the voice of 255,000 forest owners in New York- representing an ownership of 11 million acres

INDEX

estry Progress ThroughApplied Research. . . . 2,3,4

Message from Luella B.Palmer. . . . . . 5

Message from YourEditor-Publisher. 5

istmas Gift Suggestion 5

oodsWalk at DoverFurnace . . . . . . . 6

juvenation of a Forest. . 7

-) c: ~,="::..; ..•.J I> ~

FORESTRY PROGRESS THROUGH APPLIED RESEARCH -A NBW PROGRM1 AT THE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY

bySharon R. liiller, Director

Applied Forestry Research InstituteState University College of Forestry

at Syracuse University

During 1967, the College of Forestry at Syracuse University tookanother significant step to help serve the needs of New York throughr-esear-ch, Hith the assistance and support of the New York State Con....•servation Department, the Applied Forestry Research Institute (AFRI)was established at the College in response to an indicated need forpractical and tim.ely information to help solve pro bl.ens being encount-ered in forestry activities. The basic intent was to provide a meansof conducting organized and funded research on forestry problems of a~ractical nature needin~ ~mediate attention and havin£ relativelybroad a221ication within the State.

The first question that mi.ght, logically be asked at this point iswhat; is the basis for an applied research program such as this forforestry in New York State? The significance of forests and relatedresources to the econo~y and well-being of the people of the State isoften not wel.L understood. Follovr.ingare some statistics about NewYork State that should be kept in mind:

1. There are over 12 million acres of "commercial" forest land(does not include the Forest Preserve) with an estimatedpresent land market value of nearly ~500 million.

2. Current market values applied to tdrnber voLume estimatesprovided by the latest-Forest Survey of New York State(conducted during 1967, 68, and 69) indicate that the presenttLlber resource is wor-th more than .~lbillion.

3. It is estimated that "tourism" is now worth $3.4 billion peryear; a significant portion, but not all of this can becredited to the forest environment.

4. Value added by timber-based economic activities in New YorkState Ls 'eatimat.ed to be in the neighborhood of ~:~3billionper year.

From this, I think that it should be easy to see that Ne1'iYorkforests and forest lands are very important and that Lnvestraent.s in re-search to provide information on new and better ways to manage and util-ize this resource are justifiable. Furthermore, the combined effectsof an increasing population, an increasing demand for· suitable out-door facilities and space for recreational activities, an increasingper capita consumption of paper and other wood products, and a growingneed for clean water supplies are all placing a growing demand on our

2.

n abLonts forests and forest lands. For years, vte have felt thatSouthern and 1Jestern forests could and should provide the nation withmost of its timber needs because' of the excellent forest growing condi-tions that exist there. However, as needs increase, other par t s ofthe country must begin to assume a greater role in satisfying all typesof demands upon the forests. Economically speaking, this could be afavorable trend for NewYork.

Nowback to particulars concerning the Applied Forestry ResearchInstitute. The Irist.Lt.ut e ' s primary objective is to perform, as needsindicate, applied research in the management.and use of forests andrelated resources in NewYork State and to make operational reCOIIl..men+dations t.her ef'r-om , It is independently constituted, 'staffed, andfunded. Administratively, it operates under the supervision of aDirector.. it Steering Com:nittee, composed of College and ConservationDepartment administrators, and an Advisory Cormri t.t.ee , composed ofselected individuals having concern for wise and reasonable use offorests and related resources in NewYork State, provide guidance tothe Institute ••

Research by AFRI is concentrated on problems currently inhibitingthe progress of forestry in NewYork State, solutions to which gener-ally lie outside the t.irne andz'or-knowledge of operating personnel.Special attention is given to assisting the NewYork State ConservationDepartment, but wi.t.h due regard for the needs of forest industries andother landowners. Examples of research project areas falling withinthe total scope of the Institute are: (1) forest and rela.ted resourcemanagement; (2) multiple-use applications to forest properties; (3)silviculture and soils; (4) forest protection and damage; (5) productdevelopment and technology.; (6) wood harvesting, forest engineering,and nar-ket ing ; (7) woods and tri.Ll. safety; (:3) forest recreation andaesthetic enhancenent ; and, (9) forest influences. The Institutedisseminates results of its in.vestigations through various publ.Icatd.onsand through direct or indirect contact with forest owner-s and managerswithin the State.

