The New York Forest Owner - Volume 19 Number 5

September - October 1981

NewYorll

Forest Owner

Page 2 New York Forest Owner

Vol. 19, No.5

THE

NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS

ASSOCIATION

In This Issue

P. 2 Dues, New Members, Officers ofthe NYFOA

P. 3 Notes from the NYFOA Presi-dent; Woodland ManagementWorkshop; New ReforestationTax Incentives.

P. 4-5 NYFOA Fall MeetingP.6 Paul Smith's CollegeP. 7 Professional Forester Licensing

Proposal, Dave Hanaburgh.P.8 Board Minutes, NYFOA can

have 1200 members, ChemicalChimney Cleaners.

P. 9 Fuel Prices May Provide Incen-tive to Woodlot Owners, ForestBookshelf.

P. 10 History of Gussie Gaskill'sWoods.

P. 11 Best Management's Practices,by Dave Taber, Estate Tax Re-duction.

P. 12 Ask a Forester, by Al Roberts.

ANNUAL DUES(Please underline choice)

Junior Member (under 21) $ 3Regular Member. $10Family Membership $15

(husband, wife)Contributing Member $ 12-$ 29Sustaining Member $ 30-$ 99Supporting Member. $100-$499Sponsoring Member $500 and up

Front CoverAn aerial view of the Arnot Forest,

Cornell University location of the an-nual Fall Meeting.

WelcomeOur New Members

Joseph A. Buff7195 Lakeshore Rd., RD#lClay, NY 13041

Richard DoBell3612 Wildwood Dr.Endwell, NY 13760

Paul R. EnglishRD#2, Box 463Greene, NY 13778

Robert A. MartinRidge Rd., Box 368Broadalbin, NY 12025

Timothy M. StapleyBox 25Avon, NY 14414

Edward L. Tirrell, Jr.724 Security Mutual Bldg.Binghamton, NY 13901

Cliff& Janice Westerling44 Spring St.Norwood, NY 13668

George MitchellNewMembership SecretaryGeorge Mitchell of Old Forge

has been appointed our new Mem-bership Secretary. Henceforth anynew memberships or changes ofaddress are to be sent to himdirectly at the following address:New York Forest Owner, P.O. Box69, Old Forge, NY 13420.

Published by theNEW YORK FOREST OWNERS

Association

EditorEvelyn Stock

5756 Ike Dixon Rd.Camillus, NY 13031

OFFICERS

PresidentRobert L. Edmonds

RD 1, Box 99Marathon, NY 13803

First Vice PresidentRobert MorrowFernowHall

Ithaca, NY 14850

Second Vice PresidentPaul SteinfeldCottage School

Pleasantville, NY 10570

Third Vice PresidentRobert Demeree4 Northway Drive

Cortland, NY 13045

TreasurerStuart McCarty

4300 East AvenueRochester, NY 14618

Recording SecretaryJ. Lewis DuMond

9 Grand St.Cobleskill, NY 12043

New York Forest Owner Page 3

Woodland ManagementWorkshop

The following special program is be-ing planned for the Fall at OnondagaCommunity College. Check your news-paper for more information or call theDivision of Community Services,469-7741, ext. 225.

Woodland Management for small-landowners will provide landownerswith information on how they can gethelp in managing woodland property.This workshop is co-sponsored by:

Cooperative Extension ofOnondaga County

Cornell Cooperative ExtensionOnondaga Community CollegeSUNY College of Environmental

Science and ForestryThis program is planned to run from

mid-September thru mid-October.

The New ReforestationTax Incentives

According to the Forest IndustriesCommittee on Timber Valuation andTaxation (1250 Connecticut Avenue,N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036) PublicLaw 96-451 allows individuals, cor-porations, partnerships and estates upto $10,000 of capitalized reforestationcosts incurred after December 31, 1979to be eligible for a ten percent invest-ment tax credit (which is subtractedfrom the taxes owed). Costs incurredfor site preparation, seeds or seedlings,wages paid to others and tools, undersome circumstances, qualify under thenew law. In addition, the forest owner isallowed a 7-year amortization which issubtracted from his gross income begin-ning on the first day of the last half ofthe taxable year during which thereforestation costs were incurred. Thesetax advantages are not available for ex-penditures which are reimbursed underthe FIP program unless the taxpayerelects to include them as income.Christmas trees will probably not beallowed under this program either.Anyone wishing to obtain these incen-tives should contact their accountant orthe I.R.S. for more complete informa-tion.

Jim Peek, ForesterDepartment of

Environmental Conservation

NOTES FROM THENYFOA PRESIDENT

Dear Fellow Members,

The New York Forest OwnersAssociation is your organization. Yourthoughts and ideas are important tohaving the association meet your needs·and desires. We are very fortunate tohave many volunteers as officers, direc-tors, and in other capacities helping tomake the group work for all of us. Theyare very responsive to your input. Letme encourage you to drop me a notewith your suggestions.

If you are interested in serving on theBoard of Directors, please don't by shy.Let me know. I will pass your name onto our nominating committee. Newfresh ideas from people willing and ableto actively contribute are alwayswelcome.

Please mark your calendar for theOctober 10, 1981 Fall Meeting at the

Arnot Forest near Ithaca. The meetingis being planned by a real professional,Dr. Jim Lassoie of Cornell University.Jim is an active NYFOA member andserves on our Board of Directors.

While you have your calendars out,also note that our annual spring meetingis scheduled to be held in Albany onApril 10, 1982. We plan to take an indepth view of the Department of En-vironmental Conservation. The datewas chosen so not to conflict with themaple sugaring season or the tree plant-ing season.

