The New York Forest Owner - Volume 43 Number 2

The New YorkForest OwnerA PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION

March/April 2005

Volume 43 Number 2

Pineholm: 50 years of a Multi-valueTree Farm

2 The New York Forest Owner 43:2 • March/April 2005

THE NEW YORKFOREST OWNERS

ASSOCIATIONVolume 43, Number 2

Officers & Directors

Alan White, President22 Bruce Scudder Rd.Halcott Center, NY 12430; (845)254-6031

Geff Yancey, Vice President32 Oliver StreetRochester, NY 14607; (585) 271-4567

John Druke, Secretary6341 Kirkville RoadKirkville, NY 13082; (315) 656-2313

Jerry Michael, Treasurer4 Leonard LaneBinghamton, NY 13901; (607) 648-2941

Debbie Gill, Administrative SecretaryP.O. Box 1055Penfield, NY 14526; (585) 377-6060

Peter Smallidge, Chair Editorial CommitteeCornell University, Fernow HallIthaca, NY 14853; (607) 255-4696

2006Harry Dieter, Honeoye Falls, (585) 533-2085Jerry Michael, Binghamton, (607) 648-2941Peter Smallidge, Ithaca, (607) 255-4696Alan White, Jeffersonville, (845) 482-3719

2007Renee Bouplon, Hudson, (518) 822-0613Charles Bove, Bethpage, (914) 644-2330Bob Malmsheimer, Cazenovia, (315) 470-6909Geff Yancey, Rochester, (585) 271-4567

2008Dan Cleveland, Erin, (607) 732-7884Cindy King, Amsterdam, (518) 842-3556Gene Reinshagen, Painted Post, (607) 796-6202Kelly Smallidge, Van Etten, (607) 589-7530

Chapter-Designated DirectorsDick Patton, Allegheny Foothills; (716) 761-6333Carl Wiedemann, Capital District; (518) 895-8767John Druke, Central New York; (315) 656-2313Anne Osborn, Lower Hudson; (845) 424-3683Steve Graham, Northern Adirondack; (315) 788-0281Dave & Jean Preston, Niagara Frontier; (716) 688-4921Bob Manning, Southeastern Adirondack; (518) 251-4638Larry Lepak, Southern Tier; (607) 656-8504Bob O’Brien, Southern Finger Lakes; (607) 594-4600Ray Cavallaro, Western Finger Lakes; (585) 288-3411

The New York Woodland Stewards, Inc.(NYWS) is a 501(c)3 foundation of NYFOAand tax deductible donations to this organizationwill advance NYFOA’s educational mission.

In This Issue . . .FROM THE PRESIDENT – 2005 FARM SHOW

ALAN WHITE ................................................................................................. 3

IN THE MAIL .........................................................................................................4

HOW TO: PROTECT NEWLY PLANTED SEEDLINGS .....................................5

ASK A PROFESSIONAL ........................................................................................6

PINEHOLM: 50 YEARS OF A MULTI-VALUE TREE FARMNORM RICHARDS ........................................................................................... 8

NYFOA AWARDS .......................................................................................... 14

MAPLE WEBWORM IS OFTEN PREVALENTDURING FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR OUTBREAKS

DOUGLAS C. ALLEN ....................................................................................... 16

NO-OP TO CO-OPBARBARA A. TUCKER ...................................................................................... 18

NEWS AND NOTES ........................................................................................... 20

CALENDAR ........................................................................................................ 21

KNOW YOUR TREES – BALSAM FIR .............................................................. 22

The New York Forest Owner is a bi-monthly publication of The New York ForestOwners Association, P.O. Box 1055, Penfield, N.Y. 14526. Materials submittedfor publication should be sent to: Mary Beth Malmsheimer, Editor, The NewYork Forest Owner, 134 Lincklaen Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035. Materi-als may also be e-mailed to [email protected]. Articles, artwork and photosare invited and if requested, are returned after use. The deadline for submissionfor the May/June issue is April 1, 2005.

Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to P.O. Box1055, Penfield, N.Y. 14526. 1-800-836-3566. Cost of family membership/subscription is $30.

COVER:All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproducedwithout prior written permission from the publisher.NYFOA does not necessarily support or approve pro-cedures, products, or opinions presented by authorsor advertisers.

© 2005 New York Forest Owners Association

www.nyfoa.org

Dan Palm, Executive Director645 Decker Rd.Stamford, NY 12167; 607-538-1305

Image shows a sawlog harvest in 2001 from the Pineholm property.For complete history of the property, see article on page 8. Photocourtesy of Ray Laux.

The New York Forest Owner 43:2 • March/April 2005 3

NYFOA is a not-for-profit group of NY Statelandowners promotingJoin!

stewardship of private forests for thebenefit of current and future generations.Through local chapters and statewideactivities, NYFOA helps woodlandowners to become responsible stewardsand interested publics to appreciate theimportance of New York’s forests.

Join NYFOA today and begin to receiveits many benefits including: six issues ofThe New York Forest Owner,woodswalks, chapter meetings, and twostatewide meetings. Complete and mailthis form:

I/We would like to support good for-estry and stewardship of New York’sforest lands

( ) I/We own ______acres of wood-land.( ) I/We do not own woodland butsupport the Association’s objectives.

Name: ________________________Address: ______________________City: _________________________State/ Zip: ____________________Telephone: ____________________County of Residence: ___________County of Woodlot: _____________Referred by: ___________________

Regular Annual Dues:( ) Student $10(Please provide copy of student ID)( ) Individual $25( ) Family $30Sustaining Memberships(Includes NYFOA annual dues)( ) Contributor $50-$99( ) Sponsor $100-$249( ) Benefactor $250-$499( ) Steward $500 or more

For regular memberships, make checkpayable to New York Forest OwnersAssociation. For sustaining NYFOAmemberships, indicate if for individualor family and make check payable toNYWS (New York Woodland Stewards,Inc.) Contributions to NYWS in excessof NYFOA dues are normally taxdeductible. Send the completed form to:

NYFOAP.O. Box 1055

Penfield, New York 145261-800-836-3566www.nyfoa.org

FromThePresident

–Alan WhitePresident

It is a great honor to be elected asthe president of the New York

Forest Owner’s Association. Ourorganization has made a great deal ofprogress in the past two years underthe leadership of Geff Yancey, PeterSmallidge and Dan Palm. This greatteam has provided the leadershiprequired to streamline our organiza-tional structure and increase ourcapacity to serve forest ownersthrough the integration of profes-sional staff and the administration ofnew funding sources. I think we

should be particularly proud of theadministration of the FLEP paymentsto forest landowners. This year willalso be a year of growth and change.I look forward to working with youall to make the New York ForestOwner’s Association even stronger.

Last year the NYFOA boardadopted a formal position statementon forest property tax reform.Through the development and adop-tion of a position statement NYFOAwas able to reach a consensus andmove into the current legislativesession with a clear message repre-senting the private forest owners ofNew York State. Realistically it willtake many years to realize the visionfor property tax reform outlined inour position statement. Our successwill depend on patience, persistenceand strong partnerships. Last year

we were successful in achievingreimbursement for 480a, one of thekey components identified in ourposition statement. This majorsuccess is the result of an effort thatbegan six years ago. In 1998 acoalition of forest taxation stakehold-ers, including NYFOA, made atactical decision to focus on achievingreimbursement of the current 480atax program as a first step towardmore comprehensive reform. Thisprogress on reimbursement hasallowed us to engage our partners indeveloping strategies to pursuebroader tax reform initiatives.

After a series of discussions withthe forest industry leaders, landowner groups from the Adirondacksand the Catskills and Farm Bureauwe have chosen three legislativepriorities. For the remainder of thislegislative session we will be focus-ing on the problems associated withincluding the value of standing timberin property tax assessment, the needfor further reform of 480a, and thedevelopment of a state income taxcredit to reduce the impact of schooltax on forest landowners. Thisambitious legislative agenda will notbe accomplished easily or quickly.The forest landowners of New YorkState will need to work cohesivelyacross all levels of our organizationand with the help of a broad range ofpartners to be successful. I’m hopingthat our chapters and individualmembers will help us share ourvision for forest tax reform withlegislators across the state.


