F. FRANKLIN MOON LIBRARY
May-June 1983
New York Forest Owner
2
Vol. 21, No.3 THE NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION Editor
Evelyn Stock 57561ke Dixon Rd. Camillus, NY 13031
In This Issue P.
3 The President's
Message
P. 4-5 Dave Taber: Renewable Resources
Welcome Our New Members
Specialist
Published by the
NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS Association
Evon Sydney Antonio 25 S. Portland Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11217
OFFICERS
P. 6 Annual Meeting
President
P. 7 Fall Tour, 1983; Woodsmen's Field Day Contest
Russell Barnes Rt. #1 Windsor,. VT 05089
P. 8 Urban Forestry
First Vice President
Mary S. McCarty Second
P. 10 Ask a Forester P.11
Paul Steinfeld
Cloning at E.S.F.; Spruce Budworm Impact Analyzed
Vice路President
Howard W. Burden
A.W. Roberts, Jr.
99 S. Main St. Homer, NY 13077
Third Vice-Presidenr
Peter S. Levatich
P. 12 Forest Bookshelf P. 13 On the Calendar;
Gypsy Moth
Problem
Donald J.Burghardt Box 107, Angell Rd. Silver Creek, NY 14136
Recording
P. 14 Professor Morrow to Retire;
Perspective; Study Shows Excessive Taxes P. 16 Sawtimber Prices in '82; Log Rules
Secretary
J. Lewis DuMond
Cable Yarding Project
P. 15 T.S.I.: An Economic
Treasurer
Stuart McCarty
Donald & Jean Howes RD #2 Cincinnatus, NY 13040
Vera Konstantinoff 475 FOR Drive, Apt. L-2106 New York, NY 10002
Front Cover
DIRECTORS NEWLY ELECTED Nancy Finegan John Kelly Alan Knight Bill Lynch
Black locust at Lorenzo
James J. Lang
The house in the picture was built by John Lincklaen of Cazenovia in 1810 and named Lorenzo. It is located just outside the village on the road to Syracuse and is an historic site open to the public. The large black locust in the foreground was planted by him to commemorate the marriage of his brotherin-law, John Ledyard in 1819. Black locusts do not usually reach this age. This is only one of many interesting: trees on the property.
Octagon Rd. Tully, NY 13159
Barry Leifheit RD #2, Box 2435 Phoenix, NY 13135
Edwin P. Russell, Jr., M.D. 200 Maple St. Box 470 Rome, NY 13440
Linda Thorington Al Roberts
GEORGE MITCHELL Membership Secretary P.O. Box 69 Old Forge, New York 13420 Individual Memberships Family Memberships 1 Yr. Gift Memberships
$10.00 15.00 7.50
May-June
3
1983
The President's Message
This will continue the theme of my last comments in The Forest Owner: Subsidies vs. a sense of husbandry as incentives to better management of small woodlots. Over a period of twenty years I have received modest subsidies for timber stand improvement practices approved by the Greene County office of the USDA's Agricultural Conservation and Stabilization program, and the New York State DEC district forester. The forester has given valuable advice, has marked hardwoods for thinning, and indicated softwoods for pruning and thinning. Experience indicates the validity of these practices in upgrading the quality and value of my native and planted forest stands. Would I have done timber stand improvement if there had been no subsidy? Yes - but not as much. Cost sharing has enabled me to hire help, which otherwise would have been difficult or impossible. I have done part of the work myself, but I could never have accomplished as much without the subsidy. Furthermore, it seems that much
of the economic benefit from timber stand improvement will accrue not to me, but to future gen'erations of owners and to local forest industry operators. My personal investment in TSI of labor and money (the subsidies have not paid full costs) may not yield financial returns during my lifetime, but they have given other satisfactions. It is likely that woodusing industries and the general local economy will benefit. From this perspective, subsidies are morally and practically sound, a good investment of public money. I would like to see a better, more efficient system of using public money to promote good management of small woodlots. The trickle-down from USDA of approved practices and money to promote these practices seems cumbersome, rigid, and costly. I would guess that for each subsidy dollar I receive, many dollars had to be appropriated to feed the bureaucratic channels between me and Washington, D.e. The practices approved by the USDA through its county agents vary from year to year
and often seem irrelevant to the needs of neglected and abused woodlots in the Town of Halcott. My rough guess is that New York State DEC could design practices and develop economic incentives to implement these practices more effectively than the USDA. What about assigning a DEC forester to a small territory, and delegating to that forester responsibility to learn about the forest ecology, local industries and markets, and the personalities and capabilities of landowners within his territory? Based on this forester's intimate knowledge of the local scene, he should be authorized to recommend subsidies within a broad framework authorized by DEe. This would require a shift of funds from Washington to Albany. I conclude that subsidy and a sense of husbandry need not be conflicting polar concepts. With proper administration, subsidies could be used to stimulate a sense of husbandry which would yield benefits far beyond the investment. Gilead Tree Farm
4
New York Forest Owner
Mrs. Janet F. Bourgeois New York State Timber Producers Assoc. Box 134 Boonville, NY 13309 Dear Janet: I was surprised to hear about the change which was mandated recently, in the status of Dave Taber's job. Considering the size of the industry in this state and the large number of landowners who must be served, this seems like a very shortsighted approach to budget cutting or adjustment. Not only has Dave been a moving force in New York State, but he has gained a regional reputation in doing so. Dave is on his second term on the Board of Directors of this association and has made many positive contributions in that role. He currently serves on the Safety Committee and has molded the entire thrust of our efforts in that area. Our first effort, a safety incentive pilot program, was started in New York State and if successful will be transplanted to other areas of the Northeast. Every year we sponsor the Northeastern Loggers' Congress. In 1979 at Lake Placid NY Dave started bringing the show of his printed and video materials for display. His participation in the Loggers' Congress has become a feature that many, both from within New York and from other parts of the Northeast, now look for. Recently at a meeting of forestry association executives there was a discussion of whether federally funded incentive programs were all they were cracked up to be. Although some felt that the FIP funds were important in road building and as a device to get lands under management, more felt that those funds would be better spent in landowner education and the training and education of loggers and research and development in logging methods. Dave has been doing these things in an exemplary manner to the ultimate benefit of the loggers, landowners and sawmillers throughout the Empire State. And now, I am shocked to hear that his efforts in these areas will somehow be limited. There was an old movie on television where a person wanted to commit suictde and an "angel" appeared and took
Dave Taber receives the Heiberg Award from Dave Hanaburgh for doing the most for forestry in New York State this year.
him back through his life to see what would have happened to their little town had he not lived. What has this little bit of fantasy got to do with Dave Taber? I would suggest that the powersthat-be look back and see what would have happened to our industry had Dave not been on the scene. How many landowners would be looking at an ill harvested lot, wishing they had never had it cut, if it were not for the work that Dave has done with loggers? How many loggers would be tied up in the miles of red tape at the state level had Dave not cut through the bureaucracies and got straight information on sales tax laws, fuel tax laws, APA regulations, local ordinances and Workers' Comp.? How many people have been helped by his guides, such as the "Landowners' Guide to Selling Sawlogs" and his "Sales Tax Guide?" Would the overall .harvesting job done in this state be as good had Dave not been there to drive home acceptable silvicultural methods, harvesting methods and pointing out firewood markets? How many landowners would have remained in the dark about timber sale contracts, timber trespass and management methods if it were not for Dave? The live FEED show held recently at Glens Falls was a big help to several thousand loggers, foresters and land-
owners. Would it have had the same vitality without a Dave Taber? I think not! In the movie the "suicide victim" decided to live after he had seen what a hole his not living would have left. I am hoping that decision-makers will see the hole that Dave's absence will leave in the logging and wood industry if his role is restricted to minimize his contact with loggers, lumbermen and landowners. I hope that examination process will result in Dave's situation remaining basically the same. Sincerely, George F. Mitchell Executive Secretary
When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. ******
The world has so many critics because it is so much easier to criticize than appreciate.
