The New York Forest Owner - Volume 37 Number 3

May/June 1999

The New York

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

Volume 37 Number 3

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERSASSOCIATION

VOL. 37, NO.3

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Jill Cornell, President

703 Johnsonville Rd.

Johnsonville, NY 12094; 518/753-4336

Ronald Pedersen, Vice President

22 Vandenburg Lane,

Latham, NY 12110; 518/785-6061

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary

300 Church Street

Odessa, NY 14869-9703; 607/594-2130

Don Wagner, Treasurer5330 Graham Road,Utica, NY 13502; 315/733-7391

Deborah Gill, Administrative Secretary

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

1999

Harry Dieter, Honeoye Falls, 716/533-2085Thomas Ellison, Manlius, 315/682-9376

Richard Fox, Moravia; 315/497-1078

David Swanson, Mount Monis, 716/658-4601

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

John Hastings, Queensbury; 518/798-0248

Ronald Pedersen; Latham; 5181785-6061Betty Wagner; Utica; 3151733-7391

2001

Jill Cornell, Johnsonville, 5181753-4336Nick Po lee, Remsen, 315/831-5301

Dave Swaciak, Franklinville, 716/676-2349

Robert Sykes, Elbridge, 315/673-3691

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVESCharlie Mowatt, Allegheny Foothills; 716/676-3617

Stephen Davison, Cayuga; 315/496-2392Joan & Hans Kappel, Capital District; 518/861-8753

John Druke, Central New York; 315/656-2313

Gene McCardle, Lower Hudson; 914/945-0504

David Daut, Northern Adirondack; 518/359-3089

Don Fraser, Niagara Frontier; 7161773-7011

Peter Gregory, SE Adirondack; 518/ 399-1812

Larry Lepak, Southern Tier; 607/656-8504

Don Schaufler, Tioga; 607/589-6095

Jack Hamilton, Western Finger Lakes; 716/728-5769

All rights reserved Contents may not be reproduced with-

out prior written permission from the publisher. NYFOA

does not necessarily support or approve procedures, prod-

ucts, or opinions presented by authors or advertisers.

The New York Woodland Stewards,Inc. (NYWS) is a 501(c)3 foundationof NYFOA and tax deductIble dona-tions thereto will advance NYFOA'seducational mission.

COVER:Upper West Branch of Sacandaga

River. Photo by Tim Ward

2 • NY FOREST OWNER 37:3

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

Editorial Committee: Joan Kappel, Chair, Mary McCarty, Steve Davison, Betty Densmore,Alan Knight and Bob Sand

Materials submitted jor publication should be addressed to: R.i. Fox, Editor, 5159 DresservilleRd., Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and are normallyreturned after use. The deadLinejor submissionjor July/Aug is June 1.

Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to P.O. Box 180,Fairport, N. Y. 14450. Cost of individual membership/subscription is $20.

Spring Beauties

Along Half-Way Creek

Table Of Contents ®President's Message, Jill Cornell 3Common Sense, Tim Ward 4Why Is Swamp Thing Taking Over The Forests? 6Return Of The Fisher, Lexy Nichols, Richard Henry 7The Benefits of Forestry Add Value to Your Woodlot, Peter Smallidge 8Sustain, Sustainable, Sustained, Jim Coufal 9Spring "Hot Spots"-Trailing Arbutus, Irene Szabno 10A Timber Sale Turned Sour, Andrew 1. Wiencek 11Editorial 12LETTERS 13The Tree Farm Program, A National Update, Rod Jones 14Choosing Native vs. Exotic, Michelle Buckstrap & Nina Bassuk 16Rabies 18MothsThat Affect Pine Shoots, Douglas C. Allen 20I'm Just Wild About Harry, Jane Sorensen Lord 22

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1999

President's MessageBy Jill Cornell A more important point is consideration

Oops! 'I thought that my last of managing the equity. Good manage-President's message was my ment can make the equity grow, aslast one, but apparently with well as ensure its sustainability for

deadlines one month ahead, this is really future generations. There are certainlymy last message. a number of people who believe that it

I would like to put some perspective is fine to "just let it grow." To me, that isinto our stewardship of forested lands. analogous to stuffing your money in aIn New York State there are 500,000 mattress. A much better plan for forestprivate owners of 14 million acres (85%) equity is to manage it for sustainability.of forested land. In the nation there are Whatever your personal goals are for10 million private owners of 300 million your woods wildlife enhancement foracres (60%) of all forested land. certain species, recreation trails, and/

I like to think that our NYFOA mem- or trying to grow veneer quality trees,bers are the most active, managing you know what you want to do, andstewards of this natural resource, but I probably have a forester to help youam also sure that there are many non- plan how to do it. However, there aremembers who are doing a good job of thousands of owners who need to knowmanaging. We need to reach and en- that management plans will help themcourage them to join NYFOA, and add to grow quality sawtimber while they aretheir wisdom to ours. And we need to pursuing their personal objectives andreach out to the rest of the half million goals.forest owners to share the information Please invite a friend or neighbor towe have. join NYFOA, so we can share the

Another perspective of our wonder- wealth of information about all the ben-ful, renewable resource is its equity. As efits of managed forests, including theI prepared to map out a strategy for pre- equity in them.senting our June, 1998 Resolution to Thank you all for giving me the op-the Governor and Legislators, to sup- portunity to meet so many wonderfulport funding for the equivalent of one people in NYFOA, the Department ofDEC Foresterforevery county, I asked Environmental Conservation, CornellSloane Crawford at DEC headquarters ,,,,,-,~.

. to work up an estimate of the value of ~ . 4------NY's privately owned acres of growing NYFOA SCHOLARSHIP FUNDtimber. He ran some numbers, and es- As of January 1999, the NYFOAtimated that it is worth between 10 and Endowed Scholarship Fund that is12 billion dollars. That would be about administered by the SUNY ESF College$714. per acre, and may be a conser- Foundation, Inc. has a fund balance ofvative estimate, even given the enor- $17,616.mous range of conditions. There is an additional $740 available to

Getting the exact value is an impos- fund an award for the 1998-1999sible task. Even more difficult to esti- academic year. Selecting a recipient ismate is the value of the fish and wildlife coordinated between the Financial Aidour forests support, and the aesthetic Office and Forestry Faculty.and recreational values forests provide.~)""·~~·i·-""-·-~;: ==---".----------------------~--------------------The Tree Farm organization is asking the U. S. Postal Service to issue a Tree Farm Commemorative stamp for their sixtiethanniversary. We should like to support this effort by obtaining petitions in support. Anonymous donors are offering prizes forChapters ( 250, 150 and 50 33 cent stamps) obtaining the most petition signatures. Prizes will be awarded based on thenumber of signatures as a % of the Chapter membership over 100 %. Names do not need to be NYFOA members. Chapterswill have forms or the one below (or facsimile) may be used. They should be sent to Box 180 Fairport, NY 14450 by July 1, 1999.

We support a TREE FARM COMMEMORATIVE STAMPNAME ADDRESS

President Jill Cornell

Cooperative Extension, SUNY Environ-mental Science and Forestry, ForestIndustry, the Tree Farm Program, N8tU-ral Resource Conservation Service,USDA FS, environmental organiza-tions, and National Woodland OwnersAssociation.

I have learned so much, and enjoyedit all!

FragmentsBy Dorothy Darling

Can r be contentHere on the curtain sideOf black squares of windowsAs winter stares in at me,

. Framing the bleak cold night,Shrouding earth from my sight?

But I, too, stareHere in this secluded place,Eyes searching through solitudeBetween patterns of rug and chair,Ironic in their temporal comfortAgainst the barriers of anywhere.

Yet here I would remainAmid a growing bounty of books,Deep striving to raise the wordsFrom yesterday'S intent reservoir,Sifting the struggles from my mindThat fragments of peace I may find.

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NY FOREST OWNER 37:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1999· 3

COMMON SENSEBy Tim Ward

Itwas one of those mid-spring dayswhich your heart, no matter how youngor old, aches for-a sunny cool day

before the main black fly hatch, with lightbreezes and fluffy cumulus clouds.

So on this day a few years ago my wife,Mary, and I took a walk in the hills alongthe east side of Lake George. We parkedin the Dacy Clearing parking area and de-scended the Shelving Rock Road.The road was gated due to seriouswashouts from a January flood leav-ing us unmolested by traffic.

Apparently, nature has no love forroads. As we walked down we mar-velled at the destructive force ofwater with the tons of washed outheavy gravel and cobbles andtwisted destroyed culverts. As any-one knows who has lived on a dirtroad for long, streams coming in ona hill sooner or later prove disastrousand the Shelving Rock Road hasmultiple streams on a very longsteep hill. And yet, what amazes me,no matter how violent the rainspound our mountains until everygully holds a rushing torrent, juststep a few feet away and on the for-est floor the leaves lie unmoved andthe spring flowers emerge un-scathed.

A little farther down we pass theremains of several extinct farms. InMay, before there's much plantgrowth, one can see their outlinesclearly. Here was a capped well,there a broken dam, the stream look-ing so innocent laughing over thetumbled, once so carefully placedboulders. If only those earnest farm-ers could have seen the flood of all floodswhen about 12,500 years ago an explo-sively melting glacier washed any hope oflasting fertility to Lake Champlain or downthe Hudson. But still for a few brief de-cades, the air of these mountain intervalswas filled with the hum of bees and theclanking of cow bells.

Farther down we rested under toweringpines, admiring the painted trilliums andprolific spring beauties. Here we found andcollected several of those light tan morels.I think no one has learned to cultivate thesedelicious mushrooms yet.

We then followed the Shelving Rock


Brook down past the falls to the lake andsoon found ourselves across from Log Is-land. There, all paraded out, were a wholebunch of boys and girls soaking up the sunand drinking beer on their big boats in thebay. Every time a new boat entered, a hun-dred heads swiveled, sizing it up, inspect-ing its lines and listening to its throbbingengine. In any case, we settled down among

and melancholy we felt a good guilt tripcoming on. Seeing no one else around, weat first thought she came from one of thecamps about a half mile away. However,she had no collar, no tags, so we startedthinking someone had left her off, lettingher wander into her sunset in what they per-ceived as paradise. We told her to go homeseveral times which was received with

looks of desperation and anobstinancy not to let us out of hersight. Knowing we were return-ing via a four mile trail whichclimbed 1100 feet and observingthe exhaustion of our companion,we felt somewhere along the line-she would turn back.

However, there was somethingof extraordinary intelligencehere. At last, shamed by the spec-tacle of protruding ribs, I set a fewhomemade oatmeal cookies onthe ground. She slowly wanderedover, sniffed them, went off theroad into the brush and retched.Now we were really confused,my wife's cooking isn't that bad!

We started up the mountain onthe trail. Whenever we came to ablowdown flat on the ground,even if only twelve to fourteeninches high, the dog would mo-mentarily gaze at.it and then trekoff into the. distance to circum-navigate the entire tree. On thelevel she stayed back about fiftyfeet, but on the hills lagged farbehind.

Eventually we stopped for abreak along a lively brook. Howcan we ever grow old and weary

if we can at any time contemplate thesetimeless streams, watching the crystal wa-ters dance and play over the colored stonesand the small brightly speckled trout racearound like so many aquatic butterflies? Allseemed well with the world. The dog, aftertaking a nice long drink standing in thewater and nearly falling down shaking her-self dry, curled up in the sun-dappled shadenot far off.

All too soon it seemed we were climb-ing again. Here was one of those large ar-eas on these mountains which has very littlesoil and yet is covered with a surprising

Upper West branch ofSacandaga River

the red, pitch and white pines on the lichencovered granite and while Mary got outlunch, I got out my binoculars to moreclosely study the bay's wildlife.