A brief summaryof specific studies that have been undertaken byAFRI in its short history wi.Ll. help define the type of program that isbeing developed. First of all, at the request of the State ConservationDepartment., a study was organized to determine if and hew coniferousnursery stock could be successfully and practically stored over winterin refrigerated rooms at the Departnent 1 s two nurseries. Such storageis desireable for the purpose of providing llshipablell seedlings earlierin the spring and to even out labor requirements for lifting seedlingsa t the nurseries. This study is still in progress, but helpful infor-mation has already been developed~

Also for the Conservation Department, a system for computerizinginventory records "VITaSdeveloped for the 700,000 acres of managableState forest land. This system is now being dmpl.eraented by personnelin the Conservation Depar-tment ,

A third study that has been completed and published concernsdevel-opnerrt of volume tables for determining the board-foot volurne of tree-length hardwood logs in Nell York St.at.e, These tables will be usefulto buyers and sellers of tree-length inat.erLal.,

New studies that are being initiated and installed during thespring and sumner of 1969 are:

(1) Development of population sampl.Ing techniques and estimationof amount of dw~age caused by the saddled pro~Jnent caterpiller, whichhas defoliated many thousands of acres of maple and beech stands inNewYork 8J1<1 surrounding states in the last several years.

(2) Evaluation of various herbicides for controlling unwantedst ens in hardwood arid conifer stands, wi.th emphasis on effectivenessand safety.

(3) Deterrnirlation of wood characteristics and properties ofconifers growing in p.Lant.at.Lons in NewYork State, for the purposeof promoting narket.s for this material.

(4) Various studies concerning management and regeneration ofhardwoods in NewYork State.

(5) Two studies regarding timber harvesting techniques andequipment.

In conclusion, indications are very encouraging that the programbeing undertaken ~y the Applied Forestry Research Institute at theCollege of Forestry has a bright future in helping to serve the peopleof NewYork State. It has the unique opportunity to link highereducation-basic research \'lith operational application. The need isreal, possibilities are unliBited, the goal is clear, and some resultshave already been put into operation.

1Message from Luella Bj Pah1er

October 2, 1969

Dear he.i"11bersof the NYFOA:

I have enjoyed working with and for all of you for the past 5~ years,The first entry in my account book is dated Nay 1, 19641 I have cometo know nany of you personally and others by correspondence onl.y,

It is with deep regret that I find it advisable to resign as Mernber-sh.LpSecretary-Treasurer. For reasons of health I am no longer able to de-vote the time and energy required to accomplish the results needed inthis important job~

I leave you with my very best wishes for good health and happiness andthe continued growth of the NYFOA~

Sincerely,

Luella B~ Palmer

A Message from your Editor-Publisher

vIe are always pleased to be able to draw on a large selection of materialsuitable for publication in the Forest Owner. Our stock on such materialis low and we invite your contributionso

If you have pictures available, please supply then as glossy prints,411 x 511•

Nail all nat er ial to:

Henry HaagP. O. Box 185Castleton on Hudson, N. Y. 12033

Christmas Gift Suggestion

Just recently, one' of our NYFOAmembers has published. a book about "PLarrtedLarch in NewYorkII, based on his long experience and deep interest in thisinteresting and unusual tree. Besides, it contains a lot of the author1sphilosophy about private forest land ovmership and manag~,ent, as viewed byone who has been at it for mor-e than forty years. Even if you do not havea burning inter est in Larch, the book is easy and int er esting reading.

Here is an unusual Christmas present for someone who is already or who mightbe interested in forest ownership. Copies may be had from the author, DaveCook, 12 licf'her son Terrace, Albany, N. Y. 12206, ~ 2.00 postpaid.

5.

l!OOOS WALK AT DOVER FURNACE

'!he October 25th WoodsWalk at CampSharparoon, Dover Furnace, wasattended by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Steinfeld, son Joseph and dog, Mr. and Mrs.Victor Mincieli and dog, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles '!hornton.