More details on both meetings will becoming your way by direct mailing toyou, as well as via the Forest Owner.

See you there. Bring a friend!

Sincerely,

Bob Edmonds

Page 4 New York Forest Owner

NYFOA Fall MeetingOctober 9-10, 1981

Dear NYFOA Member:

The 1981 NYFOA Fall Meeting will be held October 9-10, 1981 at Arnot Teaching and ResearchForest in Van Etten, New York. The Arnot Forest was acquired in 1927 for Cornell's Department ofForestry. Since much of the area was heavily farmed up until the 1930's, the Arnot Forest is similar tomany lands owned by NYFOA members. The Arnot's long history as a research and demonstrationarea and its rustic camp facilities make for an ideal location for the Fall Meeting.

We have planned a two-day event this year (see agenda). Although the main program is scheduledfor October 10, some members may wish to attend the optional evening session on October 9. From7:00-9:00' p.m. we will hold a forestry film festival which will include a slide talk by Alan Knight on thelast two NYFOA European Tours. However, those wishing to stay overnight should make motel reser-vations immediately as a Cornell-Harvard football game on October 10 already has filled most Ithacaarea motels. I strongly suggest that members wishing to stay overnight contact the following countyChambers of Commerce for assistance in locating a motel.

1. Chemung County Chamber of Commerce224 William StreetElmira, New York 14901607/734-5137(Elmira is about 20 miles from the Arnot Forest)

2. Schuyler County Chamber of Commerce100 N. Franklin StreetWatkins Glen, New York 14891607/535-4300(Watkins Glen is about 16 miles from the Arnot Forest)

3. Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce122 W. Court StreetIthaca, New York 14850607/273-7080(Ithaca is about 20 miles from the Arnot Forest)

The 1981 Fall Meeting should be an interesting one. For early risers, we will be having an optionalbreakfast at the Arnot Camp the morning of October 10, complete with Arnot Maple Syrup. Besides thepresentations and field trip we have invited numerous public and private organizations and agencies thatprovide specific types of assistance to private, nonindustrial woodland owners. There will be time duringthe evening session for members to examine this "Resource Information Fair."

I hope to see many of you at the 1981 Fall Meeting. You will be receiving a complete registrationpacket from me in early September.

Best regards,

Jim Lassoie

•• •Bob Sand has taken over the job of maintaining NYFOA Archives. Please bring any material youhave that should be kept in the Archives.

Page 5New York Forest Owner

1981 NYFOA Fall MeetingTheme: Managing Your Woodlands: Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Chairman: Dr. James P. Lassoie106 Fernow HallCornell UniversityIthaca, New York 14853607/256-2114

Location: Arnot Teaching and Research ForestVan Etten, New York

Date: October 9-10, 1981

Cost: $10.00

AGENDA:

October 93:00 p.m.6:00 p.m.7:00 p.m.9:00 p.m.

Board of Director's MeetingMeeting RegistrationForestry Film FestivalAdjourn

October 108:30 a.m.9:30 a.m.10:00 a.m.10:15 a.m.10:30 a.m.11:00 a.m.11:30 a.m.12:15 p.m.1:00 p.m.

Breakfast at the Arnot ($4.00 extra)Meeting Registration (coffee and donuts)Welcome and a Brief History of the Arnot ForestWhere Did Your Woodlands Come From?Fiber and Nonfiber Management Options on Your LandCoffee BreakDeveloping a Management Plan to Safisfy Your NeedsLunchArnot Forest Tour

Stop #1: L2.

Stop #2: 1.2.

Stop #3: 1.2.3.

4:00 p.m. Adjourn

Old CemeteryMaple Succession and Thinning DemonstrationConifer Plantation - Spacing Research DemonstrationRecently Selectively Harvested AreaWildlife Research and Demonstration AreaOld Home SiteOld Field Succession and Unthinned Maple Stand

NOTE: Complete preregistration materials will be mailed to NYFOA"Members in early September.

Page 6 New York Forest Owner

Bill Rutherford, Head of Forestry Divi-sion.

PAUL SMITH'S COLLEGEBy Evelyn Stock, Editor

Paul Smith's is one of nineteen col-leges in New York State that take part inan elderhostel program of summer va-cations on campus. One of the projectsthey offered was aqua exercise with aninstructor and heated pool - just what I.wanted - so I spent a week there andfound it to be a great forestry experienceas well as an interesting vacation.

On my second day I met BillRuther-ford, head of the forestry division of thecollege, a tall, pleasant southern gentle-man. Very enthusiastic about the workthey do at the college, he took mearound their 20,000 acres of forest landto see the results of 100 years of forest-ry. There has been intensive forestry forthe last 34 years.

Paul Smith came to the area in thelate 1860's and before 1900 had ac-quired the land in Harrietstown andanother nearby town, twenty-two milesfrom Lake Placid.

By 1880 he was managing the landsfor timber, had built his own sawmilland a hotel for vacationers. The preser-vation of the forest was always impor-tant to Paul. One example of this was arule in which he had a provision for set-back which prevented logging aroundthe water courses. Paul also sold somecamp areas to the very wealthy peopleof 1880.

Paul's First FarmingPaul often told of his first attempt at

farming at St. Regis Lake. He thoughtthat for a starter he would use aboutthree acres. He had that much clearedoff, broken up, and even had it fencedin. He carefully sowed it to rye. All thatcame up was huckleberries so that end-ed his farming.Around 1900 he acquired water

rights and built the Paul Smiths ElectricCo. which was operated until the1960's when it was sold to NiagaraMohawk. .