Soon an ancient gaunt grey muzzled dog,presumably part lab, walked over, lookedus over and then disappeared. After eatingwe continued north along the shore andfound more morels. Looking back we dis-covered the dog following us about onehundred feet behind. As it got closer wecould see it looked starved and had the mostsad and apologetic demeanour. It avoidedeye contact, keeping its tail between its legs,but sometimes gave us glances so forlorn


growth of evergreens, mostly hemlocks andpines. Near us a three foot diameter whitepine has found enough water and mineralsto thrive in the crevice of a rock, thoughon closer inspection has sent a few hugeroots snaking so many yards away to apocket of sand and gravel. Usually thesetrees obtain all the nutrients they need witha far-flung root system in a very shallowlayer of acidic decomposed needles andsand. But still, how can so magnificent aforest grow from such an impoverishedsoil?

The hemlocks, shorter than the pines, arevery patient growers and are probably thelongest lived trees in the northeast. I'veseen some over 450 years old and some aresaid to reach 800. They seem to have goodfamilial relationships as they spread theirdeep shade in nearly pure extensive stands.Now and then a blow down lets in a fewrays of sun and under its root mass the bed-rock is exposed just a few inches down.

It's always pleasant to stop and listen tothe calling of the chickadees, nuthatchesand golden-crowned kinglets as they ex-plore the tree crowns so far above. Howmuch fun it would be flying among the glis-tening boughs in a sea of green buzzingwith so many insects of so many colors andsizes and shapes. Even in these seeminglysterile deeply shaded areas with no under-growth, close inspection will reveal a pro-fusion of life. If one calmly observes, allnature has a long and fascinating story totell and is endlessly entertaining.

Eventually the trail leveled off and theevergreen forest was replaced by an aspen,ash and red maple woods. These trees areold field pioneers and are much youngerthan the pines and hemlocks below. Westarted seeing piles of rock here and therewhere you might say the farmers "consoli-dated their liabilities" leaving as muchground as possible to be cultivated. Nowand then a strand of fence wire protrudedfrom a tree. We tried to visualize what it

looked like there about one hundred yearsago. By 1890, most of these mountains hadbeen stripped of their most valuable tim-ber which at that time was white pine,spruce and oak.

The areas with deeper soils had beencleared and sustained a surprising numberof families for maybe forty years. One com-mon practice here in the 1800's was charg-ing fees for pasturing cattle in the latespring to early fall months. Some of thecows' owners lived as far away as south ofFt. Edward.

In the case of this specific area, industri-alist George O. Knapp' bought all the farmsand allowed the occupants to remain. Hebought their products and hired them forall the myriad jobs on his estate. He paidwell and since the hill farmers were knownto be resourceful and resiliant hardworkers,apparently everybody was happy with therelationship. Around 1940, after the deathofMr. Knapp at 92 years of age, the entireestate minus 150 acres or about 7500 acresincluding almost ten miles of shoreline wassold to the state for $200,000. We can allbe thankful for his generosity.

After walking a short way through thesemore open woods, we frightened a hengrouse off her nest, which contained aboutten nearly round white eggs, not fifty feetfrom the cellar hole of another long-for-gotten farm house. At least it still had itschickens though wild.

I stopped, fearing our friend was at lastready to eat something, and sure enoughshe smelled the nest and headed for it. Icalled, which pleased her considerably, andnow there was a tight hiking party of three.It seems life is so full of insolvable dilem-mas.

Before too long the Dacy Clearing park-ing lot was reached. As Mary and I ap-proached our truck we noticed the dogstayed back, maybe sensing this was wherewe'd be parting. But unbelievably, at thatmoment two mountain bicyclists saw her

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NY FOREST OWNER 37:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

and called out, "Hey, there's Dixie!" Well,this couple had been told by a picnickingfamily they'd lost their dog so they joinedtogether in a three-hour search. Theyshowed us a notice tacked to the nearbyregister with a description of Dixie. Thefamily, who had already left for home, gavetheir address and phone number. The bik-ers volunteered to take the dog and arrangefor pick up, so we loaded everything anddrove them down to WeIch Hollow to theirvehicle.

All we could figure was the old dog wasbored and on such a lovely day just had togo for a nice long walk in the woods.

I Historical facts found in, From ThenTill Now, by Fred Tracy Stiles, publishedby the Washington County Historical So-

ciety, 1978. A

Tim Ward is a Master Forest Owner ('93).He and his wife, Mary, manage a small for-est along Southern Lake Champlain.

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MAY/JUNE 1999 • 5

State FWMAB ConsidersControversial Topics

By Dick FoxThe NYS DEC Fish & Wildlife Man-

agement Act Board met for three days,March 25-27 in Watertown. During thecourse of the meeting, there were severaltopics of controversial significance dis-cussed in committee and during presenta-tions.

There was unanimous support for Gen-eral Obligations Bills A3 81 0 & S3529(Also supported by NYFOA.) This is thesame legislation proposed in 1998 andstrenuously opposed by the Trial LawyersAssociation!

NYS DEC Lands & Forests Chief FrankDunstan presented a detailed descriptionof the partnership arrangements by theState in the liquidation by Champion In-ternational, Inc. of their NY land holdings.

John Schumacher from Dept. of Ag. &Markets described a new regulatory pro-gram governing farms with some numberof animal units; e.g., farms having 1000units or more must have SPDES Permitsand Nutrient Management Plans.

Rick Swensen, Natural Resource Con-servation Service, described the manylandowner habitat-enhancing programssuch as WHIP and WRP that are cost-shared. Although funding has been reducedfor some, there is good demand and a short-age of personnel to staff the programs.

Peg Sauer of NYS DEC stated that li-cense fee increases are required to replen-ish the Conservation Fund. The licenserevenue of $32 million per year must beincreased by nearly 20% if all programsare to continue. The Govenor agreed to un-derwrite start-up costs of computerized li-censing. Also, acquisition by the DEC ofsome 8000 acres of the Seneca Army De-pot, which has considerable timber and aresident white deer herd, is dependent onfederal government clean-up of the ord-nance bunkers and facility maintenancecosts.

Robert Reinhardt of NYS Office ofParks, Recreation & Historic Preservation,provided a listing of parks which permithunting. He acknowledged that virtuallyno management for habitat exists on stateparks, and that such management is stillbeing studied for the 64,000 acre AlleganyState Park.

FWMA Regional reports relayed concernover applications for logging the bottom ofLake Ontario and inadequate funding forboundary surveys and Unit ManagementPlans on State Lands among others. 4.


This article was obtainedfrom the Internet,and originated from Pennsylvania StateUniversity.

WHY IS SWAMP THING TAKING OVERTHE FORESTS?

Red maple, a tree species that origi- But red maple also has the incredible abil-nated in swampy habitats, is tak- ity to act as an early-successional speciesng over eastern forests, says a re- and invade disturbed sites as well." It's red

searcher in Penn State's College of Agri- maple's low requirements for water, nutri-cultural Sciences. And its lowly, ordinary ents and light- the key resources for plantsnature may be determining its success. "A - that allow it to grow on really poor sites,century ago - because of its sensitivity to or really good ones. Physiologists call suchfire - red maple was relegated to the organisms "supergeneralists" - they doswamps," says Marc Abrams, professor of fairly well over a broad array of conditions,forest ecology and physiology. "In fact, it rather than have super abilities in a few spe-used to be called swamp maple. But now '6ialized areas.that we suppress forest fires, red maple has ,'By invading sites in all kinds of condi-emerged from the swamps and taken over tions.;- sunny or shady, high or low nutri-upland sites, and can be found on just abdut 'ents, dry or moist - red maple really is anevery landscape in the eastern decis~i)Us ~cological marvel," Abrams says. Redforest." Travelers driving along hig~W~Ys mapleilso has taken its unique wetland re-this time of year can see the tell-tale ptpfu- .prQ.dustiyestrategyt9t~euplands. "Af-sion of red maple's silvery brancheso<T~is,ter/$p.ringfloodwater$:T.ec~de, wetlandchange in our forests,AbramssaYs, ..may·plimtsdrpp theitsee.ds>on the fresh soilhave profound eco&o~icand .ecol?~icar / layer,.'~;Abrams' explainj. "Upland species,consequences. "F?f.est reg~ner~tion is ..~ .. ontheptlier:~a~? .;Whi.SIi aren't tied tohuge concern," he\says."t~;~sthat hl~!9ri~\ spring floodiBg ..dr?ptheir seeds in thecally dominated thi~r~SiQI1,,;,,--,the p.ines;.: fall. S() 'redihap1e,cahspend most of theoaks, hemlocks and 1t~~~bri,~S- ~ol?n~e~i 'gr.qwihg'seas9n e~~a~lishing seedlings, giv-regenerate very well"'R,edmapleJs r~.BJac- iggtlw~Jathreetol6ur month advantageing trees that have high~~conomicy(lJue;~·. \overp~~erRlants,,/"Also, white-tailed deerIts soft wood, color ancl>~ajnaren:tas;: i.a9B:tl::lr8W~~recl'maple strongly during thehighly valued as that of black;~heITy ,()af :suhirner;y~t browse oaks all year round,"and walnut. Also, many wildlife "species' ~.'he-says. "In the wintertime, when food isdepend on the trees that are being re- scarce, deer will browse red maple, But it'splaced." Oaks and hickories supply many not as harmful then, because the trees aresmall mammals and birds with nuts and dormant." Red maple also may have ben-acorns. And the oak's rough bark - un- efited from the ill affects of acid rain andlike the maple's smooth bark - houses global warming in this century, Abramsbark-dwelling insects for insect-eating j adds. Like the athlete who isn't the biggest,birds. A shift in wildlife populations is strongest or fastest, but brings other skillslikely to parallel this shift in tree species, to the playing field, red maple prevails.Abrams believes. Red maple's proliferation "That's the real paradox," Abrams says. .also poses a biodiversity concern, says "Ecologically, red maple is one of theAbrams, "Very diverse forests - with most aggressive tree species. But physi-to 12 different species in the overstory -. ologically, it's one of the most conserva-all may be changing to red maple-domi- tive." Normally, scientists associate aggres-nated stands, And stands of single species sive behavior with robust physiology,are more susceptible to total devastationjby Abrams explains.insects and disease." So how does th6?lln- They assume plants that photosynthesizeassuming red maple outcompete th~h~rdy faster, for example, will outcompete otheroak? In a May 1998 article in Bioscience, plants. Or plants with higher nutrient lev-Abrams describes the scientific detective els in their leaves or better drought adapta-work behind this mystery, "Through the tion will have the advantage. Red maple1700s and 1800s, the charcoal industry cut breaks the mold. "The red maple hasa lot of forests and burned them into char- changed my thoughts on some basic prin-coal," he says. "There were a lot of escaped ciples of physiological ecology. Rankingwildfires. So we had these dramatic distur- species based on the usual physiologicalbances going on that were encouraging parameters may not be a good way to rankgrowth of the fire-resistant oak. "But now h . .t eir ecological success." J...that we're cutting forests less and suppress-ing forest fires, forests are going through anatural succession or aging process," hesays. "Red maple, because it grows well inshade, is a key late-successional species.


RETURN OF THE FISHERBy Lexy Nichols

The first time I ever heard of a fisher catwas during the fall of 1997, when my dadreturned ftom a hunting expedition in theback acreage of our tree farm. He was ex-cited and quick to share his experience withthe family. He had been sitting on an oldstone fence, very still, waiting for a deer topass, when suddenly a dark, furry mam-mal came trotting up. When only a few feetaway, the mammal looked straight at myDad, aware but without fear. Dad held hisbreath for fear of scaring the creature away.Instead, the animal ran up a hollow snagand came quickly down with a rodent inhis mouth. Once more he looked at Dad,and then trotted away. The animal was toolarge to be a mink, and our mammal guidebooks verified what Dad had thought: it wasa fisher cat (Martes pennanti)!

