FOREST OWNERA Publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

January IFebruary 1992People and Trees; Partners in Time

COVER PHOTOS:

Top: Gary R. Goff, director of theMaster Forest Owners Program dur-ing a session inArnot's classroom.Bottom: Thirty-two participants

from 20 counties gather at beginningof wildlife management demonstrationarea on Cornel/'s Arnot Forest inTompkins County.

Frank Rose, Cotton-Hanlon, Inc. 's lumber salesman, and 1992Chairman of theNew York State Tree Farm Committee discusses prices of lumber, logs, andstiumpage with Master Forest Owners.

Table of ContentsPresident's Message by Stuart McCarty 3Trapping Fur Bearers and Animal Rights by 'Lfee' Signor 3Burning the Woods by Dave M. Riordan 4Bats by Betty Densmore 6

More on NYFOA's Fall Meeting By Bill MinerdSuccessful Income Tax Video Teleconference Held

79

New York's Certified "Master Forest Owners" by Dave Taber 10

Chapter Reports 12

Ask a Forester - CostSharing by David Forness 14

More on Brooklyn's Little Tree Farmers 16

Wood Energy Potential Studied in NY 17

Woodlot Calendar 20

NY FOREST OWNER2

JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

President's Messageclose together, the recommended 5' x5' and 6' x 6' spacing. As a resultsevere thinning is now needed. Manyof the red pine, planted in a hay fieldas a wind break on the southernboundary of the property, were lostdue to girdling by field mice. .In 1977 we moved to Rochester

making it more difficult to give thenecessary time and effort to ourwoods. In 1981 Bob Sand helped uswith a "cull" cut, removing 121 treesto make room for bigger and bettertrees to grow. That was a success andperhaps it is time to have another goa tit.So now you can see Whywe are such

ardent supporters of NYFOA! Aswoodlot owners there is lots to learn.Or if you are wise as is Ann Bakerthere is lots to learn before onebecomes an owner. We wish her welland solicit suggestions on how we canget to those prospective owners beforethey take the plunge. In the meantimeMary and I will continue to try to begood stewards of our acreage, havinglearned much about the subjectthrough trial and error and throughassociation with many well informedmembers of NYFOA since we joinedin 1975.

about forestry, or about the multipleuse management of a woodlot. Weenjoyed walking in a forest ofhemlocks, white pines, soft maple,shagbark hickory and ironwood trees!And that's what we bought! If we onlyhad had Ann Baker's smarts.However, having bought 62 acres of

low quality forest and open fields, wedecided to see if we could improve it,knowing that it is almostimpossible tomake a "silk purse out of a sow's ear"as my father-in-law used to say. Wehad a management plan preparedwith the aid of a Soil and WaterConservation agent and a DECforester. We proceeded to try to carryit out. This included building a pond,girdling five acres of white pine undera cost sharing program, and planting2500 seedlings, (white spruce, red pineand larch). And we enjoyed our veryown woods with a neat ravine runningthrough it carved out by Rouse's Run.Not everything has worked out. The

pond has been a disaster from thebeginning. We had to build a new roadfor the bulldozer to avoid a fracas withthe neighbor through whose dooryardwe had a right of way. The pond hasnever held water! The white spruceand the red pine were planted too

Trapping Furbearers and Animal Rightsoccasional mink was worth $10 to.$15 crops, and risks associated with theand then muskrat and coon might highways.bring 15 cents to a dollar; no matter, it I believe youngsters would be moreall helped. self-reliant and less viscious towardsTrapping is much different now; their peers if they would get out in the

traps are more humane, scents more woods, trapping. They wouldeffective and the available equipment certainly learn the value of ourmore useful. Just a few years ago, renewable resources. Consider thecoon jumped to $25 for a good one; but pollution to the environment resultingnow there are so many, they are a from man-made fiber and fabric.nuisance. Not many folks will trap for All things were put here on earth fora $2 coon, thousands live. in the towns, a purpose; a part of God's All Seeinglarge numbers are killed on the Plan; but it's up to us who are able tohighways; the population is too high. think, to use them the best way weRabies is showing up in many can.counties. The antis- and animal Finally, another old cus (83 yearsrights people are against any trapping old) and I who trap to help manage aor hunting which causes a bit of a healthy crop of fur bearers, havehassle for us old diehards. helped control the possum thatI still trap; but I use the new consumes so many birds; we have

coni bear body hold traps that kill caught over a hundred in three years.quickly. I believe one should respect A 10 year old grandson caught a 25the animal, yet harvest them in order pound coon this season and I guessto manage and control a healthy we're both proud of that.resource. Coon will raid .garbagecans and live in old cars and dumps.Other antis- complain about wildlife-damaged residences, damage toorchards and other agricultural

STUART McCARTYTwo months ago on a WFL

woodswalk in the Hi Tor WildlifeManagement Area nearCanandaigua, Mary and I met AnnBaker, a new member of NYFOA. Intalking to her we learned that she didnot own a woodlot, but had joinedNYFOA because she was planning onbuying one and wanted to learn all shecould about forestry and woodlotmanagement before she made amajor investment.This reminded me of how Mary and

I went about buying our woodlot nearWhitney Point in 1974when we lived inthe Binghamton area. While we knewsomething about trees and enjoyedthe woods, we really knew nothing

By 'LFEE' SIGNORI would like to thank Paul Curtis for

the article on Raccoon in the Dec/Janissue of THE NY FOREST OWNER. Iam an avid trapper, hunter, andwoodsman as well as a retired farmerwho has lived 76years on the land andin the woods of New York State. I havemany pleasant memories of trappingcoon, mink, skunk, and rats.When I was just a kid in the

twenties, trapping was a way of lifefor farm boys and their parents. Ioften wonder how many pairs ofgloves and shoes plus winter coatswere paid for with fur money. Duringthe Great Depression, the meat, fur,and exercise derived from trappingwent a long way towards paying andpreparing for one's life.I distinctly remember working for

$9.00 in wages per week on farmsduring the summer; then when fallarrived, I might make that much froma single day's trapping. Skunk were ashigh as $5.00 for a fine black, a half-stripe perhaps $2or $3; we would even-skin whites for 50 cents. The

'Lfee' Signor is one of the LivingTreasures of Southern Cayuga Countyand a spiritual leader of NYFOA'sCayuga Chapter.

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 19923

By DAVE M. RIORDANI looked at my watch - 11: a. m.,

conditions are perfect - low humidityand little wind. The fire lanes are allbuilt, and we've got plenty ofmanpower. So Charlie Boone and BobDemeree man the drip torches andstart strip-burning the forest. It burnsgood, with much smoke; and we evenhave some flare-up and small crownfires. We're done burning by 1:00p. m., and 10acres are newly charred.November 1, 1977is an historic day inthat the NYS Department ofEnvironmental Conservation set itsfirst prescribed fire on Hammond HillState Forest near Dryden inTompkins County.But why would forest managers, the

promoters of Smokey and protectorsof the forest, do such a thing? Quitesimply - as a research managementtool. Across New York State are manythousands of acres. of mixed oak -northern hardwood forest stands. Onmany of these acres, red and whiteoak are the far superior species forgrowth, timber value, wildlife, andgeneral vigor. But the oaks are introuble - they are not regenerating.Shade tolerant northern hardwoods,as maple, beech, and others, alongwith many shrub species are out-competing oak seedlings for survivalin the understory, and when the standis finally harvested,. oaks are notrepresented in the new forest.In the past century, disturbances in

the understory from grazing, fire,heavy cutting, low deer population,and farming have encouraged oak toregenerate and be well represented asmature trees today. Forest managershave done such a good job ineliminating grazing, fire, andovercutting that oak today across theSouthern Tier and its natural range isunder stress. Some modern-daymaladies as gypsy moth, commercial

WANTEDVENEERTREES- R.O., W.O.,H.M., Ash, Cherry and Walnut* Any Amount of Trees* Low Impact* High Profit* Free Appraisals* Anywhere in NYand PA

CRAIG JOCHUM2668 South Apalachin RoadApalachin, New York 13732

607/687 -1598

NY FOREST OWNER

Burning the WoodsDanby, we had tremendous oakreproduction so we harvested theunderstory. In 5 growing seasons wenow have a very successful oak-hardwood sapling stand.2. Usually 2 - 3 burns will be

necessary, over a decade, toeffectively control the understory.Monitoring of oak regeneration isessential in this process. .3. Following safety guidelines of

fire lands, fire suppression personneland equipment, fire weather, fuel andmoisture, we can conduct a safe andcontrolled burn. On large acreages of10 acres + it seems cost effective tocontrol or kill understory vegetation.Herbicides are the other alternativethat we haven't tried.

