother problem cases - Case 2: stripedmaple and/or beech without fern, andCase 3: striped maple and/or beechwith fern.

CASE 2: STRIPED MAPLE AND/ORBEECH UNDERSTORYA) When understory is 1to 10feet

high (see Photo):• Chemical - use Roundup(Monsanto) *• Concentration - 0.25 gal/ac or 1lbai/ac• Application - use backpacksprayer - See PROCEDURE below• Timing - before harvestingoverstory, spray mid-July to mid-September (see CASE 1, Jan-Maredition)

B) Understory over 10' or with manypole-size stems (4" +) - seePhoto:

• Use chainsaw to cut undesir-abIes; harvest poles for firewood/pulpwood• After stems resprout (2-3years),follow-up with (A) treatment above,

Continued on Page 11

10 FOREST OWNER

Ask a ForesterFern N' All-

Continued from Page 10assuming there are no or few desir-able species in the understory bynow.

*Oust Weed Killer (DuPont), usedalone on some field trials, producedlow kills on both striped maple andbeech. Its main purpose for ourconditions (cases) is to increase thesoil activity of the chemical mix; forexample, it is highly effective inkilling isolated fern rhizomes. It mayalso be useful to combat beech when itis resprouting from the surface rootsor horizontal stems in the soil thathave been disturbed by skidding (inthis case, use mixture asrecommended under Case 1, Jan-Maredition).

CASE 3: STRIPED MAPLE AND/ORBEECH WITH FERNBy now, you can guess the proper

treatment for this condition: use amixture of Roundup and Oust inconcentrations recommended underCase 1. Follow other guides listedunder Case 2 above.

Beech Understory, 1-10' High (foreground);

certified as a pesticide applicator aslong as you are not using restrictedchemicals and are only spraying onyour own property.• Mixing/ Application RatesThe field trials of the research

projects found that Roundup at 0.25gal. or 1 qUac. (Llb. ai/ac.), mixedwith 59.5 gal./ac. of water, killed over80% of striped maple or beech. Dr.Larry Abrahamson, the forestry-herbicide expert at Syracuse (Facultyof Environmental and Forest Biology,College of Environmental Science andForestry), suggests using the sameconcentrations mixed with 20-to-40gallons of water per acre forbackpack spraying. Again, if fern is aproblem, add 2 oz./ac. (0.091b ai/ac.)of Oust to the same mixture.This can be mixed in a 50-55 gal.

drum, using 40 gal. of water with theabove chemical concentrations, thetotal volume necessary to cover oneacre. The 4-gal. capacity of thebackpack sprayer should cover 1/10acre (see Trial Spray above).SOURCES REVIEWED: 1) "Controlof Grass and Sedge in AlleghenyHardwood Stands with Roundup-Residual Herbicide Tank Mixes" byStephen B. Horsley, North. J. Appl.

3 other pressure settings (15,30 and 60psi) which may give you bettercoverage of foliage for yourunderstory conditions and your pace.Attempt to spray at setting and pacewhich will empty the tank within the1/10 acre while achieving fulldrenching of foliage.3) Record time for 4 more trials,

spraying each 1/10 acre square with 4gal.4) Total the times for the 5 trials

and divide by 5 which, of course,represents the average spraying timefor 1/10 acre and 4 gallons.Multiplying this time by 10 shouldcome close to the time to spray oneacre, which should receive 40 gallonsof spray (see Mixing/ ApplicationRates below).• Protective GearMake sure you are totally protected

before applying any chemical. I planto wear a hat or hardhat, goggles,nose/mouth mask, long sleeves underlong rubber gloves, long pants overlong rubber boots (or field boots,carefully washed after spraying).Spray only on calm days without rain.• Purchase ChemicalsI believe that both chemicals

(Roundup and Oust) are unrestrictedand may be bought "over-the-counter". You do not have to be

PROCEDUREI'd like to take you through a step-

by-step procedure of how I intend totreat my problem understoriesbecause they relate directly to Case 1and 2 conditions. This detail may helpif you plan to do the work yourself:• Purchase Backpack SprayerSolo, Model 475, recommended for"groundspraying weedkiller", in BenMeadows 1991Catalog:Model 475 (4 gal tank) $99.00Spray Extension Tube, 4'3" 13.50*Double Spray Nozzle 13.50**Recommended for spraying widerswath on ground and higher foliagelevels.• Trial Spray1) Stake out a 66' x 330' rectangle in

area to be sprayed (Y2 acre); stake offthe long side (330') into 66' segments.This rectangle now bounds 5, 66'squares, each square representing anarea of 1/10 acre.2) Fill tank with water (4 gal), set

pressure control valve to #3 (45 psi),note time, and begin spraying the firstsquare while moving at a convenientpace and drenching all foliage inunderstory; record time. I estimate itwill take from 20 to 30 minutes toempty the 4-gal. tank, and close tothat to complete the square. There are Continued on Page 17

MARCHI APRIL 11

NewHampshire's"Right to

Harvest" LawNew Hampshire's "Right to

Harvest" law has been recognized asthe outstanding new forestrylegislation for 1990 by the NationalWoodland Owners Association(NWOA). The law amends the state'sPlanning and Zoning law byestablishing the legislature's intent inthe Declaration of Purpose. The newdeclaration reads:

Forestry, when practiced inaccordance with accepted silvi-cultural principles, constitutes abeneficial and desirable use of NewHampshire's forestry resource . . .forests are an essential component ofthe landscape and add immeasurablyto the quality of life for the state'scitizens . . . forestry activities,including the harvest and transport offorest products, shall not beunreasonably limited by use ofmunicipal planning and zoningpowers or by the unreasonableinterpretation of such powers.