In TheMAIL

Letters to the Editor are the opinions of the authors themselvesand not necessarily of the New York Forest Owners Associa-

tion. They may be sent to: The New York Forest Owner134 Lincklaen Street, Cazenovia, NY 13035

orvia e-mail at [email protected]

I am writing concerning the volume ofnoise about nothing that has arisen sincethe publication of Jonathan Raymond’sletter in the November/Decemberpublication.

I am a professional and have alwaysbeen paid according to my qualifica-tions and the quality of work that Iperformed. I presently employ Mr.Raymond and find him to be a profes-sional in every sense of the word and Iexpect to pay him for his professionalforester duties. It matters not whetherhe is paid on a percentage basis or on aper hour basis. It only matters that he ispaid according to the quality of his

work and the quality of forestry whichhe oversees. It has been my experienceworking with Mr. Raymond that hisquality of work is above reproach andhis knowledge of forestry is of thehighest quality.

What I find about this whole debate,of how the forester is paid, is that thetotal argument is nebulous. I have takeninto consideration the number of hoursthat Mr. Raymond has worked for me,multiplied that by a professional hourlyrate and the result has been almost tothe dollar what he has been paid on thepercentage basis. If the professionalforester is doing the job that the proper-ty owner wants done and doing it in aprofessional manner according to “BestMethods Management,” then he/she isentitled to an income which reflects thatperformance. I find little differencewhether the payment is a percentage ofthe timber sold or an hourly rate.

Maybe the entire argument actuallyturns on the amount of trust that theproperty owner has in the forester. Ihave found that Mr. Raymond istrustworthy, honest and competent. I

Susan J. Keister, L.L.C.Forestry Consulting and Environmental Management Services

Specializing in the sale and harvest of low grade hardwood timberNYS-DEC Cooperating Consulting Forester SAF Certified

Services Include:

General permit and environmental management advice includingwetlands, mining, local timber harvesting and special use permits.

585-728-3044 ph/fax • 7025 Harpers Ferry Road • Wayland, N.Y. [email protected]

Timber Stand Improvement-Marking-Implementation

Damage Appraisals-Strategy and advice-Stump Cruises-Valuations

Land Clearing/Development

Management Plans-SIP-480a

Commercial Timber Harvests-High Quality Hardwoods-Low Grade Hardwoods-Softwoods

Federal Wetlands Delineations-Permit Applications

have found that by my spelling out indetail what I wanted done and consult-ing regularly with Mr. Raymond, thenhaving him apply his professionalknowledge, the work of producing asustainable forest is being attained.

A further point needs to be made. Byhaving hired Mr. Raymond via acontract and agreeing to pay him on apercentage basis, I evaluate the workbased on the entire job and I do nothave to oversee his hourly performance.

I have found that working withJonathan Raymond has been a pleasureand I have learned many valuable thingsfrom his expertise. I have paid Mr.Raymond a good sum of money and Ifeel that he has performed a valuableservice. I expect that our workingrelationship will continue for severalyears to come.

Lastly, getting what you pay for isnot always the case, but paying a fairvalue for quality performance is alwaysthe professional way.

–John U. HolmesCoach and Forty Farm

Hartford, NY


.

HOW TO: Protect Newly Planted Seedlings

LAW FIRMEXPERIENCED IN ISSUES RELATING TO

TIMBER AND FORESTRY

Timber Contract ReviewOil and Gas Lease Reviews

Timber Trespass ActionsTimberland Succession Planning

Timber Tax Advice Including:Schedule T Preparation

Depletion Allowance CalculationsTax Free Exchanges

Timberland Tax Certiorari Challenges

Call David J. Colligan atWatson, Bennett, Colligan, Johnson & Schechter, LLP

12 Fountain Plaza, Suite 600, Buffalo, NY 14202Tel: (716) 852-3540 • Fax: (716) 852-3546

[email protected] www.forestrylaw.com

�

Most foresters are well versed in thefundamental work of getting seedlings intothe ground. This includes careful sitepreparation, the selection of seedlings forthe site, using an appropriate plantingmethod, picking the best planting time, andso on. Once planted, however, seedlingsstill need attention in the first weeks andmonths as they become established. Inparticular, they often must be protectedfrom competing vegetation, wildlife, andthe weather.

“Whenever you have good soils, you’regoing to have lots of competition,” saysPaul H. Wray, an Iowa State University(ISU) extension forester. “In Iowa and inmuch of the Midwest, that’s one of themajor reasons for the failure of treeplantings. Weed control is the number onepriority in getting the seedling to the pointwhere its root system is established and itcan compete on its own.”

Forest managers can choose from anumber of weed control methods:mulching, mowing, mechanical cultivation,and herbicide applications. According toWray, who is author of the ISU publicationTree Planting: Establishment and Care,plantings may require vegetation control forthree to five years, depending on the siteand seedling species. Vegetation should becontrolled for at least three feet around eachseedling, and ideally five to six feet, toencourage root system growth.

Mulching is usually impractical in large-scale plantings, but Wray says it is often thebest choice for small areas. “In addition to

controlling competing vegetation, organicmulches reduce soil temperature extremes,add nutrients, and generally make for abetter environment for the roots.”

Mowing weeds helps control the heightof competing vegetation and can reducehabitat for rodents and other pests, butmowers can damage seedlings if they passtoo close and can leave too muchvegetation if they don’t get close enough.

“Mowing is one of the poorer forms ofweed control. It may control the height ofthe competition, but it doesn’t do anythingfor the root systems. It can even stimulateroot growth in grasses,” says Wray.

Mechanical cultivation can be effective,as long as the cultivation depth is shallowenough that it does not disturb roots.

The use of herbicides, either alone or incombination with other vegetation controlpractices, is the most common method andis usually the most cost-effective method inlarge plantations.

“Herbicides are good for weed control,but timing is critical, and that’s where I seeso many people make mistakes,” saysWray. Herbicide applications must occurduring the appropriate growth stages ofboth the weed and seedling species, as wellas plants in surrounding areas, and musttake place at a time of day and season whenit will have the greatest effect on weedspecies. Mowing in advance of an herbicideapplication can increase the effectiveness ofthe herbicide and reduce the amount of thechemical to be applied.

In some cases, weeds themselves can

provide shelter for newly planted treeseedlings.

“Foxtail may actually help the seedlingsurvive the winter months. It may evenprotect the seedlings from deer a bit, whileit’s taller than the seedlings,” says Ray.

Other Forms of ProtectionSeedling tubes and shades protect

seedlings from wildlife and weatherextremes. Seedling tubes come in twotypes: mesh walled and solid walled. Bothtypes may be secured to bamboo stakesdriven into the ground. Mesh tubes preventbrowsing by wildlife and livestock. Thetubes are made from a photodegradablematerial that decomposes within five years,so the tubes do not need to be removed.

Solid-walled tubes, or tree shelters, offersome protection from wind and directsunlight, thus reducing moisture stress.Such tubes are also photodegradable andtypically last two to five years.

Wray says solid-walled tubes have adrawback: They can allow trees to growtoo long as they approach the cooler fallweather and thus prevent seedlings frombecoming hardened to damaging frost.“Tree shelters can’t be put on andforgotten, they have to be managed,” saysWray. “In the fall, we lift the shelters up afew inches so the trees cool off.”

In drier, hotter climates, shade cards andother devices that block the sun offerprotection from heat, soil dryness, andwind. Lightweight wire frames hold thecards in place between the sun and theseedling’s stem. Seedlings planted behindlogs, stumps, or slash are also shieldedfrom the sun’s rays.

