The New York

I FOREST OWNERA publication of the New York Forest Owners Association

January/February 1997

III

TreesAs though vessels of silent communionLimbs splay out their countless twigsThat seem to intertwine, and now adornedwith mystic mounds of feathe~ white,They lean mild and tenuous in the gray light

By

Dorothy Darling

TreesSoft snowflakes descended the chill airTo gently cloak this gathering of treesAnd lay a carpet of white at their feet;A whisper of wind envisioned elfin loreBut t'was nature's creation and nothing more.

THE NEW YORK

FOREST OWNERSASSOCIATION

VOL. 35, NO.1OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Bill Minerd, President

1123 Cold Springs Road

Liverpool, NY 13088; 315/451-3712

Jill Cornell, Vice President

703 Johnsonville Rd.

Johnsonville, NY 12094; 5181753-4336

Robert M. Sand, Recording Secretary

300 Church StreetOdessa, NY 14869-9703; 607/594-2130

Mary Richardson, 'Ireasurer

150 Chatfield Road

Elbridge, NY 13060; 3151689-6890

Deborah Gill, Administrative Secretary

P.O. Box 180

Fairport, NY 14450; 716/377-6060

1997John T. Hastings, Queensbury; 518/798-0248Charles Mowatt, Savona; 607/583-7006Norman Richards, Syracuse; 315/472-3696Elizabeth Wagner, Utica; 3151733-7391

1998Jill Cornell,Johnsonville; 5181753-4336Elizabeth Densmore, Machias; 7161 942-6600Robert Sand, Odessa; 607/594-2130Bob Sykes, Elbridge; 3151673-3691

1999Harry Dieter, Honeoye Falls, 7161533-2085Thomas Ellison, Manlius, 3151682-9376Richard Fox, Moravia; 315/497-1078David Swanson, Mount Morris, 7161658-4601

AFF1LIATE REPRESENTATIVES

Dick Mark, THRIFT; 3151623-9476Donna Rogier, Catskill Forest Assoc.; 914/586-3054

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES

Don Huber, Allegheny Foothills; 7161549-5025Tom Hewitt, Cayuga; 315/497-1266Barry Cornell, Capital District; 5181753-4336Tom Graber, Central New York; 315/255-3662Jeff Wiegert, Lower Hudson; 9141831-3109Don O'Shea, Northern Adirondack, 315/393-5137Rita Hammond, Niagara Frontier; 716/652-2857Ernst Spencer, SEAdirondack; 5181792-1726Larry Lepak, Southern Tier; 6071656-8504Don 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. NYFOA

does not necessarily support or approve procedures, prod-

ucts, or opinions presented by authors or advertisers.

COVER:

"Trees" from Winters capes ©1986 Patricia Kay Photography.

2 • NY FOREST OWNER

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 tor MarlApr is Feb 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.

NIAGARA FRONTIER CHAPTER WOODSWALK

Some a/the NFC members gathered/or a picture prior to beginning the woodswalk withRita Hammond, left, who is also the new chairperson.

Table of Contents

Guest Editorial, Dick West 3All About Chestnuts, Audrey, Bob and Peter Childs 4Can You Eat Christmas 'frees?, John Braubitz 6NED Workshop, Art Harris 7The Farm Meets the Forest at Cornell, Louise Buck 8WATCH OUT-Don't Be Liable, Dinnie Sloman 11Bat Houses, Paul Curtis 10ASSOCIATION NEWS 12'free Squirrels, Phillip Wellner & Paul Curtis 141996--7th American Forest Congress : 16Governor Kills State Park Logging 17Experimental Silviculture in Southern Brazil, R.B. Marshall 18Image, Mark Keister 19Seed Bugs and Lady Beetles, Douglas Allen 20LETTERS 21A Bath Is More Than Getting Clean, Jane Sorensen Lord 22

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO JANIFEB 1997

GUEST EDITORIAL: By New .Jersey WOODLANDS Editor- DICK WEST

SIERRA CLUB OPPOSES LOGGING ON PUBLIC LANDSOn April 23, 1996 the Sierra Club an-

nounced that based on a membership refer-endum, the official policy would be to op-pose "all commercial logging on the pub-licly owned lands in the United States."This is a radical departure from the very suc-cessful and long established policy of mul-tiple use in the management of our NationalForests. It comes as a shock and disappoint-ment to many in the forest community. Butclose observation of the actions and pro-nouncements of the Sierra Club in the pastyears have foretold their recent position.