The New Hampshire TimberlandOwners Association, an independentstate affiliate of NWOA, initiated thelegislation in 1989 as a pro-activeresponse to the growing problem oflocal harvesting and truckingregulations. In 1990, the Legislatureamended the statute to strengthen thelegislative intent and, in effect,mandate that communities not"unreasonably limit" forestryactivities on private land through theuse of planning and zoning powers.In presenting the award to the state

association, NWOA President KeithArgow commented that this law is "anexcellent example of concernedlandowners recognizing a problemand then constructively building asolution with the State Legislature.New Hampshire Timberland Ownerscan be proud of this achievement. "

- Reprinted from January 1991"National Woodlands"

The Numbers GameJohn Marchant, NYFOA's deliberations of the Board of

Executive Director prepared the Director's Meeting of February 9,following graphic representations of 1991. The are reproduced for yourNYFOA's members for the information.

New Members Per YeariMEMBERS

~~---r--------~-------r---~----~-------'r-----

100

19891986 1987 1988 1990

NYFOA Chapters &Affiliates#OFMEMBERS

~~.---.---.---.---.---~--,---,---,---,---,--450+-~---r---+--~----r---r---+---~--~---+--~--400350300250200150

12

10050o

N AFC CAY COC CFA NFC SAC SOT THR TlO WFLCHAPTERS

FOREST OWNER

MARCHI AP,RIL 13

SuccessionLetter to the Editor -Congratulations on the Nov/Dec

issue focusing on People artd Trees,Partners in Time, which I justfinished reading.I especially enjoyed the sketches

and the article "Clearing the Land"by Dr. Charles Leahy, both of whichI'm saving.In my woods I found what at first

looked like another stone wall, then Inoticed it turned a corner and anothercorner; and had a higher part on oneside, that upon examination turnedout to not just be higher, but curvedinward - a HEARTH. This was theremains of an abandoned cabin orhome of long ago. Behind it is a"ledge" going up high, and a littlefurther away in front of it is a stream.I imagine the people of long ago in thissetting - woods now, but perhapscleared then, with the ledge providingsome wind shelter and protection, andwater provided by the stream. So, Iespecially enjoyed reading the articleabout "these people".

Sincerely,Betty Suter

Editorial Note - Chief Forester DanWeller informed the New York ForestOwner the phrase, People and Trees,Partners in Time, originated with TheNational Associations of StateForesters and was adopted for NewYork's Stewardship Program. On thatmore to follow. Dr. Charles Leahy'sarticle first appeared, appropriatelyso, in the Broome County HistoricalSociety Newsletter and makes theimportant point that in addition to thesuccession associated with theecological forests, there has been anaccompanying succession in theculture of people for a very, very,very long time. Finally, the CayugaChapter NYFOA through thedetermined efforts of a standing jointcommittee with the Cayuga-OwascoLakes Historical Society, willendeavor to delineate all land relics tobe found on the over ten thousandacres of state land and communityforests in the immediate vicinity.

Arbor Day - April 26Foresters and Arbor Day go

together - Everyday is Earth Day fora Forester. Being a forester, we liketo assume that Arbor Day is a nationalholiday, unfortunately I never get theday off. Have I convinced you thatArbor Day is important to myprofession? Its importance has farmore appeal than to just foresters.Forest landowners and the generalpublic utilizes this day to think aboutour wonderful forest resource, 18%million acres of forestland in NewYork and millions of trees shading ourstreets, yards, and homes.The National Arbor Day Foundation

is located in Nebraska City where J.Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day in1872. New York State, the birthplaceof Morton, first celebrated Arbor Daywhen Governor Hill signed legislationin 1888. Arbor Day was mandated inpublic schools with tree plantings andspecial programs. This traditioncontinues today, with a renewedinterest, as school children learnabout trees and how they interact withour environment. For nearly 70schools, Arbor Day observanceincludes a Tree City, USA celebration.Tree City, USA is sponsored by the

National Arbor Day Foundation. Thisprogram recognizes communities thathave a strong commitment to theirtree resource. Any community canqualify, from the small village ofEllicottville, Griffis Air Force Baseand the Town of Glen Cove, to the Cityof New York. Does your communityfly the official Tree City, USA flag?There are four standards a

community must meet to be certifieda Tree City. They must have a TreeBoard or Department, an ordinance, afinancial obligation, and an ArborDay observance and proclamation.In smaller communities a volunteer

tree board is often established to

provide assistance to the localofficials in street tree management.Larger cities usually have a forestrydepartment as part of their parks orstreet department. Whatever theorganization, they must insure year-to-year continuity and be legallyestablished by an ordinance. Theordinance should also set public treecare policies for planting,maintenance, and removals.Standard three involves the

financial commitment to the treeresource. A community must "spend"at least two dollars per capita onforestry expenditures. Forestryexpenditures would include any fundsfor direct tree planting andmaintenance costs, includingpersonnel costs, along with the valueof volunteer time. Up to 25% of acommunity "expenditure" can befrom volunteers working on treeplanting, inventories or otheractivities.An Arbor Day observance and

proclamation is the final standardthat a community must meet. Most ofNew York's 79 Tree Cities conducttheir celebration in conjunction with alocal school. A tree plantingceremony, a Mayor's proclamation,and a school play or song helps conveythe importance of our trees to thechildren and the community.Trees are no longer just aesthetic

afterthoughts, but are essential to thewell being of our local environment.Start your community on the path toTree City status. Contact the mayorand get a ceremony this Arbor Day,April 26, 1991. Additional informationon Tree City is also available at yourlocal DEC forestry office.

