w Issued Monthly by New York Forest Owners Association,
Treasurer-Membership lume II
Inc.
President: Theodore T. Buckley, R.F.D. 2, CambriJge, N.Y. Secretary: Floyd E. Carlson, College of Forestry, Syracuse, N.Y. Secretary: Mrs. Luella B. Palmer, 157 Ballantyne Ri., Syracuse,N.Y. February 1965
ESIDENT'S REPORT To the point of boredom, I have said several times that my duties as Sheriff get 'xed up in odd ways with my interest in - e Forest Owners, - and here is another. Our District Attorney recently asked to investigate a complaint made by one our citizens that an automobile junk . rd was located and managed illegally in ~s neighborhood. Presto - the question of a~sthetics along our roadsides is no longer abstract problem somewhere else, but, e right in my own backyard with the cer~in prospect that I must sign a report . the facts which the "D.A." hopes will a-5ist him in taking some intelligent ,,-tion. . Now this would probably not be my sub~ect this month if I had not picked up the anuary issue of American Forests and read a very interesting article on this same subject entitled "This Is A Junkyard LOR IT GREEN" by John Prokop. There was a time, when no one thought - 0 much about such things, but there is a ~~owing awareness that it isa little silly make so much noise about conservation of .atural scenery, parks, beaches, and water, .ile at the same time be forced to drive _ . and see one or all of the "seven scour;es", open trash dumps, dilapidated signs, .warranted spot developments, water and a!r pollution, auto graveyards, and the _ack of local planning. Mr. Prokop says that there are 8000 ~~kyards in the country taking in more - an five million cars a year. On top of
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this there are thousands 6f junk cars abandoned on private property. by the oroperty owner himself. Now the answer is not always jU$t "another law", because where laws are in effect they are difficult to enforce,It must be first realized that business is second-hand parts and metal is legitimate. The problem comes from our objection to the unsightliness of the collective remnant? of the chrome-:-trimmedbeauties that were orce our pride and joy. What can we and other conservation路 groups do about it? It is apparent that many of the responsible owners of junk yards are concerned about it too, so in many cases we may expect some cooperation. But not until we have raised enough c12mor to arouse our local officials to the point of establishing planning boards with the courage to face our modern problems. Why do we have to wait, for some billion dollar ~rogram super-imposed upon us by the state or federal government when with some cleaning UP in our backyards we could make a big start. The Woman's Farm and G~rden Clubs have done wonders with their civic-improvement and litter-bug campaigns. Mr. Prokop suggests that many of these road-side blots can ~e screened with plantings of trees and shrubs. With a little study, our e~perts can suggest the species that might do the best job. Such a program could be a little expensive, but civic clubs, soil conserv~tionists, Boy Scouts, etc., might help~ One or two good examples in an area might (continued on Page 2)
PRESIDENT S REPORT (continued) I
start the ball rolling. Do you have this problem in your town? What do you think about it? If you have an ldea,please write! (T.T.B.) ANNUAL MEETING - April 24 Subj ect: MARKETING. SAVE THE DATE.
AMONG OUR MEMBERS On Tuesday, December 15, 1964, Director Miller appeared on television over the Utica station WKTV speaking on Christmas Trees, along with Extension Service representative Bernard DeKay. Director Miller took the occasion to say a good word for the NYFOA. Our 2nd Vice President, Harvey Smith of Auburn, is one of ten directors of the Finger Lakes Sugar Beet Growers Association where he serves as Treasurer. It is anticipated that 1500 to 2000 growers in the Auburn area will be producing sugar beets for the 22 million dollar Pepsi Cola plant now under construction at Montezuma &ong the New York State Barge Canal. Director Lewis DuMond in December 1964 was elected President, Independent Mutual Agents Association of New York Stata. There are 1600 members in this Association for which he served as Secretary for 13-1/2 years.