Other protection against wildlife includepaper leader protectors, budcaps, and arange of chemical repellents, and somepeople use a wide variety of scents andtastes, from hot chili peppers to soap, todeter deer and other browsers. Wray saysthe only effective defense against deer is aneight-foot or taller fence.

STEVE WILENT

This article appeared in theMay 2002 issue of “TheForestry Source” a publicationof SAF. It is reprinted with theirpermission.


AskA

Professional

QUESTION:How can I manage my woodlot toprovide optimal habitat for WoodThrush and Cerulean Warbler?

ANSWER:

The reproductive success of the thrush is improved where the landscape is dominated byforest. Neighbors may need to work cooperatively to retain contiguous forest cover in anarea.

Landowner questions are addressed by foresters and other natural resourcesprofessionals. Landowners should be careful when interpreting answers andapplying this general advice to their property because landowner objectives andproperty conditions will affect specific management options. When in doubtcheck with your regional DEC office or other service providers. Landowner arealso encouraged to be active participants in Cornell Cooperative Extension andNYFOA programs to gain additional, often site-specific, answers to questions. Tosubmit a question, email to Peter Smallidge at [email protected] with an explicitmention of “Ask a Professional.” Additional reading on various topics isavailable at www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/forestrypage

While the vast forest resources ofNew York’s Adirondack Mountainsprovide critical habitat for birds andother wildlife of the Northern Forest,other forests throughout the state,especially at lower elevations areequally valuable for populations ofdeclining songbirds. Among theforest-dwelling species of greatestconservation concern, as recognizedby Partners in Flight, NationalAudubon, and NY DEC, both theCerulean Warbler and the WoodThrush have lost more than half oftheir rangewide population over thepast 40 years.

The Cerulean Warbler, a sky-blueinhabitant of the upper canopy, isrelatively rare in New York withconcentrations in four major areas.Forest owners across the southerntier, especially in the vicinity of

Allegheny State Park, as well as inthe Hudson Valley area, can providehabitat for Ceruleans by minimizingfragmentation of large forest tractsand by retaining the largest overstorytrees in each forest stand. In

particular, providing large oaks onridgetops and tall sycamores andcottonwoods in bottomlands areimportant for this species. In theLake Ontario Plain and Finger Lakesregions, Cerulean Warblers mayoccupy smaller forest patches,especially in the vicinity ofMontezuma and Iroquois NationalWildlife Refuges. Forested wetlandswith tall cottonwoods, red maples,ash and swamp white oaks are ideal,and especially important are mixeddeciduous forests on drumlins withtulip poplar, basswood, hickories,and oaks. Encouraging maturationand preventing fragmentation of these


Although Wood Thrushes will occurin small woodlots and near forestedges, studies show that theyreproduce more successfully in theinterior of larger stands (at least 200acres) and in landscapes with highamounts of total forest cover. Inareas with little forest cover or withlots of suburban development,minimizing fragmentation ofremaining forests and maintainingwooded corridors between stands ismost important.

A dense understory of mixed deciduous trees is ideal habitat for breeding by wood thrush. Create amosaic of age classes through small to mid-sized openings to sustain this habitat feature.

remaining stands is critical formaintaining suitable habitat in theseregions. In all areas, Ceruleansprefer an uneven-aged forest withsmall openings adjacent to emergentcanopy trees. Single-tree removalthat breaks up the canopy andencourages growth of vines mayimprove habitat for this species.

In contrast, the flute-like song ofthe ubiquitous Wood Thrush may beheard from nearly every forestedregion of the state. To breedsuccessfully, however, this speciesrequires a dense understory ofsaplings and shrubs, primarily indeciduous and mixed forest types.Maintaining a mosaic of forest ageswithin a region will provide suitablehabitat, as Wood Thrushes oftenfavor denser regenerating stands andare often absent from closed-canopystands with an open understory.Selective harvest techniques thatopen up canopy gaps and allowsunlight to reach the forest floor toencourage shrub and sapling growthwill usually benefit Wood Thrushes.Where possible, controlling over-browsing by deer and livestock willalso greatly benefit thrushes andother birds of the forest understory.

Ken Rosenberg, Partners In Flight,Northeast Regional CoordinatorDirector, Conservation ScienceProgram, Cornell Lab ofOrnithology, 159 Sapsucker WoodsRd, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 254-2412; [email protected]

Above Left: Male Cerulean Warbler. Above Right: Female Cerulean Warbler. Photos byRoger Ericksson.

Wood Thrush. Photo by RogerEricksson.

What topics would YOUlike to see covered in the

Forest Owner? Contact theEditor at

[email protected]


Pineholm: Norman A. Richards

Aproblem often noted for privatewoodlands in New York is that

average ownership has been less thana decade, so many owners never getto know their woodlands as a growingand changing landscape with the manyvalues their land can provide. Hiddenin the average ownership figure,however, is a diverse group of ownerswho have been fortunate to hold andwork with their woodlands longenough to learn about growth andchange; the varied results of theiractivity on woodland processes andvalues; and also the effects of thelarger social-economic environmenton the piece of the landscape undertheir stewardship.

The Richards’ tree farm,“Pineholm,” completed its 50th yearlast fall. Its story is special only to ourfamily, and otherwise is just oneexample of a number of familywoodland properties or tree farms in

New York that have avoided thevarious pressures to “cash in” forenough years to add their own chapterto the landuse history of their locale.

A key factor in my case is that my50 years of active ownership andmanagement of our tree farm encom-passed my career in forestry teachingand research in Syracuse, so my workdidn’t draw me very far from the treefarm.

The main part of our190-acreproperty on the northwest edge of theCatskills was a “sub-marginal” hill-farm my father and I purchasedDecember 1954. The idea for the treefarm came from my freshmen forestrycourse the previous year, that dis-cussed submarginal farms in NewYork and promoted reforesting theirold fields and rehabilitating deterio-rated farm woodlots to meet futuretimber needs. From my farm back-ground, I was attracted to the idea of

50 years of a Multi-value Tree Farm

a long-term hobby that would keep me“in touch with the land” but hopefullywith less tribulations than other typesof farming.

I also was strongly influenced byAldo Leopold’s “Sand County Alma-nac” published in 1949. Leopold,who treasured the landscape of his oldsandhill farm in Wisconsin, distin-guished between “poor land” in thecommercial/economic sense and “richcountry” in terms of environmentaland aesthetic values. Our family farmin the Hudson valley, which we hadceased farming but continued as ourhome, was too valuable for futureresidential development to considerfor a tree farm. So my father and Ilooked for an appropriate property inareas northwest of our home, whereunused hill-farmland less favorablylocated was for sale for as little as $10an acre. We were looking for cheapland with some open fields goodenough to grow Christmas trees,which were being promoted as ameans of initially supporting a treefarm while other trees were growingtowards timber. But I also sought alandscape that appealed to me morebasically in Leopold’s sense of “goodcountry.”

The Theron Goss farm inHarpersfield was a fairly typicalCatskill hill-farm in several respects.Settled around 1800, it was a smalldairy farm until George Stevensretired in the 1920’s and moved away.The house burned down on the nextresident, and the barns were removedto be used elsewhere. Mr. Goss, wholived a few miles away, acquired thefarm in 1930, lost it to DelawareCounty in 1935, redeemed it for taxesSpring view of meadow, swimming and wildlife ponds at Pineholm. Planted conifers merge

with natural regrown woods. Photo by Norm Richards.


[email protected]

[email protected]

RICHARD CIPPERLYNORTH COUNTRY FORESTRY LLC

- HARVEST PLANNING

- MANAGEMENT PLANS

- LOSS AND TRESPASS APPRAISAL

- CHRISTMAS TREE MANAGEMENT

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

owed, and raised potatoes andcauliflower and cut some hay as apart-time farmer. He built a smallshack for himself and a shed for hishorses, to stay overnight whiletending his crops.