4. At this point, if we have the rightburning conditions, we can effectivelykill the understory and create ahabitat more suitable for oakregeneration. Then, other factors Willdetermine seedling success beforefinal release by a harvest of theoverstory.We can conclude fire to be a useful

silvicultural and management tool forthe forester in Central New York. Thisis not an earth-shattering discovery,since fire is being used throughoutNorth America.It is now legal in New York State to

burn on private land. But the permitprocess is elaborate, and burning isnot practical for more privatewoodlots. Herbicides are a betteralternative where conditions warrantit.But what is significant in my

perspective is the cooperativeresearch effort between DEC andSUNY CESF, and that State Forestsare being used for practical researchanddemonstration on how to manageour forest resource.Dave Riordan is a NYS DEC SeniorForester with particular responsibili-

inR

overcutting, and heavy deerpopulations add to the oak problem.Anyone who owns or walks through amature woodlot of healthy, straight,tall, red oak growing with short,knotty, and less vigorous red mapleand beech knows the. importance ofsustaining oak in the future in thesesites.Our Cortland DEC office recognized

this problem in the 1970's andcontacted the State University of NewYork College of Forestry & Environ-mental Science at Syracuse. Twopeople stand out in. my mind overalmost 20 years of burning andresearch - Dr. Ralph Nyland (SUNYCESF) and Bob Demeree (AssistantRegional Forester, DEC Reg. 7). Ourcooperative research goal was to testfire as a tool for elimina ting shrubspecies and tolerant hardwood seed-lings from the oak-hardwood under-story. When we had created this park-like understory, the oak would have amore favorable habitat to regenerateor sprout. Ideally, after severalgrowing seasons we would have anew developing understory that wouldinclude at least 500 red or white oakper aery, at least S feet tall. At thispoint, other forest research confirmsthat a timber harvest that removesthe overs tory - a clearcut - willrelease these oak seedlings and otherhardwoods to favor a new oak forest.This is our ultimate goal. Our specificgoal is to use fire safely and in aprescribed manner to kill understoryvegetation.Since 1977we have burned about 8

times on 4 different study areas.We've had mixed results and a briefsummary of our observa tions follows:1. Burning is very unpredictable in

Central N. Y. Conditions are usuallytoo wet. Of the 8 burns we've done inspring and autumn, only 2 were hotenough to effectively kill the•••.•N"'''~~j-.~~v, On one of these sites

4 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

480a Now, Never, Maybe?ByVERNER HUDSON

It is inevitable that taxes on ourforest lands will continue the upwardspiral. If your land is located near anurban area you can expect to see yourtax liabilities steadily mount relativeto decreasing state support of regionalmunicipalities. On the other hand, ifyour forest land is located in a ruralarea you will more than likelyexperience a stabilization of propertytaxes. These are fairly broad general-izations regarding property taxeswhich mayor may not describe yourcurrent position. The point to be madeis that the application of 480acannotbe categorically applied to everysituation with an outcome that willsatisfy everyone.I have come to this conclusionbased

on my experience this past summerwhen I examined the impact that 480awould have on my woodland inElbridge, NY. The first thing youmust do is determine if you qualify forapplication under 480a.The principlecriteria is that you own at least 50contiguous acres of forest land. Theother details of the tax law I will notaddress in this article, but will referyou to a very goodbookletprovided bythe DEC related to 480a; "RealProperty Tax Law; February 1990."After spending a considerable

amount of time reviewing the tax lawwith my Philadelphia lawyer anddoing the calculations based on mycurrent tax liabilities, I headed for theOnondaga County tax assessor'soffice. Mr. William Schneider,Director of Real Property Division,.was extremely helpful in providingdata on the tax structure of myproperty and adjacent farm lands. Atthe present time no one in OnondagaCounty is under 480a tax status. Thetax roles. also indicated thatproductive farm lands in my area hadon average a higher assessment thanmy property.With this additional information, I

sat down to reevaluate my position.Not all of my property is woodland.There is a mix of productivefarmland, wet lands and property thatour home and support buildings aresituated on. A possible scenario that Icould face if I put the woodlandsunder480awould be a reassessment of my

VERNER HUDSON. .taxes on non-forest lands at a levelconsistent with surrounding farms.Potentially my taxes could be at alevel that would erase any benefitsthat 480amay have provided.Ameeting withBobDemeree, at the

DEC office in Cortland tended tovalidate this concludion. 480a in allprobability does not provide a tax"advantage", but more of a tax"protection" for forest owners. If youbalance your income against taxesand are showinga profit, youmay notbe a good candidate for 480a.However, if your property taxes are at100%assessment and your financialreturns no longer cover your tax

liabilities, 480a "protection" may beyour only recourse.From this personal experience I

would suggest that each forest ownertake some time to evaluate their taxposition within the context of 480a.This exercise will help you tounderstand the ramifications of thislaw to your particular situation anddefine your future alternatives.Let me go on record by saying that I

feel that 480a is a. good tax law.Through the tireless efforts ofNYFOAmembers like MikeDemeree we havea law that provides forest owners alevel of protection to help guaranteethat forest lands. will remain inproduction into the foreseeable future.Weshould all support efforts to refinethe law so that local municipalities'and state government take anequitable share in the conservation offorest lands and the financial returnsthey yield.

Verner Hudson and his wifeMarjorie were selected as New YorkState Outstanding Tree Farmers for1988. Verner, a member since 1971 ofthe Region 7 Forest Practice Board,represents the region and serves asthe Treasurer for the New York StateForest Practice Board.

Current Use Under Attack inNew Hampshire

Despite lengthy study and analysiswhichled to last year's major currentuse reform bill, the 1992session of theNew Hampshire Legislature willrevisit the current use issue, amidgrowing public pressure that currentuse "is a tax ripoff that benefits thewealthy." Bills have already beenfiled to 1) repeal current usealtogether; 2) assess an "educationsurtax" oncurrent use landowners; 3)require unrestricted public access toall lands enrolled in current use; and4) dedicate new revenues from apossible six percent income tax tocommunities with large acreagesenrolled in the state's 18year-old openspace taxation program.Public pressure to "do something"

with current use has been buildingsteadily since adoption of the past

session's landmark legislation, inwhich numerous changes were madefavorable to forest landowners. Themedia had a "heyday" whenGovernor Gregg recently enrolled hisconsiderable woodlands followingrevaluation in the TownofGreenfield.With more than 55 percent of New

Hampshire's taxable private landenrolled in current use, the programremains the absolute foundationof thestate's precarious farm and foresteconomy. Landowners, loggers andothers whose livelihoods depend onkeeping wooded lands available forharvesting need to make known theirviews as the legislature renews itsperennial tinkering with current use.

From THE NORTHERN LOGGER &TIMBER PROCESSOR, Nov. 91

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY/FEBRUARY 19925

BatsByBETTYDENSMORE

Dick Fox got a big laugh when Irelated what happened when we cutdown two hollowbeech trees. The airwas filled. with dozens of helplesscreatures fluttering in the daylightbecause we had inadvertentlydestroyed their roost. He chuckledabout my "cavity nesting bats", as henamed them; another example of thewidespread misinformation thatabounds about one of New York'smost special mammals. Bats don'tnest..Experts seem to disagree on many

"facts" about bats. The CONSERVA-'fIONIST claims nine species arefound in New York State, others putthe number as high as 13.There are afew things we .should all know aboutthis amazing family such as: thereare at least 850 species worldwide,they are found on every continentexcept Antarctica, the smallest is theButterfly Bat of S. E. Asia (about thesize of a bumblebee, also the world'ssmallest mammal), the largest is theFlying FoJ.{of the tropics with awingspan of up to 6' (the true stuff ofnightmares for those who fear bats).Bats are mammals who suckle theiryoung and reproduce at the rate ofonly one baby a year whichmeans batpopulations cannot quickly recovernumbers. 6 species of N. Y. bats areknown to winter in caves throughoutthe state, the other species migrate tothe South.The most common myth is that bats

will blunder into you and get in yourhair. Think about it: this little guy cansnatch a mosquito out of the air in thedark while zoomingaround like a TopGun ... how (and why) wouldhe hit ahuman being? Hair is of little interestto them.Andthis rabies business! In the past

4 decades. only eleven people havebeen verified to have contractedrabies from bats. Sure, they carry the .disease, as do most mammals, butyou'd be far more likely to get rabiesfrom your family dog. Eleven cases in40 years does not seem like anepidemic, although a sensible cautionshould be exercised with all wildanimals.Bloodsucking Vampire Bats? Yes,

in Central America ... you are moreapt to see a Flamingo in N. Y. than aVampire Bat.

.Ameasure of the amazing diversityof bats is the variety of foodsconsumed by the many species:insects, fruit, nectar, pollen, fish,frogs, bloodand even other bats. Onlygrass and grazing material is missingfrom their menu.But what goodare they?The most common N. Y. S. bat, the

Little Brown Bat (Mytosis lucifugus};consumes up to 30' of.its body weighteach night (a nursing female up to 50')and the favored food is mosquitos. Weare talking 1000 to 3000 mosquitoseach night. What an ecologicallysound bug zapper! Once one getspast the idea that you could be hisnext target, watching a bat in flightis better than watching the BlueAngels. Swooping, darting, changingdirection at top speed, missingobstacles with clever maneuvers atthe last possible second! Alldonewithsonar more sophisticated thananything the Defense Department canclaim. One of the reasons for theenormous consumption .is. anincredible metabolism; a bat in flighthas a heartrate of over 1300beats perminute.Most bats spend their days hanging

upside down in warm, dry, darkplaces, certainly most nurseries arein attics and barns. I have found batsunder loose roofing, in the spacebetween rafter gussets; even underloose bark in the woodpile. My guessas an amateur bat watcher is that thecolonies in the hollow beeches wereusing these trees as safe day roosts,not nurseries. We are fortunate tohave an old house on our propertywhich houses a large, growing colonyand nursery. But a walk down theroad through the woods on a warmsummer night proves that the woodshave an active population..WhileI'm .pleased with the colony

of bats that call my property homeeach summer, I'm not the onlycrackpot who wants to protect andnurture bats. The venerableChautauqua Institution inChautauqua, N. Y. has for yearsencouraged a large population to helprid the grounds of mosquitos duringthe numerous outdoor cultural eventsheld there on summer evenings. In thepast few years an alarming decline in

the population of this valued batcolony has prompted the ladies ofChautauqua's Bird, Tree and GardenClub to provide a grant to a professorofYork University in Ontario to try toincrease bat numbers. To date therehas been limited success. Bat houseshave been built and installedthroughout the village.I wasn't always on the right side of

bat conservation but knowing a bitabout them and having the old cabinwith its colony right next door hasgiven me a better perspective on thesituation. They have never hurt me,they are interesting to watch and Icringe to think of what the mosquitohordes would number without theirpresence. To watch a bat dip downand drink as it skims across the pondin twilight then turn and, zip so closebyme that I can literally feel him passa hair's breadth away from me givesan appreciation of our friends of thenight; another close encounter with acreature whois truly unique. .Oh, by the way, the only foolproof

method of attracting bats on"command" is said to be for a piper toskirl his bagpipes ... alas, they clingto the piper, his pipes and clamber uphis kilt. Not many pipers can bepersuaded to do this in the gloaming.Personally, I wouldn't either; but Iwill admit to changing politicalaffiliation over the death of a bat. At ameeting of our county Committeemena bat entered. the building and waskilled by the frenzied mob; not toomany days later thiscommitteeperson changed toIndependent. We can always replacepolitical functionaries (or is itdysfunctionades?) but we can'tafford tokill offbats.Bat houses have been used in

Europe for several decades with somesuccess, plans.are available from theGreen Team ofyour local BoyScouts.Much useful information on bats andbat houses can be obtained from: BatConservation International, c/oMilwaukee Public Museum,Milwaukee,Wisconsin53233.