They are hard-linepreservationists whowill not compromise.

The Sierra Club has fought the ForestService's timber sale program in the variousNational Forests by all means at their dis-posal including administrative appeals, pro-tracted litigation (which cost the taxpayers),media releases and misleading, incompleteand false information to their members andthe public. This was extended even visuallyas shown in their 1993 fancy pictorial book"CLEARCUT: The tragedy of IndustrialForestry", in which a number of their pho-tographs of so-labelled clearcuts were laterrevealed as entirely false. [See Closer Look:An on-the-ground Investigation of the Si-erraClub's Book, Clearcut. For a copy phone1-800-878-8878.]

In regard to the Sierra Club's role, I won-der how many members actually voted; andfurther, what information were they givenby the Club's publication. Were they toldthat:

1.... the National Forests were establishedin 1897 for the express purpose of the pro-duction of timber and protection of the sup-ply for the people of the United States, andauthorized the sale of timber at its marketvalue?

2 .... 25% of the gross receipts from thesale of timber is returned to the states andcounties for the support of schools androads? Since 1908, this law has resulted inmillions of dollars to the local communitiesin which the National Forests are located. If

NY FOREST OWNER

a ban on commercial logging were imposed,the taxpayers in these mostly rural commu-nities would have to make up the deficit, andthis would be a financial burden.

3.... theMultiple Use Act of 1960 directsthe Forest Service to manage the NationalForests for multiple uses, specifically, tim-ber, outdoor recreation, range, watershed,and wildlife and fish purposes? In responseto the Sierra Club's charge that commerciallogging is the single dominant use, it shouldbe noted that only 26% of the 191 millionacres of National Forest System are com-mercial forest lands suitable and availablefor harvest. Hardly a single dominant use.

4 .... the National Forest ManagementAct of 1976 provided policy direction forforest management? It endorsed the conceptof professional flexibility and judgement inthe choice and application of silviculturaltechniques instead of rigid legislative pre-scriptions. This enlightened legislation hasbeen upheld by the courts in landmark deci-sions. Now the Sierra Club would skirt thelaw by simply banning all commercial log-ging.

Does the Sierra Club recognize the devas-tating effect no timber harvesting wouldhave on the thousands of forest and millworkers in the forest products industry, andon the economy of their towns? Not to men-tion the tremendous loss of revenues to thenational treasury and counties and commu-nities within the National Forests. Do theyrecognize that wood is used by everyoneliving in the United States, and that it is oneof our most useful and versatile raw materi-als, and wood is the product of a renewableresource? In spite of overwhelming evidenceto the contrary, the Sierra Club does not ac-knowledge the benefits of sound forest man-agement to forest health, wildlife habitat,biodiversity and other values taught at 47colleges and universities throughout theUnited States.

It seems obvious that the administrativeand editorial staff of the Sierra Club is ag-gressively anti-forestry. They are hard-linepreservationists who will not compromise.They just don't want any trees cut for anypurpose, not even dead or dying trees which,ifleft untouched [in large numbers], will cre-ate a most dangerous fire hazard.

Mr. William H. Banzhaf, Executive VicePresident of the Society of American For-

NYFOA - 1·8()()·836·3566• INFO

esters, indicated that the recent action of theSierra Club "clearly places them outside themainstream of the environmental move-ment." In fact, at the recent SeventhAmeri-can Forest Congress, 91% of the 1,500 par-ticipants from all segments of the forestryand environmental communities rejected anidentical statement to ban all commerciallogging on the public lands of the UnitedStates. The Sierra Club's policy proposalflies in the face of years of successful forestmanagement on the National Forests andmost certainly of the interests of theAmeri-can people. It should be forcefully rejected .