PRUNING Late winter is a good time to prune conifers, whether they be planted or wild. At this season, there isnlt much else a forest owner can do in the woods, what with cold and snow and poor travel. Because evergreens intercept a considerable amount of snow, there is generally less on the ground under them than there is in the open or among the hardwoods and so it is easier to get around. Dead limbs can be pruned off at this or almost any time without hurt to the tree. Above the dead ones there is a zone of branches that are declining - they mayor may not have lost their needl~s but the wood close to the trunk is not yet dead. And then, there are those limbs that are still green but which
may be expected to die before the next pruning. Any time after mid-February, the midday sun gets hot enough to stir to trees into action. When a decadent or a live limb is cut, the resin canals will ooze a little each warm day and a coat of pitch will form over the cut stub, sealing it against infection when fungus spores start to fly in spring. But donlt overdo a good thing. Real growth activity begins about April 1 and when it does, you can get in trouble with bark t~aring, especially on the under side of the limb. When this happens, layoff pruning for the season -- there will always be another year. Dave Cook
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COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION ORGANIZED John F. Daly, former Secretary of the New York State Conservation Department, was elected Chairman of the Legislative Committe of the New York Forest Owners Association at a meeting held at the home of member Dr. Edward E. Palmer of 316 Berkeley Drive, Syracuse. Secretary of the Committee is m ber of the Board of Directors NYFOA, Qr. B. Hatch of Peterboro, N.Y. "A.B." was Chairman of the New York State Fish and Wildlife Management Board from its inception in 1958 until his retirement in December 1963. Other members of the Board of Direc are Robert M. Ford, Past Chairman and presen ly State Board Member from Forest District No.7 (Madison, Chenango, Broome Counties) 0 the New York State Forest Practice Board; Dr. Eugene Klochkoff, former law student and practicing physician in New York City; Dr. Edward E. Palmer, Professor of Political Science and American Studies, Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; and Theodore T. Buckley, President of the New York Forest Owners Association, Inc. and presently Sheriff of Washington County and State Board Member from Forest District No. 11 (Washington, Warren, Saratoga Counties) of the New York State Forest Practice Board. F.E.C.
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INDER TO NYFOA MEMBERS
New members joining now get a bonus. eir dues will be paid up until March 31, 966.. And this is also a reminder that our e~ficient Treasurer would be glad to regis-er YOUR payment of dues anytime now - for 965-1966. F.E.C.
W ERA OF CONSERVATION PROPOSED BY PRESIlENT JOHNSON 1, the White House issued four olicy statements dealing with domestic ssues. Below is an extract from the Presi~ent's statement covering natural resources. . E.C. )
'~hen America began there seemed no imit to the riches of the earth. Then came a time of reckless exploitation and ruthless lunder. Greed and ignorance combined to ay waste our resources and threaten our .... omain with destruction. Far-sighted and ourageous men -- men like Theodore Rooseelt, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy -acted to halt decay, preserve our splendor, d develop our resources. That battle still We intend to win it. three changing forces are biinging a new era to conservation. "The first is growing population. By ·he year 2000, more than 300 million Ameri:ans will need ten times the power and 2-1/2 ·imes the water we now consume. Increasing ~ressure will take our resources and increas. g.leisure will tax our recreation. "The 'second is the triumph of technoogy. The bright success of science also has a dark side. The ooisons and chemicals, the 'unked automobiles and the waste products of rogress ure threatening the destruction of .ature. "The third is urbanization. More of our eople are crowding into cities and cutting -hemselves off from nature. Access to beauty 's denied and ancient values are destroyed. Conservation must move from nature's wilderess to the man-made wilderness of our cities. "All of this requires a new conservamust not only protect from destrucrestore what has been destroyed -develoo old resources but create -- not only save the countryside
but salvage the cities. "It is not just the classic conservation of protection and development, but a creativa'con~ervation of restoration and innovation. "Its concern is not with nature alone, but with the total relation between man .and the world around him. Its object is not just man's welfare but the dignity of his spirit. "Above all, we must maintain the chance for contact with beauty. When that chance dies a light dies in all of us •. We are the creation of our environment. If it becomes filthy and sordid, then the dignity of the spirit and the deepest of our values are in danger. "And once more nature is destroyed or beauty blighted, it can rarely be restored • It is gone forever. It is our children who will bear the burden of our neglect. We owe it to them to keep that from haopening •. "We have made progress. The 88th Con •. gress -- the greatest conserv~tion Congress' in our entire history ~- passed more than 30 important conservation bills. . "A new Land and Water Conservation Fund will help states and cities set aside spots of beauty for recreation and oleasure. "A v!ilderness Act will guarantee all Americans the natural magnificence which has been your heritage. "A.Water Research Act will speed development for the soaring water needs of a growing nation. "We established continental America's first new National Park in 17 years -~ twenty three new national park areas -- and four new National Seashores -- and a national riverway. '~e began a new Bureau of Outdoor Recreation so that our children will have a place to hunt and fish and glory in nature. '~e began construction of over 200 water resource projects with about 70 more scheduled for 1965 • '~e built or began more than 55JO miles of transmission lines. "Flood control funds were increased.by more than 50% .• "VJe have explored the.wonders of modern science oressing ahead with research into every area of resource development -- using the atom for power -~ sending satellites to predict weather -- moving toward the day when we can make fresh water from the oceans, oil from shale, and harvest the riches of (continued on Page 4)