May-June
5
1983
After majoring in business administration with an interest in marketing and advertising, Dave Taber earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from the University of Maine in 1961. He then spent five months with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters before being called to active duty under the ROTC program which required two years service in the Army. In the fall of 1963, after being released from two years of active military service, he accepted the position of Assistant Utilization Forester with the Maine Forest Service in Augusta, Maine. Three years later, he went to graduate school in wood products engineering at the University of Maine; and upon graduation in 1968, he took a position with Cooperative Extension at The Pennsylvania State University as a Regional Utilization Specialist in northeastern Pennsylvania. After two years work in a thirteen county region where Taber provided information to woodland owners and wood-using businesses, he accepted employment with Cooperative Extension at Cornell University as a Wood Utilization Specialist to be stationed in Syracuse as a member of the Wood Utilization Service which was jointly sponsored by the SUNY College of Forestry and Cornell University. For about three years Taber devoted 90 percent of his time to working with the forest industry in order to assist them in remaining viable; and he spent 10 percent of his time in conducting consumer education programs which related to the wise purchase and use of wood products. Taber worked with the F.I.R.S.T. (Forest Industry Resource Study Team) in southwestern New York when it became established; and presented the F.I.R.S.T. educational program to about 75 persons on the subjects of the New York State sales tax law and logging safety with the use of facilities at Cornell University and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry to facilitate the transfer of knowledge among people interested in forestry. Although Taber has related to many different audiences interested in forestry and conservation, he is probably best known for his work with professional timber harvesters. This is probably due to the fact that few, if any, other people have worked as diligently and closely with timber harvesters in New York State to assist them with their timber harvesting businesses through educa-
DAVID W. TABER Renewable Resources Extension Specialist tional programs. It took Taber over one year to obtain authorization for the printing of a newsletter for loggers when he started "The Empire State Timberman." Since September 29, 1972 he has distributed 127 issues of the newsletter which had its name changed in 1980 from 'The Empire State Timberman" to "The Empire State Timber Harvester" in deference to women in the timber harvesting profession. Actually, Taber initiated the first loggers' newsletter called "The Timberman" when he worked for The Pennslyvania State University Cooperative Extension in 1967. Since then his Timber Harvester newsletters have been used as models for publications started in North Carolina and Maine. Dave has also authored a great many articles and publications. Taber, who is a lifetime honorary member of The New York State Timber Producers Association (an award he cherishes due to its symbolic meaning of friendship and mutually beneficial communications) has worked with loggers (professional timber harvesters) of the non-profit educational group since its origin in October, 1970. ******
Today finds me in Syracuse, New York with an adjunct appointment as an Extension Specialist at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry which is associated with Syracuse University: However, I am employed by Cornell University of Ithaca, N. Y., some 55 miles distant, as a Wood Utilization and Marketing Specialist in Cooperative Extension with statewide responsibilities. Moonlighting and professional responsibilities in recent years have taken me to such places as Colorado, Oregon, and Mississippi. Perhaps with some luck future opportunities will include China, South America, Africa, and Europe. Although I no longer work in Maine, I remain a Registered Professional Forester under Maine state law. My wife of 20 years who is the former Marcia J. Tibbetts of Palermo, Maine, has traveled with me as career development took us after 1961's college graduations from the University of Maine with a major in Forestry for me, and Farmington State Teachers College for
her to the following places: central Pennsylvania; El Paso, Texas; Fort Meade, Maryland; Augusta, Maine; Orono, Maine; northeastern Pennsylvania; and finally central New York State. Our two children, Harriet F. who was born in 1962 and Mary E., born in 1966 are dedicated students who enjoy learning. Harriet matriculated in Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences in the fall of 1980 with a probable major in Soviet-Russian studies. Mary will enter in the fall of 1981 The Putney School near Brattleboro, Vermont for 4 years of high school. Harriet graduated from Putney in June, 1980. After Belmont Hill, I attended Northeastern University in Boston for 2lj2 years majoring in marketing and advertising. This was followed by 3lj2 years of forest science education culminating in a B.S. degree in Forestry in June, 1961. Then a short stint with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Forests and Waters as a forester was terminated by military service as an ROTC second lieutenant in the artillery branch of the Army. Two years of Air Defense Artillery with Nike Hercules missiles defending the nation's capital yielded interesting experiences and training. At the culmination of my active duty military obligation, I returned to Maine for three years of experience as Assistant Wood Utilization Forester with the State of Maine Forestry Department in Augusta. This was concluded when I returned to graduate school for a M.S. degree in Wood Technology which was received in August, 1968. During the five years in Maine, I capitalized on military opportunities by participating in the Maine Army National Guard as an Air Observer in an aviation unit; Press Officer, and finally Public Information Officer in charge of the 121st Public Information Detachment which served the Adjutant General and the entire Maine Army National Guard. Then the Pennsylvania State University provided a challenge for me as an Area Forest Industry Agent with Cooperative Extension for two years, covering northeastern Pennsylvania from Tunkhannock, PA. In September, 1970 my work in Pennsylvania was replaced by my position as Cooperative Extension Specialist in Wood Utilization and Marketing for Cornell University, and now it has changed again to Renewable Resources Extension Specialist.
6
Evelyn Campbell Stock Editor New York Forest Owner Born in Lima, Ohio, to Dewitt and Mary Campbell March 2, 1910, I lived my early years in Manlius, New York and came to live in Camillus in 1920. During these years I spent most of my vacations with relatives on a farm near Camillus and there I learned to love the outdoors. I was through high school in 1926 and soon married George Stock of Elbridge. We went through that school "The Great Depression," and eventually raised six children, five girls and a boy. In 1946 we moved to a farm near Camillus. We were surprised to learn that it was expensive to raise most of our living on the farm. My husband worked for Rockwell Corporation in Syracuse as well as on the farm. Our quality of life, however, improved and expanded. The children found the country fascinating, which was another surprise. Among other things we did at this time was to start an evergreen plantation on the side of a hill partly as a soil conservation effort. By 1960 some of my children were in college and it seemed like a good time to take a job (I found one in a school library), and go to college, so I started at University College in Syracuse. My children were leaving home and after a while the quiet library and the empty house inspired me to look for work elsewhere. It was in 1967 that I started to work in the Extension Department of the Forestry College where I received requests for publications and information from all over the world. Through the years (13), my work there brought me into contact with many people who worked in forestry, as well as with forest-oriented organizations. At the same time we continued to plant trees on the farm, and I received my degree in 1973. In 1968 I became interested in the NYFOA. Later, Alan Knight became editor and as so much current material came across my desk, I was able to keep him supplied with articles and pictures. My children were through college, married, and had children of their own. Now there are eighteen grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. My college classes were chosen with the idea of writing "some day." My office had changed to that of "Community Relations" which did the publishing for
Evelyn Stock receives the N. Y.F. O.A. Award for outstanding service to the association.