.&.

Dick West is the Editor of the 12page quar-terly NEW JERSEY WOODLANDS whichis published by the New Jersey Forestry As-sociation. The NJFA was established in1975; current member dues are $20; andmembership totals 925.This editorial was excerpted from the Sum-mer 1996, Number 74 edition o/NEW JER-SEY WOODLANDS.

JANIFEB 1997 • 3

ALL ABOUT CHESTNUTSBy Audrey, Bob, and Peter ChildsFor several years our family has been plant-

ing, harvesting and marketing Asian Chest-nuts from lands we own and lands we lease.

We are still having deer problems in theplanting on our land. They prune the leaderas soon as it appears above the tree shelter.Peter has tried not mowing his 8 acre fieldand that seems to help reduce damage. Treesplanted in a blow down are doing very well.

Next year we are going to try fertilizer (10-10-10) on every other tree to see if it hasany effect. If you intend to harvest your nutsfor profit, do not plant at the edge of woods;you will only get about half the harvest. Ofcourse, the animals will like it. It has beensuggested that larger nuts would be pro-duced, if only larger nuts were planted. Thiswe are doing. The story goes that all thelarger nuts are sold for consumption and the

Adirondack.ForestlY Inc.

IncorPOrafed 1955

SelVices Include:Timber InventoryTimber Appraisal

Management PlansTimber Marking & Sales

Sale SupervisionTrespass Appraisal

S.I.P. PlansPhorJe:

GaITYL. Nelson • (518) 793-9022James A. Farrar • (518) 623-9449Dennis M. FlYnn· (518) 581·1055

MemberofSAF.NYFOA.Tree Farm. NYS COoP.Cons. For.

E-Mail:CDALEBIKE@aol.com

4 • NY FOREST OWNER

smaller ones are sent to the nurseries. We'lllet you know how our experiment turns out.

Marketing the chestnuts does not seem tobe a problem. Many of our customers ofother products at Farmer's Markets are ask-ing in August, "When will the chestnuts beready?" They do make comments on howsmall they are compared to the Europeanchestnuts. Fortunately, the chestnuts wegrow are fresh and very sweet. Quality al-ways wins out in the end. We suggest topeople they try these nuts as a snack. Whereelse can you have something that tastes de-licious and is good for you (1 % fat, 49%carbohydrates and 4% protein!)

So far we have not tried to sell them at su-permarkets. We sell out of them at FarmersMarkets. When we solve the harvestingproblem, we expect to have no problemsmoving these fresh sweet chestnuts. Localproduce is always a favorite at markets.

We have tried U-Pick which would bemuch better if the leased farm was not 70miles away. Also we do not sell our prod-ucts in that area and are not known there.

An ideal situation would be (1) Chestnuttrees located near the home. This wouldeliminate many wildlife problems and localpeople thinking the trees are wild. (2) Spendfour hours a day harvesting. (3) Plant about4 acres. This would be manageable for acottage industry and pays the taxes on theforest land.

The most difficult problem we have is theharvesting. Individual trees drop their nutsover a period of several weeks with a peakperiod when many will fall on one day. Forexample, Tree A will have many nuts on theground on October 7th while Tree B willhave only a few, and Tree C will have none.October 10th Tree A will have a few, Tree Bwill have many and Tree C just a few. Alsosome trees have a propensity to drop theburrs with the nuts enclosed and these haveto be dislodged by hand. Leather gloves andknee pads are a necessity. Audrey and Bobprefer to hand collect on their knees at thispoint. Sometimes the deer approach quiteclose before they realize we are not herbi-vores!

Peter uses a rather novel method of har-vesting. A generator on the rear of a smallJohn Deere jitney supplies power to a largeshop vacuum which sucks up the nuts. Thedrawback is you have to have a blueberrysorter to separate the grass clippings, twigs,pieces of burr and defective or partially eatennuts. And it's difficult to hire people for this

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

kind of stoop labor.For a larger commercial operation, a me-

chanical harvester is a must. The orchard weare leasing, while our own trees grow tomaturity, was a former pasture. It would bebetter if the field was more level and smooth(similar to the fairway on a golf course.)You would be able to do a better job ofmowing and it would be easier. You coulduse a York rake to remove grass and alsopile nuts at harvest.