It was unfortunate that more of our memberswere not able to enjoyDave Hanaburgh's guidance, insights, and hospitality that day. His lmo1d-edge of the 1700 acre site is impressive. This knowledge covers the site1snatural history, humanhistory, and their relationship to one another. Forexample, the mining operations, which continued untU the end of the 19thcentury, produced manychanges including sane deep pits and manyacres otslag heaps. This resulted in ponds, changes iri slope and vegetation.

Each of us received a topographic map of this varied area. There aremeadows,ravines, cliffs of garnet schist, native hardwoodfarests, oldand new softwood plantations (including mature larch), streams, marshesand ponds.

At one time, Dave's professional forestry skills were used by the NewYork Mission Society, owners of the tract, for a -selective timber harvest.NowDave is employedin maintaining and improving the site for its bestuse as a campsite and humandevelopment resource. .tis requires an ap-proach to farestry which emphasizes educational and esthetic values ratherthan maximum.production of quality trees.

People from NewYork's inner City, with little oppcrtunity for anycontact with forest and little incentive to teel that land, water and wild-life could becomeimportant to them, use this forest. '!here are campsitesfor families and for different ages of children. Someof the youth developan attachment for this forest over a period of years, and visit during allseasons. Many,who started as young campers, becomecounselors.

Paul Steinfeld

Dover Furnace Cadet Camp

6.

THEREJUVENA nON OFA FORESTPart III

byEhiel D. Palmer

While Lnspectdng the aesthetic timber harvesting in the Girl Scout forestat Cal:J.PHoover, I discovered that the forester had stopped marking trees at af'orner property line and that he had overlooked about 12 acres of forest thathad been purchased separately. This area was heavily wooded JX1ddark. Also,it Has quite swampyin some places near Tully Lake. There were a higher per-centage of dead and dying trees -here, and the nerchantable tiuber was ena.Ll.erand generally of a poorer grade. It would be difficult to find a logger thatwould bid on this snal.L amount of good tilnber. The cost of felling all thedead and dying trees would be prohibitive.

However, I had a bu:i::lt-dn solution. An efficient logging cr-ewwas opera-ting on the adjacent property. Perhaps they could be persuaded to "pul.L o~chestnuts out of the fire" if ,fe offered them a reasonable number of trees -~that they could consider ner-chant.abl,e, Assuning tllat as tdmber agent I hadthe authority to make an additional cutting, I asked forester Richard Garrettto cone to our assistance. He responded by marking 300 additional trees, alarge proportion of which wer-e in the swampyarea. This was accomplished on snowshoes ",Ii th an occasional break through the thin JViarchice. Below is the state-ment of the second t Inber sale at CampHoover.

Less than 10%of these trees were the very valuable nature trees that vallimprove in the futUre only at the expense of sunlight, grass, yo~!g tree repro-duction and growth, and greater future use of this area. These are the treesthat vie might His s for a-while, but the entire forest 1.;ill now begin to grow andthe improvement should be remarkable by the end of the third sumner.

About one eighth of the trees marked were not mature but shOUld be reoovedto allow better trees nearby to grow at a faster rate. Over one fourth of thetrees were defective and vfere considered as possibly becoming hazardous beforethe next cutting but should be merchantable at this tirrLe. Slightly uore thanone half of these l~arked trees were dead or were considered hazardous. TI1ese-cull trees had no tinber value and we paid to have theI:J.felled and left as is.

The forester esti.mated 29,000 board feet. Tne Girl Scout COill1cil was paid~i2056.18 for 3405 thousand board feet delivered to the roadside. But the netprice was only ~;;856.18 since the logging cr-ews were paid to r-emove the culltrees and cut and tr8nsport logs to the loading area. TI1is cost was agreed uponas 24 man (and machine) days @ ;~50.C0/day.

Perhaps, in the future, aesthetic timber harvesting nay be done at a lessercoste HO\-18ver,this operation was successful and we expect; that this type offorest management,wi.Ll, become increasingly popular. Here is an unusual oppor-tunity to eat your cake and to keep an increasing supply of better cake comingalong for future consw:J.ption.

SOlle tales end with a'1i10ral. Try this. A tinber agent vTill secure a topprice for your timber. Or, if you prefer, he can see to it that the harvestingis done to your satisfaction. The .impor-t arrt part to remember is that the costof the- extra care and extra wor-kmust come from the gross price paid for thetimber.