Paul Smith also began a program ofplanting conifers around 1960 with thecooperation and advice of Cliff Pettiswho was the first state forester.

By World War I all of their forestlands had been lightly cut. Since thattime there have been additional cutssome four or five times and they stillsupport good stock.

Paul Smith's son Phelps Smith left theproperty to be used for a college of ap-plied sciences to help those living in theAdirondacks. The Board of Trustees,which had been set up, argued amongthemselves for years as to a course ofaction, but finally decided on a two yearcourse in three areas - Forest Technol-ogy, Hotel Management, and Survey-ing.The first classes were held in 1946.

Since then the Forestry Department hasaimed at training students as well asharvesting the forest as it matured.After World War II there were 55,000

acres. Some have been sold and nowthere are about 26,000 acres.

The enrollment in the forestry divi-sion has grown and Bill proudly saysthat it is now the largest forest technicianprogram in North America.

Every year 15-20 graduates go intologging; 15-25 go into manufacturing ormarketing and probably 100 go intoland management activities dealing withthe growing of timber or utilization ofland. Jobs in tree services and insurveying have been the largest block.

I asked Billhow he felt about licensingforesters. He is not for it but said hecould live with it. "Licensing is for theprotection of the public - these peoplewho are for licensing want it not for theprotection of the public but to enhancetheir own reputations. The state saysthat a license is given as a result of anexamination. The forestry college andother forestry schools might feel that iftheir students get a degree in forestrythey should automatically get theirlicense."I heard about a portable sawmill and

looked up Gould Hoyt, another facultymember. You may know of him - he isthe man who conducts the woodsmen'scontests at the field days in Boonvilleeach August. He has charge of the port-able sawmill.

On the way to the sawmill we stop-ped to feed some horses in a pictur-esque log stable. The horses are usedin connection with their timber harvest-ing. Many people feel that they are lessharmful to the trees than trucks. The

portable sawmill seems to be a noveltyin the woods but invaluable.Paul Smith's forests are beautiful. We

have been invited to have a woods walkthere and perhaps next year we can.

We also took a Botany course. Theinstructor took us all over the Adiron-dacks in a slide presentation explainingthe different kinds of trees and plantsthat were there. It intrigued me that theAlpine level birches and willows growonly 4-5 inches high.

Another faculty member - Bill La-Bounty - taught us a course in thegeology of the national parks. His slideswere so good they made us feel asthough we were going down the raftourselves in Yellowstone Park and go-ing right into the crater of Mt. St.Helens. He had slides of the VirginIslands, Puerto Rico, and many more.We felt as though we had had a worldtour without the hassle.To any of you who might be in-

terested in the Elderhostel program, theaddress for information is: Elderhostel,100 Boylston Street, Suite 200,Boston, Massachusetts 02116.

This article is only a synopsis of therichly interesting story of Paul Smith'sCollege. If you would care to knowmore about it, the people at PaulSmith's would be glad to tell you. Theaddress is Paul Smith's College, PaulSmiths, New York 12970.

New York Forest Owner Page 7

The Professional ForesterLicensing Proposal

At the 1981 Annual Meeting of theN.Y.F.O.A. a proponent of the licens-ing of professional foresters presentedan appeal to the membership to supportsuch a bill. At a N.Y.F.O.A. Directorsmeeting on May 16, the Directors re-quested some contrary thoughts on thesubject.

It seems a little ridiculous formembers of a profession to portraythemselves as a "clear and presentdanger to the Public". This, in effect, iswhat the proponents of the Bill are do-ing. In New York State a trade or pro-fession is licensed if it is a "clear andpresent danger" to the Public. This is a"Public", not a "Professional" deter-mination.

A License is a permit to practice. Itwill not prevent practice without a per-mit.

Competence 'must be determined byprofessionals and their employers. TheSociety of American Foresters accreditsprofessional education, operates undera professional code of ethics, andmonitors professional conduct throughits ethics committee. Are the same peo-ple going to do any better on a licens-ing Commission?

CORRECTIONOn page 10 of the July-August

issue there was an article by DaveHanaburgh about the ProfessionalForester Licensing Proposal. Agremlin went to work on that article,and as a result, we' are republishingthe correct version with our apologiesto Dave.

Elements in the Profession have beentrying for over 30 years to get a licens-ing Bill in New York. The Public has notbeen interested. The last professionalforester who caused a public scandalwas Fernow, whose activities at the turn .of the century generated the "ForeverWild" policy for the Adirondack andCatskill Parks.

Under the proposed licensing bill onlyone forester of an organization wouldhave to be licensed. That is not verymany or a very high percentage ofqualified professional foresters.

What is a Professional Forester? Canthe practice be adequately defined andlimited? To the "Public" the forester is aromantic "Ranger" or a devil "Logger".Neither of these would be licensedunder the proposed bill.

The Licensing Process (Administra-tion, Qualification, Supervision, Con-trol) is a Bureaucratic encumbrance toprofessional practice that must be main-tained at considerable inconvenienceand expense to the individual, the pro-fession and the government.

Perhaps what these people reallywant is a Copyright on the term "Profes-sional Forester" or just "Forester".

David H. HanaburghConsulting Forester

May 1981

FishingTwo ardent fishermen met on their

vacation and began swapping storiesabout the different places they had fish-ed, the kind of tackle used, the best bait,and finally about some of the fish theyhad caught.