the college. It was here that I became familiar with the publishing process and did a great deal of proof reading. By now my family was all gone and as I was looking around to find something to be enthusiastic about, I was also becoming more aware of the need for better forest management. So, when Alan moved away and the NYFOA needed an editor, I heard myself offer to do it. It did not seem possible that what I had dreamed of doing at seven years of age would come to pass at 67. My first issue came out in March-April of 1978. A traumatic effort. Since then it continues to be interesting and challenging. It gives vent to my enthusiasm and I meet many interesting people. The NYFOA has now grown to about 700 members in twenty-three states and three foreign countries. I hope the information and experiences that are published in the Forest Owner, added to that of other organizations such as the DEC, SUNY ESF of Syracuse, Cornell University, Dave Taber of Cooperative Extension, Northern Logger, the New York Forester and many others, will continue to influence the upward trend of forest management so that New York State can be proud to say that future generations will inherit a legacy of the best managed forests. I feel privileged to have a small part in this effort. Evelyn Stock Editor
New York Forest Owners Annual Meeting April 16, 1983 About 100 members attended the New York Forest Owners annual meeting held April 16 in Marshall Auditorium at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. J. D. Karp, Professor of Law and Public Safety at Syracuse University spoke on "The Forest Owners Legal Liability." Dr. Ed Ketchledge gave a slide presentation in the afternoon on the identification and ecology of the major tree species of New York. At the luncheon in Nifkin Lounge, David Taber, Renewable Resources Extension Specialist, received the Heiberg Award for the person who benefited forestry in New York State this past year the most, and Evelyn Stock, editor of the New York Forest Owner was awarded the New York Forest Owners Award for her service to the New York Forest Owners Association. A discussion panel with Peter Levatich as moderator gave some interesting landowner experiences with reforestation. The meeting adjourned at 3:30.
A joy that's shared is a joy made double.
May-June
7
1983
A Forest Owners' Fall Foliage Tour September 18-23, 1983 Here is your chance! Come with NYFOA to visit fascinating and friendly forest land owners in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut ... a do it when those Yankee woodlots are at their glorious height of color. Your bus will leave from Naples, New York, on September 18th, the morning after the Fall Meeting of NYFOA, then head to Ithaca, Syracuse, and Albany to pick up passengers. First stop will be the famed Trapp Family Lodge, operated by the von Trapp family of "Sound of Music" fame. It just so happens Johannes von Trapp is a forester. He says he'd be glad to show us what he is doing with his family's vast forests. And the Austrian food is wonderful! You'll also have an afternoon to go hiking or poking around the shops of Stowe. Next stop will be Lebanon, New Hampshire, where you'll visit Merle Schotanus, a forest owner who dabbles in maple syrup, Christmas trees, timber, firewood, and even U-pick strawberries. That evening we will host a dinner for the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association. We'll see what ideas of theirs we can borrow for NYFOA. The next day we'll head to Bedford, New Hampshire, to visit David and Birgitte Cheever. They have been planting Christmas trees, have a saw mill, and sell bundles of Christmas greens in the Boston area. At lunch we'll hear from the New England Forestry Foundation, a well established service organization, much like NYFOA, which offers forest management services through its staff of professional foresters in half a dozen towns and a budget of over $700,000. It also owns 52 forests of its own. That afternoon we'll take a woods walk through the forests of Massachusetts Agriculture Commissioner Frederic Winthrop, last year's Outstanding Tree Farmer for Massachusetts. By late afternoon, you'll be poking around the shops and shores of quaint, old Rockport, a picture post card of a fishing village and artists' colony. Next morning will be free there, too. In the afternoon we'll stop by the Christmas tree plantation operated by Phil Jones and family near New Haven, Connecticut. Christmas trees are a full
time enterprise here, drawing U-cut customers from metropolitan New York. Sunset will find you taking in the breathtaking beauty of Lake Waramaug, Connecticut, its hills, and beautiful old country inn. Drink a toast to your new friends at dinner, and get a good night's sleep before heading home the next day.
DETAILS Tour dates:
Yorkshire Tours reserve the right to modify arrangements as necessary to meet changing circumstances without allowance of a refund.
Contest by New York State Woodsmen's Field Days $100 Reward
$100 Reward
-ONE HUNDRED DOLLARSWANTED:
September 18-23, nights, six days)
1983.
(Five
Tour bus, all meals except three lunches, double room (singles cost $100 more. We'll try to double you up unless you ask for a single), all forestry visits, NYFOA dues, and tour guide.
In less than 950 words, using any style of prose or poetry, and in a manner which appropriately conveys the author's message an explanation of the following topic: "Private nonindustrial woodland owners' rights, responsibilities, and rewards" as it pertains to the theme of the New York State Woodsmen's Field Days "Managed Forests Provide Forever." Contest Winner will receive prize of $100.
Group size:
REQUIREMENTS:
Tour price: $475 per person.
Deadline: $200 deposit per person by June 1, 1983. Balance due July 15, 1983.
Price includes:
28 people,
first come, first served.
Luggage: Two suitcases per person, but you can probably get by with only one.
Bus: Air conditioned coach with bathroom and public address system.
Cancellation and refunds: All cancellation of confirmed reservations are subject to a $50 per person administrative fee. An additional $50 per person is forfeited if the cancellation is made with fewer than 60 days before departure. To avoid misunderstandings, please make cancellation requests in writing.
Responsibility: Obviously, neither the New York Forest Owners Association nor New Yorkshire Tours has full control over hotels, bus companies, or other chartered services. As tour operators, both parties disclaim any liability for losses, injuries, or losses of services. The New York Forest Owners Association and New
The author will endorse and date the entry attesting to the fact that it is an original writing which has not previously been published or submitted for inclusion in any publication. All entries become the property of the New York State Woodsmen's Field Days for use as it sees fit. Deadline for receipt of entries is June 30, 1983. Winner will be notified by letter by August 11, 1983. Prize of $100 will be announced publicly and presented at about 2:45 p.m., Sunday, August 21, 1983 in front of the grandstand at the New York State Woodsmen's Field Days. Additional information and official announcement of the "Essay/Poetry Contest" may be obtained from Ruth J.
Thoden, Executive Secretary, New York State Woodsmen's Field Days, Post Office Box Number 123, Boonville, New York 13309 (telephone AC 315/942-4593).
r--------------------------------------Registration: Please make check payable to New Yorkshire Tours and mail to New Yorkshire Tours, 257 Owego Street, Candor, New York 13743. Names
_
Address _____________________________________ Telephone Signature L----
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Date
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8
New York Forest Owner
URBAN FORESTRY: Greenspace and Urban Trees by N .A. Richards
A portion of the "urban forest" surrounding the
author's home in Syracuse. The infrared photo covers an area of 38 acres, housing about 650 people. There are about 170 different "land managers" In this area. About 58% of the area is greenspace; near the average for Syracuse.