Betty Densmore enthusiasticallyserves NYFOA on the EditorialCommittee and is a partisan of theAllegheny Foothills Chapter.

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY/FEBRUARY 19926

More on NYFOA'sFall Meeting

By BILL MINERDTurning off the Thruway on to route

~19 south from Buffalo signaled thefinal leg of our trip to Salamanca andAllegany State Park, site of the fallNYFOA.meeting. For me there wasalso the feeling of coming home, for 20miles ahead lay Springville, NewYork, my home town. As the wiperssweep the rain and fog from view, theWinneQagostarted the climb up theridge of the BostonValley toward ourdestination.A time check with my co-pilot

Clara, indicated that making theFriday night meeting was out of thequestion. With the weather closing in,a.. prudent change in speed waseffected and we lumbered into thepark late that evening.Saturday dawned with a burst of

color that would almost shame a VanGogh canvas. The forest was at peakautumn splendor set against a clearblue sky. A quick drive to AlleganyCamp brought a hardy breakfast andinstructions for the caravan thatwould take us to the AlleghenyNational Forest, another 45 milessouth of the parkin Pennsylvania..The program for the day consisted

of visiting three sites in the forest thatdemonstrated current researchprograms in forest management. Ourfirst stop was at a site thatdemonstrated varying densities ofthinning from which data is beingcollected to develop stand growthsimulator models and managed yieldtables. Initial results indicate that arelative density of approximately 60%was yielding slightly greater cubicvolume growth than stands that wereat 100%or 30%relative density.At the next stop we were presented

with a series of managementstrategies that are part of an 80yearstudy that was begun in 1980.As wewalked to the study area our path waslined with magnificent Black Cherrytrees in numbers that would melt amill owners heart ...Our tour guidemoved us through different sections ofthe more experimental area whileexplaining management approaches.Most Allegheny hardwood stands areunder even-age management forperpetuating timber production of

valuable shade intolerant speciessuch as Black Cherry and White Ash.In contrast, uneven-age managementwill yield more continuous forestcover where aesthetic, recreationaland wildlife habitat are valued. Theseand other various treatments werepresented with a special emphases onregeneration of valued hardwoodspecies.During the informal roadside lunch

we had an opportunity to. furtherdiscuss two problems that werementioned at both test sites. It seemsthat a decline of Sugar Maple isoccurring in the region. The exactreason for this decline was not clearlyevident but may be due to a,number ofcompounding factors one ofwhich is ahigh deer population. The statementwas made that the deer populationwithin the region may very well drivethe entire ecosystem.The afternoon was waning and we

had one more stop to make. The lastpresentation for the day dealt with theuse of herbicide to control groundcovers of Hayscented and New YorkFern, grass~s and sedges orunderstories of Striped Maple andBeech root suckers that greatlyinterfere with advance regeneration.In addition to a discussion ofherbicidetreatment and outcomes, we weretreated to one of the most lucid andpractical lectures on the use and safe-ty of two common herbicides, Round-up (Monsanto) and Oust (du Pont).The point was made that both herbi-cides when used approximately had alow order of toxicity to humans andwildlife and pose little threat to theenvironment.The day ended with farewells to old

and new friends amid a light showermoving in from the west. I must admitthat this was one of the mostinformative programs that I haveattended. I would highly recommendthat every member make an attemptto attend one of the upcoming statemeetings. You will not bedisappointed.

Bill Minerd is Vice-President of theCentral New York Chapter and shareswith his wife Clara, the managementof a small Christmas tree plantation.

ForestStewardship

Video-ConferenceScheduled

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15,1992

Forest Stewardship, including costsharing incentives for owners of smallprivate forest lands, is the topic of ana tiona I videoteleconferenceprogram scheduled for Saturday,February 15, 1992,11 a.m. to 12:30p.m.ET.Complemented by a local on-site

panel of forestry experts, the video-conference program will be presentedby Cornell Cooperative Extension ofChenango County. Priscilla M.Johnson, Cooperative ExtensionAgent is coordinating the program.The satellite broadcast videoconfer-ence from the Oklahoma CooperativeExtension Service will focus on thefollowingConcepts:

• Becoming a Forest Steward• Howtoget more from your land• Proper Management practices• Cost-share opportunities• The Forest Stewardship Program• The Stewardship Incentive Program

Topics will include: Wildlifehabitat, Agroforestry, Wetland Man-agement, Endangered Species,Recreation, Forest Improvement,Regeneration, and Best ManagementPractices.Coopera tors in providing the

Satellite broadcast program are theUSDA Forest Service, CooperativeExtension Service, Soil ConservationService, and AgriculturalStabilization and ConservationService. The nationalvideoconference programcoordinator, Dr. Steven Anderson ofCooperative Extension at OklahomaState University reports that over 100local sites in 20states are planning toparticipate in the National ForestStewardship Videoconference.Anyone with access to a satellite

dish can view the program on Galaxy6,Transponder 22.

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 19927

Shiitake Mushroom As a HobbySpawn comes in sawdust form and inplugs. We used plugs and thepreparation of the logs is the same forboth. Twenty-four holes are normallydrilled in a 4"x 40"log, in four rows ofsix holes each to an approximatedepth of 5/8 inch belowthe level of thebark. Youshould dip your drill bit intoiso-propyl alcohol to disinfect it afterfinishing each log. Each log should befilled as soon as it is drilled to preventcontamination of airborne sporesfrom other fungi. Grab your plug withclean fingers and tap it into the hole,then seal with wax. It is easiest to doone row at a time.Whenall your logs are prepared you

are ready for the next step. This is theincubation period and perhaps themost critical phase of the cultivationprocess. We stacked our logs inalternating layers (log cabin style) ina dark, moist spruce woods. It is mostimportant that each log haveadequate airspace.After about six months Bobmade a

rack between twospruce trees and weleaned the prepared logs against it,vertically, one onone side, the next onthe other. This allows the mushroomsto appear on all sides of the log.Tradition says that. changing theorientation of the log from horizontalto vertical stimulates the fungus to

1991 National Outstanding Tree Farm on Video Tape

ByAUDREYCHILDS

Growing Shiitake mushrooms is agreat experience! Friends of ours,Don and Jan Lawson, and Bob and Idecided to try them a few years ago.We took Oak logs, drilled holes, filledthe holes with spawn and sealed eachhole with red and green wax from oldChristmas candles!! What an unusualsight to see them neatly placed in ourspruce woods. We were ratherskeptical but figured it was aninteresting experience. What a thrillwhen approximately a year later wehad our first harvest.In the above paragraph I over-

simplified the process we followedbutI wanted to get your interest! !The Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) is a

delicious mushroom that grows ondecaying trees. Cultivation of this"Black Mushroom" has beenpracticed for centuries in Japan andinterest in North America has beengrowing for several years.If you decide you'd like to try this

newhobby, then planning is a must. Inour area Oaks are definitely the bestproducers. The ideal log is 4 inches indiameter and 40inches long, straight,and free of wounds. The trees shouldbe cut during the coldest month of theyear so the sap is down in the wood.

Washington D. C. Sept. 1991- TheAmerican Forest Institute (AFl),here, just announced that a NewYork.State Tree Farmer has been selectedas the Outstanding Tree Farmer inthe Nation for 1991, according toLester C.DeCoster, VicePresident, ofAFI's American Tree FarmSystem.Dr. John and Mrs. Harriet Hamilton

of Springwater, NY in LivingstonCounty are the 1991 Nation'soutstanding Tree Farmers. Theyhave been. recognized for theircontinuous forest stewardship of aproperty that Harriet. Hamilton's'father, Arthur Davis, of Rochester,purchased in 1932.A videotape about Tree Farming

and the Hamilton's Outstanding TreeFarm was produced in October 1991.It features viewpoints of John andHarriet Hamilton and scenic views oftheir Tree Farm.Videotaped by David W. Taber of

Cornell Cooperative Extension,

Department of Natural Resources,and edited by Thomas B. Reagan, TVEngineer, Instructional Services,SUNY College of EnvironmentalScience and Forestry (SUNYCESF),and Taber, the almost ten minute longvideotape may be borrowed for $5.00or purchased for $50 from SUNYCESF. Send a check, payable toSUNY CESF, to Stella D. Kroft,Instructional Services, SUNYCollegeof Environmental Science and

Custom Signs

enter the "fruiting" phase of its cycle.(According to information available ittakes 18 months for incubation,however we onlyallowed six months.)We got a few mushrooms thefollowing spring and each yearthereafter they have produced abouttwo - five gallon pails full eachspring and fall. These logs willproduce from three to seven years.Bob and I are getting ready to

prepare new logs and the research wehave done indicates that there hasbeen successful fruiting onMaple andHophornbeam logs. It has also beenproven that spawn in the form ofsawdust is superior and moreeocnomical than the plugs, which weused five years ago.If you'd like more detailed

information on Shiitake,mushrooms,you can contact the Forest ResourceCenter, Rt. 2, Box 156A,Lanesboro,Minnesota 55949.The center offers aninformation paper three times a year,entitled "Shiitake News".

Audrey Childs and her husband Bobwere recognized as Outstanding TreeFarmers in NY State for 1991 (seeNYFOREST OWNER, JullAug, p 17).and are active members of AlleghenyFoothills Chapter and Master ForestOwners.

Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210(Tel.315/470-6727).In addition, a slightly shorter

videotape entitled, "Outstanding TreeFarmer in New York State - 1991"featuring the Robert and AudreyChilds's .Tree Farm, of RD Hinsdale(Townof Humphrey), in CattaraugusCounty, is available for the sameprices from SUNYCESF.