When my father and I bought the128+ acre farm from Mr. Goss, theold pastures and some fields were invarious stages of natural regrowth totrees, but the best fields were stillbeing maintained by hay-cutting.The woods areas had been logged fornearly all saleable sawtimber a fewyears earlier; a reasonable stepbecause timber value usually was notreflected in the low saleprices forsuch land – in this case, $14 per acre.While some neighbors thought theprice was a bit high, I felt it wasworth it because the farm was lessthan two miles by dirt town roadfrom a state highway, and it had anattractive hilltop layout with goodinternal access and far views.

From the beginning, the manage-ment objective for our tree farm wasto keep capital investment low, and tomaintain and improve the propertythrough weekend or vacation work.Hopefully, starting after about 10years, Christmas trees would payongoing expenses and also repay myfather for his part of the modestinvestment. We patched up Mr.Goss’s shack for our initial use, andin 1962 I started building a modestnew cabin that is still slowly being“finished.”

Christmas treesI became a cooperator under the

State Forest Practice Act in 1955;getting a general management planprepared by a state forester and free orlow-cost tree seedlings from the State’sSaratoga Nursery. From 1955 to ’60we planted most of the open fields,primarily for Christmas trees in thebetter fields and for reforestation onrougher areas. We had good survivaland soon had more Christmas treeplantings than we could care for well.So, several areas were given up to amix of planted conifers and naturalhardwoods after salvaging only a fewsaleable Christmas trees. These arenow problem areas for future qualitytimber growth, because shearing forChristmas trees contradicted rapidheight-growth for good timber form.

While we were over-planting treeseedlings in hopes of early incomefrom Christmas trees, many otherlandowners in New York and else-where were doing likewise. However,a predicted market glut of Christmastrees did not materialize because manyplantings failed or yielded few saleableChristmas trees, and the nationalmarket shifted to reduced demand forsemi-wild or minimally-sheared treesand a good market for more inten-sively sheared and otherwise well-tended trees. Along with other treeplanters, we learned the hard way thattoday’s Christmas trees are a fairlyintensive horticultural crop rather thana forest crop.

Since then, I have condensed ourChristmas tree operation to about 12acres on our best soil areas; moreintensively managing the plantings toproduce a reasonable yield of highquality trees. Now in our third andfourth rotations of plantings, this is asmall part-time business that occupiesmost of the family’s worktime on thefarm, but has covered much of ouroperating costs over the years. Wehave had problems of late frosts anddry seasons on our 2,000 foot eleva-tion, thin-soil hilltops, and increasingproblems with insects, diseases anddeer over the years; but have neverhad a problem with selling good trees.An environmental value of the Christ-mas trees has been a practical meansof maintaining fields in an fairly openyoung conifer stage for wildlifehabitat diversity and views whilewoods cover increased on most of thefarm.

Our small Christmas tree businesshas been disadvantaged by Pineholm’sdistance from our Syracuse home,compared to Christmas tree farmerswho live on or close to their farms.But the travel time and expense hasbeen compensated by advantages ofour family living in Syracuse whilealso enjoying the rural-rustic experi-ence of many weekends and vacationsof recreation combined with theChristmas tree work. Also, for manyyears we have brought part of ourharvest back to Syracuse for word-of-

continued on page 10


mouth retail from our home; bringingnew acquaintances and a local reputa-tion for our trees, as well as betterreturns than from our wholesale trees.

Hardwood StandsThe 50’s and 60’s brought increased

government promotion of “timberstand improvement”(TSI) in cut-overwoodlands and thinnings in reforestedlands to increase the supply andquality of future timber. As mylimited time and money for work onthe tree farm needed to focus on careof Christmas tree plantings, my TSIwork was confined mostly to occa-sional “poison walks” — girdling andherbiciding poor trees to release morepromising trees for improved growth.I did not make use of availablesubsidies for thinning and TSI becauseI only did what I felt was to ourbenefit in giving our woods a helpfulnudge toward improving themselvesover time. My minimal stand im-provement efforts along with ourplanting activity nevertheless earnedcertification of Pineholm as New YorkTree Farm No. 295 in 1965.

The “energy crisis” in the ‘70srenewed firewood use for alternativeheating, especially in rural and small-town areas, and increased opportuni-ties for hardwood stand improvement.In 1981, Ray Laux from nearbyStamford began to center a part-timefirewood business on our farm, whichhas resulted in thinnings and improve-ment cuttings on most of our hard-wood stands to date. An importantside-benefit has been an extensivesystem of woods roads, as well asRay’s maintenance of the mainroadways on the farm. Also, Ray’sfrequent presence at Pineholm ishelpful to us, as local people knowthat he is looking after the tree farmup Shaver Road.

By the 80’s, the international timbermarket had raised some of NewYork’s hardwood species among themost valuable timber species in theworld. Particularly striking was therise of red oak from relatively low-priced sawtimber to a hot market for

large, good quality logs. In 1983, thisprompted Pineholm’s first sawtimbersale of 25 good quality red oaks over20 inches dbh along with some poorerones to a local hardwood mill that cutclear-wood pieces from the poorerlogs and resold the best logs forexport. The oaks had seeded into anold pasture about 1890; part of anadjacent 50 acres of regrown wood-land we bought cheap in an estatesettlement in 1962. The lot had beencut-over about 1950 for saleable logsof old-field white pine popular withlocal small sawmills, while there wasa poor local market for oak. Our oaksale returned all we had invested inpurchase and taxes of the 50 acres,while leaving good oaks under 20inches for continued growth.

However, to keep this oak salefrom being simply a “high-grading,” Ivowed to get good oak regenerationback where the large trees were cut.So I marked a firewood cutting tomake larger openings, and evenplanted acorns and some one-yearseedlings where natural seedlingswere absent. But small oaks arepopular deer browse, and after 20years, there is a disappointing number

of good young saplings. It is nowapparent that the period from about1890 to 1950 was a fortunate time foroak establishment, because there wasmuch land in an early stage of refor-esting, and relatively few deer inrelation to an ample supply of browsewithin their reach. Since then, ourregrown woods have become denseroverhead with less woody browse nearthe ground. So, a fairly modest deerpopulation now has to concentratefeeding in openings from tree cuttingand remaining open fields.

In 1990, Ray Laux bought a bull-dozer for work off our farm as well ason it, making it possible for him toharvest larger trees on steeper slopesthan he could with his smaller trac-tors. I could then give attention to ourpreviously cut-over residual woods;especially our steep north slopemostly in sugar maple, and also an oldsugar bush. We have made harvest/improvement cuttings in these stands;marking large declining trees withgood sawlogs along with poorer andsmaller trees for firewood and somesawlog salvage. Because high-gradehardwood logs can be cut shorter thanused to be standard, a surprising

A few good oak saplings in the regeneration20 years after the oak harvest. Photo byNorm Rihcards.

An exceptional old-pasture red oak. Photo byNorm Rihcards.


POSTED SIGNORDER FORM

NEW YORK WOODLAND STEWARDS

Use this form to order the sign shown above. Thesigns are orange with black printing.

SIGN COST NUMBERMATERIAL PER SIGN ORDERED* COST

Plastic(.024 gauge) $.45 _________ $_______

Aluminum(.012 gauge) $.70 _________ $_______

Add Name and Address to Sign$5.00 Set up cost per address $5.00

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TOTAL COST OF ORDER $_______

Please specify Name and Address to beprinted on signs:

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Make checks payable to NYWS. Mail form toNYWS at PO Box 1055, Penfield, NY 14526.For more information call 1-800-836-3566

* Minimun order is 50 signs with additional signs in incrementsof 25.** Shipping Costs: 50 signs, $4.50; 75 signs, $4.75; 100 signs,$5.25; 100+ signs, add $.75 for each 50 signs over 100 (150would cost $5.25 plus $.75 for the additional 50 for a total of$6.00).