In other areas of the country that raise nuts(pecans, we investigated) they cooperativelybuy a picker or else one person buys anddoes the picking on shares. The commer-cial machines are rather expensive. A smallone for about three acres cost approximately$6,000 ... A large one for 500 acres cost ap-proximately $100,000.

Chestnuts keep very well, if they are re-frigerated. Properly cooled they will keeptwo months and still retain their quality.Fortunately, we have a large commercialcooler (6x12 ft.)

Audrey experimented with freezing thenuts. If frozen soon after they fall from thetree they retain their original quality andtheir solidity. We tried cooking some freshnuts and some that were frozen for oneyear-it was difficult to differentiate.

To freeze you simply put them in an air-tight bag. Boy! Can't get much simpler thanthat. At market when we are preparingsamples, we cut them in half with pruningshears and steam them in a steamer. At home,we cut them the same way and put them in amicrowave dish with a cover and cook forthree minutes with 1 teaspoon water.Deeelicious!

A recent article in the Journal oftheAmeri-can Chestnut Foundation had some very in-teresting information. Thomas Jeffersonimported European chestnut trees

30+ Years Experience

ROBERT DEMEREEProfessional Forestry Consultant

Timber Sales- Management PlanningTax Law· Tree Planting

3987 Northway DriveCortland. NY 13045-9317

Telephone:(607) 753-0497

JANIFEB 1997

(Castenea sativa). Japanese trees (Casteneacrenata) were brought in about 1876. Thesewere available from mail order catalogs as"Japan Giant" as early as 1888. Chinesechestnuts (Castenea mollissima) were sentto this country about 1903. American chest-nuts (Castenea dentata), before the treeswere destroyed by the blight-causing fun-gus (Cryphonectria parasiticai, were a veryimportant crop for the people of this land.Some of these imported varieties producednuts much larger than the American vari-ety.

SOME HINTS ON CONSUMPTIONFresh chestnuts are quite perishable. They

must be kept refrigerated or they will dryout and become hard. They will keep formany weeks if refrigerated in plastic bagswhich have a number of holes to preventmoisture accumulation.

PEELING CHESTNUTSBoiling-Split chestnuts, drop into pot of

boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and peeloff skin and shell with paring knife.

Roasting-Cut a half-inch gash on flatside of chestnut, put in oven proof pan, addone-half teaspoon butter to each cup ofchestnuts. Put pan in 400°F oven for 5-8minutes. Remove and take off shells.

Steaming-Cut chestnuts in half and putin steamer for 10 minutes. Cool, removeshell, and enjoy!

Microwaving-Cut chestnuts in half, putabout 10 nuts in a microwave dish for 2 min-utes (experiment.) When done skins andshells will easily separate from nuts.

Chestnuts on an open fire!- Cut a smallgash on each chestnut. Place them in a long-handled wire basket or popcorn popper andhold just above the flames. Shake occasion-ally. It will take about 15 minutes before theyare done. When shells begin to brown onthe outside, they should be roasted enough.Put on a plate and eat this wonderful treat!

NUTRITIONAL DATA ( 1 Cup Shelled)Calories 310 Protein 4.2%Fat 1.1 % Carbohydrates 49.1%Water 44% Fiber 2.0%

Bl .35mg Sodium 10mgB2 .35mg Phosphorus 141mgB5 .77mg Potassium 726mgB6 .53mg Calcium 43mgB12 O.Omg Iron 3mgNiacin 1.0mg Magnesium 66mgC 9.6mg Copper .67mgE .80mg Manganese 5.8mg