the sea. All this we have done, and more. "I pledge my Administration to continue this progress. "But we must do more than continue. Our problems are changing, and we must change to meet them. "In the development of a new conservation I intend to press ahead on five fronts. "First, we seek to guarantee our children a place to walk and play and commune with nature. The demand on our recreational facilities is doubling each decade. We must act boldly or our future will be barren. We will move vigorously under our recent laws to acquire and develop new areas for recreation -- emphasizing areas of concentrated population. We will expand our programs to meet developing needs. "A National Program of scenic parkways and riverways is on the horizon. "I hope to make the Potomac a conservation model for our metropolitan areas. "In our cities open space rnus t be reserved where possible, and created where preservation comes too late. "Second, we must control the waste products of technology. The same S09iety which receives the rewards of 'technology must, as a cooperating whole, take responsibility for control. I intend to work with local government and industry to develop.a national policy for control and disposal of technological and industrial waste. In this way, we can rescue the oldest of our treasures from the newest of its enemies. "Third, we must increas~ mastery over our environment through the marvels of new technology. This means rapidly increasing emphasis on comprehensive river basin development. We will coopara te with qove rnment at every level to develop all the resources while preserving all the scenic promise of an entire region. The scale of our programs must match the seopeof our problems. "It means drawing fresh water from the oceans. Within a few years, economic desalination will be a reality for large numbers of Americans. "It means learning to understand the weather and become its master. Weather satellites, deep sea nuclear weather stations, are part of a developi~g technology which will ultimately make it possible not only to talk about the weather, but do some-
thing about it. "It means the use in every field of the newest of knowledge to meet the oldest needs. And it means encouraging the develqpment of the genius of man in order to unlock the secrets of the earth. I~ourth, We must prevent urbanization and growth from ravishing the land. At this moment a working group is studYing ways to protect the integrity of nature in cities and suburbs. The nation is growing. We want that growth to be a blessing and not a blight. "I will propose -- in cooperation with local government and private industry~. poli~ies to help ensure that suburban building, highway construction, and industrial spread are conducted with reverence and re-路 gard for the values of nature. "Fifth, we must conduct conservation on a global scale. "The oceans and atmosphere are路,the property of all people. Scientifi~ discover ies in one land can benefit all nations. There are no political boundaries in mari1s ancient and continuing struggle for mastery over nature. "The Antarctic Treaty, weather and fishery agreements, and the Columbia River treaty with Canada are examples of what ca~ be done if nations will devote common effort to common interest. "There are some of the fronts pf the new conservatior) which I will work to Cqrry forward. "It is often difficult to invest, when results may be a generation or more away.So many immediate needs crowd around us, But our history is witness to the wisdom of investment in our natural resources. It haS returned i t s cost many times. And it has preserved the patrimony of America. I deeply believe in economy and procience in qovernmeubv-v- we must be mindful of the financial debt we leave to our children. But I do not want to leave them the tragiC and irretrievable debt of a devastated lancl and dwindling resources, "From the beginning we have been a people of open spaces. We have lifted o0r eyes to the deserts and mountains, and now to the starts. But on this earth the ring draws closer around us. Let us have space and resources, here in America, to fit our children's hopes." From What's Happening
in Forestry
Nov.l6,'64
ANTED SALESMEN Each of you is needed to sell memberships in the New York Forest Owners Assoc.ation. The small sum of three dollars per year for this valuable membership buys the ~rospective member so much for so little. is is an, easy job! When we double our mbership the three dollar investment will ouble in value. So - get out and sell - Sell the New ork Forest Owners Association. The more mbers we have - the greater the return "II be on all the members investment. GO OUT AND SIGN UP A NEW MEMBER. Gus Miller Chairman, Membership Comm.
OJNDITIONS FAVORABLE TO GOOD HARDWOOD OWTH -- PART III Editor's Note: Norman H. Richards, Research Assistant, Department of Silviculture, lIege of Forestry and NYFOA member, - was a speaker at our Fall Meeting in Cayuga County, October 8, 1964. F.E.C.)