One of them told of a vicious battle heonce had with a 300-pound salmon.The other man listened attentively, andhe frankly admitted he had nevercaught anything quite that big. How-ever, he told about the time his hooksnagged a lantern from the depths of a

lake. The lantern carried a tag proving itwas lost back in 1912. But the strangestthing of all was the fact that it was awaterproof lantern and the light was stilllit.

For a long time the first man saidnothing. Then he took one long lastdraw on his cigarette before rubbing itout in the ashtray.

"I'll tell you what I'll do," he saidslowly, "I'll take 200 pounds off my fishif you'll put out the light in yourlantern."

Upcoming Events

Log Scaling andGrading Workshop

On Saturday, September 19, '1981from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. a log scal-ing and grading workshop will be held atthe Boonville plant of Ethan Allen, Inc.,Boonville, New York.

Here is an opportunity to gain anunderstanding of the role of harvestingin the management of the hardwoodforest, the fundamentals and techniquesof log scaling and grading, the variationsin the log rules used in New York, andthe effects of log grade on lumbergrade.

Participants will scale and grade anumber of hardwood logs, several ofwhich will then be sawn to determinethe actual lumber scale and graderecovery from each log.

Registration fee is $15.00 per personwhich includes a lunch and a morningcoffee break. This workshop is being co-sponsored by the Schools of Forestryand Continuing Education at SUNYCollege of Environmental Science andForestry, Syracuse; NY and the NewYork State Timber Producers' Associa-tion, Old Forge, NY.

For further information and reglstra-tion forms, contact: Dean, School ofContinuing Education, SUNY Collegeof Environmental Science and Forestry,Syracuse, NY 13210.

* •••••••

September 27-30SAF Annual Meeting

The Society of AmericanForesters' Annual Meeting will beSeptember 27-30 at the Sheraton-Twin Towers, Orlando, Florida on"Increasing Forest Productivity."For more information, write Ed-ward F. Robie, ConventionRepresentative, Society of Ameri-can Foresters, 5400 GrosvenorLane, Bethesda, ME 20014,(301)-897-8720) .

October 9 - NYFOADirector's Meeting, Arnot Forest,3p.m.

October 10 - NYFOAFall Meeting at Arnot Forest

November 21 - NYFOADirectors meeting at Cortland.

Page 8 New York Forest Owner

Minutes of the 124thBoard Meeting

NEW YORK FORESTOWNERS ASSOCIATION

Cortland, New YorkJuly II, 1981

Robert Edmonds, President, pre-sided.

Th~ following were present:Robert DemereeRobert EdmondsMary McCartyGeorge MitchellEmiel PalmerEvelyn StockPeter Levatish

Arthur Eschner's resignation was ac-cepted with regret. He stated that he isunable to attend the Board meetings atthis time. It was suggested that J.Claude Lecours of Old Forge be ap-pointed in his place.

Upon motion the reading of theminutes of the 123rd Board meetingwas dispensed with.

Upon motion it was voted that theminutes of the Annual Meeting be cor-rected under the request for our supportof a bill for the licensing of professionalforesters from "voted" to "indicated" bythose present that we support the bill.

Robert Demeree reported that he hascontacted the Department of Environ-mental Conservation and that they areagreeable to having the 1982 AnnualMeeting at their office, 50 Wolf Road.,Albany.

It was decided that new stationery beprinted as soon as the names of thedirectors are verified.

Treasurer McCarty submitted hisreport as of June 30, 1981. It showed anet worth of $7503.17. However, thereare bills of $1160.00 which had notbeen received at the time of the report.

After discussion it was voted to in-crease the budget for the Membershipsecretary to $800.00. This was uponmotion of Demeree, seconded by MaryMcCarty.

Upon motion of Mitchell, secondedby Demeree, it was voted that the editorof the Forest Owner be reimbursed foractual mileage at .20¢ per mile with amaximum of $400.00 per year.

Palmer suggested that the Member-ship Committee consider a dues in-crease and to report at the nextmeeting.

Lewis DuMondDavid HanaburghStuart McCartyRobert MorrowAI RobertsHoward Ward

Treasurer McCarty reported that hehas filed the I.R.S. form, and appliedfor New York sales tax certificate forwhich he is awaiting a reply.

Robert Morrow reported for theEducation Committee stating that theyare making plans for the Fall meeting.This is to be at the Arnot Forest.

President Edmonds reported that heis appointing the following to the TrustManagement Board:Paul Steinfeld Expiring 1983Lloyd Strombeck Expiring 1984AI Roberts Expiring 1985

Upon motion of Hanaburgh, second-ed by Palmer, the Treasurer wasauthorized to expend up to $50.00 tosponsor a New York State 4-H Forestryteam going to West Virginia for a Na-tional 4-H Forestry Invitational inAugust 1981. This is to be subject to theapproval of the Chairman of the Educa-tion Committee, Robert Morrow.

It was voted to print another 1000membership brochures at this time.

The next meeting is to be in Cortland,N.Y., August 27, 1981, at 2 p.m.

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

J. Lewis DuMondSecretary

More on ChemicalChimney Cleaners

After testing six chemical chimneycleaners used with wood-burningstoves, Jay Shelton, principal author ofthe "Woodburners' Encyclopedia" con-cluded that "the particular brands ofchemical cleaners we tested did not ex-hibit any substantial effectiveness in ourtests," and went on to state that"temperature is more important thanusing chemicals: smaller, hotter fire'stend to be cleaner burning." The par-ticular chemicals tested were ChimneySweep Soot Destroyer, Red Devil SootRemover, Red Devil Creosote Destroy-er, Safe-T-Flue, Kathite-H, and Cleans-UP.