Peter C. InnesNYSDEC

Associate Forester~~~r.-.~~~~~m.n

sustained economic development, andprovide networking andcommunications skills training toresource professionals in the region.The Northeastern Forest Alliance

offers New York forest owners a"window on the world" by promotingour resourses and products to regionalnational and international audiences.Increased markets translate intoincreased demands for timber whichcan translate into greater returnsfrom wisely managed forests.NEF A's educational efforts at thelocal, state, regional and nationallevels, are intended to encourage andpromote good stewardship and soundforest management. Informedofficials are more likely to makebetter decisions when it comes toprotecting forest resources andpreserving open space andproductive, working landscapes. Thefuture looks bright for northeasternforests, and the Northeastern ForestAlliance can help ensure our forestscontinue to provide their full-range ofbenefits for generations to come.*The NEF A NEWS is available free

of charge. To get on the mailing list,send your name and address to:Bruce Williamson, NYSDEC, 50 WolfRd., Rm. 404,Albany, N.Y. 12233-4252.Article provided by: Bruce

Williamson, Associate Forester,NYSDEC

The Northeastern Forest Alliance: Promoting Regional Forest ResourcesIn August 1986, State Natural

Resources Commissioners from NewYork, Vermont, New Hampshire andMaine signed a Charter creating theNortheastern Forest Alliance(NEF A). The four-state Alliance wasformed to promote the states' forestsand forest-related products on aregional basis.There are over 44 million acres of

forestland in the Alliance region, withroughly 18.5 million in New York.These forests contribute significantlyto the economic stability of the area,as well as the environment,aesthetics, wildlife habitat andoverall quality of life. One goal ofNEF A is to further promote theseforests resources and help expand thefull range of benefits and values theyprovide.With so much forested land in

common, the 4 northeastern statesalso share many of the sameproblems, challenges andopportunities rela ted to themanagement, protection and use ofthose forests. Through NEF A, thefour state forestry agencies also hopeto share information and technicalexpertise, and focus attention onnatural resource issues andopportunities within and across thestates. Other efforts, such as theNorthern Forest Lands Study, haverecognized these same commonissues and pointed to the need for aregional appro-ach to addressingthem.Many of NEFA's efforts to date

have been directed at raising publicawareness about northeastern forestsand forestry issues, and at promotingnortheastern forest products andhelping expand their markets anddemand. Our work with forestindustries, landowners and managersshows that opportunities abound toexpand existing wood-using industriesand markets, and open doors to neweconomic development. A MarketingPlan was developed which includesthe following:* an Outreach Campaign aimed at adiverse audience- "NEF ANEWS" quarterlynewsletter

- "NEF AAlert" bulletins- press releases, etc.

* Local Economic Development For-ums, a targeted effort to spark in-terest and present opportunities

at the local level, in conjunctionwith other groups such as Re-source Conservation and Develop-ment Councils.

* Various activities in Wood Market·and Product Development- sponsoring market, productproduct and technical re-search

- involvement with the Ameri-can Hardwood Export Coun-cil (AHEC)

- development of a "RegionalShowcase" marketing bro-chure

- trade show participation(Japan, Korea, Germany)

* A Regional Economic DevelopmentCampaign to build better bridgesbetween forest resource and eco-nomic development agencies.

This Marketing Plan is wellunderway, and activities arecontinuing at this time. In addition,NEFA will be pursuing additionalinitiatives in 1991which will expandits focus to address some of the socialand political challenges facing forestresources, owners and managers.New Projects will reach out tocommunity leaders to assist themwith forest and resource planningissues, address concerns over thefuture labor pool for forest and woodproducts industries, explore ways thatforest resources can contribute to

Loggers

Skidders

Fire

Saw Mills

607-898-3821evening

Log Trucks

Liability

• '--_--J'--_~ •315-497-0410

day

AGENCYDAVID W. TREGASKIS

All forms of insurance10 Central Street

Moravia, N.Y. 13118315-497 -0410

INSURANCEMember Cayuga Chapter - NYFOA

14 FOREST OWNER

CFA

New MembersT.HERRICKP.O. BOX 332SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 12866