P.O. Box 185Springwater, N.Y. 14560

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

Ph. (315) 682-6418(Mon.,Fri. 9-5)

FamUy Owned & Opercuedfor over 25 years

SANFORD VREELAND, PEe

CONSULTANT. 1-716-669-2250

NY FOREST OWNER 8 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

Successful Income Tax Video Teleconference HeldCornell Cooperative Extension of

Chenango. County hosted, under theleadership of Priscilla M. Johnson,Cooperative Extension Agent, aNational Video. Teleconference at itseducational center in Norwich duringNovember, 1991.. . .Forty-four persons from 19counties

attended the 5 hour program whichfeatured nationally recognized ex-perts on federal income taxes bysatellite transmission from theUniversity of Georgia, as well as localon site tax specialists. New York'sforest economist, Professor Hugh 0,Canham from the SUNY College OfEnvironmental Science and Forestry,and Consulting Forester Curtis H.Bauer, of Forecon, Inc. inJamestown, provided on siteintroductory remarks. Andaccompanied by NYS Department ofEnvironmental Conservation ServiceForester William Betts and CornellCooperative Extension AssociateDavid W. Taber of the Department ofNatural Resources they providedpanel responses to. questions at theconclusion of the program, The two.tax experts who. presented remarksand answered questions directly byway of a toll free telephone line wereU.S. Forest Service Chief Economist

William C. Siegel, J.D., Qf NewOrleans, Louisiana, and VirginiaPolytechnic Institute Professor andCooperative Extension SpecialistHarry Lee Haney, Jr., Ph.D.Thirty respondents to. pre-meeting

and post-meeting questionnairesprovided the following information.

* Attendees came from 19counties* Attendees owned 2,375forest acresin 14counties* Attendees included 16landowners.raccountants, 7 farmers, 5Agencyforesters, 5Christmas tree grow-ers, 2 college students, 1tax prac-titioner, and 1real estate apprais-er.

Ninety-four percent of the attendeesfound the program to. be worth theirtime, money and effort; and 6 percentwere uncertain.Attendees Irom the following 19

counties: Kings (Brooklyn), Orange,Erie, Nassau, WashingtQn,Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Delaware,Cayuga, Oneida, Madison, Chenango,Schuyler, Oswego, Tioga, Lewis,Otsego, Onondaga, and Tompkinscounties owned forest land in 14 NewYork counties: Broome, Chenango,

Cortland, Delaware, Lewis,Livingston, Cayuga, Madison,Onondaga, Orange, Oswego, Otsego,Schuyler and Tioga counties, as wellas New Hampshire and Maine.Other cooperators in providing the

video. teleconference were the NYSWQQdsmen Field Days Corporationand the NY Forest OwnersAssociation

RESOURCES MADE AVAILABLETO PARTICIPANTS INCLUDEDTHE FOLLOWING. 1. Primer HelpsForest Owners at Tax Time" whichappeared in the Cornell AgricultureNews Service QfNovember, 1991- byDavid W. Taber. 2. "Forest OwnersGuide to. Timber Investments; TheFederal Income Tax and TaX Record-keeping," USDA Agriculture Hand-PQQkNo.. 681 (Price $5.(0), available.from U.S. Government printingOffice, Superintendent QfDocuments,WashingtQn, D.C. 20402-9322. (Tel.202/783-3238)by specifying the follow-.ing Stock Number: 001-000-04540-7-W.3. "Federal Income Taxes and ForestOwnership" (an 8 page article) byProfessor Hugh O. Canham, ForestEconomist, SUNY College QfEnvironmentsal Science andForestry, Syracuse, NY 13210.

Warm Temperatures Cause Needle Loss on Cut Christmas TreesBy DAVID W. TABER.

Department of Natural Resources,New York State College of Agriculture

and Life Sciences, Cornell

Why do. some cut Christmas treesshed needles more quickly thanothers? In addition to. differences intree species and the natural effects ofinsects and diseases, research hasdetermined that if the moisturecontent of needles on cut Douglas firtrees drops significantly because ofdehydration, they will not regainmoisture and will fall Qff.. This research pertains to. Douglasfir trees that have been placed in ahorne without a water-containingstand or to. a tree that has blockedconductive tissues at its base becauseof dirt, pitch, and/or an "air block"(embolism) in the water-conductiveWQQd(xylem cells).James P. Lassoie, a tree.

physiologist with the Department ofNatural. Resources at Cornell v . notes

that different species have differentabilities to. retain desiccated needles.FQr instance, white spruce isrenowned for losing its needles whenthey become dry.When cut trees are. subjected to.

warm temperatures before they areplaced in a water-containing stand,needle stomates (pores that open andclose to. regulate the release ofmoisture) transpire. water from thetree. Transpiration from the needles,Lassoie notes, results in internalsuction in the xylem (especially thesapwood) that absorbs water throughthe WQQdright down to.the base of thecut evergreen. What happens then?Because there is no.water at the buttend of the tree stem, an embolism isformed,Depending on the amount of heat,

transpiration, and resultingmovement of water within the stem,the air bubble (embolism) may berather long at the base Q{the tree. So.even when a small disk of WQQdis cut

from the stem, air blockage in theWQQdycells still prevents water frombeing absorbed. The result is that theneedles are not provided with waterand therefore they dry out. Thendepending on the species of tree, theneedles are either retained in a drycondition Qreasily fall off',Bark, inner bark, and. cambium

cells, which are radially further outfrom the tree's center than thesapwood, are not important absorbersand translocators of water. Theyactually can be removed from aChristmas tree without significantlyaffecting the absorption of water bythe WQQd,which replenishes moisturetranspired by the tree's needles forevaporation into. the atmosphere,notes Lassoie, This point is importantfor people who. need to. remove thebark to. make a large stem fit into. awater-containing tree stand or who.have a tree with mechanically injuredbark on the stem.

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 19929

Master Forest Owners arevolunteers who will discuss forestrywith interested woodland owners tohelp them evaluate managementoptions for their forest lands. Forestowners may contact a Master ForestOwner to discuss opportunities forobtaining the most from one's woodsand/or to learn more about thetraining program. The Master ForestOwner Training Program will beoffered to other forest owners in 1992.The New York Master Forest

Owners/COVERTS Program issponsored by the Ruffed GrouseSociety, The National Wild Turkey

Federation, and the NewYork ForestStewardship Program .. The jointlysponsored training of volunteerMaster Forest Owners was conductedin cooperation with CornellCooperative Extension; NYSDepartment of EnvironmentalConservation, Division of Lands andForests; and the New York ForestOwnersAssociation.For more information about the

program's benefits and opportunitiescontact Gary R. Goff, CornellCooperative Extension, Departmentof Natural Resources, Ithaca, NY14853-3001(Tel. 607/255-2824).

New York's Certified "Master Forest Owners"ByDAVETABER

Nov. 3, 1991- A select corps ofexperienced and highly motivatedforest owners became certified"Master Forest Owners" at CornellUniversity's Arnot Forest forTeaching and Research, according toGary R. Goff,the program's director.Thirty-two Master Forest Owners

from 20 counties in New Yorkcompleted the 3-day Master ForestOwner/COVERTSTraining Programto complement their years ofpractical experience and interest inforest stewardship. The term "co-verts," a patch of brush, refers togoodhabitat for a popular game bird,the ruffed grouse. As such coverts issymbolic of the importance of habitatmanagement for wildlife.The principal goal of the Master

Forest Owner/COVERTSProgram isto prepare qualified individuals toencourage and motivate otherwoodland owners to practice soundforest management principles.During the training program theMaster Forest Owners learned aboutsawtimber and wildlife.management,forest economics, and forest ecology.In addition, they learned how forestowners' needs can be met with theassistance of public and privateagencies 01; organizations, and theservices of professional resourcemanagers such as foresters.

At Cotton-Hanlon, Inc. sawmill ofCayuta, NY in Schuyler County,Master Forest Owners learn practicalinformation about log grading andscaling from David Skeval, ChiefForester for the company.

NY FOREST OWNER

1991 Master Forest OwnersBROOME COUNTY LIVINGSTON COUNTY PUTNAM_COUNTYJohn R. Ellis . John & Harriet Hamilton Sara E. McGlinchyRD 3, Box 3577-1 8785 Schribner Road 39 Ridge AvenueWindsor, NY 13865 Wayland, NY 14572 Putnam Valley, NY 10579(607) 363-7501 (716) 728-5769 (914) 526-3032

Dale R. SchaeferSCHUYLER COUNTY

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY Andy DoyleRobert & Audrey Childs 6017 Cty. Rd. tm 151.0~tay Road3208 Cooper Hill Road Springwater, NY 14560 Rock Stream, NY 14878Hinsdale, NY 14743 (716) 367-2849 (607) 243-7934(716) 557-2529

MADISON CQUNTY STEUBEN COUNTY

Dr. Stephen W. Eaton Peter G. Gianforte Raymond T. DunnRidge Road RD1,Box51B

Ten Mile Road, Box 104 Cazenovia, NY 13035 Hornell, NY 14843Alleghany, NY 14700

(315) 687-3749 (607) 324-4654(716) 373-0001

MONROE COUNTY Theodore W. Mar~mCJ\YUGACOUNTY John Krebs 8076Mitchellsville RoadRichard J. Fox 1239West Bloomfield Road Bath, NY 14810RD3,Box88 Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 (607) 776-3987Moravia, NY 13118 (716) 624-1793

(315) 497-1078 Robert PaldaoONEIDA COUN1Y RD1,Box109Chester Paprocki Addison, NY 14801

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY RD1,Box74 (607) 359-2731Albert W. Brown Vernon, NY 13476Connelly Park, Box 184 (315) 829-4546 TIOGA COUNTYStow, NY 14785 Jim Signs(716) 763-9067 Duane K. Ulrich 96 Hubbard Hill Road

RD2,Box87A Candor, NY 13743Ralph P. Gennarino Boonville, NY 13309 '607) 659-4407P. O. Box 103 (315) 942-2309 Roy D. YarringtonStow, NY 14785(716) 763-8376 OSWEGO COUNTY