The complete report can be orderedfrom Shelton Energy Research, P.O.Box 5235, Santa Fe, NM 87502, at acost of $11 (postage pd.).

NYFOA Can Have 1200 MembersDear Readers,

Our Annual Fall Meeting - this yearit is at Arnot Forest - starts off a newseason for the NYFOA. Let's make thisthe best year ever. There are supposedto be 255,000 people with forests in thisstate. How many of them can you tellabout the New York Forest OwnersAssociation? Before the Fall Meetingeach of us could try to get five newmembers. Invite people to the FallMeeting. Loan your Forest Owner tosomeone. We have at least one newmember because one was left in a bar-bershop.

Not many of us can help mankind asJonas Salk did by finding a cure for adread disease, or be a second Michel-angelo, but we can help assure futuregenerations of enough good lumber andfirewood through education for goodmanagement, which might be lessdramatic but every bit as real.

In many countries of the world everyscrap of wood and trees is burned forheat and cooking. It is easy to see thefallacy of this type of behavior, whichwe cannot help directly, but we can dosomething here. We can spread theword that the NYFOA can help ourmembers find the best managementpractices for their woodlot and enjoy thecomradeship with other members at thesame time.

To do this we need more members.So come to the Fall meeting, interesteveryone you can. Talk about it tomany people. Some may not have aforest, but would tell someone whodoes. Perhaps even send notes to yourhometown paper.

If you know of a problem concerninga forest let us know about it. We willhelp with it. If there is some topic youwould like covered in the Forest Ownerlet me know.

Attached are two news notes fromthe American Pulpwood Highlights. Iwonder if either of these disasters wascaused by uninformed forest owners.

1. Georgia Pacific recently closed afive year old plywood mill in McAdam,New Brunswick due partly to unfavor-able market conditions, and partly to ashortage of veneer quality logs. Atotal of 250 workers were laid off.

2. FIRE DAMAGE: Over 71,000fires burned almost 1.5 million acres inthe south from January 1 to May 1,1981.

-Evelyn StockEditor

New York Forest Owner Page 9

Fuel Prices May ProvideIncentive to

Woodlot OwnersThe Tug Hill Commission has re-

leased a report showing that risingfuel prices may provide an incentiveto woodlot owners to manage theirforests.

Rising fuel prices have led some areaindustries to look at wood as an in-dustrial fuel, just as many homeownershave turned to firewood. The resultingincreased demand on area forests, how-ever, has also increased concerns thatsome abusive logging practices of thepast will continue. The study just releas-ed claims that this demand could in-stead foster good, long-term forestmanagement if landowners take actiontogether.

Prepared with the advice of localforest landowners, town officers, andstate and private foresters, the reportnotes that few landowners are aware ofhow the value of otherwise "junk" woodhas been increased by the wood-for-fuelmarket. Landowners could join to-gether in a cooperative to gain access tothese new markets. Their increasedprofits could be used to pay for carefulmanagement to optimize the long-termvalue of their forests to them and thelocal economy, according to the report.

Releasing the report, Tug Hill Com-mission Chairman Dr. Richard E.Mark noted, "Our past research hasshown that as much as half of Tug Hillforests have little value for traditionalproducts. What has been needed is amarket for that low grade wood and ameans of carefully harvesting it toreduce landowner fears of logging andto meet other landowner objectives inowning a woodlot, such as encouragingwildlife. A forestry cooperative holdsout promise of such an approach."

Mark added, "If landowners don'tact, the alternative could be furtherhelter-skelter abuse of our forests, orcumbersome and unwanted govern-ment regulation."

The study indicates that less than 10percent of timber harvesting is currentlybeing managed by professional for-esters. While the Department of En-vironmental Conservation is providingmost of the management advice whichwoodlot owners now receive, the reportconcludes that more is needed andrecommends that management assis-tance at DEC keep pace with increasingdemands on private forest lands.

The Commission staff is now working

with a steering committee made up oflandowners and local government of-ficials to explore' the possibility ofestablishing a forestry cooperative thatwould produce wood fuel and provideprofessional forest management assis-tance at cost to members. The feasibilitystudy is being carried out by the Com-mission, DEC, the State Energy Office,the College of Environmental Scienceand Forestry, Cornell University, andthe Economic Development Ad-ministration Technical AssistanceCenter at Plattsburgh. It will be com-pleted in June. Landowners and othersinterested in the project can contact theCommission at its Watertown office.

Now on to wood chips and the use offirewood which seems to be the topiC ofthe day among foresters and loggers.We talked with Joe Kwasniewski, whoalong with his brothers Chet and Hank,are the number one authorities of theTug Hill woodland. Joe is spendingconsiderable time at his West Virginiaoperation where he is getting out a lot offine oak for export to the British Isles.He feels, though, that the demand forfirewood is probably at its peak, that oilprices will soon come down. Joe alsopointed out that a load of cull firewoodfrom the Hill delivered to Rome bringsabout the same price as a load of goodsaw logs to Ethan Allen in Boonville.We asked him what he thought about aforest product marketing co-op and hesaid a co-op will go or fail with themanager and the Board of Directors -you get good people on the Board, who'are good businessmen and managersthen the Board will go - otherwiseforget it and don't forget the dollar is the'bottom line on the whole thing.

