The New York Forest Owner - Volume 35 Number 4

The New York

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

July/August 1997

FOREST SNAKES OF NEW YORK

Just What Is It That Forest Owners Care About?" .r'

Selectlng.A Forester

Volume 35 Number 4

THE NEW YORKFOREST OWNERS

ASSOCIATIONVOL. 35, NO.4

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Jill Cornell, President703 Johnsonville Rd.Johnsonville, NY 12094; 518/753-4336

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary300 Church StreetOdessa, NY 14869-9703; 607/594-2130

Don Wagner, Treasurer5330 Graham Road,Utica, NY 13502; 315n33-7391

Deborah Gill, Administr-ative SecretaryP.O. Box 180Fairport, NY 14450; 716/377-6060

1998Jill Cornell, Johnsonville; 5181 753-4336Elizabeth Densmore, Machias; 716/942-6600Robert Sand, Odessa: 6071 594-2130Bob Sykes, Elbridge; 315/673-3691

1999Harry Dieter, Honeoye Falls, 716/533-2085Thomas Ellison, Manlius, 315/682-9376Richard Fox, Moravia: 315/497-1078David Swanson, Mount Morris, 716/658-4601

2000Hugh Canham, N. Syracuse: 315/457-4972John Hastings, Queensbury: 518n98-0248Ronald Petersen; Latham: 518n85-6061Betty Wagner; Utica; 315n33-7391

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVESDon Huber, Allegheny Foothills; 716/549-5025Steven Davison, Cayuga; 315/496-1392Joan & Hans Kappel, Capital District; 518/861-8753Tom Graber, Central New York; 315/255-3662JetTWiegert, Lower Hudson; 914/831-3109Don O'Shea, Northern Adirondack, 315/393-5137Rita Hammond, Niagara Frontier; 7161 652-2857James Durller, SE Adirondack; 518/747-5958Larry Lepak, Southern Tier: 6071 656-8504Don Schaufler, Tioga, 607/589-6095Eileen VanWie, Western Finger Lakes; 716/367-2849

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced with-out prior written permission from the publisher. NYFOAdoes n01 necessarily support or approve procedures, prod-ucts, or opinions presented by authors or advertisers.

COVER PHOTO:Eastern Milk Snake, Photo byTodd Wills.

2 NY FOREST OWNE~; Vol. 35 No.4

FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

Editorial Committee: Betty Densmore, Chair, Alan Knight, Mary McCarty, Jim Minor,Bob Sand, and Eileen VanWie.

Materials submitted for publication should be addressed to: R.J. Fox, Editor, R.D. 3, Box88, Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invited and are normallyreturned after use. The deadline for submission for Sep/Oct is July 1.Please address all membership fees and change of address requests to P.O. Box180, Fairport, N.Y. 14450. Cost of individual membership/subscription is $20.

MASTER FOREST OWNER TRAINING

Coastal Lumber Company's Saw Mill (formerly owned by Cotton-Hanlon, Inc.) at Cayuta,one of the sites visited by Master Forest Owner Volunteers during their training.

Table of Contents

President's Message, Jill Cornell 3Forest Snakes of New York, Glenn Johnson 4When Doing Your Own Thing Isn't Good Enough, Carl Weidemann 6Selecting A Forester, Peter Smallidge & Mike Greason 8One Master Forest Owner Volunteer's Story, Mike Valla 10LETTERS, 13The Andean Condor, Henry Kerman 14Just What Is It That Forest Owners Care About?, Alan Knight 15Awards, Bob Sand 16NYFOA's 1997 Spring Meeting, Charlie Mowatt 18NYS's Outstanding Tree Farmer for 1997, 19Pheromones, Exploiting an Insect's Sense of Smell, Douglas Allen 20Silvicultered Gardens?, Jane Sorensen Lord 22

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO JULY/AUG 1997

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEBy Jill Cornell

As members of NYFOA we areaware of stewardship and man-agement of our woodlots so thatthey can be environmentally sound, con-tributing to clean air and water in our state,provide good recreational uses, habitat forwildlife, as well as the production of woodand paper products that we need for every-day life.

What you may not be aware of is thatacross the state there are a half a millionprivate woodlot owners who own 85% ofNY's forests. Collectively we own 14 mil-lion of the 18 million acres of forest land!Of those half million owners, a quarter of amillion woodlots are 10 acres or less. Per-haps many of them are good stewards, butthere are many small and large landown-ers who do not have written managementplans for their woods.

Are you aware that the NY timber indus-try employs 66,000 New Yorkers and con-tributes $4 Billion to NY's gross economicoutput?

We are not a small group, and we arenot economically inconsequential!

We need to reach the rest of those halfmillion woodlot owners, since we representa very viable group in the state.

To do that we need your help!When your next renewal notice comes

around, it will have a questionnaire en-closed. You may think that some of thequestions are "nosey". -All of your re-sponses are totally voluntary, and you arewelcome to skip any that you feel infringeon your privacy. The responses will be kepton the database manned by Debbie Gill,our Executive Secretary, and will only beavailable to the NYFOA Board of Direc-tors and Chapter Chairs. The questionnairehas not been finalized yet; it is still in Com-mittee. But it has two focuses: the first isaimed at producing a NYFOA directory ofall the members and how to reach them byphone, regular mail, e-mail and faxes; andthe second contains questions about youand your special skills and interests, andthe knowledge you have about the Dora andfauna inhabitants of your property, streams& ponds, insect and/or disease problems,timber sales, and timber thefts, etc. I hopethat you will fill it all out, but I respect yourright to privacy if any of the questions areuncomfortable for you to answer.

We need to get together in our chapters,

NY FOREST OWNER Vol. 35 No.4

President Jill Cornell

and collectively as a state organization tohave our concerns heard in the Capitol,and to be able to share information, inter-ests, ideas, and opinions with each other.

Please share your copy of the FORESTOWNER or your Chapter Newsletter witha friend or neighbor to help to get theminterested, and take a friend to the nextNYFOA program.

Please call me with comments and/orsuggestions: 5187534336.

NOTICEA number of members have advised

me that there were instances of mari-juana-growing on their property. I amcollecting all information regarding suchinstances for study as to how NYFOAcan help its members when help issought.

To that end I am soliciting detailsfrom personal information or accountsin the media which will aid in defininzthe extent and nature of the problem.

Please assist in this survey by send-ing details, who, what, when, and where,to me at 703 Johnsonville Road;Johnsonville, NY 12094.

-Jill Cornell

ABOUT THIS ISSUEBy Dick Foxjudging from comments received, or thelack of them, regarding the last issue,

the use of digital generated photos wasaccepted and will be continued in the fu-ture. Considerable savings were obtainedby the use of this technology. We currentlyprint with a special sized, computer-di-rected laser printer on plastic which is thenused by the offset press to print the finalpages.

We are now able to receive photos inany form (black & white prints are best):color prints or slides and either digitizethem with our scanner or send them out.Some correction in brightness, contrast andintensity may be made with software.

This capability, along with much else,is provided by an investment of some $6000by NYFOA in the computer, scanner,printer and removable disk storage and soft-ware. I will be happy to provide any mem-ber with the details of costs, specifications,and sources of the components. Further-more, there may be some interest by mem-bers or newsletter editors in services pro-vided by these NYFOA-owned tools.

It is my intention to make available indigitized form all the articles, photos andgraphics which any author has contributedtowards filling the pages of the FORESTOWNER. This has been done for two, al-ready: Doug Allen and Peter Levatich. It isalso a task set for your editor to put in digi-tal form all the graphic and textual mate-rial found in past FOREST OWNERs. Thishas been done for text for the past 5 112years and is stored in digital form. The pur-pose for such archives is to prepare an in-dex for the FOREST OWNER and to fa-cilitate access and subsequent reproduction.

To increase exposure of our message tothe general public and potential membersit has been suggested that members mighttake their copies of the magazine no longerto be retained and leave them (with or with-out the name and address label) at the localbarber shop, beauty salon, doctor's,dentist's or lawyer's office, and any othersimilar place where people are obliged towait. Should that particular destination bewell received, the Board of Directorsagreed to fund an increase in printing inorder to provide complimentary subscrip-tions for that purpose. Such an increase willcommence with this issue. Please contactDebbie or me, if you have a prospect.

NYFOA 18008363566 INFO JULY/AUG 1997 3

FOREST SNAKES OF NEW YORK

Eastern Garters emerging from their winter den. Photo by Dale Garner.

By Glenn Johnson

The brown snake is common acrossmost terrestrial and marshy habitatsall over New York, especially wherethere is an abundance of structures underwhich they can hide, such as rocks and logs,and earthworms and slugs, its favorite prey.Rarely reaching 16 inches, this small ser-pent is often found in farms and towns un-der the debris left around by people. Theyare even known in Central Park in New YorkCity! Once called DeKay's snake after the19th century New York naturalist, brownsnakes are easy to recognize by their drabbrown color and two rows of small blackdots running down their back.

Red-bellied snakes are found over mostof New York, yet few people have seenthem. They are small (to 14 inches), se-cretive snakes that spend a great deal oftime under rocks and logs. By carefullyturning over these objects, you may be for-tunate to find one. They come in two colorphases: one with a light to dark brown backand another with a light grayish back. Bothhave a bright red belly and 3 small lightblotches on their neck. These serpents pro-duce live young rather than lay eggs. Preg-nant females seek the shelter under flatrocks exposed to the sun. As the rock warmsup, the heat is conducted to the snake lyingunderneath. Within limits, the warmer thesnake, the shorter will be the pregnancy.Birth typically occurs in late August and

4 NY FOREST OWNER; Vol. 35 No.4

the three inch babies are no bigger aroundthan a toothpick. Red-bellied snakes seemto prefer slugs and snails over all otherfoods, making them a favorite of farmerswho grow leafy crops susceptible to dam-age by slugs.