For the many forest owners who live in urban areas - cities, villages and suburbs, interest in trees and their management can be an asset to their home communities as well as to their woodlands. This first article in a series gives an overview of urban forest resources, values, and problems. Later articles will focus more specifically on management of street, residential, park, and other urban tree resources. All trees need satisfactory space in which to grow. The growth of rural forest stands depends much on the quantity and quality of its space resources, below and above ground. Urban areas, by definition, contain a concentration of human structures and activities that further reduce the area and modify the quality of growing space for trees. Therefore, the growth of urban trees is highly dependent on the nature of urban greenspace, defined as space not covered by structures and paving,
Its tree canopy cover of about 50% is aboveaverage. This illustrates only part of the complexity of urban greenspace and tree resources. Dr. Richards teaches a course in urban forestry at the S.U.N. Y. College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
and capable of supporting vegetation. Most urban areas in the Northeast have substantial greenspace; generally 50 to 70% of their total area. On closer view, there is usually an irregular gradient of greenspace distribution within urban areas, from small patches among buildings and paving near community centers, to a predominance of greenspace in outer areas. Commonly, the larger urban greenspaces provide conditions for tree growth rather similar to those in rural areas. The smaller, interspersed greenspace patches and strips attract greater attention in urban forestry because they present a paradox: Trees can be particularly valuable in magnifying the benefits from the small greenspaces, but growing conditions are likely to be most limiting there. In addition to inadequate space, the smaller greenspaces often suffer more soil compaction, salts and other chemical contaminants, and direct physical damage to trees.
The range of greenspace conditions, from good to poor for tree growth, is generally reflected in the urban tree resources ranging from large masses, easily grown, to scattered small trees surviving only briefly or under special care. The total effect in most northeastern communities is significant tree cover; a collective resource often termed "urban forest" in describing its impacts on urban areas. In terms of management, however, urban forests are far more complex than most equivalent areas of rural forest, because they are composed of so many and varied greenspaces managed by different people for diverse purposes. While trees in this forest are part of the property in which their base rests, their crowns and roots often depend on and impact other spaces as well. Both the values and problems associated with urban trees tend to be more intense than those in rural forests; hence the challenge of urban forestry. Greenspace and trees need to be evaluated somewhat separately in describing urban forest resources. Urban greenspace areas obviously support other vegetation besides trees, and also have space values of their own. Urban greenspace separates and interrelates different activities and structures, and serves as a space reservoir for continuing urban change, as well as providing many on-site values. The latter include space for visual perspective, absorption and dilution of noise and air pollution, absorption and storage of precipitation, and outdoor recreation space, as well as space for flora and fauna. Trees can enhance or otherwise change the values of greenspace. Therefore, the impacts of urban trees are best considered as superimposed on the inherent values of the greenspace.
May-June
9
1983
The function of trees in an urban area is primarily on a different plane from that of greenspace surfaces. Trees usually occupy little space near the ground, but their crowns can extend over buildings and paving as well as greenspace. For convenience, urban trees are commonly described in terms of canopy area on a horizontal plane as viewed in aerial photos. Most older urban areas in the Northeast probably have averages of 20 to 50% canopy cover; new suburban areas often have less. A fuller description of urban tree resources should include the variable crown heights as well as breadths, the densities and forms of crowns, and other distinctive features of tree species that affect their function in urban areas. Also to be considered are the ground surface conditions created by trees, and below that, the irregular extension of tree roots wherever conditions permit; usually over an area greater than that of the tree canopy. So far, we generally lack such a complete description of urban tree resources. Like all tree resources, urban trees must also be described as dynamic, or constantly changing. It is useful to view the growth of trees as a net process; the net result of growth minus losses from normal plant processes, insects and diseases, climatic events, or human activities. Trees or stands can be described as developing when their growth exceeds losses; dynamically stable when growth and losses are approximately in balance; deteriorating when losses are not recouped by growth. Because it is difficult to control all losses, favorable conditions for growth - especially during the developing stage - are the key to good net growth. Tree longevity is very elastic: They may deteriorate when young, or be healthy and stable for many decades, depending on the net effects of their environment. In forest stands, including those in larger urban greenspaces, the growth of individual trees is usually affected by other trees. The isolated trees and small groups, or mini-stands, more common on urban greenspaces tend to be less affected by other trees and more by other features of their environment. Because more urban trees are "edge" trees, they tend to have fairly good diameter growth, but attain less height at maturity than do trees in closed forest stands. Syracuse, for example, has many trees over 3 feet in diameter, but trees over 80 feet tall are uncommon outside of closed forest stands.
Urban tree species composition is a complex subject that needs more study. Some species are residuals from the agricultural landscape that generally preceded urbanization in the Northeast. Several wetland tree species, including silver and red maple, box elder, elm, and cottonwood, have grown well in many urban areas; probably because of their tolerance to poor soil aeration which also results from soil compaction. A great many exotic species have been introduced, with varying degrees of success. Norway maple, for example, has vigorously naturalized, and is becoming a major urban species through much of the Northeast. Some species generally grow well but rarely self-seed; many grow fairly well on certain urban sites; others are tried but fail. The slightly warmer, more protected microclimate of many urban areas permits some more southern species to grow where they cannot survive in the adjacent countryside. Conversely, far-northern and alpine species tend not to do so well on most urban sites. My general observation is that urban forests are usually dominated by a relatively few, widely adapted species - as is the case in most rural woodlands. But there is likely to be much greater diversity of species occurring in small numbers on urban sites. The term "native" has little meaning for urban trees; the critical question is whether species are either broadly or selectively adapted to the diverse conditions in a particular urban area. These mayor may not be native species of the region. Urban tree resources, like rural forests, are usually a mix of trees that are valued and cared-for, and those allowed to grow where and as they may. There is much popular information promoting the values of urban trees; not always realistic. I think that a fairly critical view of urban tree values is needed to better understand these resources. Probably the major value of urban trees is their visual impact in greening and screening parts of the urban landscape. Trees must grow reasonably well to be a visual asset. Also, longstanding trees and buildings give a sense of stability and continuity to changing urban scenes; the sight of either deteriorating counters this. Most other potential values of urban trees are directly proportional to their growth and mass; the values of poorgrowing, isolated trees are dubious. Microclimate effects of trees in shading surfaces and reducing windspeeds de-
pend on their mass, as also does their effect on transmission of noise. Trees are significant in their use of carbon dioxide, release of oxygen, and transpiration of water only when they are growing vigorously with adequate moisture supplies. Masses of trees can filte~ air. Scattered trees in busy urban settings may only settle dust upon us, and may be more damaged by noxious gasses than we are. Reduction of soil erosion by trees depends largely on their litter accumulation; generally, grass offers more protection to trampled sites. Masses of trees with a semblance of forest understory do more to enrich urban wildlife habitat than do isolated trees in limited greenspaces. Against these variable benefits, we must list the obvious liabilities of urban trees: They can be safety hazards, and can interfere with buildings, paving, utilities, and the growth of other vegetation. Their shade is often unwanted in cool climates; removal of their litter is a substantial expense in most communities. In balance, it appears that the value of urban trees depends largely on greenspaces of sufficient size and quality to permit trees to grow well and in some mass without seriously conflicting with other urban activity. The benefits/costs of growing trees in small, highly stressed spaces needs to be evaluated carefully in each situation. Next issue: Street Trees.
Another view of the area.