We also talked with Al Stringham, aman with a sharp mind who owns con-siderable farm and forest land justnorthwest of Boonville and up on DutchHill. Al insists that the people owningforest lands would like to get somereturn on their investments just as soonas they can, be it firewood or woodchips, etc. They have waited a long timeand paid a lot of taxes. Returns now ontheir land are of the utmost importance.He is strongly in favor of hiring a profes-sional forester when setting up a man-agement plan for marketing the wood-lots for trees to be sold. He says their feewill be returned to the landowner manytimes. The main problem will be mar-keting and supervision of tree. removal.He indicated he had 30 bidders forsome of the woodland he wished to sell

and that bids ranged all the way from$900 to $2700. Trees to be removedwere marked at eye height and againat the base of the stump for identifica-tion.

Meantime the Watertown Timescame out with an editorial entitled"Wood Chip Shortage." Here theywere apparently mixed up in theirnomenclature because there is no woodchip shortage - what they actuallymeant is that there is rapidly becoming ashortage of mill waste - i.e. sawdust,bark, and other waste wood. Anotherinteresting statement of fact was thestudy made on the Tug Hill forestwhere a growth rate in an unthinnedstand was 1.1 percent a year. Thiswent to a 4.8 percent growth rateafter the cull wood-was removed (45percent). This statement came out atthe recent Tug Hill Committee meetingin Boonville. -Boonville Herald

FORESTBookshelf

81-R-38Book Review: The Nation's Unused

Wood Offers Vast Potential Energy andProduct Benefits - Reviews a GeneralAccounting Office report on use ofwood residues as an energy source.American Pulpwood Association, 1619Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Wash-ington, D.C. 20036.

Slide Tapes AvailableURBAN CLIMATE slide-tape show

available for loan free of charge. This13 minute show, prepared by theDayton, Ohio Climate Project underthe sponsorship of the Charles F. Ket-tering Foundation explores the possi-bilities of using natural resources -including vegetation - to improvethe urban environment. Please con-tact Ms. George Hopkins Stauffer,telephone (315) 470-6688, Collegeof Environmental Science & Forestry,Syracuse, NY 13210.

CRAWLER TRACTOR OPERA-TIONS SAFETY slide series in-cludes operators' safety, general safe-ty precautions, starting precautions,safe operating procedures and tractormaintenance. Available from theAmerican Pulpwood Association,1619 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20036. Pleasesend $22.50 per series.

Page 10 New York Forest Owner

History ofGussie Gaskill's WoodsThe Town of Dryden, in which the

Gaskill woods is located, is townshipno. 23 of the large tract of land whichthe New York State Legislature setaside in 1789 to be surveyed intotownships, and divided into lots to be.granted to New York soldiers of theRevolution. The townships were aboutten miles square and divided into onehundred lots about one mile squareeach. Dryden is still as it was in theoriginal survey, except that in 1887, lots94-100, in the southeast corner of thetown,. were taken from Dryden andmade a part of the Town of Caroline.Township no. 23 was surveyed in1790, by John Konkle of Schoharie,and the lots were drawn by ballot in1791. Lot no. 85, in which the Gaskillwoods is located, went to Nicholas Fish,a major in the Revolutionary army.

Many of the soldiers sold or tradedtheir lots soon after they got them, butNicholas Fish kept lot 85 for years. Itwas sold in parcels of 100 or 50 acreseach between 1824 and 1843, by Fishor the executors of his estate. He died inJune 1833. In Book V, p. 341, ofTompkins County Deeds, is a deedfrom Nicholas Fish to Asa Hurd, Feb.22, 1833, which records the sale for$450 of subdivision lot no. 1 of Militarylot no. 85, one hundred acres of land bethe same more or less. Lot 85 had beendivided into six subdivisions of one hun-dred acres, more or less, each, by a linedown the middle north to south withthree lots east and three west of that linedivided by east and west lines. The sub-division Asa Hurd bought in 1833 wasthe northwest corner, no. 1. Aaron Bullbought no. 3, adjoining Hurd's on thesouth 'and 50 acres of no. 5, south ofthat. Kinner Hollister bought the 150acres which were the southeast quartersection and included half of subdivision4 and all of subdivision 6.

Asa Hurd had come to this areaaround the turn of the century withPeleg Ellis, who had bought Military lot84, adjoining 85 on the west. He had afarm he had got from Ellis in the valleysouth of the present Hurd Road. Hesoon sold the west half of the hundredacres he had bought from Fish. Did heclear the east 50 acres? Did he build ahouse up there? Does anyone knownow? Or is there any way to find out?There was a house there in 1866, ac-cording to the atlas of Tompkins County

published that year. It was near thesouth line of the property, in from HurdRoad a quarter of a mile or so, and wasoccupied by W. Hurd, that is, WesleyHurd, Asa Hurd's son. He had inheritedthe place from his father. In March 1873Wesley Hurd paid the Bulls $1087.12for something over 43 acres of land ad-joining his on the south, thus com-pleting the place as it is today. Tragedystruck the Wesley Hurd family that sum-mer of 1873. Four children, two boysand two girls between 12 and 22 yearsof age, died of diphtheria. ApparentlyMr. and Mrs. Hurd stayed on there forthe next ten years. They sold the placein March 1883 to Josephus Hasbrouckfor $1325, it being described in thedeed as containing about one hundredand twenty acres of land, being the farmupon which the parties of the first partnow reside, and being all the land own-ed by said parties of the first part in theTown of Dryden, and being aboutseventy acres of land got by said WesleyHurd of his Father, and fifty acres ofland got by said Hurd of John and DocBull. Wesley Hurd died in June of thatyear, 1883, after he had sold the placein March. He was 82 years old. Perhapsthat explains the fact that the size of theplace as given in that deed isn't exactlyaccurate.