128Kelsey Road

Harold A. PetrieCandor, NY 13743(607) 659-7153

CHEMUNG COUNTY RR1,Box117Robert A. Gibbs Parish, NY 13131 TOMPKINS ~OUNTY3935 Breed Hollow Road, RD 1 (315) 625-7526 Peter A. DzikiewiczHorseheads,NYl4845 1068VanKirk Road(607) 562-3917 OTSEGO COUNTY Newfield, NY 14867

Henry S. Kernan (607) 564-7138

CHENANGQCOUNTYRDISouth Worcester, NY 12197 WARREN~OUNTY

Clair B. McCarty (607) 397-8805 Ernst SpencerRD1,BoxD 9 Horicon AvenueSherburne,NYI3460 Kenneth G. Mayne Glens Falls, NY 12801(607) 67H394 Burlington Flats, NY 13315 (518) 965-8257

(607) 965-8257LEWIS COUNTY WYOMING COUNTYRodney & Sheila Buckingham Julius E. Waller John F. FinneganRD3,Boxl68 RDl,BoxL 3100Marchant RoadLowville, NY 13367 Cherry Valley, NY 13320 Warsaw, NY 14569(315) 376-7361 (607) 264-8039 (716) 786-2143

10 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

The Master Forest Owner Workshop

I

By DICK FOX

With the remark - "The attendeesare a very potent group," NYFOA'sExecutive Director John Marchant(prime proponent in the earlyformulation of the Master ForestOwner Program in NYS) forewarnedme. A few comments I remember:"Is it possible to order clones of thatspeaker?" (Harriet Hamilton); withreference to bird taxonomy, "I callthem LBB, Little Brown Birds"(Jack Hamilton); and, "The intentof this program is what the Forestpractice Board has been trying to dofor years." (Chet Paprocki). Uponcompletion and subsequent inquiry:"One would expect such group diver-sity to exhibit differences in outreachmethods" (Bob Gibbs); "I do not haveany doubts 'about the effectiveness ofthis program" (Mike Greason, NYSDEC)' "A diverse group of enthusias-tic voiunteers who obviously enjoyedthe camaraderie, the spirit, Arnot'saccommodations and the great food."(John Finnegan); and, "As a pastpresident of the Central NY Chapterof The Ruffed Grouse Society, I amdelighted New York State has asuccessful program", (Bob Hazelton,member NYS DEC Region 7 Fish &Wildlife Management Act Board).Often the whole is greater than the

sum of its parts and in this programthat difference was. accomplishedthrough the direction of Gary Goff andCornell's Cooperative Extension.Gary wove a superlative fabric of

communication experts and extensionprofessionals from Cornell (MerrillEwert, Marilyn Holtham, DaveTaber, Elizabeth Greene) and fromSchuyler County (Elaine Dalrymple)who used magic apples and movedmountains to locate effective pathsand avoid pitfalls. Accents wereprovided by a New EnglandCOVERTS extension forester fromMassachusetts (David Kittredge) anda Master Gardener guide fromOnondaga County CooperativeExtension (Terry Ettinger). Thefibers were both strong and' rare andwere provided by faculty of SUNYCollege of Environmental Science andForestry: Forest Owners andStewardship (James Coufal); ForestEconomics (Hugh Canham); andForest Ecology (Robert Burgess).Principal threads throughout thefabric were employees of the New

Environmental Conservation Divisionof Lands and Forests (Dan Weller,Mike Greason, Bob Demeree), Colorsand dyes originated with consultingforesters (David Peterson, MikeDeMunn, David Tetz) ; and industrialforesters (Mike Virga, Lyons FallsPulp & Paper Company; Frank Roseand David Skeval, Cotton-Hanlon,Inc.)As we started to caravan for a

technical exercise and a green carpettreatment, courtesy of Cotton-Hanlonat Cayuta, the lead automobile haltedjust past the entrance to the ArnotForest. There, 25 feet awayindifferent to the Master ForestOwners and the. need for coverts wasthe fabric's centerpiece, a RuffedGrouse. Despite Dave Taber'sdedicated effort using the latest audio-visual equipment to record the whole, 'that Ruffed Grouse is only a memory.

Sheila and Rodney Buckingham ofLowville in Lewis County, one of thethree spouse-teams of Master ForestOwners.

Continuing education took place into the nightfor many partidpants. AttendeeRobert R. Gibbs (center), from Chemung County, who will be e~iting ~ specialnews letter, along with Massachsusetts Extension Forester DavId B. KIttredge,Jr. (right), listen toMike DeMunn, a consultant forester.

Having their pictures taken by the program director Gary R. Goff at theCotton-Hanlon, Inc. Sawmill of Cayuta, NY in Schuyler County, theattendees learn about the economics of logs and lumber before touring thesawmill.

NY FOREST OWNER 11 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

By BONNIE MYERS COLTONOne Fine DayThe chainsaw kicked! He never saw it come,Nor felt the impact where the missile flew.He only KNEW. And yanking quickly down,He pulled the bloody chainbar from his neckAnd headed for the tractor stumbling, faint.

A nearby friend, in horror, gasped and threwThe tools into the trailer on the runThen hopped the fender by his wounded friendWhodrove them out, tight-clinging to the wheelTo keep from passing out, as waves of blackSwept over him and, fought against, gave up.

The ambulance was swift and bore him far.He joked along the way to keep his cool.But then they left him sitting in ERWhere interns came to view his gaping holeAnd ask, "How could a chainsaw cut your neck?"And hear, incredulous, his flip reply-"It slipped while I was shaving." But his thoughtsGrew more impatient as the hours passed.And when they finally came to tend his wound,The natural anesthesia of the shockHad given way to searing pain as theyInjected novocaine to start repairsOn all the ragged chunks and jagged tears.

Chapter ReportsBetty Densmore

Our annual Christmas Party washeld at the home of Bob and AudreyChilds in -Hinsdale, N. Y. AudreyChilds and Jan Lawson hosted theparty and provided the liquid refresh-ments.On Jan. 25 at 10 a. m. we will join

with the NFC to present a program onthe 480-Atax law. It will be held at theCounty Extension Building onParkside Drive in Ellicottville.Wayne Cooper will give us expertguidance on how to qualify under thelaw. He will walk us through theprocess and answer all your questionsabout480-A.

Wendeil HatfieldDirector Dick Hemmings organized

and conducted a successful program atFloyd and Kathy Fuller's Lake ComoSpecialty Wood .Shop. Twenty-nineattendees heard Floyd and Kathyexplain all the equipment and stepsnecessary to. build fine cabinets andspecialty furniture. After the-program, we moved to the Lake ComoSportsmen's Club for refreshments.We were pleased to have NYFOA-President Stuart McCarty and hiswife, Mary share our evening.The annual meeting will be held

January 14 at Lake ComoSportsmen's Club at 7:30 P. M. Theprogram will be provided throughCornell Cooperative Extension ofCayuga County.The Cayuga Chapter will be

supporting the 4th Annual CabinFever Festival at Fillmore Glen StatePark Feb. 14-15,1992.

From the Central New York ChapterNewsletter

By TOM ELLISONEach of us has a reason for walking

in our woodlots. For some it's huntingor bird watching. For others it's thebeauty of a fall day or the crunch ofthe snow on a crisp winter day. Mymain. reason for walking through mytree farm was Nikki. Nikki was myfive year old Black Lab. He recently

died of a brain tumor. We used to walkfor hours in the forest not realizingwhere the time went. When the two ofus were walking I seemed to be morein touch with the forest around me. I,saw much more through his eyes thanI ever could alone. I watched himchasing squirrels, rabbits, pheasants,and even raccoons. Sometimes hewould even attempt to chase deer,much to my displeasure. The forestwas so alive when we were together.He always seemed to find the smallestthings to attract his attention. Smalltree frogs, mice, salamanders, andeven caterpillars did not escape hiskeen eyes and 'nose. He alwaysseemed to find them and bark until Icame along to investigate. He wasalways _about one hundred yardsahead of me on our walks but wouldcome running back to see what washolding me up. I will miss -hIS energyand ..... I know my enjoyment of theforest will return someday .

BobWhiteOn October 19, 10 members turned

out on a cold wet day for a woodswalkat Don and Edith Messinger's onVermont Hill in Holland. The timberhas not been cut off in 80years and thetrees are huge .. Don says he doesn'tneed the money from timber sales; he

The plastic surgeon stitched, and pieced, and stitched."After this heals,"the plastic surgeon said,"There'll be a lot of scars, I'll see you back.""You wanna bet? Noway!" he told the doc."My beard'll grow back in, an' I ain't vain."And still the surgeon stitched and ceased to count."That chain went deep, and almost did you in.Just missed your windpipe and your jugular vein.Another centimeter either way-You wouldn't be just "treated and released."Like well-trained parrots all the staff chimed in -"You sure were lucky!" Yeah, some luck," he thought,As nimble fingers stitched and pieced and stitched.

He didn't feel so lucky, nor would they,If faced with days of idleness and pain,And no insurance. Still,he was alive.And she could go apply for medicaid.And friends would come and help. And he could rest.And heal. And contemplate. And plan. And sipOn soothing milkshakes. Play with kids - but justThe quiet games. And watch TV, And Think.

Bonnie Colton is the THRIFT Affiliate Newsletter(HILLTALK) Editor and steadfast supporter of theTughill region of New York.

feels better paid by watching the treesgrow.On Nov. 29we toured the American

Lumber Co. in Holland. 29 attended.John Flaig, Yard Foreman conductedthe tour of the yard and dry kilns.There were a lot of interestingquestions from members. After lunchwe drove to Pine Acres ChristmasTree farm, run by Fran Wroblewskifor the past 50 years. _He gave us adetailed description of his 160 acreplantation from his earliest years tothe present; including his mistakesand successes. We also visited his GiftShop.The post-Holiday Party will be held

on Jan. 11 regardless of the weather,at the home of Harry and Rita Hassey,Hemlock Hgts., 2800 Rt. 98,Varysburg, N. Y. Phone: 716-535-7149or call Bob White at 537-2603.Bring asnack dish to pass. Watch for NYFOAsigns. Party begins at 1p. m.