10
New York Forest Owner
Ask A Forester Real Property Taxes and How They Got That Way By AI Roberts I liked it the way it was prior to 1975. Maybe it wasn't completely fair, but woodland, so called vacant land, was assessed at much less than its market value. It really made sense, as woodland can't grow enough wood to support today's high taxes. But in 1975 some wise guy named Hellerstein from Nassau County dug out a 200 year old law which said that all property must be assessed at its full market value. He sued to have the provisions of the old law adhered to and won. That was one of a whole series of changes in the way property assessments are handled. Most of the changes, I must say, are improvements. I can remember when I was working for the then Conservation Department in the early 1960's and buying land to add to the State Forests. There weren't any county real property tax offices, only town assessors. So to locate owners and property boundaries I would go to the town assessors. If I was lucky, the assessor was an old-timer who had been in office a long time, and with an aerial photo that I supplied he could locate most properties. But some were newly elected and really didn't know much. It was pretty chaotic. Even before the Hellerstein decision in 1975 the state had begun to get more involved in local property assessment. In 1971 a state law was passed which permitted towns to have a single, appointed assessor instead of the previous three elected assessors. If the town chose to have the appointed assessor he was required to have training. The law also required that counties set up a real property assessment office with a county director. In 1982 another state law was passed requiring all assessors to have training and be certified by the State of New York. It also repealed the 200 year old law requiring full value assessment. It is complicated, but it allows partial value assessment as long as all properties are at the same percentage of full value, which really doesn't solve anything. All this action since 1971 has at least solved the problem of the chaos in the local assessor's office. The offices of the county directors of real property assessment have all the information anyone would ever need to know about property in their county.
They have a list of all properties, with numerical designations which are keyed to maps showing the boundaries of all properties. All owners have a right to examine these records. As I said, before 1975 woodlands generally were assessed at a lower percentage of their market value than other types of property. So to comply with the law, counties began to hire professional appraising outfits to do countywide reassessments. Each property was assessed at 100% of its true market value. They arrive at the true market value by looking up prices actually paid for land sold during the recent past. I've heard people bitterly complaining, and blaming their local assessors for their high taxes. But the assessors are only obeying the law. It is the state law which is to blame, not the local assessor. The countywide reassessments didn't raise everybody's assessments or taxes. It lowered taxes on some types of property but almost invariably raised taxes on woodland, which had traditionally been under assessed and under taxed. Of course, the real problem is the mushrooming costs of local government which is mainly financed by real property taxes. The towns, counties and schools all make up their budgets. They then figure out the total assessed value of all the taxable property in their tax district. The ratio of their budget to the total assessed value gives them the tax rate. So the amount of money you pay in taxes is your rate times your assessment. This may sound simple and clear cut, but it isn't. The assessments are all theoretically correct at the moment that a county goes through complete reassessment. Then immediately inflation and other economic conditions changes the value of individual properties. Some townships do a better job than others of keeping their assessments up to date. To keep track of how up to date the various towns are there is a State Board of Equalization and Assessment. Periodically this board examines the town's records and compares the assessments to prices paid at recent sales of comparable properties, and comes up with a percentage that that town's assessments are of true 100% value. If they decide that, on the average, the town's values are, say, 80% of true value, then the town has an equalization rate of 80. This rate is used by the county and school districts covering more than one
town, to equalize the taxes paid in the various towns. Without it, the owners in the towns where property is generally under assessed would pay less than towns where the property is closer to 100 % of true value. Besides the mushrooming costs of local governments, another cause for the high tax on forest properties is that by law all properties must be assessed for their "highest and best use." This results in many woodlands being assessed as though they were building lots just because they are near a population center. Also, wealthy people from large metropolitan areas buy old run-down farms and pay an inflated price. A simple answer to this problem, and an answer some states use, is to assess land according to its present use rather than its potentisl, or "highest and best use." There have been other ways that have been tried to keep taxes on forest land low enough so that people can afford to manage it as forest on a longterm basis. One of these ways was the old Fisher forest tax law. It was named for Clarence Fisher (who I knew when I worked in Lowville) who was a state legislator from Lewis County. He authored and sponsored the law. He also owned many thousands of acres of forest land in Lewis and Herkimer Counties. A comment on the effectiveness of his law is that eventually he sold most of his land to the state, and it is now part of the Forest Preserve. His law did not prove to be practical for other people either and it was replaced by the present forest tax law known as Section 480-A of the Real Property Tax Law. The details of this law are, or will be, explained in another article in the Forest Owner. Section 480-A doesn't really cancel any taxes, it just shifts them to someone else, which is the big reason there is so much opposition to it. However, 480-A is a real piker in this department. I know of one county where it is estimated, by a knowledgeable person, that in all the various real estate categories an unbelievable 69% of the assessable value of the county is exempt from paying any taxes, and this is not an unusual county. If I have skipped over this subject too quickly and have left some of you confused, please write a letter to the editor and we will attempt to clarify. I would like to acknowledge the assistance I have received, in writing this article, from Harry Dunks, Director of Real Property Assessment in Cortland County.
May-June
11
1983
David Tricoli Develops Cloning at E.S.F. SYRACUSE, NY - Researchers at the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) have perfected a method for cloning mature black cherry trees that makes it possible to produce young trees for outplanting within one year. David M. Tricoli, a graduate student in tree improvement in ESF's School of Forestry, developed the tissue culture technique for clonally producing black cherry, one of the most valuable furniture hardwoods grown in the Northeast, for his master's thesis, aided by his major professors Dr. Allen P. Drew and Dr. Charles A. Maynard. Although the propagation of plant species by cloning is not new, the technique developed by Tricoli places his work among a select number of studies that have succeeded in cloning hardwoods. Tricoli's procedure, which has several advantages over other methods, enables him to work with mature trees - trees that, over time, have been proven superior - rather than with seedlings or young trees which mayor may not grow into trees with the desired characteristics for furniture or veneer production, paneling, gunstocks or tool handles. The ESF researchers use the apical meristem, a dome of embryonic tissue at the very tip of tree buds. The meristem is genetically stable and retains its genotype throughout the cloning procedure, explained Tricoli, reducing the chance of the clones mutating or of other aberrations developing. Most other tissue culture cloning procedures use a callus culture - a culture taken from an undifferentiated mass of immature cells - and therefore, there can be a high degree of genetic variability in the clones produced. The shoot tips removed from semidormant late winter buds are grown for four to twelve weeks in a laboratory culture tube containing agar, fertilizer and a special blend of growth-regulating hormones to make sure the tips are free from bacterial or fungal contaminants or that the shoot tips haven't been wounded in the excision process. Each shoot tip produces from three to five smaller shoots which can then be removed and placed in more agar. In this stage, the multiplication phase, the tips produce several shoots every three to four weeks, which can be separated
and geometrically multiplied indefinitely. 'The breakthrough in this process is in the multiplication potential,"- said Tricoli, who has produced up to 1,000 tips from one sample shoot. When enough of these tiny trees, called "plantlets" by the ESF researchers, have been produced, they are transferred to agar containing a slightly different blend of hormones and in one to two weeks begin to root. The plantlets are then transferred to regular potting mix and grown in a greenhouse until large enough for field planting. The entire process, from sampling to outplanting, takes about one year. Traditionally, it takes from 15 to 20 years to produce seedlings from a seed orchard from the time the "plus," or superior, trees are selected through the time the seed orchard is established and seed production begins. And grafted plants are expensive; black cherry produced in this manner could run as high as $10 per tree. The ESF researchers estimate, based on industry experience with similar plants, that the cost per tree for black cherry produced through the tissue culture technique developed by Tricoli could be as low as 22 cents. Although Tricoli, who received his master's degree in February, has left for a position in industry, Drew and Maynard, along with graduate student Mary Ellen Dietz, will continue the work with the black cherry clones focusing particularly on keeping clones in the multiplication stage going as well as beginning field work to establish the yearling plantlets.