The ring neck snake is another small, se-cretive, and decidedly harmless, serpentfound throughout forested parts of the TugHill. It is a pretty snake with a blue-grayback, a bright yellow (sometimes red) bellyand a yellow ring around its neck. Oftenseveral individuals are encountered to-gether under rocks, logs and woodland de-bris. Salamanders and earthworms form thebulk of its diet. Like the redbelly, it is mostoften found under rocks and logs in forestclearings.

The green snake is probably the simplestsnake to identify in New York. It is brightgreen in color over its entire length, whichmay reach 25 inches. This slender serpentinhabits woodland edges and grassy fieldsand may climb up into low vegetation insearch of caterpillars and other soft-bod-ied insect prey. Its range encompasses theentire state.

Easily the most common and widespread snake in forests of New Yorkis the eastern garter snake. They arefound in all kinds of habitats, from wet-lands to uplands to farmlands. Gartersnakes are among the most variable ser-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

pents in color and striping pattern and areoften mistaken for another species. Mostshow three light stripes running from headto tail, although the central stripe may belacking. Garter snakes feed upon earth-worms, some insects, frogs, nestling birdsand small mammals. Like most snakes, theylocate their prey primarily through theirwell-developed sense of smell, using theirforked tongue to locate and follow scenttrails. Garter snakes simply grab and swal-low their prey and do not use constriction.

Occasionally, you may encounter aslender snake at the edge of bea-ver flows and ponds that at firstglance is easily mistaken for a garter snake.If closer examination reveals two brightyellow to cream stripes on the sides bor-

..dering a dark stripe and a small spot of yel-low in front of the eyes, than it is a ribbonsnake. This snake may be locally abundant,but is usually quite uncommon. It feedsprimarily on fish, frogs and tadpoles and,like its relative the garter snake, gives birthto living young.

Generally, wherever there is water con-taining fish, there are northern water snakesto eat them. Many people suspect thesesnakes are venomous, which they are not,and many are needlessly killed. This maybe due to their rather aggressive behaviortowards their enemies, including people.They will flatten their bodies, lunge, bite,and spray a foul musk when cornered orotherwise threatened. However they arequite harmless if left alone. Large individu-als may reach four feet in length and ap-pear brown to almost black. Fish and frogsare their prey of choice. Just for the record,there are no poisonous water snakes northof southern Virginia.

It is doubtful there is a creature in theentire state that has more myths, tall talesand misguided notions about it than themilk snake. They are often called "spottedadders" after the venomous serpents ofEurope and Asia. This is probably due totheir slightly unnerving habit of vibratingtheir tails like rattlesnakes when annoyedand because many folks assume any boldly-patterned snake is poisonous. They arequite harmless. In fact, they perform a valu-able service to farmers by consuming ro-dents and other small mammals that other-wise would damage crops. Milk snakes useconstriction to overpower their prey. Milksnakes are in the kingsnake group, so-

JULY/AUG 1997

named because they regularly consumeother species of snakes, including rattle-snakes! They appear to have a natural im-munity to snake venom. Milk snakes layeggs and often several females gather todeposit eggs at a communal site. Whetherthis is due to a lack of quality egg- layingplaces or to some other factor is not under-stood. Outside of the breeding season, milksnakes are rarely found together except intheir winter retreats.

The largest New York serpent, by far, isthe black rat snake. A full grown adult mayreach lengths of 8 feet. Like their namesuggests, they are largely black, with a bitof white on their chins and bellies, and theyeat rodents. They are good climbers andspend a considerable amount of time up intrees. Birds' eggs and nestlings form a ma-jor part of their diets. Like nearly any wildanimal, they will bite when provoked, butthey are quite harmless if left alone.

VENOMOUS SNAKESThere are only three species of poison-

ous snakes living in the wilds of New York(many other kinds may be found in thehomes of private individuals and, occasion-ally, escapes occur'). These are the copper-head, the timber rattlesnake, and the mas-sasauga (erroneously called "pygmy rat-tier".) All three are uncommon and the firsttwo may occur in forested areas.The tim-ber rattlesnake (listed as "Threatened" bythe New York State Department of Envi-

CHECKLIST OF SNAKE SPECIESFOUND WITHIN NEW YORK

Eastern worm snakeNorthern ringneck snakeNorthern black racerEastern hognose snakeSmooth green snakeBlack rat snakeEastern milk snakeNorthern water snakeQueen snakeNorthern brown snakeNorthern red belly snakeCommon garter snake-2 NY subspecies

Eastern garter snakeMaritime garter snake

Shorthead garter snakeRibbon snake-2 subspecies in NY

Eastern ribbon snakeNorthern ribbon snake

Northern copperheadEastern massasaugaTimber rattlesnake


ronmental Conservation) enjoys the wid-est range; it is found mainly in the south-eastern part of the state, except Long Is-land and New York City, with scatteredpopulations as far north as Lake George andalso along the Southern Tier in westernNew York. Its populations have been se-verely reduced, primarily due to bountiesand commercial capture for snakeskinproducts and the pet trade. The massasauga(listed as "Endangered") occurs in only twolocations, both large wetlands. One is lo-cated northeast of Syracuse and the otheris west of Rochester. This species is the sub-ject of a cooperative research program be-tween researchers at SUNY-ESF andNYSDEC. The copperhead is mainly foundalong the lower Hudson Valley south ofKingston; it is essentially absent from theCatskills and points further west.

The timber rattler and massasaugaboth possess a rattle at the end oftheir tails. It is made of a series ofhollow scales that produce a distinct buzzwhen the snake vibrates its tail (a new oneis added each time the snake sheds its skin,which may be several times a year). Bothrattlers are sort of chunky snakes but thetimber rattlesnake can attain lengths of upto six feet while the massasauga barelyreaches three feet. A timber rattler's headis much wider than a massasauga's andthere are numerous small scales on thecrown of its head; the massasauga has ninelarger scales on the crown. Copperheadslack the rattle, but will vibrate their tailwhen annoyed. In dry leaves, this vibra-tion can sound like a rattle; many other spe-cies, such as milk and rat snakes, will alsoperform this behavior. The copperhead canbe told by its coppery-red head and by thedistinct bands along its body which arewidest at the sides and narrowest across theback.

Eastern MilkSnake.

Photo byTodd Wills.

Venomous snakes are best left alone.None of our species are particularly aggres-sive animals, but they will attempt to bitewhen handled. If you encounter a snake butcan keep your distance, the snake willnearly always refrain from striking. If youshould be bitten, obviously the most im-portant first thing is determining if thesnake is of a poisonous variety. It is alwaysa good idea to become familiar with thepoisonous snakes in your area, includingthe outdoor places you plan to visit. Bitesfrom nonpoisonous snakes are generallyinconsequential, however it is prudent toreview when you last had a tetanus immu-nization. Bites from venomous species area more serious matter and you should al-ways seek medical assistance. Commercialsnakebite kits, which suggest making lac-erations in the area of the bite and apply-ing suction and tourniquets are not recom-mended. Poisonous snakebite is rarely fa-tal among healthy adults. .

Dr. Glenn Johnson has done research onthe red-shouldered hawk (with ProfessorChambers) and the eastern massasaugarattlesnake (with Professor Leopold) atSUNY-ESF where he currently teachesHerpetology.

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

ONE ... TWO ... TREE!NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation

has completed its tree census, in which700 volunteers counted almost 500,000trees on city streets. The number is downfrom the 977,750 counted in 1936. TheNorway Maple is most common in TheBronx, Queens and Staten Island; theHoney Locust in Manhattan; and the Lon-don Plane in Brooklyn.

-from Littorally Speaking, May 1997.

JULY/AUG 1997 5

WHEN DOING YOUR OWN THINGISN'T GOOD ENOUGH

By Carl Wiedemann

Iwas intrigued by what Norm Richardshad to say about the public interest inprivately owned forests in the MarchIApril issue of the NY FOREST OWNER.He speculated that there may be little realdamage to the public interest by forestowners who do their own thing. Norm alsoasked, "What is proper or good manage-ment of private woodlands and who isto judge this?" The implication is thatthe public should have no concern withcurrent management practices on pri-vate forest land. As a forest landownerand as a former service forester, (that'sright I have a bias!) I would like to of-fer some comments on the subject.

Early in my career, I worked withprivate forest landowners. Most of myexperiences were very positive. In spiteof my shortcomings, landowners wereusually eager for the information I pro-vided about forest management. Ifound. landowners had many' differentinterests and no two woodlots exactlyalike. Consequently, my time was spenttalking with people and examining for-est land. I tried to provide advice thatwas consistent with the public interest,forest conditions and landowner objec-tives.

"Hold it right there buster!" youmay be thinking. "Who were you todecide what was good or bad for the pub-lic interest - whatever that is?"

In most situations, I didn't have muchdifficulty with this question. Maybe I'mmissing something, but the public interestseems pretty obvious. Forest resources areimportant to everyone - not just to land-owners. The public does have an interestin how privately owned forests are man-aged - just like the public has an interest inair, water, and other natural resources. Afundamental public concern is that forestsbe managed sustainably. In other words,they should be managed so that future gen-erations can continue to benefit from theirbounty. That is a "yardstick" that can beused to define "good" and "bad" manage-ment.

"But," you ask; "Didn't Norm Richardssay that landowners who do their own thingdo little damage to the public interest?"