WESSUHRin latter January, we're visiting two

sawmills, one in St. Lawrence County,the other in Essex. Why two sawmillsin the same month? Area-wise, we'rethe biggest chapter in NYFOA, with"far-flung" membership. So, toaccommodate our eastern and

(Continued on Page 13)

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 199212

Chapter Reports -(Continued jromPaqe 12)

western members, we decided to setup the tours in different mills. DaveForness (western mill) and DaveDaut (eastern mill) are making thearrangements.Our first NAC NEWS, a quarterly

newsletter, will be mailed in Januaryto all NAC members and a selectedgroup of non-members. All supportstaff and officers" are contributing tothis effort. As we gain experience withthe quarterly, we expect themembership to contribute articles.NAC members interested incontributing to the spring (April)issue, please phone any of our staff" orsend a note to Wes Suhr (RR#l Box59B, Oswegatchie, NY13670).Our spring field trip will visit

Cornell's Uihlein Sugar MapleResearch and Extension Field Stationnear Lake Placid on March 21 or 28,depending on weather. Dave Fornessis making all the arrangements.·In case you wish to contact anyone ofus, our Support Staff &/or Officersare: Don Brown (DEC-Canton - 315-386-4546), Dave and Bitsy Daut(Fountain Forestry - Tupper Lake -518-359-3089),Dave Forness (DEC -Canton - 315-386-4546),Bob Howard(Howard Land & ForestryConsultants - Canton - 315-265-7560),Wes Suhr (Plumb Hill Products &Services - 315-848-2136).

Jack McMahonOn Nov. 6 the guest speaker was

Jack Laschenski whose. topic was"Exploring the Tax Ramifications ofWoodlot Ownership." There was aquestion and answer periodafterwards.On Jan. 15 the Chapter Meeting will

be at 7:30 p. m. at MONROE CountyCooperative Extension, 249 HighlandAve., Rochester. Our speaker will beBruce Penrod, D. E. C. biologist whowill show members how to encouragewildlife through woodlotimprovements.And Debbie Gill reports that on the

weekend of October 19, 1991,John andHelen Marchant hosted the second an-nual overnight for their grandson'sCub Scout den from Penfield, N. Y.Their farm in Avoca, N. Y. offered aperfect mixture of woods and openfields (for playing football!). Johntook the group of 17 (scouts, parentsand siblings) on a woodswalk. Hepointed out the Bluebird houses he had

NFC Niagara Frontier. 1990AFC Allegheny Foothills. 1989WFL ..Western Finger Lakes. 1988CAY Cayuga. 1985TIO Tioga.1986THRIFT ..Tug Hill Resources, Investment for Tomorrow. 1982CNY Central New York. 1991STC Southern Tier. 1985CFA Catskill Forestry Association. 1982LHC LowerHudson.1991CDC Capital District. 1991

SAC Southeast Adriondack. 1991NAC Northeast Adirondack. 1991

put Up, varieties of trees and stages offorest development. He hoped that ifthe boys left the weekend with onlyone thought it would be that it is all

. right to cut down trees. The weathercooperated, offered nice brisksleeping, and the group spent aglorious weekend in the woods.

NYFOA Executive Director John Marchant on a recent woodswalk with CubScouts and their parents.

NY FOREST OWNER 13 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

Send Questions to:Wes Suhr, R.R. 1, Box 59BOswegatchie, NY 13670

Cost 9BV DAVID FORNESS

At least once a week I find myselfanswering questions about FederalCost Sharing Programs. The conceptof cost sharing is simple. Theseprograms have been designed so thatthere is someone to directly assist youat each step of the process.I hope the following outline of the

cost sharing programs will answersome of your questions and convinceyou of the value of participating.THE PROGRAMS are federally

funded. The ASCS (AgriculturalStabilization and ConservationService) is. the federal agencyresponsible for handling all thepaperwork and payments. The DEC(New York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation) takescare of the field-work such as markinga thinning and approving the projectwhen it is completed.We have three cost sharing pro-

grams: AC}>,FIP and the new SIP.ACP stands for the Agricultural Con-servation Program; FIP is the For-estry Incentive Program: and SIP isthe Stewardship Incentive Program-.Some practices like thinning may becovered by anyone of the three. Thedecision of which to use is based onavailability of the program, funding inyour county, the practice itself, andthe size of the project.

-@d..CLEAR CREEK-':"~~ CONSULTING

Professional Forestry Services

T1mber Appraisals • T1mber Marking •T1mber Trespasses • Forest Management Plans

And Other Forestry Services

PATRICK J. McGLEW(607) 699-3lU6

P.O. Box 10<4Nichols. NY 13812

NY FOREST OWNER

THE PRACTICES that can be costshared under one or more of the pro-grams are as follows:1) Management Plan Development -

For the expense of having a manage-ment plan developed to document theobjectives and management decisionsand how those objectives can be met.2) Reforestation and Afforestation -

Tree planting for timber production,conservation purposes, or wildlifehabitat improvement. Tree sheltersmay be eligible; but cost sharing cannot be used for Christmas treeplantations.3) Forest Improvement - To

improve forest stand productivity,stand vigor, forest. health, and thevalue and quality of wood products.Practices include woodlot improve-ment thinning, tree. pruning,grapevine control and fencing toprotect woodlots from grazing.4) Windbreak and Hedgerow Estab-

lishment, Maintenance and Renova-tion - For the purposes of conservingenergy, protecting farmsteadshomes, livestock and crops. Practice~include the planting of windbreaks,hedgerows and living snowfences, andmaintenance of existing ones.5) Soil and Water Protection and

Improvement - Maintain or improvewater quality and soil productivity onforest land and along waterways.Practices include the establishment

of permanent vegetative cover andthe design of forest roads streamcrossings and drainage syst~ms. Notincluded is the actual construction ofroads including culvert installationsand maintenance.6) Riparian and Wetland Protec-

tion and Improvement - Protect,restore, and improve wetlands andriparian areas to maintain waterquality and enhance habitat.

14

Practices involve management orestablishment of forest filter or bufferstrips adjacent to wetlands andstreams.7) Fisheries Habitat Enhancement

- Protect and enhance habitat fornative fisheries including resident andanadromous species. Practicesinclude tree planting on streambanks, filter and buffer stripsestablishment and management.8) Wildlife Habitat Enhancement -

Establish and enhance permanenthabitat for game and nongamewildlife species.Practices can include perrnanent

wildlife plantings, creation of forestopenings, wildlife oriented thinningswildlife corridors, creation of snag~and control of undesirable plantspecies.9) Rare, Threatened and

Endangered Species Protection - Re-store, protect, and enhance uniquehabitat to sustain or expandpopulations of rare, threatened, orendangered native plant or animalspecies as defined by federal and statepolicies.Practices are centered around

forest land manipulation to improvethe existing habitat as dictated by therequirements of the species targeted.

(Continued on Page 15) .

FOR SALE* 122 acres hardwood forest* Town of Prattsburg,

Steuben County* Financing available* DAVE BAXTER, BAXTERREALTY

93 Carlisle StreetRochester, NY 14615-2067

(716) 621-2343 or 800-724-6683

JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

Ask a Forester -'(Continuedfrom Page 14)

10) Forest Recreation Enhance-ment - Establish and enhance outdoorrecreation activities.Practices that can qualify are forest

trail development or maintenanceincluding tree removal, thinning andpruning. Cross-country ski trails andna ture trails would qualify.COST SHARING - Will cover from

50% to 75% of the cost of the practice.(Depending on the program used), notto exceed the maximum rates that areestablished for that practice. Thepayment is not made till after .thepractice is completed.THE PROCESS to follow:First - Approach your forester for

advice and the preparation of amanagement plan.S~cond - Visit the county ASCS

Office, Tell them what practice youare i~terested in and have them helpyou fill out the required application.

Third - Wait for approval of'fheapplication. After receiving approvalyou can start the practice.Fourth - Notify the DEC forester

when the project is completed. Sendthe bills for your expenses and thecompletion form to the ASCSOffice.Fifth - The ASCS reviews the bills

and then makes the cost sharingpayment.THE CATCH - Most landowners are

worried about what they are actuallygiving up to receive cost sharingmoney. The old adage of "You don'tget anything for nothing" comes tomind. However, the only commitmentrequired of the landowner is that hemaintain the intent of the practice forat least ten years or return the money.

Environmentally,"Wood Is Good"

almost doubles the energy used. Thus,Bowyer says, while using steel wouldresult in fewer trees being harvested,the overall environmental impactwould be negative.In addition to these results showing

wood is the most energy-efficientbuilding material, Bowyer says thatpotential substitutes for wood arelargely imported.The United States, he notes, is a net

importer of many raw materials,sometimes because the materialsaren't found in this country,sometimes because domesticproduction isn't economical andsometimes because it is consideredenvironmentally disruptive toproduce them here when they can beobtained from countries with lessstringent environmental regulationsor concerns.All the niobium (columbium),

strontium and industrial diamondsused in this country are imported,Bowyer explains, along with at least90 percent of manganese, bauxite,cobalt and chromium, 85 percent ofasbestos, ,81 percent of tin and 77percent of nickel. The United States,he notes, is a net importer of almostall important industrial rawmaterials."When we import these materials,

we are in effect exporting ourpollution problems to other countries.In 100 years, given rapidly growingpopulations, will these countries bewilling to export these raw materialsto us and, even if they are, is itmorally acceptable for us to do that?"Bowyer asks."The materials issue cannot be

ignored as we seek to create a quality,sustainable environment. What weneed to do is to produce raw materialsto the extent we can in an environmen-tally acceptable way. If we choose notto consider realistically the need formaterials, then our efforts to create apristine U. S. environment will bedone at the expense of the globalenvironment." And this approach,Boywer says, is irresponsible.