The next spring, Mom saw a fisher catscamper across the road and into the woodsnext to our driveway, as she was drivingin. This happened again, one time over thesummer. This made me curious. I'd neverheard of a fisher cat before, so I decided tolearn something about it. People were sur-prised at our sightings, because to theirknowledge, the fisher is known to be shy,elusive, and rare in our area.

Fishers are large, larger than martens.The tail is very bushy, and takes up half oftheir length. Fisher fur is long, dark brownto black, and darkest near the tail. The un-derside is much lighter. Females are smaller

By Richard Henry, New Paltz NYSDECIn 1976, we began a program to rein-

troduce the fisher to the Catskills. Poten-tial fisher habitat was identified and webought live fisher from cooperating furtrappers in the northern zone for a feeslightly higher than the market value of thepelt. Between 1976 and 1979, 43 fisherwere released in two locations in UlsterCounty. All of the fisher were thoroughlyexamined and eartagged prior to their re-lease.

Fisher movements were monitoredthrough observations by sportsmen, hikers,other outdoor enthusiasts, and our fieldstaff. Bait stations were established each

. winter to determine possible fisher presenceevidenced by tracks in fresh snow. By1984, fisher were documented throughoutmost of the potential range. Examinationof reproductive tracts from several road

NY FOREST OWNER 37:3

than males, and fishers weigh between 1.8and 7.2 kilograms. They have retractableclaws, short, round ears, and a short muzzle.Their legs are short, and their bodies cylin-drical.

During the settlement of New York, theclearing of woods and creation of fields andpasture replaced much of the fisher's wood-land domain. Fisher cats were hunted fortheir fur. By the late 1800s, 8,600 pelts weretaken each year, but this number declinedin the 1900s. In 1903, the Hudson BayCompany sold 3679 pelts in London.People had begun to regard the fisher as anendangered creature. By 1930 harvests

kills and other accidental mortalities indi-cated that reproduction had occurred.

In 1985, an experimental, limited fishertrapping season was established in a por-tion of their range. Fisher managementlargely is dependent on biological informa-tion gathered from fisher taken during opentrapping seasons and this information wasneeded to determine the success of theCatskill fisher program. From 1985 to1987, 19 fisher were taken by licensed trap-pers. Mandatory carcass examinations wereconducted by our biologists. All but one ofthe 19 fisher were progeny from the origi-nal releases, and almost all of them weretaken incidental to other land trapping ac-tivities. As a result of the information gath-ered from cooperating trappers, annualtrapping seasons were established in thoseCatskill units where fisher are present.

Only a limited number of fisher have

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

were way down, and the fur began to beout of fashion. By the late 1970s, over 1000were being harvested in New York annu-ally (a total of over 15,000 were taken inall of North America.) The increasing num-bers probably resulted from the return ofwoodlands on abandoned farmland. Thefisher's habitat area grew from theAdirondacks to the Catskills and other for-ested areas of our state.

The fisher is an active and energetichunter, whose range may be as large astwenty miles. Fisher young live with theirmother from about March to November, ina den in a rock crevice or tree cavity.

The fisher has eating habits that make itinteresting to tree farmers. It eats carrion,fruit, rodents, snakes, frogs, and succulentvegetation, but it is one of the only animalsthat eats porcupine. Porcupines are enemiesof the tree farmer, because they girdle treeswithout any regard to their market value.They are also difficult to control-havinga natural enemy living nearby, who likesto eat the pests, is an asset. If you happento find scat on your property that has por-cupine quills in it, you probably have fishercats in residence. And if you happen to seea fisher, tell him to stick around, and eat

I tyl &pen . ~

Lexy Nichols is the teenage daughter ofElizabeth Nichols, Newsletter Editor forNYFOA 's Lower Hudson Chapter

been taken in recent years. As a result of adepressed fur market, trapper participation,especially for land set species, has declined.Two cases of canine distemper have beendocumented in juvenile fisher. This diseasebecame prevalent in raccoons in the 1980' sand may have had an impact on fisher sincefisher often eat raccoons. However, deersurvey crews recently observed a strongfisher presence in much of the High Peaksregion of the Catskills. That fisher now arepresent in southeastern New York is testi-mony to the excellent results that can beattained through the joint efforts of the

Department and licensed fur trappers. A

Excerpted From Furbearer ManagementNewsletter, Fall 1992, Bureau of Wildlife,Wildlife Resources Center, Delmar, NY12054 and first published in the FORESTOWNER Jan/Feb 1993.

MAY/JUNE 1999· 7

The Benefits of Forestry Add Value to Your WoodlotBy Peter J. Smallidge

We all hear how much busier weare currently than in years goneby, so how can you justify the

time and energy required to deliberatelymanage your forest or woodlot. Quite sim-ply, deliberate forest management, versusopportunistic forestry, will increase thebenefits and enjoyment you receive fromyour forest or woodlot.

There are numerous benefits associatedwith deliberately managing your forest, butthey can be lumped into a few groups thatinclude increased revenue and reducedcosts, greater recreational opportunities,better control over environmental and for-est quality, and improved wildlife habitat.Because you plan for these benefits, knowwhen and where they will arrive, and inwhat quantity, you are able to take advan-tage of the opportunities they provide. Also,deliberate forest management provides ben-efits to your community, such as good wa-ter quality, forest cover for wildlife, and asupply of high quality sawtimber. You willwant to discuss your desired benefits witha Master Forest Owner volunteer, and worktowards them with a professional foresterfrom the DEC or a private consulting for-ester. Here I give a glimpse of what youmight expect.

INCREASE REVENUE AND REDUCECOSTS

Quite often the activities that occur inwoodlots are driven by economic consid-erations. While there is nothing inherentlywrong with this, you as a forest owner willwant to consider all your options. A timberharvest can provide you with a great dealof money. By carefully selecting and thenworking with a professional forester, youwill know the market value of your timber,gauge the seasonal fluctuations of marketprices, remove trees that improve the long-term quality of the forest, and select a cer-tified logger, all of which increases yourshort and long term revenues. Without plan-ning for a harvest, you might respond to anopportunity to sell timber, yet you prob-ably don't know the current market valueof the trees or how to arrange the sale con-tract with the certified logger to ensure thelong-term productivity of your forest.

Deliberate forest management can alsoreduce the costs of doing business. Theplanning and inspection of your forestedproperty is an example. During the plan-ning and inspection stage, you will un-doubtedly have the opportunity to walk the


boundaries of your property. Make certainyour property lines are clearly marked tohelp prevent the accidental removal oftim-ber during a timber sale on the adjacentproperty. And in the event the removal isnot accidental, but rather timber theft, themarked property lines will help establishthe validity of your claims. Timber theft isa cost you probably want to reduce.

RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIESAside from the "in your pocket" values

and benefits such as timber harvesting andreducing costs, there are numerous othervalues or amenities available from your for-est. While these might not help you payyour taxes, they make that burden easierbecause of your fond forest memories. Rec-reation is one of these amenities, and a pri-mary reason many people own forests. Ac-cess is an important part of recreation. Be-cause of the long history of land use in NewYork (for agriculture and forestry), theremay already be access roads on your prop-erty. However, inspect the roads to seewhere they take you and their condition.For example, old farm roads may connectformer fields together, but may not take youto your favorite bird watching location, pro-vide a long enough cross country ski trail,or take you to your deer stand. Alterna-tively, your access roads may have regrownwith trees. In either case, you can work withyour professional forester to plan and lay-out access to your property. Road costs varywith terrain and length, but much of thecosts may be offset if you coordinate roadbuilding with a timber harvest. Make cer-tain your forester knows of your recre-ational interests to design the road systemfor ease of use and subsequent mainte-nance.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND FORESTQUALITY

The art and science of growing trees andmanaging forests is by nature (no pun in-tended) a long-term commitment. Forestmanagement is also somewhat utilitarian,providing goods and services we all dependon for our survival and comfort, but neces-sarily assumes that utilization does not re-duce the land's long-term productivity.Deliberate forest management helps ensurethe sustainability of future benefits fromforests, and the quality of the forest envi-ronment. With the New York landscapedominated by forest cover, many forestedwatersheds provide water to our cities andto other states. Deliberately planning for

NYFOA· 1·800·836·3566· INFO

the continued maintenance of water qual-ity while enjoying numerous other benefitsis one example of the compatibility offor-est use and sustainability.

The quality of the forest, particularly fol-lowing a timber harvest, is an importantconsideration of deliberate forestry. Thisconsideration includes the quality of theroad system and minimizing damage to thetrees you hope to harvest in the future (thisis the residual stand) including tree seed-lings that were planted or naturally estab-lished. Certainly your forest will look dif-ferent following a harvest, but deliberateplanning with your forester to select askilled and trained logger will increase thelong-term benefits you receive and addvalue to your forest.

IMPROVED WILDLIFE HABITATDeliberately managing forests or wood-

lots for wildlife is one of the most com-mon owner objectives, and is particularlygratifying because a little work can producegreat benefits. Wildlife require food, cover,water, and space (collectively known ashabitat), with different species of wildliferequiring different amounts and types ofhabitat. Everything you do (and don't do)impacts wildlife habitat. The potential wild-life benefits you receive will be greater ifyou and your forester plan for wildlife habi-tat based on what is currently available inyour woodlot and in all the woodlots inyour region. For example, ruffed grouseand chestnut-sided warblers will respondfavorably to recent clear cuts in yourwoodlot, whereas barred owls and pileatedwoodpeckers will respond favorably tolarge areas that retain some large maturetrees. If the woodlots and forests in yourregion are mostly mature, you may wantto increase the amount of young forest onyour property and discuss this strategy withyour neighbors. Also, if you have a streamin your region, you and your neighbors maywant to maintain extra forest cover on bothstream sides to maintain water quality andprovide a forested corridor that some wild-life species need for traveling.

The opportunity for benefits and in-creased value of your forest are numerous.Careful and deliberate planning and man-agement will cushion your wallet and in-crease your pleasures now and in the fu-ture.Dr. Smallidge is the State Extension Forester,

Cornell University. This article and others areavailable from Cornell Cooperative News Ser-

vice (the series, Forests For Tomorrow)

MAY/JUNE 1999

Sustain, Sustainable, SustainedBy Jim Coufal

Looking for a nice, precise definitionof sustainable forestry? If you thinkyou're going to get foresters or for-

estry to give you one, don't! Scientists andmanagers have cultures that make quickagreement on anything rare, a feature thatkeeps science from contributing as muchas it could to policy and practice.

So what does this lack of definition meanto you who own and manage woodlots?The same thing it means to federal, state,and industrial forest owners; we muddlethrough in face of uncertainty and risk, ina twisted web of definitions, science,policy, management, and practice. What'sneat, I think, is that for most New YorkForest Owners Association members, thismeans continuing the kinds of sound prac-tices you have been doing while keepingalert to changes in science, economics, eth-ics and the other areas considered in mak-ing management decisions.

Foresters often ask, "How can we prac-tice sustainable forestry if we can't defineit? Ifwe don't know what it is we want tosustain?" Excuse me, but me thinks we dothprotest too much! We haven't agreed onwhat "multiple use" is, yet we have prac-ticed it, or tried to, for the life of forestry.So what makes sustainable forestry differ-ent? It's (thought to be) new, and abuzzword in a time of many busy buzzers.Also, change just ain't easy to make, espe-cially when environmentalists are oftenproponents of such change. Nothing fos-ters the closing of ranks around traditionmore than an intransigent "foe" rising ininfluence.