Well, I'll have to disagree on this point. Inmy experience, "doing your own thing"does not always serve the public interest oreven the landowner's interest! I've seenmany acres of forest land degraded in avariety of ways from past "management."Specifically, forest landowners do not al-ways manage their properties sustainably.In most cases, I found the reason wassimple ignorance.

Hardwood Timber Volume

By Tree Grade - 1993

53.0%

Trees oyer 15" diameter From Table 32 Bulletin 132

o Grade J II Grade 2 II Grade 35

Myopinion is based on my expe-riences with several hundredlandowners. I found that mostof the clients I worked with were greatpeople, but not experts in forestry or silvi-culture. Most had never sold timber. Theyhad no idea that sustainability could beenhanced by exercising control over whattrees were to be cut and left in a timber sale.Most were not even members of the NewYork Forest Owners Association! Yet, theywere eager for information. Furthermore,many were altruistic and willing to makeinvestments of some sort to improve theirforest. Consequently, I often felt that atleast some of the advice I provided wasgoing to be adopted and would contributeto the interests of both society and the land-owner.

Some of you are no doubt thinking;"What about consulting foresters? Don't

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

they provide advice?" Of course they do.But, they also have to eat, and by necessitcharge for their services. Sometimes land-owners are reluctant to pay, particularlwhen they are starting from a knowledgebase of near zero. These owners will oftenseek advice, as long as there is no fee orobligation. In these situations, the publicforester acts as the catalyst in getting a land-

owner started in forest management.Consider the following guiding prin-

ciples for forest land management froma public interest perspective. They are_listed in order of importance:

First Priority - Protect the basic in-tegrity of the site.

Second Priority - Protect rare,threatened, andlor endangered species,water quality and significant habitats.

Third Priority - Provide for reason-able protection from destructive ele-ments (insects, disease, fire, erosion,

. logging, trespass, etc.)Fourth Priority - Make sure that if

trees are being removed, provision hasbeen made for commercially desirableregeneration.

Fifth Priority - Enhance opportuni-ties to grow commercially valuable tim-ber.

Sixth Priority - Landowner objec-tives. This is where doing your ownthing will probably not hurt the public

interest.Some may question my emphasis on

growing commercially valuable trees.Many landowners are not particularly in-terested in timber and neither is most ofthe public. However, timber is basicallycompatible with other values, so it can beincorporated in most management withoutsacrificing other objectives. Furthermore,of all the values currently recognized, of-ten it's the commercial productivity ofNew York's forests that is most threat-ened.

Most of the forest land in New York isowned by individuals. For most of theselandowners, timber is not a primary man-agement objective. Yet, it is rare to find awoodlot that has not been cut in the past. Ican't ever remember walking through aprivately owned virgin forest, and I havewalked through several hundred woodlots

JULY/AUG 1997

Percentage of Sawtimber TreeVolume in Grade 1

2Or---------------------------------------------~

CQIe 10QIQ.

15

5

o1970

HardNood Sawtimber - All Size Qasses

in my short service forestry career. Log-ging is still the most common managementactivity, although commercial productivitydoes not seem to be of much concern forlandowners, environmental groups or thepublic. Maybe that's part of the problem.

The threat to the ability of forests togrow trees with timber value is related toeconomics. When forest land is cut in thisstate it is usually not literally clearcut, butis more often "commercially" clearcut. Inother words, a logger will remove all of thetrees that have any commercial value andleave behind trees that are too small, poorlyformed, or of non-commercial species.Most of the logging I saw, after the fact, onprivate land was of this variety.

Is selective cutting of trees a problem?It can be, particularly in how it effects

the future commercial productivity of for-ests. This type of cutting tends to removeindividual trees of commercial species thathave desirable characteristics such asstraight form, fast growth rate, and decayresistance. Trees without these character-istics remain behind to grow into the open-ings where the timber trees were removedand to reseed the site. When forests are cutthis way, over and over again on a twentyor thirty year cycle, commercial produc-tivity gradually begins to drop. Althoughwe can continue to grow trees with this typeof management, it won't be quality saw-timber.

The 1993 New York Forest survey illus-trates the fact that many woodlots are domi-nated by low value trees. Over half of thehardwood sawtimber trees over 15" in di-ameter are of inferior lumber quality. Andthis calculation does not include the treesthat are so rough and rotten that they have


1980 1993

more of these needs around the world - ifthey are managed responsibly.

"Think globally, act locally." That wasa popular bumper sticker a few years agowhich has some application here. In spiteof my concern about the declining com-mercial productivity of New York's forestresource, I'm not an advocate for moreregulation. Regulation is an expensive so-lution for everyone. However, I do feel thatmodest investments of tax dollars for in-centives and education are prudent. Weneed a strong service forestry program inNew York State. Private forest owners cando just fine if they have access to good in-formation and a little encouragement.There is a public interest in forest resourcesthat is not always served by "doing yourown thing." .A.

Carl Wiedemann is currently Director ofthe NYS DEC Bureau of Recreation.

7

no commercial value! I suspect that pastcutting practices have contributed to thehigh proportion of poor quality trees.

Even more revealing is how hardwoodtree quality has declined over the decadesbetween 1970 and 1993. The percentageof all hardwood sawtimber trees classifiedas grade 1 dropped from 15% to 11% inthe past 25 years. This is evidence that tim-ber quality on private forest land is declin-mg.

Why should you be concerned?Many people don't care about timber

productivity or even recognize the eco-nomic development it supports in New YorkState. Some feel the forest products indus-try will simply find other sources for tim-ber.

My answer is this - we all use trees.People who love wilderness use trees.People who want to save the rain forest usetrees. People who love the beauty of treesuse trees. People who don't care about tim-ber use trees. Forest landowners use trees.Regardless of our other differences, we alluse trees. As responsible citizens who con-sume forest products, we all have an inter-est in protecting the commercial produc-tivity of forest land.

Which trees will we use? More andmore of the lumber that the world uses forfurniture and flooring comes from tropicalrainforests or other sensitive environmen-tal areas. Will increasing demand and di-minishing supply drive the price of timberso high that it becomes less affordable andover harvested? Or, can we heIp supplyworld markets for timber and pulp withoutsignificant harm to other values? The 15million acres of privately owned forests inNew York State have the potential to meet

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

AdirondackForestry Inc.

Incorporated 1955

Services Include:Timber InventoryTimber Appraisal

Management PlansTimber Marking & Sales

Sale SupervisionTrespass Appraisal

S.I.P. PlansPhone:

Garry L. Nelson (518) 7939022James A. Farrar (518) 6239449Dennis M. Flynn (518) 5811055

Member of SAF, NYFOA,Tree Farm, NYS Coop. Cons. For.

EMail: [email protected]

JULY/AUG 1997

SELECTING A FORESTER-Quick decisions and long-term impacts

By Peter J. Smallidge and Michael C.Greason

Working with a professional for-ester can increase the benefitsyou receive from your forest.Professional foresters are an important stepin deliberate forest management. Your for-est should be here long after you're gone,and the way your forest is managed will beevident for many years or decades. Evenso, over 80% of people who own forest landdo not take advantage of professionals whocan help them. These professionals are for-esters, people trained as foresters at uni-versities to help you reach your ownershipobjectives. However, selecting a profes-sional forester requires some forethoughtand a little information. Forestry profes-sionals are an important part of the forestmanagement process. Forests are complexin their function and diverse in what theyhave to offer. While you can certainly un-dertake forest management by yourself,you could also represent yourself in court,perform surgery on yourself, or develop andmanage your own investment portfolio. Justas we encourage you to seek professionalguidance from lawyers, doctors, and finan-cial consultants, we also feel you deserveprofessional guidance with your forests.

The first step in selecting a forester isknowing that there are several types of for-esters, and even some people who aren'tforesters yet want you to think otherwise.There are public foresters employed by theDepartment of Environmental Conserva-tion or Cornell Cooperative Extension whofor free can assist landowners. There areprivate consultant foresters who representyou and your interests for a fee. There areindustrial foresters who work for a forestindustry (a sawmill for example) and offerservices to forest owners to provide timberand other forest products for their employer.Finally, there are people who call them-selves foresters who do not possess theeducation nor experience to be what theyclaim. Many from this last group functionas 'middle-men' and don't offer forest man-agement services. Unfortunately, becausethe forestry profession is not licensed, norregistered, nor even defined in New Yorkanyone can "claim" to be a forester; makesure you ask for a resume, credentials froma professional society, and references.8 NY FOREST OWNER; Vol. 35 No.4

Only you can select a forester that meetsyour needs. You need someone you trustand feel comfortable with. The foresterneeds to understand your objectives, inter-ests, and limitations. The right forester foryou may not be the right one for your neigh-bor. If you pick the right one, you can en-joy a long-term relationship that should beprofitable for both of you and ensure thesustainability of your forest.

Department of Environmental Conser-vation service foresters are available forlimited assistance at no cost to the land-owner. They are responsible for several fed-erally funded cost share programs, admin-istering the New York forest tax laws, Sec-tions 480 and 480-a, and serving as a cata-lyst to encourage landowners to activelymanage this state's dynamic, renewable for-est resource. These individuals are the bestplace to start for they are a free source ofunbiased information. DEC foresters canevaluate your resource and offer sugges-tions on how to proceed.