Environmentalists who frown ontimber harvesting may not realizehow much more energy intensive andenvironmentally harmful, it is tomanufacture substitutes for woodbuilding materials, says University ofMinnesota Wood products specialistJim Bowyer."The gathering and processing of

industrial raw materials tends to beenergy intensive," says Bowyer, whoconducts research for the Univer-sity's Agricultural ExperimentStation. "Energy consumption hasmajor environmental impacts,relating to problems ranging fromglobal warming to oil spills. And whenyou look at industrial materials in anenergy context, the use of wood looksvery environmentally acceptable incomparison to other materials."Bowyer cites a study, done by the

Society of Wood Science andTechnology's committee on re-newable resources for industrialmaterials, that compared the totalenergy costs (including harvesting,transportation, processing andconstruction) of manufacturingdifferent kinds of walls used inbuildings.The study showed that it takes six to

eight times more energy to make awall of brick veneer over sheathing orof concrete blocks than to make an all-wood wall.The two wood walls - one of

plywood siding with no sheathing on a2-by-4 frame, and the other ofmedium-density fiberboard withplywood sheathing on a 2-by-4 frame- required the least energy for a 100-square-foot wallrt.ss and 2.54millionBtu oil equivalents, respectively.However, the concrete block wall

(with furring strips and gypsum boardon the inside but no insulation) had anenergy cost of 17.09 million Btu oilequivalents, and the brick wall scored-17.89.Adding steel studs to a wall of

medium-density fiberboard withplywood shea thing increased theenergy cost to 4.79 million Btu oilequivalents, which means thatsubstituting steel for wood studs

Dave Forness is a Senior Foresterfor the New York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation in theRegion 6 Canton office.

Nolan'sSporting Supplies

Outdoor EqUipment Specialist

37 - 47 Genesee StreetAuburn, NY 13021

315/252-7249

From THE NORTHERN LOGGER &TIMBER PROCESSOR Dec. 91.

JANUARY IFEBRUARY 199215NY FOREST OWNER

More on Brooklyn's Little Tree FarmersBy JANE SORENSEN LORD

"When they swarmed off the busand came running down the roadscreaming, I knew how the Jerrysmust have felt at Normandy", myhusband Gordon commented later.With Ken Denks of DEC Region 3,

we had planned an educationalexperience complete with workprojects for 37 10 ,- 12 year olds fromP120, New York's first Backyard TreeFarm program.We were going to take a woods walk

to learn tree and leaf identification,eat lunch, divide into small workgroups - to plant a bushel of daffodilbulbs, rake leaves" limb, cull, andclear a small area of white pine, thenlight a bonfire and roastmarshmallows as a finale.There were 37 of them, three

teachers, Ken, Gordon, me and mymother Hazel Sorensen -: a whiz atmushroom and plant identification.BUT, somehow, 32 pairs of work

gloves, 20 trowels and all the marsh-mallows got left back in Brooklyn. Wehag 5 bow saws, four trowels, and fourleaf rakes, leaving us with 24 unen-cumbered youngsters.We survived the woods walk. (They

were a little nervous in the woods.)We had lunch by our pond on tarps onthe ground. We doled out the tools, gota couple of small groups working andsharing. Then let the rest explorenearby areas."Can we walk around the pond?"

"Sure." "Can we climb the mountain(a hill)?" "Sure."We are lucky our land was dry and

had a good leaf cover. We are luckyour pond dropped this summer andwas only 4 feet deep. We are thankfulthe New York City Board of Educationhas insurance covering lives on fieldtrips.Our normally peaceful land took on

the sound of the Great Cyclone rollercoaster. Little pond newts turned intoLoch Ness monsters. Ow- local turkeybuzzards were identified as surepterodactyls, and sow bugs as firstcousins to scorpions. Our mundaneCatskill rocks were precious gemsand big leaves worked fine as beanies.The barn with the air mattress wasthe Fun House.

"Don't worry," one of the teachersconfidently told me. "They are justacting like normal children"."Yeah, but if someone gets killed or

maimed, I could lose my Tree Farmin a law suit.""No one will get killed or maimed."She was right. We only had one

twisted ankle, one pair of pinewhipped eyes. Someone got kicked inthe head sliding down the hill and hada short painful, teary cry. The kid whotook off his shoes and sox to wade inthe pond may have come down withpneumonia later.When I went back to school,

resolved to use city parks to learnabout trees, I told the principal aboutthe unstructured chaos.The following week Gordon and I

became Tree Farm's educationalprogram Project Learning TreeFacilitators for the American ForestCouncils NYS educational program.(Horse and barn, right")After that, I was cornered by two of

the field trip teachers."We took them to the Botanical

Gardens woods and they identifiedAfter that, I was cornered by two of

the field trip teachers."We took the kids to the Botanical

Gardens woods and they identifiedoak and maple trees. That staff wasimpressed. ""Please come to my class and see

our Tree Farm Exhibit. I have somethank-you notes, too."

Example of Thank You Notes

E\li \ t\o:J\o\\(81~'

D ea.! \\~, }a.tI(.I1 "o~\1. .".~t. -\,

-t\4Qr. 10\1 ~or i\~ ~o\\h!{~1 -\i",L ~ , 'In.~,,' ;>,.\ ;Iee '\ o.ll!\ ,1 '.jo)'e~.~tti"'iII~. we.~.a. 1. enjo7e~ :the loQ1 "Ialli -\l\taoOJ~,\ht••boA• .-1 ~I.o I;\(e ••wi., ~04IIn ~\.. -\1"'"

AnA 1 \ov"-~ rl'h'\i"1 -tht b~11l A~i" I

1 ~o~ll 1;\<:. 10 lh~q~ 70~ 'hI le1\;C\1~. e~r~fiqce " •.\\<. ;~1 -\hIOIl'tn ;\,1. \\jood~~ql ~I~Q';{\~ ~ht 1>~\b5.

":Mr!el" ,I:\~i.\lAlCillo

They had on display, acorns, KenDenk's tree cookies - sanded andpolyurethaned, ' ChampionInternational's Life of the Forestposters, Tree Farm magazines and apiece of Catskill rock.When she handed me the thank-you

notes the class shouted, "Thank-you,Miss Jane."

If there is a sth grade class ofyoungsters upstate who would like towrite back, their address is:

Class 6-139P12018Beaver StreetBrooklyn, NY 11206

We are planning spring tripsalready.

This article is Jane's secondinstallment (NYFOA Sept/Oct 91) inher ongoing story of trees and NewYork City's 'million school children.'

-Ed.

JOHN GIFFORD 716/664-5604 (6)Broker 716/487 -9709 (R)

Vice President - Real Estate

Crown Building, 100 E. Second StreetJamestown, NY 14701

NY FORESTOWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 199216

People and Trees - Partners in Time.etime, somehow condensed to

moments in the lap of this silentwitness?Of what value is a life that does not

breathe in sync with the panickedscrambling of our endless string ofpassing moments? We already haveenough paper, don't we? Even themoss on a stone spills oxygen into theair, doesn't it?But which of nature's children stoop

from their silence to remind us thatthere is another way to measure whatwe call time? A measure against thescale of growth and reflection and arooted perspective of which momentstruly make a lifetime ...Only the trees.We do not know with certainty what

Jeremy sees while he rests there, butthe tears that are not quite fromsadness and not quite from joy waterhis cheeks for what may be a moment,or maybe a lifetime.David Mio Huth received a $100.00

prize for this essay from the NYSWoodsmen's Corporation August 18,1991 at their 44th Woodsmen's FieldDays held in Boonville. There wereover 30 entries in this year's annualessay contest. For more informationon the events or the contest for 1992contact: Executive Secretary PhyllisW. White; PO Box 123; Boonville, NY13309;(315/942-4593)

By DAVID MIO HUTHThe "trunk was about as big around

as Jeremy's own arm, and his fatherwrapped his fingers around it easily,holding it straight."Fill it in, son."Jeremy was too small to lift the

shovel, but always eager to get hishands into. the dirt, he pressed andpacked soft earth into the spacearound. the small tree, working hisstubby fingers in the soil like roots ofhis own. He and his Father steppedback to admire the strange and silentplant.Jeremy was amazed two years later

when he found he could no longerreach the top of the little tree to pat iton the head.But it was only a tree, after all, and

didn't really have a head. AsJeremy's own head grew farther andfarther away from the ground, thetree was simply something to standbeside each morning while waiting forthe school bus. But sometimes, after afew more years, if he was very tiredwhile he waited, Jeremy would leanagainst it and yawn.When Jeremy graduated from

college, he returned home. There wasa big party and everyone came to givehim cards and a little money, and todrink punch and laugh with the joy ofwatching a little boy grow up.

"Where has the time gone?"Everyone mentioned how clever itwas to use that tree in the yard as thecenter support for the big tent whichkept the sun off the food table.There are some who would say that

the Earth and her children of treesand hills in their cloaks of rain andseasons do not mark the passage oftime. This may not be entirely true,for although a tree may measure itsmoments by lifetimes, those lifetimesdo pass. And surely this treebears themarks of Jeremy's carved first love,beside the learning scars of earlyautomobile miscalculation. Did notJeremy's own son celebrate his owngraduation in this shade? And thattire that circles the waist of Jeremy'sgrand-daughter and dangles fromthose loving limbs, is it not from theselfsame car that so long ago glancedfrom the trunk?And is that not Jeremy now

approaching, bent and wrinkled andlooking much like a tree himself? Ashe sits and rests upon what is now onlya stump, the plateaued feet of aformer strength, what does he see?Does he see a Father and his sapling

son kneel by a hole as if in prayer?,Can he feel his fingers in the earth?Does he see a family gathered to bephotographed beneath familiar arms?Does he watch the passing of his own

Wood Energy Potential Studied in NYThe New York State Energy Re-

search and Development Authority(NYSERDA) has evaluated andpublished assessments of threerenewable energy sources and threeenergy-efficient technologies thatpolicy planners used when draftingNew York State's Energy Plan,according to NYSERDA chairmanWilliam D. Cotter.In respnse to a directive from Gov-

ernor Mario M. Cuomo, the EnergyAuthority in cooperation with theState Energy Office, the Departmentof Public Service and the Departmentof Environmental Conservation chosethe technologies using guidelines thatincluded their possible economic con-tribution, environmental impact anddeveloment potential.