In 1962, 109 acres belonging to theRose M. Wilson estate was advertisedfor sale for taxes. I bid it in at the sale inOctober of that year and paid the taxesdue on it then, paid taxes on it in 1963,and in January 1964. Then I learnedthat J would get a deed to the place

when the period allowed for the ownerto redeem it had expired, but that I hadto notify the owner who had last paidthe taxes that the period for redeemingit was coming to an end. Two sons ofRose M. Wilson had inherited the Hurdplace when she died. One son livednear Syracuse and the other lived inVermont. Probably neither one of themhad ever seen the place. But now thelawyer in Moravia who was handlingtheir mother's estate told them theywould be foolish to let it go for taxes, soin March 1964 I got back all I had paidwith 10 percent interest. I then wrote tothe brother near Syracuse and askedhim if they wanted to sell the place. Ipromptly got a reply from the lawyersaying they had a standing offer of $500for it, but that they would be glad tohave an offer from me. I talked to mylawyer about it and followed his advice,which was to offer $650 for it if theywould accept the offer within a week.Very soon the Wilsons' lawyer calledme and said my offer was accepted andthe place was mine. The sale was closedon Sept. 1, 1964 and I got a deed fromeach brother and an abstract of title.

During that period after I paid thetaxes in October 1962, I had graduallylocated the place. No one around hadever heard of Rose M. Wilson, but byreading deeds and getting help fromHollis Clark and Ed Howser, who own-ed woods adjoining it on the north andeast, I learned where it was and quite alot about it. The county AgriculturalAgent, Howard Wilson, was very help-ful. He advised me to sign up with theConservation Department as a cooper-ator under the Forest Practice Act. ThisI did on Sept. 18, 1964, with RobertDemeree signing for the Department.

The Conservation Department for-esters from the Cortland office assignedto Tompkins County - Riordan, Kra-mer, Morris, Haischer - helped me inthe years that followed with woodlandimprovement, a few acres a year, mostyears, and getting the boundaries mark-ed. In 1966 I had the north linesurveyed because, although it is the linebetween Military lots 75 and 85, no oneknew just where it was. But when thesurveyors got to the northeast corner,there was the stake from the originalsurvey.

Friends cut firewood for themselvesand me up there, and it was a fine placeto go walking. Taxes weren't much, andgradually the woods are getting betterand better.

New York Forest Owner Page 11

But in 1978 that all came to a joltinghalt. Tompkins County land was reas-sessed at full market value and theassessment of my woods increased from$1620 to $29,300. I couldn't really pro-test because by that time land that closeto Ithaca - approximately eight miles- was selling to developers for highprices. I thought for awhile I should sellpart of it, keeping the north half wherethe big trees are. Or should I sell it all tosomeone who could keep it as wood-land? Sign it up under 480?1 What todo? In the end, acting upon BobDemeree's suggestion I asked A.W.Roberts to help me. He came, looked itover and told me there is a lot ofvaluable timber on it. In 1979 thewoodland improvement was finished,with the cooperation of the countyforester, 2 Carl Haischer. I have soldalmost a thousand dollars worth offirewood to neighbors, and I know nowthat there is enough marketable timberthat is increasing in value all the time onthe place that I can afford to pay thetaxes. Now I just want to keep it as awell-managed woods, harvesting timberwhen it is ready to be harvested, but nothaving it turned into a housing develop-ment. There is a lot of good land forgood houses in Ellis Hollow, .and itseems to me a good idea to keep that100 acres as woods.'Real property tax law 480-A.2N.Y. State Dept. of EnvironmentalConservation forester.

********

WorkLet me but do my work from day to day

In field or forest, or desk or loom,Let me but find it in my heart to say

When vagrant wishes beckon me to stray"This is my work; my blessing not my doom

Of all who live, I am the one by whomThis work can best be done in the right way."

Then shall I see it not too great or smallTo suit my spirit and to prove my powers

Then shall I cheerful greet the labouringhours

And cheerful turn when the long shadowsfall

At eventide, to play and restBecause I know for me my work is best.

........................

Dear Timber Harvester:Best Management Practices

(BMP's) for logging are once again be-ing stressed by the DEC. Norm VanVal-kenburgh, Director of the Division ofLands and Forests with his letter of July2, 1981 released the DEC's officiallyadopted silvicultural Best ManagementPractices.BMP's are designed to safeguard

water quality; and since "the greatestpotential for water quality degredationby forestry activities in New York Stateis associated with timber harvesting,"your logging roads, skid trails, log lan-dings, and stream crossings are impor-tant.

If you want a copy of the 13 pageNYS DEC Silvicultural Best Manage-ment Practices, contact your localDEC forester or let me know.

Recommended practices include:-Obtain Stream Protection Permit

where required by New York State law.-Cross streams by the most direct

route ...These and other stream crossing ac-

tivities are aimed at preventing grease,oil, bark, wood, and soil sediment fromcontaminating streams.

-Avoid cutting trees and destroyingunder-story vegetation growing within10 feet of the stream bank, since treeshelp keep banks in place and maintainshade over the water.

-Don't skid up and down the streamchannel; and avoid skidding in intermit-tent stream locations.

-Keep skidders back at least 50 feetfrom the water (of a stream); and forslopes over 10 percent keep skiddersback at least 100 feet so skidders don'tstir up the soil and start erosion.

-On steep slopes (exceeding 30 per-cent), set back roads and skid trails atleast 150 feet from streams, ponds, andmarshes.