What is sustainable forestry? I'll startwith an old standard - the dictionary, andan old edition at that. Webster says the fol-lowing:

Sustain - supply with food and drink, orthe necessaries of life

Sustainable - Capable of being sustainedSustained - Kept up without intermis-

sion or flagging

Seems pretty simple. Sustainable forestryis going to supply us with the necessariesof life, and do so without interruptions overtime. The necessaries of life are many:wood, water, fish and wildlife, recreation,aesthetics, spiritual fulfillment, and others.A problem is that foresters have tended to


focus on wood, wildlifers on game, hy-drologists on water, and so on, whilenon-industrial private forest landownershave often been more concerned with theforest in its totality. The professionals aren'tto be "blamed;"-that's how they weretaught, that's how their organizations arestructured, and that's often how the rewardsystem works. Landowners like NYFOAmembers have, in other words, been lead-ers in sustaining forests.

Forestry has always beenconcerned with the

long-term, but we may haveto extend that

view ... perhaps it means"seven generations ... "

Professionals and landowners have longrecognized that while a forest has to be ca-pable of beng sustained, every acre is notequal to every other acre. Unfortunately,some environmentalist groups and mostlegislators think one-size-fits-all regula-tions should pertain equally to unequalland. What each acre is capable of sustain-ing depends not only on the landowner'sand society's objectives, but also on the ca-pability of the land.

If sustainable forestry is the act of man-aging forests to provide the necessaries oflife, we must first have sustainable forests.Bottom line, nothing has changed' The onlyway we'll have sustainable forests and for-estry is to protect, maintain, and enhancethe soil, water, air, and gene pool; or, putmore directly, the fertility of and diversityon the land. These are the basics.

The German forester Cotta said, "With-out utilization, the forest soil improves con-stantly, if used in orderly manner it remainsin a natural equilibiium; if used faultily itbecomes poorer. The good forester takesthe highest yield from the forest withoutdeteriorating the soil, the poor one neitherobtains this yield nor preserves the fertilityofthe soil." He said it in 1817! Our under-standing of science and equilibrium haschanged, but the need for sustaining fertil-ity has not.

So what is new about sustainable for-estry? A few suggestions:

Forestry has always been concerned withthe long-term, but we may have to extendthat view. Perhaps this means 120 years in-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

stead of 80; perhaps it means "seven gen-erations," perhaps it means lighter timberharvests or more deer harvests. It certainlymeans an even greater faith that what wedo today impacts our great, great grand-children in very important ways.

Forestry has been concerned with trees,stands, and individual forest properties. Wemay have to think just a little less rigidly interms of private property rights. In draw-ing up a forest management plan, this mightmean adapting to what is going to happenon the neighbor's property, in the locality,in the region- a landscape level. More co-operation, such as a single forestry consult-ant coordinating the activities on severallocal properties and using creative market-ing strategies, is an example.

As always, adapt management practicesto new science, in this case, the emergingecological understanding of how forestswork. This could mean practices that evenmore closely mimic natural disturbance re-gimes and patterns than those traditionallyused. This does not mean doing away withclearcuts or plantations! It does mean be-ing sure that any practice is ecologically,as well as financially, right.

I have no fear of NYFOA members aspractitioners of sustainable forestry. Longago, Aldo Leopold wrote, "As a land-userthinketh, so is he." NYFOA membersthinketh as land stewards. They might nothave the science of professional forestry,but they have a sense of place that is theessence of "ownership."

I do have reservations about the great ma-jority of non-industrial private forest land-owners who do not know what forestry orforesters are, and who, in their lack ofknowledge, thinketh too much ofshort-term expediency. In the big pictureof sustainable forests and forestry, theyneed to be reached so that even if they don'ttake positive steps, they at least follow thegreat sustainability principle of "First, dono harm."

To paraphrase Aldo Leopold, sustainableforestry is not ajob of building definitionsand models to apply rigidly to the land, butof building receptivity into the human

mind. AJim Coufal is the recently-retired Chair ofthe Faculty at SUNY College of Environ-mental Science and Forestry and afrequentcontributor to the NY FOREST OWNER.

MAY/JUNE 1999 • 9

Bruce E.Robinson,

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SPRING "HOT SPOTS"-Trailing Arbutus

By Irene Szabo

Trailing arbutus is a plant I was ex-cited to learn to recognize only afew years ago because it was one of

those things Grandpa kept promising he'dtake me to see someday in the south Jerseywoods, citing it with big eyes and whis-pered excitement like it was the holiest ofrare plants and worthy of MajorExpotitionary (Pooh language) Forces .

He never did. But the dramatic accretionof childhood recollections still lends excite-ment every time I chance upon it, an ex-citement barely deserved by such an unas-suming and modest little Victorian of aspring flower. It has flat ground-huggingoval evergreen leaves, leathery, slightlyshiny, from 2-4" in length. That's it, mostof the year. In late April or sooner, depend-ing on elevation, it puts out tiny whitish 3/8" long bells streaked with faint pink.That's it for spring bloom bombast. Bigdeal, eh?

However, trailing arbutus is a specialist,and doesn't grow just anywhere, so a bodymight as well rejoice when a lot of it canbe found. It can most readily be found alongthe bulldozed banks of woods roads thatmay be only twenty or thirty years old, pos-sibly because it favors well-drained soil,nothing mucky, and a little more light thanis afforded by most forested sites. I've seenit most often in predominately oak woods,especially under chestnut oaks, and theseare often logical candidates for periodiclogging. For instance, the DEC dirt roadsthat lace Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Manage-ment Area in southern Livingston andnorthern Allegany Counties have bankededges just crawling with arbutus.

"Granma's Camp," Bristol Hills Branchof the Finger Lakes Trail (Map B3), in Pig-

Irene points to a large clump of arbutus.

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

tail Hollow State Forest northwest ofHammondsport, is an odd semi-openmea d 0 w within forest, andused to have fabulousspread of ar-the open

until one

tunneledthe

deep snow and dined formonths on the little evergreen

arbutus leaves. Now it's a scat-tered and puny patch.

Then this last fall I walked yet again theBristol Hills Branch Trail portion throughBoy Scout Camp Cutler northeast of Naplesin Ontario County (FL T's Map Bl). Neverbefore had I noticed so many locations oftrailing arbutus, admittedly small-leavedand patchy but frequent, right along theedge of the trail on a long stretch follow-ing the top edge of a hill thaf drops off dra-matically to the east Just beyond the path.Here the woods have many chestnut oaks,and have been spot-logged within the last10 or 12 years, admitting extra sunlight aswell-remembered early 1990s raspberryprickers attested. The trail had left the duglogging roads at this point, but this skinnyfootpath is so heavily used that the westside is becoming a slight "bank" andthereby afforded a foothold for new patchesof arbutus.

At least, I think they're new. AdmittedlyI didn't know arbutus from a left claviclelast time I walked here, but the manypatches do seem young, with small leaves.

I learned only recently that when mymother had to move us out to New Mexicowhere Sergeant Daddy was stationed next,Grandpa mailed her a shoebox with nestledtrailing arbutus in damp newspaper inside.

Jj.In addition to tending trails, Irene is a mem-ber ofNYFOA 's WFL Chapter.

MAY/JUNE 1999

http://www.fountainforestry.com

A Timber Sale Turned SourBy Andrew J. Wiencek

Iwould like to share my story of a re-cent timber sale with other landowners.I hope that others can learn from my

mistakes. In July of 1994 I bought a pieceof property. To help pay for the property, Iintended to sell the timber. The real estateagent that I was working with suggestedthe name of a "qualified timber buyer."

The timber buyer (buyer #1) soon con-tacted me and made arrangements to walkmy property. He showed up with a for-ester from an out-of-state lumber company.The three of us took a walk and buyer # 1offered 'me $30,000 for the trees. I'm surethat they took previous walks on my prop-erty to determine the value. I questionedthem because the price did seem low.Buyer #1 said that the trees were old andpast their prime value because it had notbeen logged for over 30 years. I am a trust-ing person and relied on the two of them asexperts in their field.

The next day, buyer #1 brought in whathe called a "standard contract." He orallystated that around 900 trees qualified forthe sale and that he was going to take treesthat were 16"-diameter, one foot aboveground level. I asked him to send me aletter stating that the trees to be cut had afair market value to the buyer of $30,000and he agreed to send that letter. I also hadbuyer # 1 add to the contract to mark myboundaries before any cutting was done,to skid 40 tree tops to my cabin for fire-wood, and to smooth all skid trails after cut-ting and skidding was done. I signed thecontract and buyer # 1 paid me in full bythe end of August 1994.

During the next two years I was told thattimber prices were down and that buyer # 1needed an extension on the contract. Iagreed and asked him for added monies toextend the contract. He said that this wasnot an accepted practice, but did pay me$2000 for a two-year extension. He didnot mention that the trees that were 14 to15 inches in diameter (12" above groundlevel) in 1994 would now qualify for thesale.

Finally in July of 1998 I received a callfrom the out-of-state forester (buyer #2) tosay that he was going to start cutting mytrees the following Monday. I was upsetthat buyer #1 never called me to say thathe sold my contract. I asked for a copy ofthe contract between buyer # 1 and buyer#2, but I never got that nor my letter as tothe fair market value of these trees in thecontract that I signed in 1994.


As he began a trail into my woodlot, Iquestioned buyer #2 why he didn't comein on the back side of my property where80% ofthe trees were and near a road thatcould be used to haul out the cut trees. Hesaid that he fought with my neighbor manyyears ago and did not want to go throughthat again. So many young trees werepushed aside to allow a road to go back 1/4 mile to a landing. He also told me thathe owned the contract and was running thissale now. He did not want me in the woodsat all. He was very cold and uncoopera-tive with me - the landowner! This wasthe first bad experience that I had withbuyer #2.

In the next four to five weeks buyer #2told me that about 900 trees were cut thataveraged 16 - 20 inches (12" above groundlevel). He took the best trees of course andleft other trees that were of zero value al-though they were 16" or more. He did notappear to care about the residual growth,although the contract stated that minimumdamage be done to the residual growth.

The cutting was finished about August18 and I had hoped that all main trails couldbe smooth before the 22nd of August whenthe contract ended. Buyer #2 said that heneeded time to get a bulldozer operatorback into the woods to get the skid trailssmooth again. It took several calls to buyer#2 to get a bulldozer operator to go overthe main trails and set up water bars. Theday after the job was finished, I called himback to say that many areas were still veryrough. There was no way that I could takemy ATV or tractor into the woods to getfirewood without getting stuck in the mud.Buyer #2 came back to look at the job andwas satisfied with the work that was doneand left. I called the owner of the out-of-state lumber company and complained thatthere were still many trails that were roughwith standing water on them. The ownerdid make his buyer come back to correctthe roads. The buyer and the bulldozeroperator spent 55 minutes in the woods butthere was still work left to be done. Ishowed him all the areas that still neededto be cleaned up but he said that he wasfinished with me and told the bulldozeroperator to leave. I was very upset andcalled the owner to say that his buyer didnot do all the work. He told me to writehim a letter about what needed to be done.Then I would need to sign a release formrelieving his company, buyer #2 and buyer# I of any and all claims. I met buyer #2 ata gas station to sign the release form but

NYFOA· 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

decided that I should take this to my attor-ney first. Buyer #2 took back the releaseform and left, upset that I would not sign itwithout my lawyer seeing it.

At this point I called an independentconsulting forester to look at mywoodlot to see if the cutting had

been done according to the contract. Hesuggested that I contact a lawyer regard-ing the contract and gave me an analysisof what the cleanup should have been. Heestimated that four more hours of bulldozerwork were needed to increase water drain-age. Regarding the timber harvest he saidthat the radical removal of all better qual-ity, dominant crown trees, in one harvest,would result in significant stress placed onthe remaining trees. The consultant for-ester estimated the value of trees harvestedwas between $65,000 and $95,000 basedon 1998 timber sale prices.