JEFFREY FEIM11242HARLOW ROADALDEN, NY 14004

KEN AND MARLA BRADY245 POLLARD HILL ROADJOHNSON CITY, NY 13790

ROMAN SENDROWSKI2112 AVENUE TBROOKLYN, NY 11229

JOHNSCHALLERTRD1,BOX160HARTWICK, NY 13348

THOMAS L. ELLISON2851 ESTEY ROADMANLIUS, NY 13104

DR. EARLE PETERSON1850 LINCOLN HIGHWAYEDISON, NJ 08817

HERBERT F. DARLING131 CALIFORNIA DRIVEWILLIAMSVILLE, NY 14221

LARRY MARANORD 1, BOX 181, RTE. 79PORTCRANE,NY13~3

PAUL BEACHP.O. BOX41LAKEMONT, NY 14857

JOSEPH J. KIZINSKI835 JOHNSON ROADCHURCHVILLE, NY 14428

KENT FOXINVESCO OF PENNSYLVANIA, INC.P.O. BOX 694MT. GRETNA, PA 17064

ROBERT &MARGARET FERRARONE8 GREY FAWN WFLPITTSFORD, NY 14534

JACK McGOUGH AFCRD1,BOX116COMMON ROADANGELICA, NY 14709

JOHN R. CROTHAMEL13MORRIS ROAD, BOX 256PEEKSKILL, NY 10566

PAULL. NOWAK NFC11333 HUNTS CORNERS ROADAKRON,NYl4001

DAN EMPIEETHAN ALLEN, INC.GROVE STREETBOONVILLE, NY 13309GEORGE &MARILYN BULINRR 1, BOX 2529WATKINS GLEN, NY 14891

ALBERT BROWNP.O. BOX 184STOW, NY 14785

AL & LINDA MOORHOUSE WFL7058 ROSS ROADSPRINGWATER, NY 14560LELAND RYAN THRD2,BOX213HARRISVILLE, NY 13648

ROGER VOSSLER WFLP.O. BOX 15486ROCHESTER, NY 14615RALPHP. GENNARINOP.O. BOX 103STOW, NY 14785

RICHARD MARTIN TH33267 ELECTRIC BLVD.AVON LAKE, OH 44012WILLIAM A. SNYDER NFC188 BENNINGTONAMHERST, NY 14226

NEW MEMBERS DIRECTORY:WFL =Western FingerlakosNFC = Niagara Frontier ChapterSOT = Southern Tie,' ChapterTlO =''Tioga ChapterTHR = THRIFTCFA = Cat.skill Forest AssociationAFC Allegheny Foothills Chapter

15MARCHI APRIL

ROBERTB.FOGELSONGER NFC9670 CLARENCE CENTER ROADCLARENCE CENTER, NY 14032

NFC RICHARD JONASSEN127 HALSEY AVENUEROCKAWAY,NJ07866

SOT SUZANNEL. BERTRAND530 WEST LAKE ROADDERUYTER, NY 13052

TJO MARK CASALE9230 OSWEGO ROADBALDWINSVILLE, NY 13027

WILLIAM CLARKSON240 RIVER STREETDEPEW, NY 14043

RAYMOND STUMP NFC20 ANICE PLACEHAMBURG, NY 14075

KATHY & STEVE ZASUCHA NFC452 CHURCH STREETYOUNGSTOWN, NY 14174

NFCROBERT SCHROCK, M.D. WFL8STONEGATELANE

SOTPITTSFORD, NY 14534

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HENRY AND EILEEN TREEN THNORTH POND ROADBOONVILLE, NY 13309

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ZANE BUCKINGHAMP.O. BOX431CROGHAN, NY 13327

DR. REYF. COLGAN8170 PHILLIPS ROADBOX 110ROME, NY 13440

PHYLLIS EVANSP.O. BOX 400BOONVILLE, NY 13309

MRS. ROBIN HORNSTARRT. 3, BOX8AUSABLE FORKS, NY 12912

NFC

RANDY KERRBOX 87GREIG, NY 13345

SARA McGLINCHY &HELEN BROWN39 RIDGE AVNUE CFAPUTNAM VALLEY, NY 10579

WILLIAM BOURGEOIS WFL411 BEACH AVENUEROCHESTER, NY 14612

HARRY & CAROL EWELL WFL200 LYELL AVENUESPENCERPORT, NY 14559

WILLIAM T. GLADSTONE WFLRD 2, BOX 140AAAVOCA, NY 14809

TH

HANS & JOAN KAPPEL167MAIN STREETALTAMONT, NY 12009

JOHN &RONNIE LEISJ.&R.FARMROUTE 8 BOX 82BAKERS MILLS, NY 12811

CYNTHIA SUTHERLAND-O'NAN1140WIGHTMAN STREETPITTSBURGH, PA 15217

MICHAEL ORMSBYPINE HEIGHTS FARM2643 CAMBIER ROADNEW ARK, NY 14513

ROBERT S. DAVISSTONY KILL FARMROUTE9DWAPPINGERS FALLS, NY 12590SALVATORE DANNA TJO805 LELAND STREETELMIRA, NY 14904

EDWARD W.HARRIS JR.1212 SHANNON AVENUEELMIRA, NY 14904

BARBARA HUBBELL NFC176MILDRED DRIVECHEEKTOWAGA, NY 14225

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TOM &DEBBIE GILL WFL22 HUNTERS DRIVE NORTHFAIRPORT, NY 14450DAN DEWBERRY529 DUNKIRK ROADBALTIMORE, MD 21212

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CHRIS KIMBALL-PETERSON SOT7 ELIZABETH LANEBINGHAMTON, NY 13903

SYLVESTER &EMILY BROWNRD 2 BO"X210BLUE FACTORY ROADAVERILL PARK, NY 12018

TODD BALDWIN CFAP.O. BOX 294MILLWOOD. NY 10546

BOCES WESTERN DELAWARE CENTER CFAATTN: S. PERRINRD 1, ROUTE 206SIDNEY CENTER, NY 13839

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PINE LAKE ENVIRONMENTAL CTR.PETER BLUE, RESIDENT MANAGERHARTWICK COLLEGEONEONTA, NY 13820