POSTEDPRIVATE PROPERTY

– No Trespassing –Hunting, Fishing or Entry by

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Name & Address - Owner or Lessee

number of valuable logs have come from the best portions of largebut otherwise mediocre trees. We have left most trees under 18inches diameter with good prospects for continued value growth,and hopefully have opened the stands enough get some goodregeneration past the deer browse stage.

At this point, it appears that our improved residual woods alongwith old-field hardwood stands growing to sawtimber size offergood prospects for sawtimber yields for at least a few more de-cades, but there is clearly a gap in good hardwood regeneration forthe longer run. I have done some “Roundup” spraying of black-berry patches that have grown where the hardwoods have beeninhibited by deer, and plan to do more as at least one attempt toincrease the next generation of hardwoods.

While red oak, sugar maple and white ash are the three “high-value” hardwoods that grow well at Pineholm, several other nativespecies add diversity to our woods. Our most common lower-valuehardwood is red maple; particularly in the regrown old fields andpastures. Many of the red maples are multiple-stem and also havedamage or decay reducing the quality of stems, so are mostlycandidates for firewood harvest. But the price of red maplesawtimber increases when the demand and price of sugar maplerises, as it is a very functional though slightly less attractivesubstitute for sugar maple in furniture and other high-value uses.So I save good red maples along with the more valuable species inmarking firewood thinnings, and more generally, try to favor goodtrees of all species in the interests of diversity and wider futureoptions in our woods.

ConifersWhite pine is the most prominent native conifer at Pineholm as an

old-field species where pasturing cows as well as deer let it get ahead-start over the browsed hardwood seedlings. As this is one ofmy favorite species, and thus the farm’s namesake, I planted whitepine in some rougher areas and also in a several-row windbreakalong the west edge of our hilltop fields. Many natural and planted

Grandson and son harvest Douglas-fir with new generation of concolor firalready interplanted. Photo by Norm Rihcards.

continued on page 12


trees have had their stems spoiled bythe native white pine weevil. Butenough pines escaped seriousweeviling to warrant my girdling orcutting badly weeviled trees to releasethe better stems. I also pruned some ofthe best trees to about 17 feet, as oneof my TSI activities on the farm. In’92, I marked some fairly good old-field white pines 16-18 inches dbh tobe cut and hauled to a local sawmill forcustom sawing. We got mostly one-inch lumber 4 to 12 inches wide,planed on its best side, which we haveused to finish the inside of our cabinand other projects. In addition to thesavings, it is fun to have a good supplyof home-grown lumber on hand.

Red pine, a scattered native in NewYork including a few sites northeast ofPineholm, was a popular old-fieldreforestation species in the 1930’s, butwe have since learned that it growspoorly on inadequately-drained sites.So, I planted red pine at Pineholm on afew areas of well-drained upper slopesof old pastures. It has grown well withno insect or disease problems; but Ishould have planted it at a widerspacing—at least 8x8 feet, and I havenot thinned it as much as ideal. Theslow diameter growth due to crowdingmakes it a better prospect for polesthan for lumber. As we enjoy these redpine areas for their different characterin the landscape, I am continuing lightthinnings around good quality trees tomaintain stand health and stability aslong as feasible.

Rich CountryWhile Christmas trees and timber

sales provide income to maintain thefarm, several non-commercial valuesand uses are important for our familyenjoyment of Pineholm. A 10-acremeadow sloping down from our cabinis maintained by controlled burning,patch-mowing and herbicides forwildflowers and wildlife viewing aswell as wider landscape views andnight sky-scape. Below the meadow isa dug swimming and fishing pond forfamily recreation, and below that awildlife pond formed somewhat

cooperatively by beaver and us.Beyond the ponds, various treeplantings primarily for landscapediversity merge with natural reforesta-tion running up the side of our highesthill. The upper slope has prominentrock ledges where one might get aglimpse of a bobcat; Pineholm’s mostreclusive and treasured resident. Wealso treasure and protect Pineholm’sgrid of stonewalls that record itsprevious farm history in a region thathas been described as having “twostones for every dirt”; another aspectof this rich country.

Pineholm is in a popular huntingarea, so we decided quite early to postthe farm for our peace and safety. Ourfamily does not hunt, so we let RayLaux control the hunting for himselfand for a few friends in return for hisposting and casual surveillance of thefarm’s perimeters With significanthunting pressure on neighboring lands,I think shooting only a few deer a yearon our farm is sufficient, and we willdeal with deer damage to hardwoodsand fir Christmas trees by other means.

Economics and ContinuityThere are various ways to consider

the economics of Pineholm. For peoplewho bought hill-farmland or woodlandin the ‘50s or ’60s when the marketprice for such lands lagged well behindthe rising economy, it has been easy tomake good capital gains profit byselling their land after a few decades ofdoing little more than paying its taxes.In our case, we would have done bestin simple financial terms if we had soldPineholm about 1985 when the marketwas booming for attractive rural landfor second homes in the westernCatskills. At that time also, ourChristmas tree business was thriving inits second rotation, suggesting thatgrowing Christmas trees could be quiteprofitable, and our first sale of oaksawlogs demonstrated that the farm’swoodlands could be a source ofincome. However, a buyer at themarket prices of the ‘80s probablywould have to subdivide the land for

second-homes to make a significantcapital gains profit today.

As land taxes are frequently dis-cussed problem for New York wood-land owners, it is useful to examinethis issue over the 50 years of our treefarm. When we bought the Goss farmin 1954 for $1,800, the annual tax billwas $56 — 3% of the fair marketpurchase price and 44 cents per acre.In the 70’s, taxes increased sharplywith a widespread change in valuationmethods, so were $8 per acre in ’85and $17 in ’95. Taxes were $23 peracre last year, but this is less than 3%of the likely fair market value of theproperty — a slightly lower percent ofmarket value than it was 50 years ago.The property tax expense would not bea serious problem if we were sellingthe farm now. But we would like tokeep the farm in the family, and fromthat viewpoint, the present taxes areconsuming much of the farm’s modestincome now that our Christmas treeproduction is at a low stage betweenrotations.

We have no complaint with theTown Assessors, as they have put alow valuation on our modest cabin anda conservative “Full Market Value” onthe whole property. The real taxproblem is the high tax rate per $1,000of assessment because of the relativelylow total taxable value base in thisrural region. This makes taxing ruralland—especially woodland— to supportpublic social services particularlyirrational. I do not consider thecurrent Forest Tax Law 480a to be areasonable alternative, for all thereasons discussed in the Forest Owner.But I do hope that at least the nextgeneration of Pineholm ownership willhave the option of benefiting from agreatly improved forest tax law, asmany other states already have.

While Pineholm largely has paid foritself and not been a monetary burdento our family, it has consumed asubstantial amount of my time andenergy over 50 years. Especially from1963 through ’97 when I worked at theCollege, with my free time scarce andfamily pressures high, an important


personal economic issue was the“opportunity time-cost” of my work atPineholm precluding alternative uses ofthat time for my family, career andother options. Looking back, whilethere were situations when my treefarm work was not the best use of mytime, I am fairly comfortable with mytime expenditure on the farm. Mostimportant personally have been thebenefits of hands-on work on the landas a counterbalance to the moresedentary and cerebral aspects of myregular job. I feel Pineholm alsoenriched my professional work, as myteaching in forestry was tempered bymy efforts to practice it on our ownland. Pineholm also was a basis forpublic service activity on behalf of theCollege, including talks at Christmastree growers meetings and involvementin NYFOA from near its beginninguntil I retired.

My wife, Karin, spent many week-ends and summer vacation weeks atPineholm when our children wereyoung and the farm was a significant

part of our family time together. Shestill joins me in some work on thefarm, but most enjoys being there withgrandchildren. Our children have nowgone full cycle with family weekendsand vacations combining work andplay with their children to Pineholm.