The owner of the timber company sentme a letter stating that he would give metwo more hours of bulldozer time to finishthe work and that buyer #2 would not bepresent. I would have to sign a release formand he would not forward any paperworkregarding the number or species and boardfeet cut. I have already incurred over $800in legal costs, and if warranted, $1500 toget a legal appraisal of the harvest. Myattorney would want $5000 up front whenand if this gets to court.

I feel that little concern was given to theresidual growth or that proper harvestingpractices were followed. I was taken bypeople that I trusted and the long-termgrowth, regeneration, and health of mywoodlot were not considered. This socalled "sweet deal" has turned sour indeed.All landowners who have trees to be har-vested should pay a consultant forester toset up the contract, mark the trees to be cutand supervise the harvest. You need tocontact at least five buyers, then pick theone that will meet your specifications. Getsealed bids, determining the highest bid-der, get paid in advance and get a $10,000bond that insures that the clean up is doneto the landowner's satisfaction, not thebuyer's. Timber buyers need to work co-operatively with landowners. Let your at-torney see the contract before you sign it.No one should go through what I have gonethrough these last seven months. Thereshould be fairness in every business deal.I do plan on sponsoring a woodswalk onthis property later this spring so that otherscan learn from my mistakes. .Ii.

MAY/JUNE 1999 • 11

agement subsidies to private landownerswith a choice from ten practices, requiresupervision and administration by state ser-vice foresters. Hence, opposition by theprivate sector.

It is worthwhile to note that most timberharvests of 10 to 20 acres do not have suf-ficient timber values, if done with cull re-movals, to justify the 10-15% charged byconsultants, unless they "take the best andleave the rest."

An effort to make a token inspection bystate service foresters of private propertyenrolled in 480 & 480a was implementedin 19955

• Finally and most recently, a DECpolicy barring service foresters from mark-ing timber for sale on private property (ex-cept a one acre plot for demonstration pur-poses) was promulgated!

The only thing remaining is hiring Co-operating Consultant Foresters to marksales on State Forests (or not have any.)

I NY FOREST OWNER; Jan/Feb'99, 15

2 NY FOREST OWNER; May/Jun"95, 15

3 NY FOREST OWNER; JuIlAug'94, 11

4 NY FOREST OWNER; Mar/Apr'95, 11

5 NY FOREST OWNER; Nov/Dec'95, 11 A

Editorial-PRIVATIZING NY FORESTRYBy Dick Fox

For some twenty years the State of NewYork has pursued a policy that effectivelydecreases the role of the state in the man-agement of forest land, both private andpublic for wood products.

Recommending Cooperating ConsultantForesters instead of providing NYS DECService Foresters is the cornerstone withwhich this policy began. Despite reportswhich have clearly shown this policy tohave serious flaws, there continue to beadditions which encourage the trend.

Under the current administration, the Di-vision of Lands & Forests has been allowedto lose both personnel and vehicles result-ing in a loss of morale and capabilities (Seeletter to Friends of the Forest.) A recentchange', lobbied for by industry, added In-dustrial Foresters to the list of CooperatingConsultant Foresters, apparently removingthe need for competitive bidding.

Studies done in other states, notablyPennsylvania', have shown that all too of-ten the Consultant Foresters do very littlesilviculture, use diameter-limit marking, areprimarily brokering timber, and claim that

they serve the goals of the owners.Since most high-bidding production

mills are not interested in low grade, theymay not even bid on jobs with marked cullsand in any event will bid less. The Con-sultant Forester (and the logger) workingon commission is assured less money formuch more work and time, if culls aremarked and required to be cut and treated.

The New York Section of the Society ofAmerican Foresters formed an eleven-member committee to survey cutting prac-tices on private lands which were broke redor harvested with the services of Consult-ant Foresters. This survey was started fivejffilScgY, is as yet unpublished, and wasto be done with volunteers who were dis-couraged from completing the sampledacreage. Preliminary results were not prom-ising.

The popular federal cost-sharing pro-gram, Stewardship Incentive Program (SIP)was not funded in 19994 due in part to thelobbying efforts opposing it by the Asso-ciation of Consulting Foresters of America.These federal funds, which offered man-

Dear Friends of the Forest:I have deliberated long and hard about

the contents of this message. We are in themidst of a long running crises in the busi-ness of service forestry in the State ofN ewYork.

Since 1971, the Cooperative Forest Man-agement Program (CFM) has been at riskofterrnination on a periodic basis. This isthe program that since 1947 has renderedassistance to the private owners of the stateof New York, This program has benefitedmany of your woodlots with federalcost-sharing for tree planting, thinning andother related activities. I will not go intoall the benefits ofthe program for the land-owner, and the environment, since most ofyou are well aware of it.

If the program has such merits, whywould it be downsized or eliminated? Quitesimply, it is a well kept secret. The staff ofthe DEC forestry unit have been quite busyanswering requests that we have not donea very good job "tooting our horn." Thelandowners we assist assume that since weare government servants, that we will al-ways be there and the programs we admin-ister will likewise be there. Last year wesaw our SIP moneys evaporate. This yearwe are seeing field staff do likewise.Allegany County lost Paul Kretser to re-


tirement with no replacement. The Bathoffice lost Dan Parrent with no replace-ment. This scenario is going on through-out the state. We are no longer threatenedwith layoffs, but instead we are dying byattrition. It is not happening because theprogram has little value. It is because fewpeople know the benefits of the program.

Most importantly, The state legislatorsshould be made aware of the benefits ofprograms to their voting constituency. Be-lieve me, if the senators and assemblymendo not hear anything about this, this pro-gram is history. The same scenario is truefor the federal cost-sharing programs suchas the Stewardship Incentives Program(SIP) and the Forestry Incentives Program(FIP). If the federal congressmen do nothear good things about these and similarprograms, they will not be funded. We sawthe SIP Program zeroed out this past yearand FIP was greatly reduced. The bulk ofthe FIP moneys went to the New York CityWatershed. Why? It went there becausethere was a strong voice that went to thelegislators for a need of funding in that area.

I'm not sure what the benefit would betoday with a campaign ofletters to the stateand federal legislators who fund these pro-grams, but it surely couldn't hurt. It might

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

also be beneficial to contact the Commis-sioner of DEC and the Secretary of Agri-culture. These last two individuals actuallysend proposals for funding of various pro-grams to the state legislature and the U. S.Congress. They do this via the proposedbudgets. If items are not deemed impor-tant they are not proposed or given a lowpriority. I am telling you folks that if nonoise is made the newest buzz phrase inforestry will be "N ew York forestry, It wasFun While it Lasted."

Some of you folks know who I am andfor you who don't, I will introduce myself.My name is Billy Morris. I am a 29 yearcareer forester with DEe. You may thinkmy motive is job security. I would be lyingif I said that wasn't part of it. But, that is asmall part of it. My career is about over ifthis letter doesn't finish it! I am sincerelyconcerned that the unbiased informationand services rendered to the public by ser-vice foresters will be lost. The availabilitywill be limited to a certain extent to theowner's ability to pay. Maybe it is time toput this program to rest. If you think so, donothing. If you don't, you had best makesome noise to Albany and Washington,

NOW·A-Billy Morris, Bath

MAY/JUNE 1999

LETTERS .Southeastern Adirondack Chapter

The SAC Chapter awarded the Ken BandelLogger Award to G. Robert Baker of Moreaufor 1998. This award is given to a logger whoexemplifies superlative qualities as a loggerand high ethical conduct with landowners.

What are your trees worth?While managing our timberland for over

25 years, we have done TSI on all of theproperty, except for one 5-acre area. Thatparcel borders a neighbor and is so steepthat originally we considered it was toodangerous to work there. Recently ourneighbor offered to buy this land for anamount considerably greater than the usualrate for property in our area. Since we hadnot looked at this area for years, we did soand found mature trees including sugarmaple and cherry. Our forester agreed theseshould be harvested and after selecting andmarking trees we solicited bids.

For those who have not had a timber salewe found the bidding process very inter-esting. We wrote our own contract and re-quest for bids based on samples obtainedfrom the DEC. The proposal was sent toboth local loggers and industrial timberbuyers. Five buyers came to see the treesthat had been marked; local loggers wantedto make a down payment and pay a per-centage of the amount received after sell-ing the timber. This was contrary to the pro-visions in the contract requiring paymenton acceptance of a bid. Neither mentionedthat their bid would have meant our amountreceived would have been treated as in-come rather than capital gain, nor that thiswould have estabilished an employer/em-ployee relationship with workmans' com-pensation our responsibility. One of the in-dustrial foresters who did not bid made aninteresting comment "there's a lot of goodtrees that were not marked." The final re-sult was to accept the bid by an industrialforester with both a security bond and foran amount twice what we had been offeredfor the land.

We feel this is a great example of havingyour cake and eating it too, since we nowhave money in the bank, still have the landand "all the good trees that were notmarked." We learned that as part offorestmanagement, it will pay to know the valueof your trees and how to harvest and mar-ket them. -A Happy Member


Hi\LE FORESTR\' COl\lP:-\N\'610 East l\·lain Street, \V('stficld, PA 169~0

Professional Forestry ConsultingForest Resource Management Services

TIOGA CHAPTER PLANS

The meeting was attended by: (from left toright, standing) Don Schaufler, Peter Leva-tic h, Tim Levatich; (seated) PeterSmallidge, Bob 0 'Brien and DawnLevatich.

Program planning was the main businessat the Tioga Chapter steering committeemeeting held on February 19. Woodswalks, family forest events and field dem-onstrations will be held for the Chaptermembers in 1999. Forest Owners inSchuyler, Chemung, Tioga and TompkinsCounties will have an opportunity to learnabout and enjoy new aspects oftheir boun-tiful forest environment. Notices and sched-ules will be sent out soon in the comingwarmer days of spring.

NYFOA LOSES A FRIENDLong-time member, tour participantand friend ofNYFOA, Harold W.Kollmeyer, died January 13, 1999.

MOSQUITO MURDERThis summer we discovered why our 232

acre farm had very few mosquitos despitefour ponds and a large stream. We havethousands of small creek chubs living inthe waters. In the ponds they grow to abouttwo pounds and 12 inches and are good toeat. Apparantly the fish consume greatquantities of mosquito larvae. We expectto work with Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion, NYS DEC and area schools to fur-ther the use of these fish to control mos-quito populations. For more information:Roger & Sarah Gregoire, 3010 County Rte71, Jasper, NY 14855; 607-792-3884.

FOREST PROPERTY & TAXESIn the Marl April issue of the FOREST

OWNER the article "NY City Likes For-estry" the standing committee on taxationproposes a refundable state income taxcredit of 80% of the school tax paid onqualifying undeveloped forest land if atleast 25 acres, 10% of which may be openland.

This might work with Christmas trees butthey are already considered as farm income.How will this help owners of small acre-ages of forest land who must pay schooltaxes every year regardless of income?

Political candidates are constantly quotedas supporting conservation and environ-mental protection efforts. But the need topreserve privately owned open space isconstantly ignored by the state legislature.

-John Geisler, Verbank

.1

Society of American Foresters - Pennsylvania Forestry Association

Forester - Member NY Forest Owners Association

MAY/JUNE 1999· 13

TIMBER SALES APPRAISALS

MANAGEMENT PLANS INVENTORIES

MICHAEL L. HALE JOSEPH R. MAHONEY

Toll Free (877)-HALEFOR or (814)367-5915e-mail: [email protected]

Fax (814) 367-5919

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

mailto:[email protected]

The TREE FARM PROGRAM, A NATIONAL UPDATEBy Rod Jones, Tree Farm National Operating Committee, 1997-1998

Eehad the great honor of being ap- promote the Tree Farm sign and the mes-

ointed to the National Operating Com- sage behind the sign. Nationally they haveitteefor the American Tree Farm Sys- raised $57,805.00 from this campaign. A

tem for 1997-1998. My term expires this public service announcement of Andyyear and I'll miss the group. I've been in- McDowell regarding the importance ofvolved with the Tree Farm program since Tree Farming has been played across thethe early 1980s and I know a lot of you are country, including New York. The nationalnot aware of the impact that Tree Farm staff is pursuing another PSA featuringmakes, some even think that it's quite a Chuck Leavell."Mickey Mouse" operation. I won't be able A new quarterly newsletter has been de-to tell you in this brief article about all the vel oped called "Sightl.ine" and it is beingthings that the Tree Farm program does na- mailed to all Tree Farm inspectors acrosstionally. But to keep you posted on some the country.of the more recent events that have taken Another newsletter designed similarly toplace, I hope to be able to encourage you the Kiplinger Report called Tree Farm Sys-in your participation in the Tree Farm pro- tem Notes is an occasional newsletter whichgram and get some others to help us in our is being sent to selective forestry leader-volunteer efforts. ship.