-Remove logging debris that gets in-to water (and I might say intermittentstream bed).

-Don't run ditch water directly into astream but divert water in roadsideditches into woods.

- Put landings on gently slopingground that will give good drainage.

My opinion Is that foresters,landowners, and loggers will beutilizing the DEC's newly releasedBMP's which were developed Inresponse to requirements of a na-tionwide law, the Federal CleanWater Act of 1976 (PL-92-500,Section 208 dealing with non-point sources of pollution).

DRY STREAM BEDS AND IN-TERMITTENT STREAMS have con-fused some loggers who thought the lawdid not apply when the stream bed wasdry. But, according to Title 6, En-vironmental Conservation (Law),Chapter V, Resource Management Ser-vices, Part 608, Section 608.2 "No per-son ... shall change, modify or disturbthe course of, or remove sand andgravel or other material from the bed orbanks of any stream for which there hasbeen adopted by the department or itspredecessors the following classifica-tions AA, AA(T), A, A(T), B, B(T), orC(T), without having applied for andobtained a written permit to do so fromthe designated permit-issuing agent."(NOW NOTE THE NEXT SENTENCEWHICH MAY APPLY TO DRYLAND.) "For the purposes of this Partthe term 'bed' shall mean the maximumarea covered by waters of the stream forno less than 15 consecutive days in anyone year ... " So two important criteriawhich indicate that you need a streamcrossing permit are: 1. the stream isclassified as explained above, and2. the stream "bed" which may be dryor wet is to be disturbed; or "the banks"defined as "that land area directly adja-cent to the bed which is essential tomaintaining the integrity thereof" willbedisturbed .

David W. TaberExtension Specialist

Wood Utilization

Estate Tax ReductionThe Administration has endorsed a

proposal to increase the amount exclud-ed from the federal estate taxes from$175,000 to $600,000, and increasethe annual gift tax exclusion from thepresent $3,000 to $10,000:

Gold. • •Captures the sunlightat the throator on the wristor in a loopy golden twist

The golden flower on a dark fall dayThe daffodil on a day in May.Gold and red in a lovely dressGold in a young girl's tressGold in a wedding ringGold to please them that singGold for some to toss and flingGold

Our pleasure.-Evelyn Stock

Evelyn A. StockEditor

5756 Ike Dixon Rd.Camillus, N.Y. 13031

Non profit org.bulk rate

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Camillus, N.Y.13031

Permit No. 57

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ASK A FORESTER

Woods Walk atGussie Gaskill's

by AI RobertsThirty-five people, mostly our

members, gathered at Gussie Gaskill'swoods on June 20 in the Town ofDryden , Tompkins County. Bob Sandwas there to officiate for the WoodsWalk Committee, and A.W. Roberts ledthe group through the woods.

Gussie led off the discussion with avery interesting account of the history ofher 100 + acres starting with the firstowner who received the land as a mili-tary grant after the American Revolu-tion. She has promised to write an arti-cle for the Forest Owner telling how shedug up all the information.

There are several distinctly differenttimber types on the property. The dif-ferences are caused partly by the slope,aspect and soil types of the land itself,but more than that, by the past uses ofthe land.

The entire 100 acres had originallybeen cleared for agricultural use, but

over the years has again become a wellstocked forest stand. The entire 100acres except for a small swampy area,has received timber stand improvementin the fifteen years since Gussie ac-quired the property.

The first stand we walked throughwas a pole stand of red and white oak. Ithad been thinned, removing mostlyclump red maple. There is scattereddogwood in the understory which wasleft for aesthetic purposes. Gypsy moths(larvae) were active in the tops of theoaks.

In the next stand we walked throughthere were rock piles, indicating that theland had been plowed for agriculturalcrops. It had been abandoned about 45years ago as indicated by the six to teninch trees which are now growing there.

The third stand was at the top of aslope, on fairly shallow, dry soil and waspure oak. Oak can tolerate these sites inTompkins County better than theNorthern hardwoods such as beech,hard maple and birch. The stand hadbeen thinned two years ago, but a prism

plot showed that it was still carrying 100square feet of basal area and 25 cords offirewood per acre in pole sized trees.The basal area could be reduced to 70sq. ft. yielding about five cords of woodper acre.

As we proceeded further and furtheraway from the road the trees were big-ger, possibly indicating earlier abandon-ment from grazing on the less accessiblefields. The 25 acres farthest back fromthe road has beautiful oak sawtimber.Earlier abandonment and a moister sitecaused the bigger trees. The size of thetrees would make one think the areahad never been cleared. However, thepresence of large aspen (16 to 17 inch-es) showed it must have been, as theseare a pioneer species, only seeding inon open land. We measured a 24 inchtulip poplar on the property. We alsomeasured a 27 inch red oak with 614board feet. Bob Sand said the tulip wasworth $52 and the oak $185. The oakwas of veneer quality. He also said thathe wouldn't cut an oak until it is too bigfor him to reach around and touch hisfingertips. This is called the hug methodof tree selection. A quick prism plot inthe stand showed 12,000 board feet peracre. By using Bob's hug method wefound that it really isn't ready forharvest, since most of the trees aren'tquite big enough.

We made a quick stop (it had startedto rain) in a pure red maple stand whichwas about 25 years old. It had all seed-ed in at once when they stopped cuttinghay on that particular field. It is fastgrowing and even aged, and thoughthinned only two years ago will needanother thinning in the next couple ofyears. This will probably be done bymarking the trees to be cut and sellingthem to a neighbor for firewood. Thefinal harvest cut should be a clear cut.