All four of our children would liketo see Pineholm continue through theirgeneration if feasible. But the highmarket value of the property maycreate a dilemma for them in decidingwhether to keep so much inheritancemoney tied up in a property that is anoptional part of their lives. The familyconsensus is that our older son Paulhas the interest and commitment withthe support of his wife to take over theprimary stewardship of the farm afterme. Paul is increasing his role in theChristmas tree business, both incurrent work and decisions for thefuture, as he needs to consider his“opportunity time-cost” of more workthere in light of other commitments.My wife Karin and I are about to deeda co-ownership share of Pineholm to

Paul and his wife to give them aheadstart in carrying the farm into thenext generation on behalf of the wholefamily, while removing part of itsmarket value from our estate. I amconsidering making a substantialharvest of timber that has grown toeconomic maturity under our owner-ship, in order to set up a fund to helpsupport the farm in the future. I wantto do this while still able to mark andoversee the harvest, and focus ontrying to get good tree regenerationpast the deer in the harvested areas. Iwould like Pineholm to be “fairly goodland” in economic terms of continuingyield of forest products, while it alsocontinues to be enjoyed as rich coun-try.

Norm Richards is a member of NYFOA andhas been since its inception. He is a ProfessorEmeritus of Forestry at SUNY ESF and retiredafter 35 years of service to the college.


NYFOAA W A R D SDuring the annual Spring Meeting Peter Smallidge and Jerry Michael were presented withawards from NYFOA. The articles here contain a portion of the award speech to the individuals.The 2005 NYFOA Awards Committee was chaired by Geff Yancey.

Heiberg Memorial Award Presentedto Peter Smallidge

The 2005 Heiberg Memorial Awardwas presented to Peter J. Smallidge

at the NFYOA Spring Meeting. Thisaward is given annually by NYFOA toa person who has made outstandingcontributions to forestry andconservation in New York State. Theaward memorializes Svend O. Heiberga professor of silvaculture at what istoday SUNY ESF. Professor Heibergand the Dean of Forestry, HardyShirley, proposed the establishment of aforest landowner association thateventually became NYFOA.

Dr. Smallidge holds two positionsthat are vital links to the success ofprivate woodland stewardship. He isthe New York State ExtensionForester and the Director of theCornell University Arnot Teachingand Research Forest. In each of thesepositions Dr. Smallidge provideseducation to enhance the sustainability

and stewardship of private forest landsin New York State, which is a virtualmatch to the NYFOA missionstatement.

Dr. Smallidge is often the lynchpinfor cooperative efforts amongNYFOA, DEC, CooperativeExtension, the MFO program, FLEP,the Maple Producers, and many otherconstituencies. He is both a teacherand a researcher. His researchinterests are sugarbush managementand forest regeneration.

His accomplishments are many.His leadership in coordinatingdiscussions with DEC helped to resultin NYFOA’s major role in the FLEPprogram. He helped organize thevery successful Forestry Friday

program in Delaware County whichhas been replicated in other counties.He has chaired or co-chaired 51workshops, made 120 presentations,from crop tree management, to TSI,to working with foresters. He hasauthored numerous extension articles,some of which appear in the ForestOwner and he has developedbrochures distributed to 130,000forest owners.

As a board member and VP ofNYFOA he has been the go to guy.He chaired the committee to select ourfirst executive director, he has chairedthe nomination committee again thisyear and most importantly he isalways willing to help whether it ismeeting logistics at the Arnot orsmoothing over a controversial subjectwith members.

Peter lives with his wife Kelly andtheir children at the Arnot Forestwhere Peter supervises five full timeemployees and mentors Arnot interns.Peter graduated from Purdue with aBS in 1986 and received his MS andPhD from SUNY ESF.

NYFOA is proud to name Dr.Smallidge the 2005 Heiberg winner.He has made and continues to makesignificant contributions to the worldof private forest owner and we aregrateful.

Peter Smallidge accepts the Heiberg MemorailAwarrd from Geff Yancey at the NYFOASPring Meeting.


Outstanding Service Award Presentedto Jerry Michael

Heiberg Award Recipients1967 David B. Cook1968 Floyd Carlson1969 Mike Demeree1970 No Award1971 Fred Winch, Jr.1972 John Stock1973 Robert M. Ford1974 C. Eugene Farnsworth1975 Alex Dickson1976 Edward W. Littlefield1977 Maurine Postley1978 Ralph Nyland1979 Fred C. Simmons1980 Dr. William Harlow1981 Curtis H. Bauer1982 Neil B. Gutchess1983 David W. Taber1984 John W. Kelley1985 Robert G. Potter1986 Karen B. Richards1987 Henry G. Williams1988 Robert M. Sand1989 Willard G. Ives1990 Ross S. Whaley1991 Robert S. Stegemann1992 Bonnie & Don Colton1993 Michael C. Greason1994 Douglas C. Allen1995 John C. Marchant1996 Harriet & John Hamilton1997 Vernon C. Hudson1998 Peter S. Levatich1999 James E. Coufal2000 James P. Lassoie2001 John T. Hastings2002 Albert W. Brown2003 David J. Colligan2004 Jack McShane2005 Peter Smallidge

Outstanding ServiceAward Recipients

1978 Emiel Palmer1979 Ken Eberly1980 Helen Varian1981 J. Lewis Dumond1982 Lloyd Strombeck1983 Evelyn Stock1984 Dorothy Wertheimer1985 David H. Hanaburgh1986 A. W. Roberts, Jr.1987 Howard O. Ward1988 Mary & Stuart McCarty1989 Alan R. Knight1990 Earl Pfarner1991 Helen & John Marchant1992 Richard J. Fox1993 Wesley E. Suhr1994 Alfred B. Signor1995 Betty & Don Wagner1996 Betty Densmore1997 Norman Richards1998 Charles P. Mowatt1999 Eileen and Dale Schaefer2000 Erwin and Polly Fullerton2001 Billy Morris2002 Donald G. Brown2003 Henry S. Kernan2004 Hugh & Janet Canham2005 Jerry Michael

Jerry Michael has been chosen to bethe twenty eighth winner of the

NYFOA Outstanding Service Award.This award recognizes outstandingservice to the NYFOA membership.Jerry’s work over the past fifteen yearswith NYFOA, the MFO program, andBroome County Cooperative Extensionhas exemplified the very highest level ofvolunteer service.

Jerry graduated from Cornell in 1959and spent 32 years at IBM in humanresources and general managementpositions. He has owned forest lands inBroome and Delaware counties for 33years. He joined NYFOA in 1989 andbecame vice-chair and newsletter editor ofthe Southern Tier Chapter for 10 yearsand most recently has served on the stateNYFOA board as an at large director andtreasurer for the past five years.

Jerry has a work ethic that isunparalleled. His work as treasurer isimpeccable. He has deftly worked withthe chapters on their annual reports, hehas wrestled with our always challenginginsurance coverage, he has helped us toget acquainted and functional with ournew auditor and his budgets are done ona timely and accurate basis.

Jerry’s everlasting contribution toNYFOA members in the future is hisstrong personal support for the MasterForest Owners (MFO) program. A 1995graduate of the MFO course he haspersonally made a record 75 MFO visitsthat involve more than 5,000 acres. Ontop of that he refers many land owners toother MFO’s, he hosts refresher courses,he helps to train new MFO’s and he haspersonally helped the linkage betweenNYFOA and the MFO program so thattoday the perception is that the twoprograms are joined at the hip. Make nomistake without Jerry’s help the MFOprogram would be less successful than itis. Jerry is also currently the Presidentof the Broome County CooperativeExtension Association Board.

NYFOA is very proud to honor one ofits own. Jerry Michael deserves muchcredit for the current success of bothNYFOA and the MFO program and weare all thankful for his contributions.