Private consultant foresters can offerin-depth services. They should representthe forest owner as their agent whether sell-ing timber, making a forest tax law appli-cation, or completing a variety of forestmanagement practices like planting treesor marking property boundaries. Ethically,the consultant's first responsibility is to thelandowner. The relationship is similar tothat one would have with their personallawyer or doctor. Because of this relation-ship, the consultant is dependent on his orher fee for survival. As with a doctor, cheap-est isn't necessarily best. Wh iIe a privateconsultant forester charges a fee for ser-vices, the investment typically pays muchgreater returns. Studies have shown forestowners using private consultants receivemore net money and have more trees re-maining in better condition in theirwoodlots following a harvest than forestowners who try to conduct a harvest with-out a forester.

Industrialforesters often offer their ser-vices for free, for a commitment of thetimber, or perhaps right of first refusal.Forest industry companies that employ in-dustrial foresters typically have their ownpolicies of operation. One company mayoffer services for image and not require anycommitment on the timber. Others may de-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

velop 480-a management plans or otherin-depth services and expect the right topurchase any timber harvested in return forthose services. As with all foresters, makesure you ask plenty of questions beforeagreeing to a contract.

Any of these types of foresters de-serve consideration. However, youshould generally avoid the indi-vidual who calls himself or herself a for-ester but can produce no credentials dem-onstrating they have professional trainingas a forester. These individuals may haveskills in buying and selling your timber, butthey may not have the background neces-sary to protect your long-term goals andforest values.

So what should you do next. A goodand inexpensive first step is to contact aDEC forester or a Cornell Cooperative Ex-tension Master Forest Owner (MFO) vol-unteers. MFOs are not foresters, but areforest owners like you who have beentrained by Cornell Cooperative Extensionto help you get started with forest manage-ment. MFO volunteers will likely recom-mend you contact a DEC forester for pro-fessional guidance, but they can help pre-pare you to utilize your time optimallywhen the DEC forester arrives. From thatpoint think through what you want to ac-complish with your forests and seek theguidance of the DEC forester in the nextstep.

Remember your woodlot is a valuableinvestment that can grow in value while itpleases you today. Care for it well and itwill care for you. ..Peter Smallidge is Extension Forester atCornell U's Department of Natural Re-sources and Mike Greason is Acting Chiefof the Bureau of Private Land Services.

Nolan's'Sporting Supplies

Outdoor EquIpment SpecialIst

37 47 Genesee StreetAuburn, NY 13021

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JULY/AUG 1997

FARM CREDIT

Loan orlease?It depends ...

Some say obtaining a loan and buying is the mostcost-effective way to finance expensive equipment.Others say leasing equipment is the way to go.In fact, each financing option has certain advantages

with regard to convenience, flexibility and tax obliga-tion.

To find out which makes most sense for you, talk toan ag business expert at Farm Credit.

When you do. remember this: Eligible borrowers canbuy or lease through Farm Credit - a choice youwon't find at manv other institutions.

Farm Credit gives you the choice.

First Pioneer Farm Credit, ACA394 Route 29,Greenwich, NY 12834(800) 234-0269

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9NY FOREST OWNER Vol. 35 No.4 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO JULY/AUG 1997

One Master Forest Owner Volunteer's StoryBy Mike Valla

Edinburg is a gentle countrysidetown, its pastoral heritage is stillseen in the lives of the families thathave lived there for generations. Names likeBrownell and Edwards and Ostrander arestill found there: logging, operating saw-mills, and selling lumber, after more than acentury since those families first settled inthe charming valley along the SacandagaRiver of New York's southern Adirondackregion.

The people who settled in the SaratogaCounty hamlet in the 1800's lived a simpleexistence, tied to the land as farmers, log-gers, or employees of the woodenware fac-tories that stood not far off the river banks.Sawmills were established in the town inthe early 1800's and later a number of com-panies manufactured a variety of woodproducts. In the 1830's one of the moreprominent woodenware mills (the Sam andSherman Batcheller Co.) was establishedin Batchellerville, a small community in theTown of Edinburg. Another, the DeGoliaCo., manufactured washboards.

The prosperity of the town of Edinburgpeaked in the mid-1800's, due largely tothe woodenware industry in Batchellerville.It soon declined, partly due to a series offires that occurred between 1876 and 1890that destroyed the factories. Almost a thirdof the residents left the town to find otheropportunities and employment.

Later events also affected the popula-tion of the town. In March, 1930 the gateswere closed at the massive earthen dam ata narrow section of the Sacandaga atConklingville, creating a reservoir of over40 square miles that flooded the valley andcompletely changed the character of thetown, affecting the lives of its people for-ever.

SUSAN J- KEISTERForestry Consulting Services

-480A & SIP Management Plans-Forestry Inventory & Appraisal-Timber Sales-Cost Basis and Real Estate TaxManagement Advice

(716) 728-30447025 Harpers Ferry Road, Wayland,

NY 14572


Batchellerville was all but completelylost under the waters of what is now calledGreat Sacandaga Lake and what little re-mained of agriculture all but disappeared.It might be argued that Edinburg never re-ally recovered from those two significantevents.

Despite the changes that have occurredover the years, the town is still economi-cally dependent on wood products and itsconnection to the logging industry. On anygiven morning, the little diner in the townis filled with loggers, sawmill workers andowners. The room is filled with ribald witand cracker-barrel discussion about timberprices, woodlots and papermills. There istalk about the scarcity of good woodlotswith quality timber and the unwillingnessof landowners to allow timber harvestingfor fear that their woodlands will be for-ever damaged. Listening to such discus-sions leads one to understand that thepeople of the town are dependent upon thesingle most important resource of the area:the timber covered hillsides.

Iknew when I purchased my 50-acrewoodlot in Edinburg some 7 years agothat I wanted to use it for recreationalpurposes such as hunting, hiking and per-haps as a place to build a small cabin. Thewoodland itself has an interesting history.The land was utilized for farming purposesa century ago but has slowly returned to anorthern hardwood forest. Maple, yellowbirch and fine stands of cherry trees nowtower above what were once oat fields, haymeadows and croplands. It didn't take longfor me to decide that the woodland couldalso be managed for quality timber, suchtimber as that the loggers in the town werecontinually talking about and searching for.

I learned much about the logging indus-try from the local families, but I still neededto learn more about how to properly man-age my woodlands for quality timber. Thatsearch led me to certified Master ForestOwner (MFO) Volunteers Erwin and PollyFullerton. The Fullertons have managedtheir woodlands for more than 30 years andthey have received State and Nationalawards and as well as accolades for theiraccomplishments.

I first read about Erwin and Polly andtheir Tree Farm in a feature newspaper ar-ticle that appeared some years ago. Afterreading about how the Fullertons trans-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

formed their property into a well-managedwoodland property, I decided to visit themto learn how they did it.

Erwin showed me his woodland man-agement plan, and through his associationwith the MFO/COVERTS Program, pro-vided me with the information and re-sources that would help me meet the ob-jectives I had in mind for my woodlot. Itwas through Erwin that I was introducedto NYS DEC Service Forester JohnHastings who helped me devise a soundmanagement plan for my woodlands basedon my objectives of producing quality tim-ber. He was also instrumental in helpingestablish my property as a Certified TreeFarm under the American Tree Farm Sys-tem. Erwin also explained the StewardshipIncentives Program and showed me first-hand how my woodlands could benefitfrom such management practices. Erwinhad access to this information through his'training as an MFO Volunteer.

The MFO Program initially provided mewith the encouragement that I needed toaccomplish my goal of someday harvest-ing a valuable woodlot that will benefit notonly my own children, but perhaps the chil-dren of area loggers. Erwin once told me,as I looked upon his beautiful woodlands,"It can't happen over night Mike. What youare seeing are the efforts of over three de-cades of hard work. But a quality wood-

_ land will certainly benefit many in the yearsto come." Erwin added that he could offersomething he didn't have during his 30years of work on his Tree Farm. It was thevast amount of resource material he gath-ered during his training as a Master ForestOwner Volunteer. Erwin's assistance hashad a profound influence on how I am try-ing to improve my woodlot for quality tim-ber production.

Ialso deeply appreciated what the MFOProgram could accomplish and thus became a certified MFO Volunteer my-self in 1993. Since then I have tried to dowhat Erwin and Polly Fullerton have donefor me, namely, encourage others to man-age their woodlands for not only personalsatisfaction, but to contribute to the livesof the many people in the community whodepend upon quality sawtimber for theirown well-being. ..

JULY/AUG 1997

1997 MFO CLASSANNOUNCED

The New York Master ForestOwner/COVERTS Program issponsored by the New YorkForest Stewardship Program, TheRuffed Grouse Society, the RenewableResources Extension Program, andCornell Cooperative Extension. Volun-teers are available for a no-obligationvisit to your woodlot to listen to yourconcerns and give suggestions onwhere and how to acquire needed as-sistance. Contact your county CornellCooperative Extension Office for a listof volunteers in your area. ContactGary Goff, Program Director, atFernow Hall, Cornell University,Ithaca, NY 14853 (ph. 607/255-2824)if you are interested in becoming aMaster Forest Owner volunteer. Thisyear's training workshop will be heldSept 18-21 at Cornell's Arnot Forest.

Fig. 1. Tim Piotrowski, Marilyn Dixon,and Roger Penh allow (left to right)practice using tree scale sticks to esti-mate the merchantable tree height(Hypsometer) as part of the 1996 MFOtraining at Cornell's Arnot Forest.Photo by Gary Goff. .


USING THE BILTMORE STICKBy Paul W. Steck

When doing a timber cruise or justdetermining the DBH (diameterat breast height) of a few treesmeasuring the circumference with a tapeand then calculating the diameter is a slowcumbersome procedure, especially withlarge diameter trees. For this reason theBiltmore Stick was developed as it allowsthe diameter to be measured directly withreasonable accuracy.