Over the last couple of years the focus at A media training workshop which is de-the national level has been to investigate signed to help people explain forestry mat-the certification process of Tree Farms to ters to the media is being held across themake sure that it meets professional stan- country. We in New York will be havingdards for the industry, develop guidelines one at the winter SAF meeting. There is afor who is eligible to be called an inspec- national Tree Farm website that is currentlytor, and who is eligible to reinspect Tree being updated and changed. They have theFarms to maintain their certification. Re- ability to track the hits and they are sub-cently, the Task Group's recommendations stantial. The Tree Farm website is:for inspectors is to have a minimum of a www.treefarmsystem.orgBachelor of Science degree from an SAF A few years back they started an annualaccredited college, or a two-year Forestry national Tree Farmer Convention. This yearTechnician's degree from an SAF accred- it is going to be held in Savannah, Geor-ited college working under the supervision gia. Registrations have run somewhere be-of a qualified forester, or anyone profes- tween 300-500 annually.sionally practicing forestry and meeting There is a substantial number of peopleeducational requirements for which there requesting a Tree Farm postage stamp. Theis a lengthy list. U S Post Office is currently working with

Nationally, the Tree Farm System will other members of the National Operatingbe developing an aggressive recruiting pro- Committee in developing this stamp.gram directed at the thousands of profes- you are all familiar with the Na-sionally qualified foresters not now actively tional Outstanding Tree Farmer ofparticipating in the Tree Farm program. the Year contest which always re-There will be an inspector training program ceives national media attention with thethat all inspectors must take in order to President being involved along with manybecome a Certified Tree Farm Inspector. members of Congress. Last year's National

Nationally, Trout Unlimited and the Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year is Dr.American Tree Farm System have Ferrar Howard and this year's Nationalpartnered to put together projects that Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year iswould promote good forest management George & Joan Freeman of Knox, Penn-

along trout streams to assist in teaching the sylvania.public about the benefits offorest manage- There is also a National Inspecting For-

ester of the Year of which Dick Rommel isment and the enhancement or maintenanceof trout habitat. New York State was cho-sen as the first Shared Streams program atthe John A. Lennox Memorial Forest inDelancey, NY.

A national campaign called "Behind theSign" has been started for a fund raising to


the past winner. This year the winner isJohn O'Brien from New Hampshire.

Currently, there is underway a proposi-tion to change disaster treatment of forestryrelated matters under IRS rulings.

One of the most valuable parts of the Tree

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Farm Program is the Tree Farmer maga-zine. They print six annually with theschedule for 1999 being the January/Feb-ruary magazine featuring the Tree Farmerand Inspecting Forester of the Year, theMarch! April magazine features wildlife, theMay/June magazine features fire, the July/August magazine features wildlife and rec-reation, the September/October magazinefeatures resource organizations, and theNovember/December magazine featurestaxes. The American Forest Foundation hasreceived $58,000 in subscriptions this year.A newly certified Tree Farmer receives hisfirst year subscription free. After that, hereceives one magazine annually free un-less he subscribes.

Further, the Sustainable Forestry Initia-tive and Tree Farm share many of the samegoals nationally and on a state-wide basis.SFI has issued a resolution endorsing theTree Farm program while the Tree Farm.program has also endorsed SF!. Here inNew York, SFI endorsed the Tree Farmprogram long before the National Operat-ing Committee did while the Tree Farmprogram also has endorsed the New YorkState SF!.

You have also all seen Tree Farm hatsand logo items, They continue to be asource of promotion for the Tree Farm pro-gram and are currently undergoing changesof new items and new styles. These itemsare advertised in the magazine or you cancontact the national office for a list ofprices.

With the media attention on "green cer-tification" the Tree Farm program will bea valuable program that would make thecertification process a friendly process thatwould also maintain quality forest manage-ment. The national program recognizes thisand has worked diligently in putting to-gether a certification process that would berecognized to meet landowners' needs andindustry's needs. Your support of this pro-gram is important and much appreciated.Ii

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NY FOREST OWNER 37:3 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1999· 15


Wildflowers can be true natives or intro-duced plants that have been naturalized forover two hundred years.

A small percentage of naturalized exoticplants become invasive. Invasive plants arethose that reproduce quickly, displacemany of the other species in their domain,and are difficult to eradicate.

Purple loosestrife in the northern US andkudzu in the southern states are classic ex-amples of invasive plants that profoundlyaffect the landscape. Invasiveness canrange from the minor nuisance of gardenplants, such as Lamb's ears, that tend toedge out their neighbors, to the other endof the spectrum, where the melaleuca treefrom Australia is literally drying outFlorida's marshes to meet its high waterrequirements. Melaleuca is an example ofan exotic species that is considered a seri-ous invader because it enters disturbedlands, colonizes them and changes the ecol-ogy of them in detrimental ways.

CHOOSING NATIVE VS. EXOTIC-FOR THE HOME LANDSCAPE

By Michelle Buckstrup & Nina Bassuk

Today gardeners enjoy an unprec-edented wealth of plants tochoose from in their quest for the

perfect landscape. Recently some garden-ers have chosen sides and expressed theopinion that native plants are better plants.In the sometimes heated discussion aboutnative plants in the landscape, it is impor-tant to define terms. The very definition ofwhat is "native" is elusive and is not al-ways agreed upon. What are the problemsand benefits associated with both nativeand exotic species?

What role should the site play in the de-cision about what to plant?

WHAT IS NATIVE?How long must a plant species have in-

habited a region in order for us to considerit native to that place - two hundred years,since colonization, since before agriculturebegan? For example, for those who con-sider two hundred years sufficient, QueenAnne's lace would be native - yet weknow from historical records that this planthas a European origin. We generally de-pend on local floras, inventories of the un-cultivated plant life of a given region, totell us which plants are native.

However, these inventories are some-times flawed and are subject to continualdebate. Only fossil records can prove thata plant evolved in a certain place, and eventhese can be misinterpreted. If we arbi-trarily pick a point in time and say "plants

Lily of theValley


in this place before this date are native,"we may not be acknowledging that for cen-turies, indigenous peoples, traders, explor-ers, and botanists have impacted regionalfloras with their activities.

Geopolitical and ecological boundariesalso playa role in defining native plants.To say a plant is "native to North America"or "native to New York State" implies thatit is suitable for growth throughout NorthAmerica or New York State, when in factit may only occur naturally in limited mi-croclimates or regions and thus only be suit-able for growth in equally limited landscapesituations. Ecotypes are plants of the samespecies that are found in different habitatsand have evolved specific adaptations totheir differing environments. Red maple, forexample, is native from Florida to Canada,but populations have adapted to dry or wetsites, cold or warm climates.

Although technically red maple is nativeto a large section of North America, seedharvested from one ecotype will not neces-sarily perform successfully in another sitebecause it is not adapted to the new site'sconditions. The greater the geographic areaof the species, the more opportunity thereis for variation. For example, even thoughred maple is native to both regions, a redmaple ecotype from the southeast US willbe ill-prepared for planting in the North-east because it has adapted to a climate andto site conditions that are utterly different.

WHAT IS EXOTIC?Exotic plants, also known as non-native,

introduced, or alien plants, are species thatoccur in cultivation or in the wild. Theseplants were transported across boundariesby people and their activities. According toThe Flora of North America, one-fifth toone-third of the plant species encounterednorth of Mexico have their origins in othercontinents. Many exotic plant introductions,such as lily-of-the-valley, daylilies, anddaffodils, have become naturalized, mean-ing that they have succeeded in reproduc-ing and spreading to a limited extent on theirown.

Unlike invasive plants, however, mostnaturalized plants are not a severe threat toother species or to an ecosystem. In fact,the ability to naturalize is often considereda desirable characteristic in horticulture.

NYFOA, 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

PLANT SELECTION-NATIVE OREXOTIC?

One ofthe main reasons people promotenative plants is to avoid the devastation thatinvasive plants may bring on the landscapeand forest. Exotic introductions that dobecome invasive, like kudzu, multiflorarose, and honeysuckle are a costly menacenearly impossible to control, much lesseradicate. Why do a small percentage ofplants exhibit invasive tendencies, while themajority of plant introductions are benignor beneficial? The answer lies in the com-bination of two factors: traits that invasiveplant species share and traits of the site thatmake it susceptible to invasion. No plant isinherently invasive under all circum-stances!

Although more often it is exotic intro-ductions that invade, native plants can alsobecome invasive pests. Native grape vineslike fox grape form suffocating thicketsover shrubs and rapidly climb trees, threat-ening to out-compete their hosts for light.Though native to eastern and central NorthAmerica, wild grape is an indisputable pest.Other native plants that are often invasiveinclude blackberries, poison ivy, wild on-ions and cattails. Just as with exotic intro-ductions, it's a small percentage of native

MAY/JUNE 1999

species that cause problems.Native plants have an important role to

'play in modem landscaping.Arguments that are made in favor ofna-

tive plants include lower maintenance, re-gional uniqueness, biological diversity, andwildlife habitat. One theory holds that na-tive plants are easier to care for becausethey have evolved in a place over manyyears, developing resistance to climatic ex-tremes, insect feeding, disease pathogensand other stresses of the local environmentthat a non-native might not be prepared for.

This may be true in some cases; how-ever, it's important to note that native plantsplaced under stressful conditions fare nobetter than exotic ones if the plant is notcarefully matched to the site.

Also, some exotic plants actually per-fonn better and require less maintenancebecause ofthe qualities they were selectedfor, and because their insect predators anddisease pathogens are frequently not im-ported with them.

Another factor to consider is the interac-tion of native plants with the "built," or

non-native environment. In an urban set-ting, for example, there is no planting sitethat approximates what would have beenthere prior to urbanization. The originallandscape in both cities and suburbs oftenhas been remade so completely that the mi-croclimate, soil type, soil hydrology, andinsect populations no longer are what theywere when the native plants of the areaevolved. To put a native tree, for example,on a median strip planting on a downtownstreet because it is native to the surround-ing countryside would be foolhardy unlessthe tree is known to tolerate the heat of theasphalt and car exhaust, the salt from thesnowplows, a limited root zone, intermit-tent flooding, and periodic drought.

NOT AN EITHER/OR PROPOSITIONIf native plants are used simply because

they are native, without proper regard tosite conditions, the results may be unsatis-factory. The most critical issue is not na-tive vs. exotic - it is appropriate vs. inap-propriate plant selection, given the con-straints and opportunities of the site inmind. The more closely a plant's charac-teristics match the site's, the better chancefor its survival and vigor. If a native plantmeets those requirements, by all means useit! While we can and should strive to useplants long found in our region, perhapsthe term native plants should be used withsome humility.

U sing diverse plantings will createbeauty and prevent the susceptibility to dis-ease that can come from large scale single-species plantings, avoiding disasters suchas that of the American elm in the mid-twentieth century.

In the quest for a diverse, healthy land-scape, which may be a mix of native andexotic species, references are available bothto help find the right plant and to avoid thetroublemakers. A little research before se-lecting plants can s<ive time, money, andaggravation.