Each assessment was part of an in-tensive planning, development and re-view process that included profession-als from the public and private sector.First drafts were reviewed by theappropriate state agency representa-tives. Subsequent drafts were re-viewed and revised by Energy Author-ity staff before external pe~r review.In the area of waste wood energy,

the NYSERDA found that New YorkState could produce 400 to 800MW ofelectric power on a continuous basisover the next 20years using relativelylow-cost wastewood materials at aprice competitive with conventionalpower generation technologies, withtraditional forest materials combinedwith processed clean wood waste gen-erating an additonal 2800MW of elec-tricity at higher prices.

New York State's forest resourcehas been expanding as unusedhas been expanding as unused farm-land and pastures revert toland and pastures revert to forestland.According to a 1980United States For-est Service survey, 18,5 million acresof land area in the State are forested,more than any other northeasternstate. In addition, some 4.5 milliontons of construction and demolitiondebris are generated annually, 40per-cent of which is waste wood that couldgenerate energy. Currently, mostwaste wood is disposed of in landfills.While electric power can be pro-

duced with wood feedstocks usingseveral commercially available tech-nologies, wood-combustion gas tur-bines may offer low capital cost, de-creased environmental impact andgreater fuel efficiency. From NL Nov. '91

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 199217

certain land worth preserving in itsever dynamic condition of being abiological entity (such as a forest insome stage of succession), it maywant to purchase the developmentrights. This would reduce the value onwhich the landowner pays taxes whileguaranteeing undeveloped openspace. A willing buyer and sellercould protect landowner rights andprovide for the continued present-dayuse of the land.

Open Space and TaxesBy DAVID W. TABER,

Open space is a valuable asset. Treefarmers, forest owners, Christmastree growers, and landscape nurseriesbenefit society. Tree-covered .land,free of society's artifacts, is refresh-ing.To municipalities that depend on

property tax dollars to meet theirexpenses, open space is an asset. Itdoes not rquire tax supported servicessuch as education, school bus service,and sewage disposal. Open space is anamenity held in high esteem by manypeople. In urban and village areasopen space can be at a premium. Itmay be in need of protection fromconversion to other uses.When well-maintained and

protected from vandalism, open spaceis recognized for the beauty andtranquility it provides. Both improvethe quality of life. Forests andagricultural and horticulturalcropland can provide productsconsumers enjoy and open space, too.H has been said that 95 percent ofAmericans live on only two and a halfpercent of the land. In New York Stateabout 85 percent of the populationlives in urban areas. People's need forthe tangible and intangible productsof open space are likely to continue inperpetuity.High property taxes tend to force

open space to be subdivided orconverted to other uses. .l"orlandowners who are unable to affordthe tax cost, open space may beconsidered a luxury. But once openspace is gone, it is unlikely to berecovered without paying anexorbitant price. Private landownerswho provide the public with the scenicwonders of forests, wildlife, and otheropen space privileges are seldomrecognized financially or with publicpraise for the benefits they provide asstewards of their land.In "Counter-intuitive Behavior of

Social Systems," Jay Forrester, of theMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology, wrote 40 years ago thatthe system of increasing taxes forproperty of increased value coulddestroy or prevent development ofsocially desirable goals. Anextrapolation of Forrester's logicwould dictate that to preserve openspace as being irreplaceable andsocially beneficial forever, it should

Open space provides ornamental cedar shrubs, oaks, and blue spruce trees forlandscaping at a 'nursery and Chrtstmcs tree farm. This open space reducestraffic congestion on near-by roads. In addition, scenic beauty and fresh air arecontributed to the environment by green plants. In this commercial enterprise,when consumers receive the trees to beautify their homes, other trees will betransplanted from the nursery to the field, thereby continuing the cycle ofpreserving open space.

be taxed at a relatively low, or at leasta reasonable, non-confiscatory level.Perhaps some. open space land

should be classified as rare andendangered. It might be a vacant citylot, the undeveloped land adjacent topopulation centers, a village park,scenic hillsides along town or countyroads, or just the undeveloped landadjacent to a road. If government orsome non-for-profit environmentalconservation organization finds

Open SpaceBy DAVE TABER

CONSERVING OPEN SPACE INNEW YORK STATE - A SUMMARYOF THE DRAFT OPEN SPACECONSERVATION PLAN wasreceived on December 4, 1991 at theCornell Department of NaturalResources by FAX from the Policyand Planning section of the NYS DEC.The Document is 17 pages long.

Public hearings on the plan arescheduled for January 15, 1992 inUtica and January 16, 1992 in thefollowing places (according to the"Open Space Plan Summary" report)by DEC Regions 1- 9:1. Bethpage

2. New York City3. Bear Mountain4. Schenectady5. Saranac Lake & Queensbury6. Watertown7. Liverpool & Binghamton8. Avon & Corning9. East AuroraThe public hearing schedule follows

the following agenda: 1. Workshop. from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, 2. PublicHearing 2:00 - 5: pm, and 3.7:00 - 9:00pm Public Hearing.Notice: the comment period on theDraft closes at 4:45 pm on Monday,January 27,1992.

(Continued on Page 19)

NY FOREST OWNER JANUARY IFEBRUARY 199218

Open Space-(Continued from Page 18)

Four fundamental principles fromthe summary follow..•."State open space conservation

policy is the joint responsibility of theDepartment of Environmental Con-servation (DEC) and the Office ofParks, Recreation and HistoricPreservation (OPRHP). A 1990amendment to the EnvironmentalConservation Law (ECL), Section 49-0203, reaffirmed the role of the twoagencies to 'provide for theconservation, protection, and preser-vation of open space, natural, historicand cultural resources and theenhancement of recreationalopportunities.' ".•."The quality and character of the

lives of the people of New Yorkdepend upon the quality andcharacter of the land on which we live.Our mountains, lakes, rivers, forestsand coastline, our natural landscapesand urban parks shape. the way wespend our leisure time, affect the longterm strength of our economy,determine whether we have clean airand water, support the web of livingthings of which we are a part, affecthow we think about ourselves andrelate to other New Yorkers.".•."New York's fields, forests,

waters and wetlands, however, are atour mercy. We have the power tochange the land, to conserve what isvaluable to us as a people, or todestroy places which may beimportant to our future. How wemanage change, how we protect andconserve open land while providingspace for the homes, commercialcenters and industrial plants we need,will have a profound impact on futuregenerations."

.•."The Draft State Open SpaceConservation Plan, is intended to bepart of arational process to gather theviews of New Yorkers about whatopen space needs to be saved for thefuture. It also discusses how we canconserve and manage that open landin a sensible and affordable way. ThePlan recognizes that these aredifficult fiscal times for New YorkState but that while open. spaceconservation efforts must be fiscallyprudent, they must go on in goodtimes and bad; because, oncedeveloped, valuable open space willseldom, if ever. be open land again."

Wetlands Serve Nature and SocietyBy DAVID W. TABER.

Department of Natural Resources,New York State College of Agriculture

and Life Sciences, CornellWetlands are a reservoir of

biological diversity. They are anatural component of the topography,where relief features and moisturecreate dynamic ecosystems of floraand fauna that depend on soil that isconstantly or periodically wet.

Freshwater Wetlands Act in 1975.Tobe designated a wetland the area mustbe more than 5 hectares (12.4 acres).The federal law's definition of awetland. according to the "Manual forIdentifying and DelineatingJurisdictional Wetlands" of 1989, isbeing revised. The Federal Registerof August 14, 1991 contains proposedrevisions of the manual'S definition.

Many of New York's roadside wetlands do not meet the legal definition of morethan 12.4 acres, but are, nevertheless, scenically and environmentally important.Although too small to be regulated by state law, this beautiful sight is abundantwith life. If one looks carefully (at this wetland), one may see wood ducks andsong birds, as well as reedlike marsh plants called cattails. Wetlands are dynamicin all seasons of the year, even when covered with snow. (Forest Stewardship Photo by Taber)

Nationwide, it is important to note Why are wetlands beneficial? Theythat wetlands occur in a variety of are sinks that prevent floods bytypes, places, and sizes. The absorbing and holding water. Theyappearance and use of wetlands vary filter water and slowly replenishsignificantly from east to west and groundwater aquifers. They holdnorth to south in the Americas and the sediment from erosion and prevent itsworld. Coastal wetlands. are further translocation. They cleanseinfluenced by the presence of salt water by chemical and biologicalwater from the oceans. Freshwater oxidation. They provide a habitat forwetlands may be adjacent to a frogs, birds, deer, fish, snakes andstream, brook, pond, or lake. In turtles. They provide unique beauty,addition, . wetlands may be small tranquility, landscape diversity, andpockets of self-contained drainage or even sources of inspiration.vast acres - with land that is Next time you see a wetland,normally not dry. Indicators of whether it be in the winter, spring,wetlands are water, wet soil in the summer, or fall, pause a moment toroot zone of plants, and plants called see, hear, and maybe smell itshydrophytes that thrive in wet or very uniquely important contribution to themoist soil. world. The wetland, each one, is partState and federal laws designate of the complex local and global

wetlands. New York enacted the ecosystems in which we live.

NY FOREST OWNER 19 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992

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* "Basics of Growing Christmas Trees"* "Addendum to - Basics of Growing Christmas Trees"* "Growing Conifer Seedlings. Transplants and Trees in anOutdoor Nursery"

Jan. 14 - CAY 7:30 PM, AnnualMeeting Lake Como Sportsman'sClub (607) 838-8280.Jan. 15 - WFL, 7:30 PM, "Forest

Management for Wildlife" by BrucePenrod; (716) 924-2589.Jan. 15 - 16 - Open Space Public

Hearings.Jan. 18 - CDC 6 pm. Forest Health

by Mike Birmingham, (518) 457-7370.

Jan. 25-AFC/NFC, 10am, 480ATaxLaw, (716) 537-2803.Feb. 14. 15 - CAY Cabin Fever

Festival, Fillmore Glen State Park(315) 497-1078.Feb. 15 - FOREST STEWARDSHIP

VIDEO CONFERENCE, 11 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Satellite Galaxy 6, Trans-ponder 22.

April 25 - NYFOA Annual SpringMeeting, Marshall Auditorium,Syracuse.

NY FORESTOWNER 20 JANUARY IFEBRUARY 1992