If a Biltmore Stick is not available andif it is desired to measure a number of treesas in a timber cruise, a Biltmore Stick canbe easily constructed. All that is necessaryis to know the relationship between DBHand the Biltmore scale. This is computedby the following formulae:

sine = r/r+S B = 2Stane;where:B = distance on the stickS = distance in inches from the eye to

the treeD =DBH =2r

A straight piece of hardwood lx 1 and36 inches long marked with the listed scalefactors and labeled with the related DBHis all that is required.

If it is desired to have the scale read inone inch increments, it is only necessary todivide the space between adjacent scalefactors in half.

To use the stick it is held against the treewhile standing a known distance from thetree, usually arms length or 25 inches. Withthe left edge of the stick sighted along theleft edge of the tree and without movingyour head, read the scale where the line ofsight intersects the right side of the tree. hescale on the stick is calibrated to read DBH(see Fig 1)

If the tree is not round, take a secondreading at 90 degrees to the first and aver-age the two for a more representative mea-surement. Check the accuracy of the treemeasurement using the stick versus a tapemeasurement when learning to use thestick. A

Paul Steck is a member of the NiagaraFrontier Chapter of NYFOA and residesin Williamsville.

~/E

When S = 25 inches, the following tablelists the scale factor in inches:

0lH B DBH B8 6.93 26 18.2

10 8.45 28 19.23

12 9.85 30 20.22

14 11.22 32 21.19

16 12.46 34 22.13

18 13.72 36 23.04

20 14.9 38 23.93

22 16.05 40 24.8

24 17.12

Fountain Forestry

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Land and Timber Forest Management Timber Sales Forest Investment Consutting Timber Appraisal and Valuation Forest Taxation Forest Practices and Wetland Laws Land Use Planning Conservation Easements Land Sales and Brokerage Mapping and Remote Sensing Wildlife and Recreation Aooounting Services

FOUNTAIN FORESTRY, INC.21 Cliff Avenue, P.O. Box 1002

Tupper Lake, NY 12986

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JULY/AUG 1997 11NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

How to Report Timber TheftTo report theft oftimber, call DEC's Bu-

reau of Environmental Conservation Inves-tigation (BECI) in your area. Be ready toprovide complete information about:

Who was involved, What was taken, Where and when the theft occurred Other relevant facts.

Where to call:In DEC Regions 1, 2 and 3 (Nassau,

Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan andUlster counties and New York City):

Captain Dorothy Thumm200 White Plains RoadTarrytown, NY 10591(914) 332-1835

In DEC Regions 4, 5,6 and 7 (Albany,Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Clinton, Co-lumbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex,Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton,Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison,Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego,

Otsego, Rensselear, Saratoga, Schenectady,Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins,Warren and Washington counties):

Captain Lawrence Johnson1150 N. Wolcott RoadSchenectady, NY 12306(518) 357-2035

In DEC Regions 8 and 9 (Allegany, Erie,Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara,Ontario, Orleans, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben,Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties):

CaptainGary Bobseine270 Michigan AvenueBuffalo, NY 14203(716) 851-7007

For uniformed law enforcement offic-ers, call DEC's Division of Law Enforce-ment or the nearest Regional Office as listedin the blue page of your local telephonedirectory.

.-------

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996 Arnett Blvd.Rochester. NY 14619(716) 235-7341

CHEBETARr JR. ACF

NYS Cooperating ConsultantMember: NYICF, ACF, SAF

12 NY FOREST OWNER; Vol. 35 No.4 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Mid-Atlantic IntegratedAssessment Workshop

(MAIA)NYFOA was invited to participate in the

MAlA Proj ect and Jill Cornell attended thetwo day workshop in that capacity.

Participants at the MAlA workshop pro-vided suggestions for indicators of foresthealth and linkages to related stressors andtheir subsequent effects. The Forest Servicewill compile current data and relate it tohistoric data to determine trends andchanges. The data will also be analyzed inthe light of socioeconomic trends and poli-cies such as land use, resource use, popu-lation demographics, forest management,and forest laws institution and policies. Thescope and scale of the assessment is enor-mous. It will provide a baseline of the cur-rent status of forest health, reveal new as-pects which need to be measured, and cor-relate indicators to other conditions.

Impetus for the assessment came froma White House Directive to implement theSantiago Agreement.

The Santiago Agreement signed in 1995by 12 nations, including the USA, is anagreement on the principles of sustainableforest management; and it established cri-teria and indicators for measuring those cri-teria. While recognizing the uniqueness ofthe separate countries and their differencesin natural, social, political and economicstatus, the agreement spells out 7 criteriato be assessed:

Forest Health & Vitality Biodiversity Productivity Conservation of Soils Conservation - Forest Aquatic Systems Key Ecological Processes Socioeconomic Assessment

Each of the criteria has indicators whichare assessment questions. Forest health in-cludes questions on air pollution, crowndieback, tree damage, exotic or noxiousplants and animals, insects and diseases.Diversity covers forest ecosystems, plantand wildlife species and habitats. Produc-tivity focuses on timber and non-timberproducts. Conservation of soils includeserosion, persistent toxic compounds andchemicals, compaction and diminished or-ganic matter. Conservation of forest aquaticsystems relates to streams and lakes. Keyecological processes cover tree mortality,and tree regeneration.

The Catskill and Allegheny regions areincluded in the MAlA Proj ect, a pilot studyfor all the regions in the country. ~

JULY/AUG 1997

DOING THEIR OWN THINGIt has been my experience that NIPF

owners, "doing their own thing" are oftenoperating without knowledge of the man-agement options available to them. Nor dothey have much of an idea of the effectsthat their land management decisions haveon their own future, much less the effectson "public interests."

For example, let's accept Norm's "nostream sedimentation" (from NormanRichards' article "Fostering Private ForestRichness", NYFO MJA97) as a reasonablelimit to a landowners doing his own thing.I contend that many landowners(NYFOAns excepted) haven't a clue howto do that, assuming they have a concernfor why they should do that. Many land-owners defer to the judgement of the tim-ber buyer, who, the landowners rational-ize, is far more experienced in these mat-ters. Besides, the timber buyer just gave thelandowner a bunch of money to have hisway with the woodlot. The landowner ishappily skipping to the bank with nary athought about stream sedimentation, "pub-lic interest" or, sadly, his woodlot's future.This often happens near the close of theNIPF's ownership tenure.

Incidentally, who is responsible for as-suring the no sedimentation limit?

If doing your own thing is the best wayto forest richness, I see no rationale formaintaining forestry schools, other than tohelp support an expensive faculty.

I know we all can do a better job of fos-tering forest richness. More importantly,we must help NIPF owners do better:Norm's article in the Sept/Oct, '96 issue ofthe NY FOREST OWNER, "Pruning Treesfor Profit and Pleasure," was a good ex-ample of doing better, in spite of the value-loaded concepts in title and text.

---:Charles Mowatt, Franklinville

RECREATIONAL LEASESAs a landowner, I'd like to see what are

typical fees NYFOA members charge forrecreational leases.

Also, how an individual landowner canfind insurance agencies or policies to di-rect potential lessees to?-Joan Kappel, Capital District Chapter

"Ecology is rather like sex- every newgeneration likes to think they were the firstto discover it."

-Michael Allaby (British ecologist)


LETTERSTHENYSREFERENDUM

The May/June FOREST OWNER con-tains several articles on the Maine Refer-endum, which could restrict silviculturalpractices. Unless effort to resist it is made,the referendum option may become law inNew York. A movement is afoot to get itaccepted in all states where it is describedas the "Voter Initiative".

It is the same process which legalizedmarijuana in California, discriminatorylaws in Colorado, and has crippled schoolsystems in several states. This is sometimesaccomplished when the winning vote mayrepresent less than 15% of the state's resi-dents.

The Rhode Island Legislature defeatedthe most recent of repeated efforts to get itpassed here. I've studied it thoroughly andhave testified at legislative hearings. Formore information or help in keeping the"Voter Initiative" out of New York, feelfreeto call me at 401/254-6035.

-Nicholas Ratti, Jr., Bristol, RI

ANNA KARENINAEven Tolstoy knew (in the 19th century)that forest owners should know what kindof trees they are selling and how many theyhave to sell. Konstantin Levin, a "farmer"in Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, arguesunsuccessfully with forest owner StepanArkadyevich to count his trees before sell-ing to a logger. "Not a single merchant everbuys a forest without counting the trees,unless they get it for nothing, as you'redoing now. I know your forest. I go hunt-ing there every year; and it's worth a hun-dred and fifty rubles an acre, cash, whilehe's giving you sixty by installments. So thatinfact you're making him a p resent of thirtythousand" See chapters 16 and 17.

-Newsletter, Alabama Forest Owners

WORKMANS COMPENSATIONINSURANCE (WCI)

In the May/June '97 issue, the articleabout selling timber on a scale basis, I getthe impression this article is just anotheradvertisement to hire a consulting forester.

Consulting foresters quickly point out-they are working for the landowner. Mostforesters work on a %-basis, not a lump sumwhen selling the landowner's timber.