The Lovliest of Trees by A.E. Housman Lovliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more. And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. ca. 1896
1982 Spruce Budworm Impact Analyzed Spruce bud worms caused severe damage to large forested areas of North America during 1982 when defoliation by these pests was double that of the previous year in some regions of the continent. The magnitude of defoliation was discussed in a report "Status of Spruce Budworms in North America - 1982" by Daniel R. Kucera, staff entomologist, USDA Forest Service, Broomall, Pa., and Robert G. Taylor, assistant leader, Canada/US Spruce Budworm Program, Ottawa, Ontario. In the East, visible defoliation of fir and spruce occurred on more than 49 million acres and in the West it doubled, covering approximately eight million acres. Tree mortality increased markedly in the western outbreaks and in the East; in Maine and Vermont in the United States, and in Quebec in Canada. Significant areas of balsam fir have been killed in eastern forests where red spruce now is beginning to die, along with some eastern hemlock. Adding to the damage in some areas are populations of other insects that have increased in stands weakened by repeated budworm defoliation. During 1982, northeastern Vermont suffered substantial spruce and fir mortality. Approximately 15,000 acres had 25 percent dead or dying trees. Timber loss exceeded $2 million in 1982. Last year, New Hampshire experienced a decline in defoliation, to 40,000 acres, and tree mortality, to 12,000 acres, with 50 percent of the trees dead. In the Lake States, defoliation of balsam fir and white spruce occurred on 250,000 acres, down slightly from 1981. All defoliation was very light to moderate, except in Minnesota, where 50,000 acres were haavily defoliated. What's the outlook for 1983? The outbreaks are expected to be more intense and widespread in most western states, including California. The. exception is the Southwest, where it is expected to decline somewhat. Defoliation is expected to increase in Vermont, New Hampshire and Minnesota while declines are forecast for Michigan and portions of Maine. In Canada, increases are predicted in much of the eastern and central provinces. But in British Columbia, the budworm is expected to maintain areas of light infestation, the report stated.
12 Two New Gypsy Moth Papers Two new research papers pertaining to the gypsy moth problem have been issued by the USDA Forest Service's Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. "Predicting the Rate of Change in Timber Value for Forest Stands Infested with Gypsy Moth" (Research Note NE-311) was authored by David A. Gansner and Owen W. Herrick, research foresters with the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station in Broomall, Pa. This publication presents a method for estimating the potential impact of gypsy moth attacks on forest-stand value. The authors developed an equation for predicting the rate of change in timber value from easy-to-measure key characteristics of stand condition. The second paper is "New Turf for Gypsy Moth; There's More at Risk Downrange" (Research Paper NE-519). This was authored by Gansner and Herrick with Paul S. DeBald and Jesus A. Cota. DeBald is a research forester with the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station at Delaware, Ohio, and Cota is an entomologist with the Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry, in Morgantown, W. Va. This paper uses data collected from 600 field plots in central Pennsylvania forests which are threatened by gypsy moth and which point to a greater potential for damage downrange. Individual copies of these papers are available from: Publications Distribution, USDA Forest Service, 370 Reed Road, Broomall, PA 19008. Pest Control A very good handbook on the Gypsy Moth may be obtained from your congressman. Gypsy Moth leaflet #163 may be obtained from the Cooperative Extension. "Permanent Logging Roads for Better Woodlot Management." Available from: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service State & Private Forestry, Northeastern Area, Upper Darby, PA 19082. USDA Agricultural Handbook #596, Guide to Federal Income Tax For Timber Owners, 74 pages, about $4.00 from U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
New York Forest Owner
FOREST
Bookshelf Copies of another report, entitled "New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Lands and Forests 1981-82 Program Highlights Report" are available from the Policy and Economic Development Section, Room 404, 50 Wolf Road, Albany, NY 12233 (518) 4577431. Please write or call if you wish to receive this paper. "Timber Harvesting Guidelines for New York." Available from: Empire State Forest Products Association, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY 12233. 1983 Forest Farmer Manual The 1983 edition of the Forest Farmer Manual is now available. Anyone interested in managing timber for a profit would find the contents of this twenty-fourth issue published by Forest Farmers Association invaluable. This gUidebook to forestry practice offers timber growers, in everyday language, the combined wisdom and experience of over thirty highly respected forestry professionals, land managers and business experts throughout the South. This publication can be purchased from Forest Farmers Association, P.O. Box 95385, Atlanta, Georgia 30347 for $15.00, including postage. Forest Farmers Association is a grassroots organization of timberland owners, both large and small, represented by members in virtually every timbered county in the South. It provides these owners with a voice on forestry matters affecting their interests at local, regional and national levels. More than 85 percent of its members own fewer than 500 acres. Tax Break fot Tree Planting Expenses Albert Masetti The manual is called: "How To Take Reforestation Tax Deductions and Tax Credits" and costs $11.95 from Leray Press, 103 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, N.J. 07432. The price includes first class postage. (Or you could send for free literature describing the manual.)
The following list of tree pest leaflets are available free upon request from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Office of Public Relations, Bray Hall, Syracuse, New York 13210. (Dr. Miller, state entomologist, expects a buildup of canker worm this spring.) Ash Dieback Beech Bark Disease Biological Control of Insects Birch Leaf Miner Cankerworms Carpenter Ants Elm Leaf Beetle European Pine Sawfly Fall Webworm Forest & Shade Tree Aphids Gypsy Moth Lesser Known Defoliators of Northern Hardwoods Linden Looper Larch Sawfly Maple Gall Mites Needle Rust of Red Pine Pales Weevil Pine Needle Scale Pine Sawfly Pine Spittlebug Red Pine Scale in New York Saddled Prominent Spruce Canker Spruce Gall Aphids Subterranean Termites Tent Caterpillars White Pine Weevil
Qualifications A grandfather was alone at home for a few days while his wife visited one of their daughters. To his consternation another daughter came over and left one of his youngest grandsons to spend the night with him. The next morning grandpop got up and prepared a big bowl of oatmeal, his own favorite breakfast. "Do you like sugar?" he asked the small boy. The grandson nodded. "How about some butter, too?" Again the boy nodded. "Of course, you like milk?" "Sure," the boy replied. When grandpop replaced the steaming bowl of oatmeal with butter, sugar, and milk before him, the boy refused to eat it. The grandfather was exasperated. "But when I asked you, didn't you say you liked sugar, butter and milk?" "Yes," replied the youngster, "but you didn't ask me if I liked oatmeal."
May-June
13
1983
On The Calendar May 14 From 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tree Measurement and Timber Estimating Workshop at the YACC camp, Allegany State Park, Salamanca, NY. Become familiar with and gain an appreciation for the procedures used in measuring trees and estimating the quantity and approximate value of the timber in a woodlot. A discussion of the methods and instruments used in measuring trees, grading of trees, use of volume tables, and methods for estimating volumes of timber on specific acreages will be followed by actual field exercises. Course fee is $25.00/ person. June 4 - Saturday Log Scaling and Grading at the Harold McGraw Sawmill, Woodbourne, NY. For further information and registration contact Dean, School of Continuing Education, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210, phone (315) 470-
6891. Fourth Annual School for Hardwood Lumber Inspectors. This course begins Monday, June 13 and runs through July 8. Classes are from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday each week. It will be held in the Durham, NH area. Room and board are available through the University of New Hampshire Housing System.