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We all recognize that hardwood stands evelop rather slowly. What we can make out a hardwood stand within our working lifeime is greatly affected by the quality of "e stand we start with, and the rehabilit~'on of a seriously mismanaged hardwood s and is a rather heroic undertaking to say -"e least. The enviable combination of good site and good trees which Mr. Hoyt's woodlot =fers to future generations is relatively are in New York today, and most woods ners are faced with something less excitg. Where we do not have the combination ~ good site and goqd growing stock, we will o best to identify those areas of our oodlands that apparently have relatively od site potential locked up in inferior ~ees, and concentrate our management effxts there. Such lands probably hold the eatest potential for improved hardwood roduction in New York. Conversely, we hould identify areas where poor site quality s combined with poor trees to produce poor owth, and avoid these areas in our timber . provement investments, as they are not ikely to payoff. Finally, let us look at some aspects of
the requirement for good hardwood growth that we, as individual woods owners and as an association, can probably do most to effect change; "good management" • The improvement of hardwood management involves both a negative and a positive approach. First, there must be a substantial reduction of mismanagement practices throughout the state, for the widespread continuance of destructive practices, especially high-grading and woodlands grazing, rather effectively cancel out much of our increased improvement efforts on a total resource basis. Ceasing mismanagement of woodlands in itself results in slow natural improvement. However, more positively, there must be an increased willingness to invest in improvement practices if good growth is to be attained in a reasonable length of time. I think we now all recognize that a great many complex elements lie behind our attitudes toward woodland management. Education and assistance to woodland owners must deal with these elements more directly than in the past if the .statewide climate for better woodland management is to improve. I will touch on just three elements of several with which this association might appropriately become involved. Perhaps most commonly mentioned is the economic element of markets. Compared to other industries in our dynamic economy, our New York hardwood timber industry has been lOSing ground. We all know the problem of limited markets, particularly for our lower quality hardwoods that should be removed in woodlot improvement. As things stand now, the responsibility for searching out markets lies largely to the individual landowner, and this problem is more than most of us can tackle alone. I hope landowners association can do more on this than individual landowners can. Another important element affecting the management of small woodlands is that of our mobility. Agricultural economists have pointed out that one reason farmers are often not interested in long term woodlot improvement is that the average farm tenure is surprisingly short. The long ownership of the two woodlots visited today are exceptions rather than the rule. For many people, there must be some hope of relative permanence to justify timber-improvement. efforts ~.becaus'e woodland improvements are 'seldom,-suf f i c i en-t Iy r-e f lect ed in (continued Page 6)
CONDITIONS FAVORABLE
(continued)
SINGING SPRUCE
land sale prices. I wonder if the trend of small woodland ownership away from farmers to absentee ownership might possibly lenthen the tenure of woodland ownership, as paradoxical as it may sound. To give a personal example which I think is somewhat typical, I have had six residence addresses in four counties in two states during the ten years I have owned my small tree farm. An adjacent dairy farm has changed hands twice during that decade, and its woodlot show it!
To find wood that sings, wood with the resonance required for the soundboard of the magnificently voiced Baldwin Grand, is a challenging quest. The species must be eastern white spruce. The place: The northern slopes of the Adirondacks, for only on the north side of the mountain is growth slow enough to maintain a minimum of eight annual g'rowth rings per inch. Even there, only one spruce in fifty provides wood with grain fine enough to meet Baldwin's requirements. From advertisement by Baldwin in Saturday Review for 12/12/64
REPLY TO BROOKLYN BOY'S QUESTION ABOUT KNOTS
(Clipping supplied by Luella B~ Palmer, our Treasurer. F.E.C.)
You have asked for an explanation of why the knots are darker than the rest of the wood around them. In softwood lumber, which is produced by coniferous trees, the reason why these knots are darker is usually because there is an accumulation of resin material in the knot and this gives the characteristic reddish color. The other question which you asked in regard to the reason why knots are harder than the wood surrounding them in a board is a little more difficult to answer. The accumulation of resin, which we have already mentioned, is probably one of the most important factors which increase the hardness of the knot. This resin fills the cell cavities and impregnates the cell walls so that the entire area is denser and resists indentation forces-better than the ordinary wood around the knot. Another factor in the increase in hardness is that the grain in the knot area is running perpendicularly to the face of the board whereas the wood around the knot has a grain running parallel to the surface of the board. Since wood is better able to resist indentation in a direction parallel to the grain than perpendicular to the grain, the knots are naturally somewhat harder than the surrounding wood. Sincerely yours, Carl deZeeuw, Professor Wood Products Engineering Dept. state University College of Forestry at Syracuse University
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