So what is so different: the foresterworks on a %-basis for the landowner; whopays for the WCI?-Raymond L. Tallman, Richmondville

FIREWOOD SURVEYA periodic survey of residential

fuelwood consumption in New York (basedon a sample of 1,925 respondants) con-ducted under the direction of ProfessorHugh O. Canham (SUNY-ESF) and Tho-mas D. Martin (NYS DEC) yielded thefollowing estimates: About 890,000 cordsof wood were bumed as fuel byprivateresi-dences in the state in 1994-95, less thanhalf of that consumed in 1989-90. The useof wood as home-heating fuel is greatestin northern NY, the Adirondacks and theSouthern Tier; and almost half of the woodused was cut by the user. Copies of the sur-vey results are available from ProfessorCanham at 315/470-6694 or Mr. Martin at518/457-7431.-NYS Legis. Newsletter, Rural Futures

NYSAF MEETINGI thoroughly enjoyed the May/June is-

sue of the NY FOREST OWNER and es-pecially appreciated the coverage of theNew York Society of American Foresters(NYSAF) Winter Meeting held inLiverpool. The article by Ron Pedersenwhich highlights the stewardship and ethi-cal responsibilities of foresters AND land-owners, was outstanding.

As Program Chair, it has been gratify-ing for me to see a meeting come togetherafter months of work. This meeting was asuccess for a variety of reasons includingthe quality of the program, the caliber ofthe speakers, the attendance (over 160people) and the diversity of those who at-tended - NYFOA members played a largepart in this. Having nonprofessionals in-volvedin the roundtable discussions on eth-ics added to the dialogue and made the daymore interesting for all. I wanted to thankthose NYFOAmembers for their contribu-tions to the meeting.

I also wanted to invite NYFOA mem-bers to the NYSAF Summer Meeting to beheld September 3rd thru 5th in Cairo. Themeeting will focus on many of the issueswhich impact NYFOA members, includ-ing forester/landowner relationships, lowgrade markets and forestry cost share pro-grams.

Dinnie Sloman, Executive Director ofthe Catskill Forest Association and Chair-Elect of the NYSAF, is Program Chair forthe meeting and can be contacted for moreinformation at 914/586-3054.

-Michael Virga, Chair NYSAF

JULY/AUG 1997 13NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

THE ANDEAN CONDORBy Henry S. Kernan

Some objects are better seen at a dis-tance than nearby, the Andean condor being a striking example. Theoversized beak is hooked and ugly. Thehead, flat, featherless, and of a blotchy redand yellow, protrudes at a lowering anglefrom the dull black plumage. Even withwings outspread nine or more feet from tipto tip, the splayed feet allow no more thanawkward flops forward. The world's stron-gest and highest flyer even has difficultytaking flight without a ledge and a strongupdraft.

Yet once in flight, this ungainly bulk hasno equal in soaring and gliding, dipping andrising for hours on end over peaks andgorges with scarcely a movement of thewings. Perhaps no more than a hundred orso exist throughout their immense range,from the snow covered heights of SantaMarta on the northern coast of Columbiato Tierra del Fuego's southern most tip, andfrom the Pacific beaches to four milesabove.

Why then, with such powers of flightand adaptation, is the Andean condor barelysurviving in the wild? The dozen in theSanta Marta National Park are all that Co-lumbia and Venezuela have between them.Ecuador has thirty-three in the wild andthirty in captivity. The four Andean coun-tries farther south have more, but still fewfor a range so vast.

Condors evolved along with mastodonsand giant sloths in Pleistocene times, somesixty million years ago. The equipment theybring from those long-gone times is notwell suited for survival and increase wherelarge mammals are scarce amid much com-petition for carrion food. Condors cannotkill, carry or digest fresh meat. The femalelays but one egg in two years. If the oneegg does not hatch or if the nestling is lost,two years pass before another appears. Theyoung need a year's care before flight andfour more years before maturity. Condorscan survive forty days without food; buthaving gorged themselves to stupor on pu-trid meat, they are helpless before wolves,bears- and dogs. Their best defences aremobility and habitat in the most remote andinaccessible mountain fastness.

Each condor needs some 800 pounds ofcarrion meat a year; a pair has consumedfive tons before the first chick is out of thenest. Such quantities are only to be had


through the chances of death and the end-less, endless, search of telescopic eyesightand photographic memory for detail overboundless landscapes.

The Andean people were primarilyagricultural, with no large livestockother than llama. Condors enteredinto their folklore and folkart as a bringerof good fortune, For centuries after theSpaniards brought their livestock, the con-dors probably had more to eat because mostof their animals were semi-wild and free-ranging. Fewer now graze over the highparamos as husbandry has become morecareful and confined.

The same trend has caused ranchers tokill condors in the mistaken belief that theyare birds of prey. They are not birds of prey;they are strictly scavengers. Nevertheless,condors are trapped, poisoned, shot andsnared, hazards against which they have nodefence. In 1989 an Ecuadorian rancherlaid out bait and shot seven in one day!

Ecuador has responded admirably. Acountry only slightly larger than New York,now has nearly two million acres in fiveareas reserved for condors and whateverother wildlife chooses to share the protec-tion and solitude ofthose vast, volcanic up-lands. Ecuador, with many demands uponits resources, is not a wealthy country.

A unit of the Ecuadorian forest agencylooks after the reserves and thus activelytakes part in the campaign to save the con-dor. Other participants are the country's or-nithological society and several interna-tional programs. We Americans are contrib-uting through our Fish and Wildlife Ser-

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

vice, Peace Corps and the Agency for In-ternational Development. The most urgentneeds are for more knowledge of thecondor's habits and life history, and a de-crease in hostility among the rural peoplecapable of harming the condor.

Some observers may judge harshly ofsuch expenditures and attention to this rem-nant of the Pleistocene, so ungainly at ease,so magnificent when airborne. Condorswere never abundant and certainly neverwill be. They are now symbols we areloathe to lose, symbols of vast, empty up-lands, of the power and freedom of flight,and of the endless, solitary search for live-lihood. .6.Henry Kernan is a consulting forester inWorld Forestry, a Master Forest Owner anda regular contributor to the NY FORESTOWNERS.

Joel FiskeProfessional Consultant Forester

Woodlana;:Jttvefit~IT & Appraisal"M:~i1agem~ri!J~lans

lWoodland TaxationRcreation Developrd:~nt

'" ' 1'imber Sales"

32Hl\Qpu'qty RouteWatkins';61~;~.~4

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Professional Member SAFNY Cooperating Consultant ForesterMember NY Forest Owners Assoc.

JULY/AUG 1997

JUST WHAT IS IT THAT FOREST OWNERS CARE ABOUT?By Alan Knight

Are New York's forest owners moreconcerned about marketing oppor-tunities or trespass problems?Government regulation or lack of availabletime? Pest management or property taxes?

Those forest owners who are involvedin the" care and feeding" of strong localchapters of the New York Forest OwnersAssociation may be particularly interestedin the answers to these questions.

A small planning committee of the TiogaChapter pursued answers to these and otherrelated questions in the fall of 1996 in or-der to plan a Forest Owners Expo and Con-ference in conjunction with forest ownerassociations in nearby Pennsylvania. Thesurvey-mailed to 323 NYFOA members inthe Tioga, Southern Tier, and Cayuga Chap-ters-may have been as remarkable for theextraordinarily high rate of response as forthe insight gained into the collective mindof forest owners. One hundred nine forestowners responded, a response rate of 34%!Most mailed- out surveys of a commercialand industrial nature are considered greatsuccesses if they achieve a response rate ofeight percent. What does this amazinglyhigh response rate mean? It's hard to say,precisely. But it sure does not mean a lackof interest in the idea of a two-state ForestOwners Expo and Conference!

The survey was concise and conve-niently designed on a fold-over card thatcould be completed easily by means ofmultiple choice questions, then droppedpostage-paid-into the nearest mailbox.

In addition to commercially-orientedquestions pertaining to conference fees,banquet options, and purchasing history atsuch shows-not of much interest here-weasked two questions that really get at thevery purpose of the New York Forest Own-ers Association: education and informationneeded to solve problems and enjoy theforest more. Here's what we asked and whatwe learned. Ten surveys came in after dead-line so these responses were tallied from99 responses.

Question 1: In which of the followingwoodland activities do you or your fam-ily engage on your land?( )Christmas trees; ( )Maple syrup; ( )Tim-ber; ( )Firewood; ( )Hunting;( )Family out-ings; ( )Hiking; ( )Skiing, Snowmobiling,Snowshoeing; ( )Other, please specify_.

Respondents were free to select as many


activities as they wished.

Results, in descending order, were:Firewood-72; Hunting-61; Hiking-53;

Timber-52; Family outings-40; Christmastrees-32; Skiing, Snowmobiling,Snowshoeing-32; Other-nature study.

Question 2: What are your two mostpressing woodland related problems?( )Marketing; ( )Pest management; ( )Prop-erty taxes; ()Cost of inputs; ()Governmentregulations; ( )Trespassers; ( )Too manydeer; ( )Too few deer; ( )Lack of time to dowhat needs to be done; ( )Hired help; ( )Other, please specify_

In this case, respondents were asked tochoose only two items. Their collectiveopiruonwas:

Property taxes-56; Lack of time-49;Too many deer-15; Trespassers-I5; Mar-keting-12; Government regulations-8; Pestmanagement-7; Cost of inputs-4; Hiredhelp-5; Too few deer-2

These figures are essentially percent-ages, since they are based on 99 total re-sponses.

CritiqueThis little survey was far from perfect.

It was intended to guide the decision to holdor not to hold a conference and to guidethe content of the conference should onebe held. The content and high response rateof the survey will serve that planning pur-pose very well.

If we were to do it again, we might add"nature study" or "nature photography" tothe activities list or perhaps add somethingto measure the interest in farm pond useand management, but we can't see muchwe would add to the problem list. All sug-gestions are welcome!

Any surprises? There were for us. Wewere surprised to see hunting rank almostat the top of activities, especially in lightof fewer and fewer hunters in our woods inrecent years. Not surprising was the lowranking of "management intensive" activi-ties like Christmas trees and maple syrup.Fun clearly outranks money as the themethat binds forest owners together.