STEVEN LANDSMANZENA HIGH WOODS ROADR.D. 2, BOX 153BKINGSTON, NY 12401

JOHN RIEDLGUSTY CORNERSGILBOA, NY 12076

MAX SAENGERMEADOWLAWNPLATTE CLOVE ROADELKA PARK, NY 12427

DAVE MEIXELL39 WARREN STREETTULLY, NY 13159

DAVE &MARY HODGESRD3,BOX379JAMESTOWN, NY 14701

ELIZABETH &DAVID BUCKLEYRT 1, BOX 6484WEST VALLEY, NY 14171

J. THOMAS ROMANS70 MacARTHUR DRIVEWILLIAMSVILLE, NY 14221

WILLIAM O'MARA13LIMA STREETGENESEO, NY 14454

ANDREW &ANN HINDS8805 DAPPLE GRAY ROADOAK RIDGE, NC 27310

Seedlings & TransplantsHardwoods, Shrubs, Wildlife, Pine, Spruce,

Douglas Fir, Many True Firs and Exotics

TREEHAVENEVERGREEN NURSERY

981 Jamison Road • Elmo, NY 14059 • 652-4206

Authors of-

* "Basics of Growing Christmas Trees"* "Addendum to - Basics of Growing Christmas Trees"* "Growing Conifer Seedlings, Transplants and Trees in an

Outdoor Nursery"

* estimate of what to expect forappearance of forest, its future, andlevel of personal satisfaction atconclusion of loggingA landowner needs to use good

business practices when sellingstumpage. The landowner gainssatisfaction when a quality loggingjob has been completed, the forestlooks good, silvicultural practiceshave been applied to produce ormaintain healthy forests, and full-value income has been received.Sources of information and service

to help forest owners include thefollowing: NYS DEC ServiceForesters, private consultingforesters, and Water

Logging for Forest Crops: WhatYou Need to Know

By DAVID W. TABER,Department of Natural Resources,

New York State College of Agricultureand Life Sciences, Cornell

Logging, timber harvesting, and thepractice of silviculture relate to alandowner's control of his or herwoods. What happens during and aftera landowner authorizes the cutting oftrees depends on the logging contractto sell timber (stumpage); how thelogging is conducted, based on theskills, logging equipment, and actionsof the logger; and how well thelogging is supervised.Because the landowner has the

greatest long-term commitment tothe forest, she or he benefits the mostby ensuring that appropriate forestmanagement practices are appliedduring logging. However, mostlandowners are not involved incommercial forestry operations on adaily basis and they do not have theinterest and time to learn about l.selling stumpage, 2. all the importantaspects of growing a healthy forest, 3."logging," and 4. the value of trees bygrade, size, and species.Therefore, if a landowner has

logging information from years backor gets new knowledge about loggingprocedures, forest management,provisions of timber sale contracts,and selling prices for standing timber(stumpage), he or she should ensurethat it is correct and comprehensive.A few key items to investigate and

understand follow:* highgrading that reduces future

value of the forest* logging road construction and usethat can contribute to soil erosion andruts* "selection method" of

maintaining an even-aged stand oftrees with big trees always growing inthe forest

* need for having WorkersCompensation Insurance,performance bond, and liabilityinsurance during logging* acceptable and unacceptable

logging damage* current stumpage values* volume and grade of timber per

acre by species to be cut, because theysignificantly affect value of a timbersale

Conservation District technicians forthe county, and from CornellCooperative Extension, the 14-pageConservation Circular, "WoodlandOwner's Guide to Selling Timber andTimber Sale contracts (code no.147V32#5.Price $2.15).

Nolan'sSporting Supplies

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The aftermath of a logging job included "logging slash" left in the watercourseof an intermittent spring-runoff stream. A visitor to the site, Ralph D. Nyland, pro-fessor of silviculture at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry,reviews the situation. He helped develop "Timber Harvesting Guidelines for NewYork" (available free), which lists things to look for and recommends loggingtechniques for the prevention of problems from logging. (RREP PHOTO BY TABER>

WE SPECIALIZE IN LOGGINGAND ALL YOUR FORESTRYWORKBuyers of Standing Timber

A A PEPPE Timber ProductsLOGGING and FIREWOOD

Dept. FMoravia, NY 315/497-1760

16 FOREST OWNER

Big Trees, Big Money-Continued from Page 3

well managed stands, I feel it occurssomewhere between 18" and 26". Mybias is towards the larger diameters;though extremely large trees begin tolose unit value if they become too hardto handle .for the equipment mostharvesters use in a region.To drive the points home I will cite a

few examples. A friend's father wasselling timber in western New York.My friend looked at the proposed sale.In his professional opinion, too manysmall trees were marked. At hisurging his father retained half of themarked trees. The result was the priceoffered was lowered from $14,000 to$11,000 and the forest is left wellstocked and is visually appealing.Another case involved one of my

clients. He had purchased a propertywith a seventeen acre stand of largetimber. A logger approached him withan offer of $7600for all of the standingtimber. When he said he would like anopinion of a forester, the logger sta!edI would spoil the sale thus lowermgthe sale price. I was called in and,with discussion with the owner, setupon a harvest plan calling formarking 40% of the timber andadvertising for solicited bids. The firstlogger returned, complained about allthe good, unmarked trees, andreduced his bid to $7000. Many bidscame in with the highest bid of $17,635offered by an established firm with agood reputation. The sale wasconducted in a professional mannerand my client was left with a fineresidual stand that is presently readyfor its next harvest.Another forester friend purchased

an eighty acre woodlot. An intensiveinventory appraised the timber valueat $8000. He entered a plan of