271 County Road#9Chenango Forks,NY 13746

[email protected]

ROY D. HOPKECqnsulting Forester

Restore tile American Chestnut

AppraisalsTimber Sales

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Reference guides may warn that a plantis invasive under certain circumstances, butthey may not, and nursery catalogs fre-quently won't. Phrases like "a very vigor-ous grower" can be euphemisms for po-tential invasiveness. Treat such phrases asred flags! Be sure to look in more than oneplant reference to gather more than one per-spective on any species you have in mind,especially if you suspect it may be inva-sive. After invasive potential is ruled out,the physical limitations and possibilities ofthe site should be the first and most impor-tant consideration in the exciting processof selecting new plants for our landscapes.

/;;.Ifiii;;.

PREPARED BY: Michelle Buckstrup,Graduate Student, and Nina Bassuk; Pro-gram Leader, The Urban Horticulture In-stitute, Department of Floriculture and Or-namental Horticulture, Cornell University.

Lake GeorgeForestry

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• Timber Trespass• Timber Sales• Appraisals• Deed Research• Timber Inventory• Watershed Management• Boundary Line Location• Tax Savings PlansNo property is too small or too large tobenefit from experienced professional as-sistance when you are faced with impor-tant decisions regarding its use.

Contact Lake George Forestry todayto arrange a free initial consultation.

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MAY/JUNE 1999 • 17


RABIESWhat is rabies and how do

Rabies is an infectious viral diseaseaffects the nervous system of humans andother mammals. People get rabies from thebite of an animal with rabies (a rabid ani-mal). Any wild mammal, like a raccoon,skunk, fox, coyote, or bat, can have rabiesand transmit it to people. It is also possible,but quite rare, that people may get rabies ifinfectious material from a rabid animalsuch as saliva, gets directly into their eyes:nose, mouth, or a wound.

Because rabies is a fatal disease, the goalof public health is, first, to prevent humanexposure to rabies by education and, sec-

ond, to prevent the disease by anti-rabies

treatment if exposure occurs. Tens of thou-sands of people are successfully treatedeach year after being bitten by an animalthat may have rabies. A few people die ofrabies each year in the United States, usu-ally because they do not recognize the riskof rabies from the bite ofa wild animal anddo not seek medical advice.Why should I learn about bats and rabies?

Most ofthe recent human rabies cases inthe United States have been caused by ra-bies virus from bats. Awareness of the factsabout bats and rabies can help people pro-tect themselves, their families, and theirpets. This information may also help clearup misunderstandings about bats. Whenpeople think about bats, they often imag-ine things that are not true. Bats are notblind. They are neither rodents nor birds.They will not suck your blood-and mostdo not have rabies. Bats play key roles inecosystems around the globe, from rainforests to deserts, especially by eating in-sects, including agricultural pests. The bestprotection we can offer these unique mam-mals is to learn more about their habits andrecognize the value of living safely with

material (such as saliva) from a batinto your eyes, nose, mouth, or a

the affected area thoroughlyical advice immediately.

the bat should be cap-tured and for .ing (see:in my ho

People usbeen bitten by ahave small teeththat are not easilyin which you should ~v'~l\.i'llC;Ul'~dl

even in the absence of an obvious bitewound. For example, if you awaken andfind a bat in your room, see a bat in theroom of an unattended child, or see a batnear a mentally impaired or intoxicated per-son, seek medical advice and have the battested.

People cannot get rabies just from see-ing a bat in an attic, in a cave, or at a dis-tance. In addition, people cannot get rabiesfrom having contact with bat guano (feces),blood, or urine, or from touching a bat onits fur (even though bats should never behandled!).What should I do if my pet is exposed toa bat?

If you think your pet or domestic animalhas been bitten by a bat, contact a veteri-narian or your health department for assis-tance immediately and have the bat testedfor rabies. Remember to keep vaccinationscurrent for cats, dogs, and other animals.How can I keep bats out of my home?

Some bats live in buildings, and theremay be no reason to evict them if there islittle chance for contact with people. How-ever, bats should always be prevented fromentering rooms of your home. For assis-tance with "bat-proofing" your home, con-tact an animal-control or wildlife conser-vation agency. If choose to do the "bat-proofing"tions.holes

day, isusually seenhome oronfar more likelybats are often the mostTherefore, it is bestbat.

What should I do ifwith a bat?

If you are bitten by a bat-e-or if infec-

screens, chimneybeneath doors to at-

and plumbing holes withwool or caulking, and ensure

doors to the outside close tightly.Additional "bat-proofing" can prevent

bats from roosting in attics or buildings bycovering outside entry points. Observe

18 • NY FOREST OWNER 37:3 NYFOA • 1·800·836·3566 . INFO

where the bats exit at dusk and excludethem by loosely hanging clear plastic sheet-ing or bird netting over these areas. Batscan crawl out and leave, but cannot re-en-

been excluded, theOllU;dlllOllllY sealed. For

ation about "bat-proofing"home, contact Bat Conservation In-

ternational.

Things to remember when "bat-proofing"During summer, many young bats are

unable to fly. If you exclude adult bats dur-ing this time, the young may be trappedinside and die or make their way into liv-ing quarters. Thus, if possible, avoid ex-clusion from May through August. Mostbats leave in the fall or winter to hibernateso these are the best times to "bat-proof:your home.How can I safely capture a bat in myhome?

If a bat is present in your home and youcannot rule out the possibility of exposure,leave the bat alone and contact an animal-control or public health agency for ass is- .tance. If professional help is unavailable,use precautions to capture the bat safely,as described below.

What you will need: leather work gloves(put them on); small box or coffee can:piece of cardboard; and tape. '

When the bat lands, approach it slowly,while wearing the gloves, and place the boxor coffee can over it. Slide the cardboardunder the container to trap the bat inside.Tape the cardboard to the container se-curely, and punch small holes in the card-board, allowing the bat to breathe. Contactyour health department or animal-controlauthority to make arrangements for rabiestesting.

If you see a bat in your home and youare sure no human or pet exposure has oc-curred, confine the bat to a room by clos-ing all doors and windows leading out ofthe room except those to the outside. Thebat will probably leave soon. If not, it canbe caught, as described, and released out-doors away from people and pets.How can rabies be prevented?

Teach children never to handle unfamil-iar animals, wild or domestic, even if theyappear friendly. "Love your own, leaveother animals alone" is a good principle forchildren to learn. Wash any wound froman animal thoroughly with soap and water

MAY/JUNE 1999

and seek medical attention immediately.Have all dead, sick, or easily captured batstested for rabies if exposure to people orpets occurs.

Prevent bats from entering living quar-ters or occupied spaces in homes, churches,schools, and other similar areas where theymight contact people and pets. Be a respon-sible pet owner bycurrent for all dogs, cats,ing your cats and ferrets insidogs under direct supervision,mal control to remove stray animayour neighborhood, and consideryour pets spayed or neutered.Case study

In February 1995, the aunt of a 4-year-old girl was awakened by the sounds of abat in the room where the child was sleep-ing. The child did not wake up until the batwas captured, killed, and discarded. Thegirl reported no bite, and no evidence of abite wound was found when she was ex-amined. One month later the child becamesick and died of rabies. The dead bat wasrecovered from the yard and tested-it hadrabies. This case demonstrates severalpoints:

This child's infection with rabies wasmost likely the result of a bat bite.

Children sleep heavily and may notawaken from the presence of a small bat.A bat bite can be superficial and not easilynoticed.

The bat was behaving abnormally. In-stead of hiding, the bat was making unusualnoises and was having difficulty flying.This strange behavior should have led to astrong suspicion of rabies.

If the bat had been submitted for rabiestesting, a positive test would have led tolife-saving anti-rabies treatment.

Remember, in situations in which a batis physically present and you cannot rea-sonably rule out having been bitten, safelycapture the bat for rabies testing and seekmedical attention immediately.Are bats beneficial?

Yes. Worldwide, bats are a major preda-tor of night-flying insects, including peststhat cost farmers billions of dollars annu-ally ..Throughout the tropics, seed dispersal

activities by bats are vitalIII forest survival. In addition, studies

of bats have contributed to medical ad-vances including the development ofnavi-gational aids for the blind. Unfortunately,many local popu lations of bats have beendestroyed and many species are now en-dangered.Where can I learn more about bats?

Contact your state or local wildlife con-servation agency or Bat Conservation In-ternational: Bat Conservation International,Inc., PO Box 162603 Austin, Texas 78716http://www .batcon. org

To learn more about endangered bats andthe Endangered Species Act, contact: U SFish and Wildlife Service, Division of En-dangered Species, 440 IN. Fairfax Drive,Room 452, Arlington, Virginia 22203http://www .fws.govWhere can I learn more about rabies?

Contact your state or local health depart-ment orthe Centers for Disease Control andPrevention:

National Center for InfectiousDiseases,Rabies Section MS G-331600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, Georgia30333, (404)639-1050.http://www .cdc .gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies 4.

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Family Owned & Operatedfor over 34years

MAY/JUNE 1999· 19

(pith) of a twig (Fig. 4). When it is donefeeding the full grown larva chews an exithole through the side of the twig and dropsto the ground, where it transforms to thepupal (pew-pull) stage prior to overwinter-ing in the litter.Pine Shoot Moths - the European pineshoot moth is an introduced pest first no-ticed in the United States in New York statearound 1914. Various shoot moths are as-sociated with pines throughout NorthAmerica, but this European import is themost important species.

Principle hosts in the northeast are Scots,mugo, Austrian, and red pines. The fullgrown larva is approximately 1.25" longand has a distinctly "chubby" appearancewith a brown body and shiny black head.Each larva begins feeding as a leafminer atthe base of a needle and eventually enters ..a terminal or lateral shoot near the base ofa bud. A small amount of pitchy exudatemixed with silk occurs at the bases of bothinfested needles and recently invaded buds ..As the larva feeds within a bud, the massof pitch becomes quite conspicuous (Fig. 5).Damage distorts leaders, causing crooked

MOTHS THAT AFFECT PINE SHOOTSBy Douglas C. Allen

The caterpillar stage of several speciesof moths destroy twigs, distort growth anddiscolor foliage of pines in the UnitedStates.

They never kill the host, but their dam-age often reduces height growth and gen-erally deforms the tree. Below is an ex-ample of each of the three most importantgroups in the northeast commonly associ-ated with trees 1 to 15 ft. tall.

Fig. I. Larva of pitch twig moth surroundedby a pitch mass.

Pitch Twig Moths - pitch and Scots pineare preferred hosts of the pitch twig moth(also called the pitch nodule maker), themost frequently encountered member ofthis group in New York. The full growncaterpillar (larva) can be as long as 1.25"and is pale reddish brown with a darkbrown to black head (Fig. 1).

Feeding occurs beneath twig bark, almostto the pith or center of the shoot. The in-jury is covered by a conspicuous mass(nodule) of pitch which is 0.5" or so in di-ameter the first year and as large as 1.0 to1.5" in diameter the second year (Fig. 2).It takes two years to complete the cyclefrom egg to adult, and the most severe dam-age occurs early during the second grow-ing season when branch tips turn reddishbrown. This "flagging" results when thelarva girdles a twig. Eventually, damagedtwigs break off, and in heavy infestationsthis may deform the tree. Each larva over-winters and eventually transforms to themoth stage beneath the pitch nodule.


Fig. 2. Undisturbed pitch mass withinwhich a pitch twig moth larva lives.

Pine Shoot Borers - white and Scots pineare favored by the eastern pine shoot borer,though it also occurs on jack, red, Austrian,itch, and mugo pines. The mature caterpil-lar is 0.5" to 0.8" long and dirty white togrey with a yellow-brown (honey colored)head.