It was almost a "no brainer" that prop-erty taxes would rank as the thing that for-est owners most love to hate. The surprise

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

was the huge gap that "property taxes" (at56 percent) and "lack of time" (at 49 per-cent) enjoyed above the next highest prob-lem: "trespassers" or "too many deer," eachat only 15 percent. That's a major differ-ence in ranking. Low ranking topics arealmost inconsequentially by comparison.

"Lack of time" may pose the greatestpotential for forest owner associations' ser-vice and problem-solving. Whether it ishelping forest owners hiring consultantsand loggers, informing forest owners aboutqualifying for government subsidies to payfor hired work, or organizing for coopera-tive work-along the lines of the CatskillForest Association 's thinning and firewoodoperations-forest owner organizationswould be filling a very strong expressedneed if they addressed the "lack of time"problem.

If you have any thoughts or commentson this surveyor this article, please feel freeto e-mail them to me at:FarmForest@aoLcom ..Alan Knight, a former editor of the NYFOREST OWNER, is a member of the TiogaChapter

Bruce E.Robinson,

Inc.FORESTRY

CONSULTANTS

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(716) 665-54771894 CAMP ST. EXT.

JAMESTOWN, NY 14701

JULY/AUG 1997 15

By Robert Sand, Chairperson of the Awards Committee; as remarks delivered to the assembly not necessarily in the following order

T

he presentation of the HEIBERG . (~rees do grow-and mu.ch better when TOday, it is my pleasure to present aMEMORIAL A WARD is one thmnmg has been accomplished.) NYFOA SPECIAL RECOGNI-highlight of today's luncheon pro- Now let me enumerate the Hudson's nON A WARD to our dedicated

gram. This is our 31st. time. Our first award involvement with forestry, forest ownership desk-top computer publishing EDITOR ofrecognized Dean Hardy L. Shirley at and management as related to a lifetime- the NEW YORK FOREST OWNER:NYFOA's 4th. Annual Meeting held April partnership involving Vern and Marjorie30, 1966 in this very room. It is recogni- Hudson and their stewardship of their land:tion for outstanding contributions in thefields of forestry and conservation in NewYork State.

A renowned Professor of Silviculture,Svend O.Heiberg devoted much of his ca-reer here at the College of Forestry. It wasDr. Heiberg who first proposed the estab-lishment of an association of Forest Land-owners in New York. He sought the effortsof Dean Hardy L. Shirley and together theyinitiated the meetings that eventually or-ganized this successful Forest Owners As-sociation. This award is presented in Pro-fessor Heiberg's memory.

I greatly appreciate this opportunity topresent, on behalf ofNYFOA, this Memo-rial Award today. We again honor an ex-ceptional recipient, a forest owner who haspracticed good forestry and championedthe wise use and stewardship of his hold-ings. A man who has always felt close tothe soil and nature and found both plea-sure and beauty in the out-of-doors. He hascontributed energetic leadership, thatserved a host of organizations for over 50years. Today we honor a man of great char-acter, who has demonstrated outstandingcitizenship locally and across our State, bythe presentation of this 1997 award to:

V E RN E RC. H U D SON

Vem was born in Fulton, NY, gradu-ated from Fulton High School and attendedCornell University. In 1941, he andMarjorie Cady were married. The Hudsonshave two daughters and four grandchildren.They have been farmers for most of theirlives. For many years they ran a retail milkdairy and operated two large dairy farms.Early in the 60' s, after a visit by EdKarsch, a DEC Forester, the Hudsons be-came Forest Practice Act (FPA) coopera-tors. Thereafter, Vem gave high priority toforest management and for the next ISyears Timber Stand Improvement on 10-IS acres took place. To date, Vem has made25 timber harvests for a total of over 800MBF of logs.


AWARDS

- 45 year member of the OnondagaCounty Cooperative Extension;

- NYFOA member since 1965 Servedas a Director and on Board Committees;

- Since 1971 has served on Region 7Forest Practice Board;

- The State FPA Board since 1982 andfor 10 years was Treasurer. Serving on theStewardship and Forest Practice StandardsCommittees. (Projects: 60,000 woodennickels, 30,000 place-mats and sign boardsfor 9 Regions.) State FPA representativeto NYS Fish & Wildlife Management Act(FWMA) Board;

- 1979-1990, operated a cross countryski business on their farm & forestland;

- 1984-Charter member and served as aDirector of the Empire Forest System;

- 1988 were the NEW YORK STATEOUTSTANDING TREE FARMER OFTHE YEAR;

- "Gurnee Woods" hosted the CentralNew York Chapter's FOREST FAMILYFAIR in 1994, 1995 & 1996;

- In 1996 was host to 400 members ofthe Hiawatha BSA Council;

- Vern is also a Master Forest Owner(1992);

- A Mason for 54 yeas, member of theELBRIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH,Charter member since 1966 of the Jordan-Elbridge Lions Club, and Lifetime mem-ber of the Elbridge Rod & Gun Club.

This review of a long and exemplifyingcommitment to the fields of Forestrv andConservation here in New York State istruly distinguished. It has been my personalpleasure to know and call this gentlemanmy friend. 0

The presentation was made and acceptedby Bill Minerd and his Wife, Clara who isthe daughter ofVem and Marjorie Hudson.The remarks and presentation were re-peated at Auburn Memorial Hospital thatevening where Marjorie was a patient.

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

RICHARD J. FOX

Dick Fox is a native of Binghamton, NYand a veteran of the Korean Conflict. Hereceived a BA (Chemisty/Sciences) fromHarpurColiege in 1954, followed by gradu-ate work at Columbia Univ., and additionalgraduate study, teaching & research atSyracuse Univ. followed by two years ofreseach at SUNYIESF Forestry College.

He has made his home near Moraviasince 1963 where he has been active inCounty Government, Rotary and the Cham-ber of Commerce.

Joining NYFOA in January 1984, DickFox has contributed generously both histime and talents to serve NYFOA in a num-ber of important ways:

-as an elected member of the Board ofDirectors, serving as the Advertising Man-ager of the Forest Owner in 1988, the Edi-torial and Advertising Manager responsi-bility for the 1990 Directory issue, as Chair-man of the Program Committee for theOctober 1987 Fall Meeting held atCasowasco, and as a member of the Edu-cation and Awards committee.

Dick is an active forest owner. In 1991he became a Master Forest Owner (MFO).And presently represents Cayuga Countyon the Region 7 FPA Board and is AreaChair for five Counties on the NYS TreeFarm Committee. In January 1992 he wasappointed Editor of the New York FOR-EST OWNER. Last year, he published THENETHER WORLD OF FORESTRY, acollection of31 FOREST OWNER articles(29 were authored by SUNY IESF Profes-sor Douglas C. Allen)

Dick Fox is an inquisitive, tenacious, ex-tremely talented, exuberant and energeticmember ofNYFOA. He is not timid. Youknow he has done his homework, for hehas contributed much to advance this or-ganization. In 1992 he was presented theNew York Forest Owners AssociationOUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD.His commitment to NYFOA has beenMORE than a full measure. 0

JULY/AUG 1997

Today we honor our 1997 recipientofthis award. It is the twentieth timethat it has been presented as tangiblerecognition of outstanding service to theNew York Forest Owners Associationmembership. And for me, at long last, theopportunity I've anticipated for a very longtime, for it is recognition of faithful, de-pendable and willing support givengra-ciously, year after year, to NYFOA. It ismy pleasure to make this presentation to:

NORMAN A. RICHARDS

This is NYFOA's 35th.year of forestowner service. Our membership has ben-efited by the allegiance and time of manyvolunteer energies-a "labor of love" thatbrings pleasure and satisfaction to each one.Our members are served by many dedicatedpeople who willingly share enthusiasm,management skills and their individual ex-pertise gleaned by experience with others.And we are deeply grateful for their dedi-cation. Thanks to one and all.

Norm grew up on a farm near New Paltzand at age 13 decided he wanted to go intoforestry. While a student at the College ofForestry in Syracuse and with the help ofhis father, he bought an old hill farm inDelaware County, and started PineholmTree Farm that he has often written aboutin the FOREST OWNER. At Syracuse heearned his B.S. degree in forestry, gradu-ating in 1957. This was followed by MS-studies at Cornell University where he fo-cused on soils, social sciences, and Redpine plantations; this was followed by a fewyears' rural community work in SouthCarolina. He returned to Syracuse to workat the College of Forestry in 1963, teach-ing and doing research in silviculture withemphasis on tree planting. He completed aPhD. in silviculture in 1968. Since the1970's his silviculture activity has ex-panded to disturbed land revegetation, ur-ban forestry and international forestry.

Norm, since 1957 has been a memberof the Society of American Foresters andwho, with his wife Karin, became NYFOAmembers in 1965. He developed a Catskillforest tour for the 1966 fall meeting, andhas served several terms as a member ofthe Board of Directors. For many yearsNorm has graciously made arrangementsfor both our NYFOA Board meetings andthe Annual Meetings held on the Forestrycampus. This included facility reservations(made many months in advance) and theluncheon arrangements. Norm anticipated


and personally over-saw or provided thenecessary program needs, ie: projectors ofall types, microphones, lecterns, and light-ing etc. And at many Award Luncheonsoften provided from his gardens beautifulSpring bouquets here in the Marshall HallStudent Lounge. In addition we all havebenefited by his program participation, asa meeting speaker or leading a well plannedforestry field-trip. Both professional enthu-siasm and learned advice is a hallmark ofProfessor Richards. This is also true for hisFOREST OWNER articles. Norman andhis wife Karin Heiberg Richards havefour childen and two grandchildren. Allare often invited to share-the-work as wellas the pleasure enjoyed by the family atPINEHOLM. 0

Today, I have a double pleasure. Theopportunity to present another NYFOA SPECIAL RECOGNITIONAWARD, this one to:

W ILL I AM M. M I N E R D

Bill was born in Spring Valley, NY andattended Syracuse University. In 1975 hebecame associated with the SUNY HealthScience Center at the Upstate MedicalCampus and began a career involved withprogramming the medical staff at Syracuseand throughout the world. In 1991, Billwas awarded the Governors ProductivityAward, one that had effected considerablefinancial savings to New York State.