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

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Jamestown, N.Y. 14701

harvesting $1250 worth of firewoodand low grade timber throughstumpage sales. After six growingseasons he has reinventoried. Withoutassessing grade increases and usingthe average reported stumpagevalues, he estimates present timbervalue at $12,500.This discussion should not lead the

reader to a decision of not harvestingany trees until they are large. I tendmy woodlot by continually harvestingsmall trees for firewood. I cut trees ofpoor: species, form, vigor, andquality to favor crop trees. I time mycutting to maintain a desiredstocking; and thereby maximizeproductivity while preserving qualityof my selected crop trees. Part of thedecision making process iscomplicated by a conscious effort tomaintain some den trees and mastproducers for wildlife and to savethose trees that appeal to my wife'sartistic eye. My final crop will belarge timber and my heirs will have awell stocked stand for their future.For other owners, the

considerations are many. One mustdecide even-aged versus uneven-agedmanagement, cutting cycles androtation length, and intensity ofmanagement and for what products.It sounds complicated, and it is; butprofessional help is available. A goodfirst step is to contact the regionalstate forestry office serving thecounty where the property is located.

Marketing ChristmasTrees Requires EffortMarketing Christmas trees for 1991

began in December 1990or before forsome growers and retailers. Like anybusiness operation, Christmas treegrowers need to be entrepreneurs orbusiness executives who invest timeand effort in initiating and executingmarketing strategies to meet theirneeds.Preliminary reports indicate that a

large supply of Christmas trees existsin North America and some, if notmany, retailers have reduced salesbecause of competition. For instance,according to the Christmas TreeSummary report of the New YorkState Department of Agriculture andMarkets, a year ago in the CapitalDistrict, "Most retailers purchasedless or the same number of trees ...and dumpage was light." However,"prices were close to last year." Thesame report notes that on LongIsland, "approximately 10 percent to25 percent of the trees were not sold."This year's report for the 1990Christmas season should be availablein February.Christmas tree growers need to

provide services and sell products at aprofit, and meet the needs of retailersand/or consumers. This surely willinvolve challenges in the years tocome.

Income Tax Management forChristmas Tree Growers

"Christmas tree growers shouldreport and manage income taxessimilarly to the way farm taxpayersdo," says Stuart F. Smith of theDepartment of AgriculturalEconomics, Cornell University.According to his Cornell

Agricultural Economics Staff Paperentitled "Income Tax Managementand Reporting for Christmas TreeGrowers," October, 1989, "Costsassociated with establishing, growing,harvesting, and selling trees areclassified as 'basis,' depreciation,depletion, and annual deductibleexpenses to determine when they areor development costs, and taxreporting, contact your Co:nellCooperative Extension county office.recovered. "

For a copy of Smith's paper whichdiscusses capital expenditures,operating expenses, carrying charges

Ask a Forester Fern N' All -Continued from Page 11

For. v. 7, #: 124-128,Sept. 90; 2) "TankMixing Roundup with Adjuvants andOther Herbicides for Striped MapleControl" by Stephen B. Horsley,North. J. Appl. For. v.7,#1:19-22,Mar.90; 3) "Unwanted Vegetation and ItsEffects on Regeneration Success" byRichard W. Sage, Jr., ManagingNorthern Hardwoods, Proceedings ofa Silvicultural Symposium, Ralph D.Nyland, Editor (SUNY CESF),June, 86; 4) "Assessing the Adequacyof Regeneration and UnderstandingEarly Development Patterns" byDavid A. Marquis, op. cit.

17MARCHI APRil

generally touch the ground, at leastbetween jumps.The literary academic has it easier

than the rest. He can make wordsmean anything he chooses, and caneven, as many do today, choose tohave words mean nothing at all. He'sfree to draw the grandest conclusionsfrom the most obscure information,and does: the literature department isthe ultimate haven for the axe-grinder, and so the home of assortedideologies and social causes.Literature is a good field for peoplewho like to think, but not too hard.So what does this have to do with the

Cabin Fever Festival? Nothing at all- and that's the point. Maybe twothousand people came to the Park lastSunday, and most of them willremember it, as a small happyafternoon, for some time. I don't knowhow many people heard, or will everread, the 2,400 papers presented inChicago, but I believe most that wassaid will die in memory faster thanTony's skidder. Trouble is, most of ussee reality as real: a ton of oak hungon a skidder chain. Too many in theliterature business have forgottenthat, and become irrelevant.Not that there's anything specially

wrong with their ideas. Just thatthey're not talking to anyone.