September 16-17 New York Forest Owners Association Fall Meeting, Cumming Nature Center, Gulick Road, Naples, New York.
-NO TICE-
Forestry Meeting at
New York State Woodsmen's Field Days
Gypsy Moth Problem
Be Back in 1983
"Managed Forests Provide Forever" SEMINAR Discussion Topics: 1. Tree Values - How much is a tree worth 2. Silviculture tending a forest 3. Deer Forests
Producing
Interaction
and
of Deer and
4. Timber Sales - Options and opportunities for woodland owners. Discussion Leaders: Gary R. Goff, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University; John V. Berglund, Dean, School of Forestry, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF); Steven J. Weber, Huntington Wildlife Forest of SUNY ESF; Donald E. Peterson, Adirondack Forestry, Inc., Consultant Forester. Seminar Moderator: David W. Taber, Cooperative sion.
Exten-
For full information contact David E. Tooch, UNH - Extension Sawmill Specialist, 110 Pettee Hall, Durham, NH 03824.
Friday Evening, August 19, 1983 7:45 p.m, Adirondack Central High School Route 294 - Boonville, N.Y. Sponsored by New York State Woodsmen's Field Days in cooperation with Renewable Resources Extension Program Cooperative Extension in New York State
August 19-20-21 Woodsmen's Field Days, Boonville.
Refreshments served free during "Meet the Speakers Conclusion" at 10:00 p.m.
The instructor is Norman C. Higgins, hardwood grading and drying consultant. Cost is $400 per person (does not include room and board). Registration is limited to sixteen.
New York State Woodsmen's Field Days Seminar: Managed Forests Provide Forever. Friday evening, August 19, 1983 is the date to remember. The forestry meeting precedes the New York State Woodsmen's Field Days' activities on Saturday and Sunday.
Will
For additional information about local accommodations and the field days, contact: Ruth J. Thoden, Executive Secretary, NYS Woodsmen's Field Days, Box 123, Boonville, N.Y. 13309 (telephone (315) 942-4593.
You don't see them now, but when trees start leafing out, those pesky gypsy moth larvae will be there. Eggs that female moths deposited last summer are due to hatch in late April and early May. Now found in 32 states, gypsy moths defoliated almost 8.2 million acres in the Northeast alone in 1982. Although gypsy moth populations come and go, their infestations permanently affect forest compositions, according to entomologist Warren T. Johnson in the New York State College of Agriculture and life Sciences at Cornell University. Previously devastated areas will have significantly fewer oak trees and, to some extent, reduced populations of other hardwoods. Homeowners, park managers, and foresters can understand this pest better with a copy of "Gypsy Moth" (IB-188, $2.00) from Cornell Cooperative Extension. The 16-page, color-illustrated booklet describes the insect's life cycle, preferred host species, and recommended controls. In some areas, a naturally occurring virus has depressed gypsy moth populations. "Even if these are localized population crashes, gypsy moths will continue to migrate, threatening oaks and other hardwoods," Johnson notes. Experts are reluctant to go out on a limb to predict what 1983 will bring, but most agree that areas on the fringes of last year's infestation are at greatest risk. For additional information, obtain a copy of "Gypsy Moth" from Cooperative Extension offices in New York State or from Cornell Distribution Center-GM, 7 Research Park, Ithaca, NY 14850. Checks for $2.00 (in U.S. funds) should be made payable to Cornell University.
Thoughts The way of this world is to praise dead saints and persecute living ones.
n
14
New York Forest Owner
Professor Morrow to Retire Professor Robert R. Morrow will retire at the end of this semester after nearly 34 years of service at Cornell University. Bob started as an Assistant Professor of Forestry in 1949 following the completion of his Ph.D. at Syracuse University, College of Forestry. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1954 and to Professor in 1970. Dr. Morrow has established a noteworthy professional record in teaching and research during his years in the Department of Natural Resources. He is well known and appreciated for his dedication to and administration of the Department's undergraduate teaching program. In addition to a long history of teaching woodland management and maple syrup production, Professor Morrow has been instrumental in the development of the undergraduate curriculum, the organization and coordination of the advising program, and the advising of hundreds of students in the Department of Natural Resources and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Bob's forestry research program is probably most well known for his work on maple syrup production, and sugarbush management. However, he has also published extensively on soil and site requirements, the management of
conifer plantations, thinning of forest stands, and the use of wood for energy. Although Bob never had official extension responsibilities, his research activities have addressed applied forestry problems and provided the technical basis for his numerous extension publications and participation in many public and professional workshops and meetings. In all he has about a hundred publications. For six years, Bob was a Director of the Forest Owners Association and served on numerous committees. He was First Vice President, but had to leave the Board because of mounting personal commitments. Bob and Betty Morrow will be leaving Ithaca this summer to take up residence near Greenville, South Carolina. Their new property has a two acre rhododendron collection which Bob will try his hand at managing; not many "boardfeet" or gallons of maple syrup will be produced but unique beauty certainly will. Their address, starting this summer, will be Rt. 9, Box 57, Heritage Rd., Easley, S. Carolina 29640. They have plenty of space and will welcome their many forest friends who travel that way. (Located only 7 miles off 1-85).
New Fuel Wood Film
Cable Yarding Project
A new film produced for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation can help woodlot owners make decisions concerning the management of their land for firewood. "Fuel from the Forest: Better Management Through Firewood Harvesting" covers such topics as when and how to harvest firewood, how to season it, cull and crop tree selection during thinning, and management planning. It also provides an insight into the relative value of fuelwood versus high quality sawtimber. Suitable for audiences from high school students to adults, the 16mm or videotape runs 26 minutes. For more information, contact: Cornell Audio-
A Vermont cable yarding project is demonstrating to woodland owners, loggers and the wood-using industry an economical system of harvesting fuelwood and small commercial size timber. A prototype yarder, Kubota 34 HP tractor with a double-drum lqland winch, has been built and is fully operational. More than 1,000 people have witnessed the yarder in its four public demonstrations. Preliminary results are encouraging and indicate that the cable yarding system has several advantages over conventionallogging systems. Among them are: little soil disturbance; less residual stand damage; operability on very steep slopes and wet areas; low initial cost; and resistance to effect on operation by weather.
Visual Center, 8 Research Park, Ithaca, NY 14850. Telephone: 607256-2090.
A report is expected to be available in May. Those wishing further information and/ or the report may send their request to: Jack Dwyer, Wood Utilization Specialist, RFD #1, Box 2300, Morrisville, Vermont 05661.
Evelyn: As editor, thought you might like to see this. John Mr. John Ridings Rural Route 2 Cazenovia, New York 13035 Dear Mr. Ridings, As an active supporter of CARE, I urgently request your help in meeting a challenge and a special opportunity we face. The dimensions of this problem are staggering. Over 14 million acres of land become deserts each year. Crops cease to grow. Animals die. Scarce water supplies dry up. By the year 2000, just 17 years away, fuel wood requirements will exceed the available supply by 25 percent. You and I, working with other CARE supporters, can take steps now to reverse this alarming and dangerous trend. To prevent needless suffering and death. Our special project, CARE for the Earth, will do the following: -in mountainous Guatemala, CARE will farmers to plant trees lumber, and soil erosion
countries like work with local for fuelwood, control.