Bill has been an energetic and tirelesssupporter of NYFOA. Serving as the co-chair in the planning and execution of the1993 Fall Meeting sponsored by CNY atthe Heiberg Forest. As the CNY Repre-sentative to the NYFOA Board of Direc-tors, he chaired the 1993-1994 BudgetCommittee and served on the Fxecutive,Editorial and Legislative Committees.

In 1992 Bill became a Master ForestOwner (MFO); was instrumental andhelped to organize the very ambitiousproject instituted by the CNY Chapterknown as the FAMILY FOREST FAIRat Gurnee Woods (A forest property ownedby Clara's parents, Vern and MarjorieHudson at Elbridge.) This innovative andvery successful educational forestry activ-ity attracted immediate public support andproduced record attendance for three years.Both he and Clara have devoted a great dealof time and energy in their dedicated ser-vice to NYFOA. Clara as our Treasurer;Bill as Vice Pres. and President.

NYFOA 18008363566 INFO

It is my great pleasure to present thisSPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD toour enthusiastic, innovative and very ac-complished NYFOA member. 0

NYFOA's OutstandingService Award

1978 Emiel Palmer1979 Ken Eberly1980 Helen Varian1981 J. Lewis Dumond1982 Lloyd Strombeck1983 Evelyn Stock1984 Dorothy Wertheimer1985 David H. Hanaburgh1986 A. W. Roberts, Jr.1987 Howard O. Ward1988 Mary & Stuart McCarty1989 Alan R. Knight1990 Earl Pfarner1991 Helen & John Marchant1992 Richard J. Fox1993 Wesley E. Suhr1994 Alfred B. Signor1995 Betty & Don Wagner1996 Betty Densmore

THE HEIBERG AWARD1967 David B. Cook1968 Floyd Carlson1969 Mike Demeree1970 No Award1971 Fred Winch, Jr.1972 John Stock1973 Robert M. Ford1974 C. Eugene Farnsworth1975 Alex Dickson1976 Edward W. Littlefield1977 Maurine Postley1978 Ralph Nyland1979 Fred C. Simmons1980 Dr. William Harlow1981 Curtis H. Bauer1982 Neil B. Gutchess1983 David W. Taber1984 John W. Kelley1985 Robert G. Potter1986 Karen B. Richards1987 Henry G. Williams1988 Robert M. Sand1989 Willard G. Ives1990 Ross S. Whaley1991 Robert S. Stegemann1992 Bonnie & Don Colton1993 Michael C. Greason1994 Douglas C. Allen1995 John C. Marchant1996 Harriet & John Hamilton

JULY/AUG 1997 17

THE 1997 NYFOA ANNUAL SPRING MEETINGPhotos by Charlie Mowatt

Mike Greason (I) and Hugh Canham.

Rainer Brocke

The Awards Luncheon (above)

NYFOA President Jill Cornell (below)


(above) Bob Sand (I), Bill Minerd, andClara Minerd.

The Awards Luncheon

James Heffernon, Vice President, SUNY-ESF (above) and the head table (below).

NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

The Chow Line (above).

(above) Norman Richads (I) and KarinHeiberg Richards

The Awards Luncheon (above) andregistration (below).

JULY/AUG 1997

In19970u Farmers

Peter and Levatichof Tompkins County, NY

The Levatich's have owned their 127 acre parcel since 1975. Ninety acres of theproperty has been certified as a Tree Farm since 1989.

There are several objectives which the Levatich's keep in mind when preparing themanagement plan for the property. It is important to note that Peter is qualified to preparehis own management plan. Timber and recreation are paramount on the Levatich TreeFarm. Abundant and diverse wildlife are the much enjoyed byproduct of the Tree Farm'ssuccessful management plan. The Tree Farm provides both physical and mental relieffrom the pace of the hectic world for its owners. The Levatich's also open their propertyup to cross country skiing, hunting, hiking and other recreational activities.

In addition to preparing his own management plan, Peter has the knowledge andequipment to do all of the work on the land himself. He has thinned some of the maturetrees, and using his portable bandsaw has made boards which are used to make furniture.

The Levatich Tree Farm aggressively regenerates the forest, by planting acorns forRed Oak trees, treating surrounding areas as well as putting seedlings in TubeX for pro-tection.

When not tending to his property, you can find Peter working with the TompkinsCounty CornelI Cooperative Extension, the NYS Forest Practice Board, as a board mem-ber of the NY Forest Owners Association, as a Master Forest Owner, arid often hosts tourson the 'Tree Far'm for the public and for Cornell University. Peter also attends lectures atSUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry and Northeastern Loggers' Associa-tion workshops on logging.

It is with great pride that we present Peter and Barbara Levatich as the OutstandingTree Farmers of 1997.

This announcement is reprinted with permission from the Empire State Forest ProductsAssociation's Legislative Reception Program of May 6, 1997.

Kevin S. King (I), ESFPA Executive Vice President; Jack Hamilton NYS Tree Farm Com-mittee Chair; Barbara & Peter Levatich; and NYS Senator John "Randy" Kuhl Jr. (Bath)This photo will appear in ESFPA's July Issue of their newsletter, The Empire Envov.

NY FOREST OWNER Vol. 35 No.4 NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO

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

IfWe would like to support good forestryand stewardship of New York's forestlands.

( ) IfWe own acres of wood-land.

( ) IfWe do not own woodland but sup-port the Association's objectives.

NAME _

ADDRESS _

City Zip

Telephone _

County of Residence _

County of Woodlot. _

Referred by _

Annual Dues(Please Check One)

INDIVIDUAL $20

FAMILY (or co-owners) $25

CONTRIBUTING $30-$100

SPONSORING $lOland up

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:

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

PLEASE make check payable to NY-FOA and SEND TO:

NYFOA, Inc; FOP.O. Box 180.

Fairport, New York 14450

JULY/AUG 1997 19

PHEROMONES-EXPLOITING AN INSECT'S SENSE OF "SMELL"

By Douglas C. Allen

Por the past twenty-five years or so,entomologists and organic chemistshave combined talents in an effort tounderstand better the manner in which in-sect behavior is influenced by chemicalodors. This work evolved into the scienceof chemical ecology, which has providedmuch insight about the behavior of insectsand other animals.

Once the chemical ecology of a pest isunderstood, we may be able to take advan-tage of this knowledge and devise controltactics that are environmentally friendly,develop species specific survey methodsand enhance the effectiveness of naturalenemies. This is an exciting aspect of mod-ern day pest management that will playasignificant role in our quest for sustainableforestry practices.

The ToolDiverse odors permeate an insect's

world; some of the more important chemi-cal signals are produced by one or bothsexes of a species, others emanate from thehost plant. This complex of volatile (chemi-cals that change readily to a vapor) andnonvolatile (chemicals that do not vapor-ize easily and must be touched to illicit a

Fig. J. Diagrammatic representation of amale moth (A) responding to a female's(B) odor plume.20 NY FOREST OWNER; Vol. 35 No.4

Fig. 2. This cylindrical plastic lure (318"long) is pinned inside a bucket or stickytrap.

response) compounds are used for severalpurposes by plant feeding insects and theirassociated parasites and predators. For ex-ample, they aid in locating food plants,natural enemies use them to find an appro-priate insect host (host finding), certainforest pests employ chemical messages toattract relatives to a specific location (ag-gregating compounds), to ward off naturalenemies (defensive compounds), or to en-hance the mating process (sex attractants).

Materials that comprise the latter belongto a class of behavior modifying chemicalscalled pheromones (ferro-moans). Thesesubstances have been exploited extensivelyin an attempt to manage forest pests moreeffectively. By definition, a pheromone is"a chemical secreted by an animal that in-fluences the behavior of other animals ofthe same species". It is because of thisspecificity, combined with the insect's in-credible ability to detect minute quantitiesof the pheromone, that these substancesoffer so much potential as a managementtool. Once the structure of the behavioralchemical is determined it can be producedsynthetically. After this is accomplishedand efficient systems are devised to deploythe sexual attractant, it can be utilized for arange of management purposes.

How It WorksFor the sake of illustration, I will use

the gypsy moth, a forest and urban pest fa-miliar to most forest owners in New York.

NYFOA - 18008363566 INFO

Though winged, female gypsy moths areunable to fly and rely on a pheromone todraw males to them. This material is pro-duced in special glands located in the lastsegment of the abdomen; that is, the poste-rior of the insect. Males, on the other hand,are very strong fliers. When ready to matethey fly more or less randomly through theforest until they get a "whiff' of the attrac-tant. The male moth possesses very sophis-ticated olfactory organs embedded withinits' antennae. The antennae and their asso-ciated sensory structures can detect verylow concentrations of the pheromone. Thepheromone level is high in the immediatevicinity of the source (i.e., the female) anddissipate

Documents

The New York Forest Owner - Volume 35 Number 4