IRO~By TIM WILLIAMSNYFOA Director

A Skidder is a powerful machine,with all its power applied to massivemovement, and none to speed. Itmoves logs, and has no other function;it hauls them only in the woods, alongskid paths and haul roads: as soon asit meets a good gravel road it turnsthe job over to a log truck. Aspecialist. It was intended to improveon the ox and the horse, and ifquantity is your object, it does - but ahorse will be kinder to your woodlot,and leave you with less smashedbrush and fewer barked trees whenthe job is done. (I just mention thehorse for an example of something notalways done best with an internalcombustion engine. Oxen and mulesmay be just as good as the horse, but Itake absolutely no position in thatargument. Too much cross fire.)Tony brought his skidder over to the

Cabin Fever Festival Sunday, andparked it there next to a truckful ofsplit firewood. The machine stoodthere silently, chewing its cud, Iimagine: the biggest thing in sightexcept maybe that yoke of oxen, greatwhite and black animals standingnearby, honoring their reputation forpatience. Some mighty horsesstomped around the parking lot too,one of them hauling a small logthrough a slalom course of orangeflags. I suppose the horse was tryingto show the skidder's limits bydemons tra ting agili ty, but themachine didn't let on that it noticed.No signs of professional jealousyanywhere.The New York Forest Owners

brought you the Cabin Feverfestivities. It was a cheerfulgathering, and entertained a couplethousand people over the weekend.Everyone likes horses and oxen andbig machines, as well as hot dogs andfried chicken and a mix of small

Christopher Babcock, CPA, Owner10 Central St.Moravia, New York 13118

THE INCOME TAX PEOPLE

Telephone (315) 497-3259If no answer call:(31E) 255-3341

FORESTOWNER18

Reprinted from:The Moravia Republican Register, Feb. 12, 1991

children to freshen the perspective. Itwas not an afternoon for critics.So I went home in a good humor to

commune with the Sunday papers,and in a casual frame of mindbrowsed into an article in the Timesheaded Deciphering VictorianUnderwear. You can understandwhy, and I don't defend myself. Lfie, alocal poet, says there's nothing wrongwith Raunchy. After all, he adds, it'spart of life, just like everything else.Well, this time I was wrong. The

Times had nothing to say aboutancestral panties - the whole thingwas about a meeting out in Chicago ofthe Modern Language Association,and it was pretty dry. But I'm areader, and get sucked into any print Ihappen to pick up, right down to thecopyright number on the cereal box.So I finished reading about the M.L.A.convention.That gathering, it seems, was not

uniformly cheerful, and was surelylarded with professional jealousies,and fear and trembling. The ModernLinguists are people who claim aninterest in literature. Some of themteach it, mostly in colleges anduniversities, and most of the rest ofthem study it, mostly in colleges anduniversities: graduate students. Let'sbe clear that almost none of themwrite literature. They just write aboutit; the M.L.A. is not a home for poetsand novelists. (The Forest Owners aredifferent: most of them either growwood, or harvest it, and they keeptheir hands on solid objects.The literary academics play with

ideas, and seldom encounter a solidobject. It could be a fun life. You readsomething, and then you can writechemist, say, has a harder time: hiswriting refers to an experiment, andthe next chemist who reads it shouldbe able to repeat the experiment, andverify it. Chemists explore a smallerfragment of the universe, perhaps,than literary folk, but they do it, atany given point in time, with avocabulary they understand in prettymuch the same way. Historians,sociologists and psychologistsprobably spend more time thanchemists in argument about grammarand vocabulary, but their feet

Check your preferredmembership option:DRegular - $15 0 Family - $20o Contributing - $25 - $100o Supporting - over $101 and up

Send checks payable to:New York Forest Owners AssociationP.O. Box 360Fairport, N.Y. 14450

Name

Address

City

State/Zip

County Phone

that planting stock can survive andgrow in height and' foliage volume atan appropriate rate.5. Planting stock may be seedlings,

which were grown relatively closetogether in a seedling bed, ortransplants, which were transplantedfrom a seedling bed to anothernursery bed at a wider spacingbetween trees to promote growth ofroots, tree height, and amount offoliage. Usually transplants willsurvive and grow faster thanseedlings when outplanted in a field orcut-over forest because they have abetter root system and more foliage.Age of seedlings and transplants aredesignated in the format of twonumbers separated by a hyphen (i.e,1-0 = I-yr. old seedlings; 3-0 = 3-yr.seedling; and 2-3 = transplant thatwas raised for 2 years in seedling bedfollowed by 3years in transplant bed).6. Genetic quality of planting stock

determines such things as rate ofgrowth, form of tree, and color offoliage, as well as other biological andecological attributes that can bemaintained in progeny through plantbreeding (or careful selection of treeseeds from wild - apparentlygenetically superior - trees with theright attributes).7. Hundreds of sources exist for

tree seedlings and transplants.Landowners are commonly advised toplant stock from trees acclimated tothe environment in which theseedlings/transplants will be grown.8. Sources of trees for planting can

be obtained from organizations suchas the NYS Department ofEnvironmental Conservation (DEC)forestry offices, New York ForestOwners Association, New YorkChristmas Tree Growers'Association, and Cornell CooperativeExtension county offices.9. The state Saratoga Tree Nursery

of the NYS DEC, Division of Landsand Forests, distributes plantingstock of forest tree species, andshrubs for wildlife, to landowners whohave purchased them during the sign-up period of early January to earlyMarch. Sales are based on a "firstcome - first served" basis whilesupplies last. For additional