-in drier areas like Niger, CARE will coordinate the planting of hardy grasses and the building of windbreaks on sand dunes. We will also make sure rows of trees are planted along crop fields to protect against strong seasonal winds. -address the mismanagement of natural resources from a global perspective, demonstrating that it is possible, with reasonable care and at reasonable cost, to reverse current ecological trends and increase the land's productivity.
P.S. - You are doing a great job on the Forest Owner - so good, it's one of very few pieces of mail I can't set down.
May-June
15
1983
Study Shows Forest Land Owners are Paying Excessive Income Taxes Timber Crier-January
1983
Consulting forester Martin Curran recently completed his directed research at the University. of New Hampshire. His report, "Capital Gains and Depletion Allowance as Timber Production Incentives for Landowners," reveals a poor attempt by forest land owners to use the special timber taxation provisions. These two incentives, if followed carefully, offer substantial savings in federal income taxes, and ultimately encourage wise management of our privately owned forests. Curran points out that a "Capital Gain" (on timber) is only taxed at a percentage of the gain, whereas ordinary income is taxed at its full value. Presently a timber asset must be owned for one year before selling, and then only 40% of the net timber income is taxable. Additional savings can be realized by "recovering" the cost of any timber harvested through the "Depletion Allowance." By recognizing the merits of these two provisions, the forestland owner can retain as much income as is legally permissable for reinvestment in the forest or for other needs. (Additional information on these
T.S.I.An Economic Perspective by John Thorington Independent Forestry Consultant It was with more than a casual interest that I read the article on T.S.I. (Timber Stand Improvement) by Doug Monteith in the Nov. 1982 and Jan. 1983 "Forest Owner." As a forester, a significant proportion of my time in 1982 was devoted to the preparation of firewood sales; I marked for cutting approximately 2,000 standard cords of firewood. Doug's article thus immediately caught my attention. Material in the article was presented in a thorough, clear and concise manner which was easy to understand, and I agree with the points presented except for the following. Doug stated that, "Most TSI will cost you some money unless you can do all the work yourself. Selling firewood may offset some expense, but the odds are you will have to
two provisions is available through your Extension office.) Unfortunately, a large segment of the 150 forestland owners surveyed by Curran were not aware of either the capital gains or depletion allowance provisions. Only 11 % of the respondents took advantage of these provisions. Ironically, none of the factors tested (age, occupation, education, length of time of ownership, number of cuttings, or professional forestry assistance) significantly influence the application of either provision. In fact, when a forester was employed to handle a timber sale (normally 45% of the time), only 13% of the forestland owners received any income tax assistance. Curran suspects that many of these landowners have treated their timber income as ordinary income rather than taking advantage of the capital gains and timber depletion tax breaks. He is dismayed that many foresters and government agencies do not provide income tax services to their clients. Marty recaps the situation by stating that unless we take full advantage of' these incentives and maximize on net return with forest improvement activities, our forest land base will continue to disappear. (Article by Earle Chase from the December 1982 "Tree Talk," Newsletter of the Rockingham County Cooperative Exten.sion Service.)
layout some cash in most cases."_Now, I realize that topography, timber resource, and fuelwood markets vary greatly from one end of New York to the other, but in the 50 mile radius of Syracuse that I consider my principal working area, Doug's statement is 180 degrees off. A woodlot in need of thinning will produce anywhere from 5 to 12 standard cords of wood, and still maintain adequate stocking. If a stand can't produce 5 cords/acre, it isn't ready for thinning. In the Syracuse area, if the terrain and access are suitable, and the landowner is willing to take the liability risk, fuelwood can be sold to non-commercial harvesters for as much as $20 per standard cord on the stump. Considering an average harvest of 8 cords/acre, this means a gross return of $160/acre for your TSI. I admit that there is a lot of terrain in New York, and even in the Syracuse area, that is too rugged for the harvester who uses a pickup truck or his farm-
Home Thoughts, from Abroad by Robert Browning Oh, to be in England Now that April's there And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware, That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf, While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England - now! And after April, when May follows, And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows! Hark, where my blossomed pear tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent spray's edge That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture! And though the fields look rough with hoary dew, All will be gay when noontide wakes anew The buttercups, the little children's dower - Far brighter than this gaudy melon -flower! ca. 1845
type tractor. In these cases there is an alternative; the forest owner may sell to a commercial harvester. The commercial harvester can afford to pay only half as much and may do a less aesthetically pleasing job, but he can handle much more difficult terrain with his commercial machines and a much larger volume of firewood. Most important: the landowner can demand adequate insurance coverage from the commercial harvester. It is currently unrealistic to expect small volume, noncommercial harvesters to have satisfactory insurance coverage. The peace of mind afforded by good coverage more than offsets the lower income, and $80/acre gross for improving your woodlot is still nothing to sneeze at. From this gross revenue must come the expenses of conducting the sale, and there are always the headaches and aggravations of any timber sale, but for "most" of New York, "most" TSI endeavors should produce black ink.
Non profit org. bulk rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID Camillus, N.Y.
13031 Permit No. 57
Evelyn A. Stock Editor 5756lke Dixon Rd. Camillus, NY. 13031
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Sawtimber Prices in 1982
Log Rules
There is' an interesting phenomenon in the sawtimber market. Good quality timber stumpage is at an all time high. Medium quality sawtimber is down in price since last year. Poor quality sawtimber- is difficult to sell. There has been a shortage of high quality timber on the market and with this scarcity bid prices are very high.
Questions are often asked in what ways the three rules for log scaling are different (the "Doyle Rule," the "International Rule" and the "Scribner Rule.") The following is the explanation of these differences.
Fewer sawmills are operating now as compared to last year. Many of those in production are operating fewer hours. As one might suspect there have been fewer log contractors and jobbers in the woods. Most operating sawmills and jobbers are purchasing sawtimber for immediate use. Very little timber is being inventoried. Certain hardwood lumber prices have been edging up in the past month. There is a continued demand for red oak. The demand for cherry, ash and hard maple has been improving during the past few weeks.
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Prices for standing fuel wood timber and downed hardwood tree tops have varied from $5 through $15 per standard cord (128 cubic feet). The average price has been less than $10 per standard cord. Logging difficulty, skidding distances and the volume of wood marketed influence prices offered for fuelwood. There continues to be a high demand for fuelwood in quantities less than 50 standard cords. However, larger volumes can be sold. Caution must be exercised when using this sawtimber price chart. The prices used are averages with better and poorer values. The prices received for timber sold by Forecon foresters have' been weighted by volume to obtain the averages. There are many factors which influence the value of sawtimber stumpage. Competitive bidding' usually results in the highest timber stumpage prices available to a woodlot owner.
The Doyle Rule is the one used by the majority of log buyers in New York. The International 1f4" Rule is used by the Department of Environmental Conservation in all timber sale transactions and is also used by many log buyers in the eastern region of the state. Another rule used in certain areas of the state is the Scribner Rule. Board foot volumes estimated by this rule are between those of the other two. Despite the rather large differences that appear in the tables, any single truckload of logs will net about the same amount of dollars regardless of the rule that is used. This is because buyers adjust prices paid per thousand board feet according to which rule is used. Sawlogs in New York average between 13" and 14" in diameter and 12' in length. Using these averages approximate conversion factors from one rule to another are as follows: International to Doyle - subtract 25 %; Doyle to International - add 35 %; International to Scribner and Scribner to Doyle - subtract 15 %; Scribner to International and Doyle to Scribner - add 15%.
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