Our long serving office administratorDebbie Gill is stepping down from herposition with NYFOA after fourteenyears. For a decade and a half Debbieand her parents Helen and JohnMarchant have been the glue andstability of NYFOA. Debbie has beenthe go to person if you were a strangerinterested in learning about NYFOA, orif you were the President of the boardtrying to research a motion made severalyears ago. Debbie has been and remainsour institutional memory. Debbie hasmaintained our membership database,

handledmembershiprenewals,numerousmailings toexisting andpotential members and has been the notetaker for most of our meetings. Theannual meeting won’t seem the samewithout Debbie sitting at the registrationtable, logging in members and selling theoccasional t-shirt. We thank Debbie forher exemplary service and wish her andher family a healthy and happy future.

Debbie Gill Steps Down


Figure 1. Eastern tent caterpillar nest.

Maple webworm is often prevalent duringforest tent caterpillar outbreaks

DOUGLAS C. ALLEN

Many forest owners have endured insect defoliation of one kind or

another during the past two or threesummers. The culprit of majorconcern in northern New York State isforest tent caterpillar (FTC), butpopulations of several other speciesthat feed on northern hardwoods havebeen on the rise as well. More oftenthan not outbreaks, though dominatedby a single species such as FTC,consist of a small complex of leaffeeders. The most plausible reason forthis is the likelihood that environmen-tal conditions favoring an increase inFTC also favor other species. Forexample, currently gypsy moth ismore prevalent throughout the statethan usual and fall cankerworm alsohas been uncommonly abundant ineastern New York.

People who have experienceddefoliation by FTC often notice that

the eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) isunusually abundant in the outbreakarea. The dense, bright white, silknests of the latter are located wheresmall to medium sized branches fork(Fig. 1). They are very obvious oncetree crowns begin to thin as a result ofdefoliation. In northern hardwoodforests, ETC tends to concentrate onrelatively open-grown black cherry,such as occur along fence lines or onthe margins of a wood lot.

The maple webworm is anothernest-maker that has become morenumerous on sugar maple in manyareas of the current FTC outbreak.One of the unique characteristics ofthis insect is the compulsory relation-ship that exists between its populationdynamics and the abundance ofleafrollers (Fig. 2) and other insectsthat distort individual leaves. Whendefoliation by FTC is low to moder-

ate, many FTC larvae will spin theircocoons on undamaged leaves in thecrown. In doing so, they also“crumple” or disfigure a leaf in a waythat creates a suitable habitat forwebworm. The egg-laying behaviorof webworm requires that mothslocate a leaf that has been rolled orpartially enclosed in one fashion oranother. That is most likely why thisspecies is a late season defoliator. Itmust give populations of certain otherleaf feeders time to provide suitableegg laying sites. The small, flattenedeggs are creamy yellow when firstdeposited, usually in early to mid-July, but they become bright yellowwith age. Usually a cluster of three tofour eggs is placed within the end of aleaf roll or along the edge of a foldedleaf, but occasionally clusters can beas large as 60 to 70 eggs.

The caterpillars (larvae) feed ingroups, and colony size is dictated bythe number of eggs originally depos-ited within the distorted leaf. Verylarge colonies result when severalmoths deposit eggs in the same leaf.This occurs when there is a paucity ofsuitable egg laying sites, either as aresult of heavy defoliation early in the

Figure 2. A typical leaf roll. The maplewebworm deposits its eggs in the open(lower) end.


Figure 3. Mature maple webworm caterpillar (approximately 0.8” long) exposed whenthe nest is pulled apart. Notice all the silk threads surrounding the insect and evidence offeeding (skeletonizing).

Figure 4. A maple webworm nest. Thisexample is approximately 5” long fromwhere the leaf stems attach to the twig tothe end of the nest.

growing season, which leaves littlefoliage available for leafrollers orFTC cocoons, or for other reasonsleaf-rolling insects are very scarce.

Webworm caterpillars can varyquite a bit in color and length. Whenfull grown they are approximately 0.7to 0.9 inches long and can take onone of several color phases. Withinthe same nest, larvae may be lightyellow (Fig. 3), shades of green oreven black.

Young larvae are “window feed-ers,” so called because they feed ononly one surface of the leaf (i.e., theinside of the leaf roll) and leave theouter surface of the leaf role intact.As they get larger, however, theyfeed on the whole leaf or only con-sume all tissues between the leaf veinsand leave the latter intact. The resultis lace-like patches of leaf, calledskeletonizing. At this point, theybecome true web makers by using silkto draw in and attach additional leavesto the original leaf roll (Fig. 4). Bythe time feeding is completed in lateAugust or early September, the nestwill be quite conspicuous and consistof several leaves and copious amountsof silk.

Management RecommendationsEven though maple webworm nests

are conspicuous and unsightly theinsect is more of a curiosity than aforest pest. It is very unlikely a forestowner would ever need to take actionagainst this defoliator. First, because itis a late season feeder. Even whenpopulations are very high, its damageoccurs after maple has stored enoughenergy for next year’s leaf and shootgrowth. Secondly, if one chooses totreat for FTC (e.g., with the bacterialinsecticide “B.t.”) early in the growingseason, populations of most leaf-rollinginsects will be kept low enough toprohibit an increase in the webworm.The ecological relationship betweenchanges in webworm populations andthe provision of egg laying sites byleafrollers or foliage deformed by FTCcocoons is obligatory. Without anabundance of the latter, webwormpopulations will always remain low.

This is the 79th in the series of articlescontributed by Dr. Allen, Professor ofEntomology at SUNY-ESF. It is possible todownload this collection from the NYS DECWeb page at:http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/privland/forprot/health/nyfo/index.html.


No-Opto

Co-Op

Are you frustrated that there arenot enough hours in the day or

enough willing hands to completesome of your forestry chores? TheNiagara Frontier Chapter of NYFOAmay have an answer to your problemthrough a fledgling program begunfive years ago and gaining momentumeach year since. In 1999, Don Fraser,a long time member of NYFOA andactive on the local board, wrote intothe chapter’s newsletter, asking forhelp with his woodlot.

“The idea of helping one another inthe woods seemed like a simple idea and a goal our members could reach,”Fraser said.

Greg Northway, another activeNYFOA member, came up with abroader program which his family hasused to help with projects at eachother’s homes. This became the

guideline for the newly established“Work Co-Op.”

“Anyone in the chapter who wouldlike work done on his or her ownproperty can call me,” Northway said,“and just let us know what projectsneed to be completed.”

After receiving the requests,Northway takes the names, rotatesthem for a designated host, thenschedules a project for one Saturdayper month. The property ownercontacts the interested parties, advisingthem of property location — with mapsbeing very helpful — the description ofthe work to be done and any personaltools to be brought to the site.

Work hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.with the host providing lunch. Thisshared meal time is not onlyconvenient, offers a break in the daybut also creates camaraderie.

For reasons of safety and efficiency,jobs are delegated to teams orindividuals according to skill andinterests, especially chain saw workand dangerous projects such as fellingtrees. “Chain saw and dangerous tasksare minimized,” Fraser said. “Thehost is urged to plan ahead, which isan essential part of the program. Allnecessary building materials andequipment must be on site and ready.”

In addition, the host is urged tohave a “Plan B” in case of manpoweror weather changes. “Sometimes it’snecessary to inspect the work areaahead of time as things have a habit ofchanging in the woods. If it rained theday before, it might be best topostpone brush clearing,” Frasernoted.

Projects that don’t fit into thisseason’s time period of April throughJuly, are put at the head of the list forthe following year.

Some of the recent Co-Op projectsinclude:

• Cleaning areas of brush andtrees for establishing an orchard;• Building and replacing timberbridges;• Clearing brush from roadsidesand pile brush for burning later;• Thinning trees and removingundesirable species for TSIpurposes;• Pruning lower branches of treesand brush removal to maintainroadways along property lines;• Clearing our stones andinfringing growth to improvestream water flow; and• Finding methods to control roaderosion.