Continued on Page 20

Tree Planting Tips PromotePromote Successful New Forests

By DAVID W. TABER,Department of Natural Resources,

New York State College of Agricultureand Life Sciences, Cornell

Tree plantations may produce fast-growing hardwoods, Christmas trees,nut crops from chestnut trees, high-value timber like black walnut, orconifers, most likely spruces andpines.Successful plantations depend on

the following factors, some of whichyou can control and some of whichonly Mother Nature controls, andothers over which you may havepartial control. All these"management factors" give youopportunities to exert your influence.MANAGEMENT FACTORS- genetic attributes, within a

species, of planting stock- tree species' attributes relative

to ecological factors- size (including crown-to-root

ratio) of planting stock- spacing of trees at planting- condition of planting stock when

received- condition of planting stock when

planted- time (soil and weather

conditions) of planting- weather (hard frost, drought, or

hot weather after planting)- wildfire (probably started by

human actions) in plantation- wildlife feeding on bark, buds,

and foliage- insect damage to foliage- disease damage to roots, stem,

or foliage- mortality of newly planted trees

within first three years- site attributes (depth, fertility,

and pH) of planting site- water table (distance to standing

water in soil) all year long- aspect (direction that sloping

land faces, providing exposure)- weed control requirements- winter's prevailing weather

conditions: ice, snow, wind- proper planting (re: root collar,

air pockets, and roots in soil)- "plantation management plan"

for appropriate growth over the yearsAll the management factors are

important. To enhance your odds ofsuccessfully establishing and growingtrees in a plantation, establish a plan

of operation based on evaluation ofthese variables.Before we further analyze the

biological and ecologicalmanagement factors of establishing aplantation, we need to recognizecertain economic considerations:income taxes, capital gains, andordinary income reportingrequirements; and plantationmanagement and use/harvestrequirements, such as the size andtypes of machinery and equipmentneeded and the desired roadways.You need to determine your tree

planting policies and procedures afterevaluating your short-termobjectives, long-term goals, andsituation. Your "situation" relates toall the factors (variables) that existfor you, thereby restricting orbroadening your choices.Roadways for access to the

plantation, and spacing of trees toaccommodate machinery andequipment, should be evaluated andincorporated in the managementplan.And now here is more advice, some

functional/operational and other bio-logical or ecological. These points arenoted because they answer questionsoften asked or are procedures oftenneglected or misunderstood.1. Trees per acre to plant can be

calculated by dividing the squarefootage in an acre (43,560) by thesquare footage occupied by a tree(calculated by multiplying thedistance between trees in rows by thedistance between rows). Forexample, with 6 ft. by 7 ft. treespacing, there would be 1,037trees/acre (assuming no land wasreserved for roads).2. The root collar on tree planting

stock is distinguished by a slightchange in appearance of the stem andits bark where the tree stem, as itgrew in the nursery, entered theground to form roots. The root collarshould be at ground level when thetree is planted.3. Planting stock's tree roots,

including the fine "hair roots" whichabsorb moisture from the soil, shouldalways be kept moist.4. Weed control of grasses, sedges,

and woody shrubs is mandatory untilnewly planted trees outgrow them, so

MARCHI APRIL 19

R.D. #1, Box 103Lisle, N.Y. 13797

Tree Planting Tips -Continued from Page 19

information, contact one of the NYSDEC forestry offices.10. Soil and Water Conservation

Districts, one in every county in NewYork, commonly sell tree plantingstock. Other local organizations mayalso have seedlings, transplants, andcuttings of fast-growing hardwoods(poplars and other species) available.You have just read about some of

the factors to consider before plantingtrees. Many other considerations(such as what kinds of tools orequipment exist to plant trees, exactlywhen trees should be put in theground, and how much care isrequired annually or periodically tocultivate a plantation) were notcovered. But you may have learnedsome terminology that will help youcommunicate better about treeplanting; and perhaps you have beenintroduced to some concepts that willhelp you make decisions aboutplanting trees.

Custom Signs

-- VOSS SignsDept. NYF. Box 553. Manlius. N.Y. 13104

Ph. (315) 682-6418(Morr-Frt. 9-5) .

Family Owned & Operatedjor over 25 years

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Mar. 15

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Mar. 27

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_IWOODLOT CALENDARNiagara Frontier, Erie County Forest, East Concord,NY; "Maple Sirup Production" by Ed Wood, Erie Co.Forester. (716) 537-2808

Southeastern Adirondack, "Forest Owner Resources"7:30 PM, Queensbury Middle School, Glens Falls, Er-win Fullerton (518) 747-7230

Southern Tier, Potluck Supper, door prizes, 840FrontSt., Binghamton, Don Kellicutt (607) 849-6611

Allegheny Foothills, Greta & Willis Archer's workingfarm, "Sugaring & Multiple Use", near Randolph(607) 583-7006,C. Mowatt

Western Finger Lakes, Monroe Co. Extension offices,7:30 PM; "Wetland Regs - What the Woodland OwnerShould Know"

The 21st CNYMaple Festival, Marathon, NY. Exhibitscrafts, food, and much more. Information call 607/849-3812,607/849-3278.

ARBOR DAYCayuga Chapter commemorates US CCC Reforesta-tion Camp No. 96, Bronze Plaque Ceremony, Sempro-nius

NYFOA Annual Spring Meeting, Marshall Auditor-ium, College of Environmental Science and Forestry,Syracuse

May 17- 18 Northeastern Loggers Equipment Expo 91 - NYS Fair-grounds, Syracuse, N.Y.

May/June Calendar Inserts by April 1, (315) 497-1078FAX: (607)'849-9611.

FOREST OWNER J