Fig. 4. (r.) Tips of Scots pine twigs

damaged by pine shoot borer. Notelarval tunnels in pith (arrows).

Damage to terminal and lat-eral twigs first becomes obviousin mid-June when the 6.0" to8.0" tip of an infested shoot be-gins to droop and discolor (Figs.3,4). Eventually an infested twigturns brown. One to as many asthree larvae excavate the center

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Fig. 3. (l.)

Discoloredand weakened

terminal ofwhite pine

damaged bypine shoot

borer.

MAY/JUNE 1999

fig. 5. Mass of pitch (arrow) at base of Scots pine bud infested with European pine shoot moth.

shoots called "posthorns" (Fig. 6), whichresult in a bushy tree. The insect overwin-ters as a larva in the bud and eventuallypupates in this location as well.Management Options - pests in all threegroups are most likely to become problemsin young natural stands or plantations. Ofthe three examples described above, by farthe most serious problem in our region isthe European pine shoot moth. Damage byall three moths may be confused with in-jury due white pine weevil (NYFO Nov.!Dec. 1992 ) or pine shoot beetle (NYFOJan.lFeb. 1993). However, neither ofthesebeetles are affiliated with large pitch nod-ules nor is silk associated with their feed-ing.

When European pine shoot moth threat-ens a Christmas tree plantation or youngplantation of red pine, the area around buds

on both terminal and lateral shoots can betreated with an appropriate insecticide dur-ing mid- to late April. The other two spe-cies rarely require treatment, but it is im-portant to distinguish between them and po-tentially serious infestations of shoot moth.Shearing Christmas trees can substantiallyreduce damage, because this practice re-moves many infested tips. On individualtrees of concern, branch tips infested by anyof these pests may be removed manuallyand destroyed to minimize damage and re-duce moth populations. A.This is the 44th in the series of articles contrib-uted by Dr. Allen, Professor of Entomology atSUNY-ESF. Reprints of this and the completeseries are available from NYFOA. It is also pos-sible to download this collection from the DEeWeb page by clicking on articles using the fol-lowing address: htt(2://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/privland/linkspag.html

Fig. 6. "Posthorn" resulting from European pine shoot moth damage (arrows).


APplication or Facsimile Appli-cation for Membership in theNew York Forest Owners As-

sociation.

I!We would like to support good forestry

and stewardship of New York's forest

lands.

( ) IfWe own acres of wood-.. land.

( ) I!We do not own woodland but sup-

port the Association's objectives.

NAME _

ADDRESS _

City Zip

Telephone _

County of Residence _

County of Woodlot. _

Referred by _

Annual Dues (Please Check One)STUDENT $10

INDIVIDUAL $20

FAMILY (or co-owners) $25

CONTRIBUTING $30-$100

SPONSORING $10land up

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:Six issues of the NY FORESTOWNER, woods walks, chapter meet-ings, and two statewide meetings for allmembers.

Please send check payable to NewYork Forest Owners Association, OR,if you prefer, by check payable to NewYork Woodland Stewards, Inc. (NYWS,a tax deductable fund), including anycontribution in excess of your NYFOAmembership to:

NYFOA,IncP.O. Box 180.

Fairport, New York 14450

MAY/JUNE 1999· 21

water and hollered. He left post haste.After thinking about it, I decided that a

relationship with a heron was more inter-esting than a goldfish. Besides we now hadhundreds and I knew he couldn't eat themall. So I named him Harry, spoke sweetlyto him and over time I could get within afoot or two in the water. On land he alwaysleft but came back as soon as I was swim-ming.

He's been coming for five years. Nowhe just flies to the other side of the pondwhen I'm on land. The last time I saw himin early winter, he was walking across theice-covered pond. The goldfish had notgone down and you could see them justahead of Harry under the ice. He got sofrustrated he was stamping his feet.

I guess that's why he came back soearly-no ice. He's having a heck ofa time,though. The gold fish are close to a footbig now and swim fast. The small onesaren't up yet. But, I see him stirring up thegrasses at pond's edge. I guess there areenough newts to keep him full until the littleslower fish and taddies show up.

Not everyone has a pet heron, you know!

Ji.

I'm Just Wild About HarryBy Jane Sorensen Lord, PhD, OTR, ND

I dunno. Seemed like a cold dampspring to me. But tell that to Harry.

The fish in the pond came up a monthearlier than usual. They all rushed overwhen they saw me, lips smacking ea-gerly for food. I dipped my float-ing aquarium thermometer inthe water and it read 45 de-grees. Too early to feedaccording to instructions.Not until water tempera-ture reaches 55 degrees.

We dug the pond in 1988, an acre anda quarter on the surface and 10 feet deep.Basically we dammed off two ends of asmall natural valley and diverted water viasix-inch accordion pipe from our own Class4 stream. It filled beautifully with the clearblue water you see often in this area. (We'retold it's a high nickel content). Then sum-mer came, the stream stopped and the wa-ter dropped from ten feet deep to four feetor less. Our own personal swamp. I couldstill swim, but only the breast stroke. In acrawl my hands hit the bottom.

The breast stroke is okay and works wellwith a face mask and snorkel. I could seeall the newts scurrying about, nice waterplants, and an occasional large water bug.

One day, though, I looked down in aslightly deeper spot and saw a gigantic pairof reptilian legs sticking out of a patch ofsea grass-the feet were as big as myhands! An adrenaline rush hit so hard I hadto stop myself from screaming. And as Ibacked slowly away I could see the rear ofa huge jagged shell.

I left the water immediately, called upDick Rommel at the DEC to inquire aboutpossible man-eating snapping turtles. Heasked the wildlife people, called me backand assured me snapping turtles didn't eatpeople and didn't attack in the water. Yeah,right. I started swimming only in areas twofeet deep, which, of course, limited my ex-ercise even more.

When we started to build our house, weretained an excavator to fix the pond. Whenwe stopped the pipe flow early to drain thepond we found three snapping turtles anda four foot water snake. I gingerly capturedeverybody with a big fish net one at a time,put them in the back of the truck and droveover to the Bashakill Refuge a half mileaway to release them.

We spread 900 tons of clay over the pondsite, bammed it with a vibrating roller (neatmachine), opened the pipe and waited forrain to start the stream.

The first rain filled the bottom about 6inches. I went to the pet

store, bought 502-inch

feeder gold-fish and

dumped them inthe murky water.

Gordon thoughtI was nuts. I

just wantedto see

w hatwould


happen. I did it in late September. After thefall rains came and the pond filled com-pletely, I never saw them.

In spring, April 10th to be exact, we wereworking on the garden on the bank. Fromwhat seemed like nowhere, thirty-threegorgeous 5-6 inch goldfish appeared swim-ming in a school near the surface like bluesswim in the ocean! I went out and bought100 more feeders. Well, the big onesspawned and by midsummer we hadzillions of fish, all sizes.

That's when Harry first came-a younggreat blue heron, happily walking the edgesof the pond eating frogs and newts. He gotused to me in the water, just flying to theother side of the pond from where I swam.Then one day he noticed that when I swamnear the goldfish, splashed the water withmy hands, they surrounded me. He beganto come closer and closer until he screwedup his courage, walked right near and ateone of my smaller fish. I stood up in the

NYFOA -.1'800-836-3566 - INFO

Dr. Jane and her husband, Gordon, havebeen Tree Farmers since I986 and trainedas Master Forest Owners. In her work asan occupational therapist and naturopathshe takes care of people. Her e-mail ad-dress is: [email protected] &Webpage: http://home.interserv.com/-drjane/index. htm

MAY/JUNE 1999


http://home.interserv.com/

The MarketplaceATTENTION small woodlot owners/part time loggers - For FARMI winchesand V ALB Y chippers, write Hewitt's Hill Haven, Locke, NY 13092 or call (315)497-1266 (Before 8AM or after 6PM).

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Phone: 607-264-8455. Email: <[email protected]>

FOR SALE Skinner Tree Planter and a 38 inch Rotary Tiller (blades in

rear); Ed Dixon, 6690 Bush Road, Jamesville, NY 13078,315-677-3145.

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If you want to cut - buy STIHL chainIf you want to sharpen - buy someone else's

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ADVERTISINGRATES

Per Insert:

Display: $210 - perfull page or 30 col. in.;$7 per col. in.

Marketplace: $10minimum for 25 wordsor less, 1Oc each ad-ditional word.

Contact: R.J. Fox, Editor

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NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO MAY/JUNE 1999· 23


http://www.nlci.comltreepro

R.J. Fox, Editor5159 Dresserville RoadMoravia, NY 13118FaxIPhone (315) 497-1078Email: [email protected]: http://nyfoa.org

New York Forest Owners Assoc., Inc.Debbie Gill

PO Box 180

Fairport, NY 14450-0180

HUD·SONFOREST EQUIPMENT

RICHARD CIPPERLY

NORTHCOmURY FORESTRY LLC

·•• HARVESTPiAimiiio- .....~ ....';-~~M.ft§:At;~!LiNS-'

.';:~WSSANJ)TRESPASS APPRAiSAL..'lcmilsi'i.MsiREE MANAGEMENT

..:;.:;:":.:.:::.:: - - :' ..- .

Bandmills, Slab-Grinders, Harvesters,Firewood Processors, Grapple Loaders .

Tree Winches. Log Splitters. Log Debarkers,Chain Saws & Supplies, Land Meri-Crushers

Rt. 12 PO Box 345BARNEVELD, NY

Fax 315-896-2815www.hud-son.com

315-896-2217800-765-SAWS

8 STONEHURST DRIVEQUEENSBURY. NY 12804(518) 793-35451-800 862-3451 SINCE 1964

NOTICE-A Good DealThe Forest Management Update, Number 19, April 1999 is available for

interested readers for a Shipping/Handling fee of $3 from the NYFOA office(1-800-836-3566). Topics include: Regeneration Results Using Two-AgedManagement; Loss on Your Family Farm Forest; Trees-A Growing GreenLegacy; Validation of Publication, Using Diagnostic Plants to Evaluate SiteClass; No Ecosystem Management-Another Perspective; Monitoring TreeGrowth-When The News Isn't Good; and Accuracy of Tree Measurements-Essential.

This annually published periodical is an excellent source of forestry news,tidbits, and research that comes from the staff at the Northeast Area office ofthe USDA Forest Service in Morgantown, West Virginia. Arrangements havebeen made with NYFOA to offer them to our members when they areavailable.

24 • NY FOREST OWNER 37:3 NYFOA· 1·800·836·3566· INFO

Non-Profit Org.u.s. POSTAGE

PAIDUtica, N.Y.

13504Permit No. 566

9910

FOUNDED 1963

WOODLOTCALENDAR

MA Y: AFC; Agroforestry; ChautauquaCo.; 716·699-2377.MA Y 7,8 THRIFT; Game of Logging; DanHUD-SON Sales, Barneveld;MAY 15: CNY; Chain Saw Safety Work-shop; Tully; 315-689-7682MAY 15: LHC; lOAM; Party & Wdswalk;Wappingers Falls; 914/761-2287.MA Y 19: WFL; 7:30PM; Nature Photog-raphy; Jim Peek; Honeoye; (716)247-7069.MA Y 22: WFL; 9AM; Landowner Work-shop; Penn Van; (315)536-5188.JUN 5: WFL; 9:30AM; Managing for Di-versity Wdswlk; G. Yancey;716/247-7069.JUN 15: AFC; Planning A Timber Sale;716-699- 2377.OCT 9: WFL; NYFOA FALL MEET-1NG; Rochester.

NOTICETHE FOREST OWNER is mailed

third class and will not be forwarded;notify Administrative Secretary DebbieGill, PO Box 180, Fairport 14450 or call1/800/836/3566 with a change in ad-dress!

MAY/JUNE 1999


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The New York Forest Owner - Volume 37 Number 3

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