BARBARA A. TUCKER

Mark and Jess Gregory of Elma, NY work on a plumbing problem.


“We’ve found this Work Co-Opprogram to be very beneficial andenjoyable,” Carole Northway, acommittee member said. “Many handsmake for a lighter load. We urge allNYFOA chapters to try the project.They may find anew way toconnect with theirmembers.”

Barbara Tucker is amember of the NFC ofNYFOA and editor oftheir chapternewsletter.

INDEX

“Every member has a differentsituation from which we can learn,”said Northway. “One person mayhave a fern problem and another toomuch beech. The third person mightnot have encountered either of these,but is besieged by ironwood orthornapple on his or her property.”

The committee finds that brain-storming and problem solving bypeople with multiple talents results ingreat accomplishments.

The turnout of workers varies from6 to 16, with friends and family ofNYFOA members welcome.

Dragging a felled pine tree at Northway woods April, 2004.

Part of the work crew sawing up logs and stacking it for removal at Northway woods.


271 County Road #9Chenango Forks, N.Y. 13746

(607) 648-5512E-mail [email protected]

Timber AppraisalTimber Sales

Forest Stewardship PlansForestry 480-A Plans

http://geocities.com/snowhawke1/snowhawkeforestry.html

SAF Certified

(518) [email protected]

5476 Cauterskill RoadCatskill, NY 12414

NEWS &NOTES

Forest Stewardship Short CourseA Forest Stewardship short coursefor landowners is being sponsored

by the CCE of Schuyler County. Thecourse “Your Forest & Pass it On”will be held at the Arnot Forest fromApril - September, 2005. Topicsscheduled to include:• Forestry techniques• Wildlife habitat enhancement• Mushroom, ginseng, and maple

production• Tree identification• Streamside protection• Best management practices• Conservation easements• Timber theft• Leasing your land• Working with a forester• Forest stewardship planning

Get to know other landowners whoshare your interests and connection tothe land during the Forest StewardshipShort Course. The course will meet onthe second Friday of every month for ahalf-day or full-day sessions, beginningin April and ending in September.Each class will consist of a classroomsession as well as hands-on fieldactivities that you can complete in yourown forest.

As a companion to the course, eachparticipant will receive a copy of thenew publication “Forest ResourceManagement: A Landowner's Guide toGetting Started.” Activities and quizzesfrom this companion publication will becompleted by participants, using yourown property as a real-life laboratoryto apply the principles learned in thecourse.

At the end of this course you willhave the supporting materials you needto work with a forester to develop aForest Stewardship Plan for your ownproperty!

For more information call CCE-Schuyler County (607) 535-7161.

Free SeedlingsOn Saturday May 7, 2005, fromdawn to dusk, white spruce

seedlings will be distributed to allcomers free of charge, in any number

and size, from Henry Hernan’s forestproperty. The address is 104 CountyHighway 40, South Worcester, NY,12197. It will not be necessary to digthe seedlings because they germinate inmoss and need only be lifted by meansof a garden fork, which will be avail-able. This year will be the 16th yearsuch distributions have taken place,with more than 30,000 having beentaken away. For more informationplease contact Henry Kernan at (607)397-8805.

Chapter Membership Growth AwardThis award was presented to theSouthern Tier Chapter at the

NYFOA spring meeting. They wonthis award for 2004 with a growth of30 members and 20% increase overlast year. The photo below shows themembers that were present at themeeting to recieve this award.

Members of the NYFOA Southern Tier Chapter recieve the Chapter Membership GrowthAward at the NYFOA Spring Meeting.


Woodlot CalendarApril 9, 2005Susan Morse To Speak at Greenwich High SchoolThe Southeastern Adirondack Chapter of New YorkForest Owners Association is sponsoring a wildlifeprogram by Susan Morse of Keeping Track, Inc, on bigcats and bears. Ms. Morse will show and discuss herwonderful slides on Saturday, April 9, 2005, at 7 p.m. atthe Greenwich High School. Tickets are $5 for adults,while students are free.

Susan Morse is a nationally recognized expert on bigcats-lynx, bobcats, cougars/mountain lions, and bears. Herfirm, Keeping Track , Inc., has helped people across thenation to recognize, identify, count, and plan for ways toprotect native wildlife. A premier strategy is to createwildlife corridors when development infringes on nativewildlife habitat.

For regional residents the program provides a realunderstanding of the behavior of big cats and bears bystudying the tracks and sign they leave behind for us toknow they were in our “backyards.” Jill Cornell,chairperson of the Southeastern Adirondack Chapter of

1890 E. Main St. Falconer, NY 14733 716-664-5602

NYFOA praises Morse's programs. “She is a wonderfulspeaker and her slide photos are magnificent. She is alwayshappy to answer audience questions. This is truly a ‘Don'tMiss Event’!”

Morse brings along samples of deer, moose, bear, andlarge cat feet that she has cut off from roadkill as well asexcellent books and other material for attendees to see.

July 17-19, 20052005 New York State Maple Tour scheduled in WNYThe 2005 New York State Maple Tour is scheduled to takeplace July 17, 18 and 19, 2005 in Western New York. TheBatavia Holiday Inn, just off the Thruway Rt. 90 in the city ofBatavia will be the host site for the tour. Tour stops willinclude Maple Sugar Houses in Genesee, Orleans andWyoming counties. The tour also includes a trade show ofmaple equipment, supplies and related organizations.Registration materials and detailed tour information will beavailable in the near future. Plan now to attend in July of2005. Questions contact Greg Zimpfer at 585 591-1190 orStephen Childs at 607-255-1658


erect central stalk to which they wereattached. Seeds–in pairs, winged, darkbrown in color, 1/4 inch long, ripeningin September.

Outstanding features–needles withoutstalks; blisters in bark; cone erect andfalling apart when ripe.

www.futureforestinc.com

Know Your Trees

Information originally appears in “Know Your Trees” by J.A. Cope and Fred E. Winch, Jr. and is distributed through Cornell CooperativeExtension. It may also be accessed via their web site at http://bhort.bh.cornell.edu/tree/trees.htm

BALSAM FIR(Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller)

Balsam fir is a medium-sized forest treegenerally distributed in deep, coldswamps throughout the state. The woodis light, soft, coarse-grained, notdurable, pale brown in color, and is oflittle value as a source of lumber. It iscut along with spruce for pulp wood,and is desirable as Christmas trees andfor lawns. Balsam pillows are fre-quently made from the needles.

Bark–smooth, grayish brown in color,dotted with balsam blisters containingfragrant oily resin; in old trees becom-ing somewhat roughened with smallscales.

Twigs–smooth with age, grayish incolor.

Winter buds–small, almost spherical,glossy, clustered at end of twigs.

Leaves–borne singly and twisting so asto appear 2-ranked as in the hemlock,flattened rather than 4-sided as in thespruces, dark green in color above,pale below with 2 broad white lines, 3/4 inch long, blunt, not stalked, aro-matic when crushed, persistent fromtwo to three years.

Fruit–an erect cone, from 2 1/2 to 4inches long, rounded at the top,ripening the autumn of the first year,purplish green in color. Cone scales–longer than broad, somewhat fan-shaped, falling in the winter followingmaturity of cone and leaving only the


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Materials submitted for the May/June issue should be sent toMary Beth Malmsheimer, Editor, The New York ForestOwner, 134 Lincklaen Street, Cazenovia, NY 13035,(315) 655-4110 or via e-mail at [email protected] Articles, artwork and photos are invitedand if requested, are returned after use.

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NYFOA Awards presented at the Annual SpringMeeting – See page 14-15 for Recipients.

The New York Forest Owner - Volume 43 Number 2

Documents

central new york

new york woodland stewards

peter smallidge

john druke

southern finger lakes

bob obrien

bob manning

kelly smallidge