NY FOREST OWNER

Chestnut Stuffing with Wild Rice-112# Bacon, cubed 4 Onion, chopped1 1I2c. diced Celery 1 112# Mushrooms114 tsp. Pepper 1 112 tbsp. Sage, dr1 112# Chestnuts 1 114c. Butter, mltd112 c. Brandy 3 cloves Garlic,crshd112 c. Parsley, minced 8 c. Cornbread crmb1 c. Broth/Water

Brown bacon and drain. Stir fry onions,garlic, and celery in drippings until golden.Add sliced mushrooms, parsley, sage, andsaute, stirring occasionally for 8 to 10 min-utes. Mix all remaining ingredients and usefor stuffing. Wrap any leftover stuffing infoil, chill for 1 hour. Place in roasting panand let heat. This makes 3 quarts of stuff-ing.

Colonial Period Chestnut Stuffing-2# Chestnuts 2 tbsp. Butter

cooked, peeled Salt & PepperAdd butter to chestnuts and mash well.Blend in salt and pepper. Bake your turkeyor chicken. Make your gravy and add thechestnut mixture to it. Spoon over yourdressing and enjoy... A

Audrey and Bob Childs, Master ForestOwners & Master Gardeners with their sonPeter (NYFO Iff '94, How to Succeed atSuccession" By Betty Densmore) operateChilds' Blueberry Farm in Humphrey. Theyare Tree Farmers and members o/NYFOA'sAllegheny Foothills Chapter. Forfurther ar-ticles a/the American Chestnut and relatedsee NYFO SIO '93; MIA '94; SIO '96. Also,NYFO NID '96.

NYFOA ·1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Audrey and RabenChilds' grandchildren,Chelsea & Tom, in an

Asian Chestnut tree onthe leased orchard.

PONDS UNLIMITEDINVITES yOU ....

to think of all of the benefits youcould enjoy from having a pond ora lake on your own property. Thisidea could become a reality if theright conditions prevail. From ourexperience it normally requiresfavorable watershed conditions,good site conditions, owner-commitment to stewardship forenhancement of forest land values,appropriate engineering planningand design, and good constructionpractices.

PONDS UNLIMITED CANEV ALUA1E the site of yourchoice. We can provide all of theengineering services needed toplan, design and oversee theconstruction of a dam to create ahandsome pond or lake on suitableproperty. You can get additionalinformation by calling 315/422-POND or sending a letter ofinquiry to:

PONDS UNLIMITED719 E. Genesee St.

Syracuse, NY 13210315/422-7663

. FAXl476-3635

JANIFEB 1997 • 5

CAN YOU EAT CHRISTMAS TREES?By John S. Braubitz

About a month ago, a friend of mine whogrows Christmas trees made the statement,"I hope we don't have to eat too manyChristmas trees this season." He paused,chuckled a little, and in jest said, "John, doyou think we really could eat some of thosetrees, if we really had to?" I answered, "Youprobably could."

Some of the Indian tribes in theAdirondacks consumed bark patties ofmashed cambium. They made some sort ofsquares from mashed pine cambium thatwas molded into cakes, baked for about onehour over hot coals, and covered with moss;these were later smoked for a week Thepatties could then be carried as trail rationsor emergency food sources. The productwas very hard and had to be boiled untilsoft before being consumed. The center ofimmature green cones was also roasted.

The Algonquian Indians in the High Peaksarea consumed so much bark from conifersthat the Iroquois Indians named them Rat-i-ron-daks meaning "bark eaters." The earlysettlers mispronounced the word, saying,Adirondack, and despite their error, the landarea eventually came to be known by thatname.

In addition to using the bark of conifersfor food, the Algonquins made a tea fromthe needles of Christmas trees; the tea wasalso used by prospectors, trappers, and log-gers for refreshment and had a side benefitof Vitamin C.ill World War II, the Russians used this

tea during their long winter campaignswhen they had nothing else.ill Angier's Field Guide to Edible Wild

Plants, he said that all members of the Pinefamily provide an aromatic tea. The brightgreen new growth tips in the spring pro-vide the best tea, but older green needlescan also be used. He recommends that youjust place some needles in a pot of boilingwater and steep until the brew is strongenough. To increase Vitamin C concentra-tion, he suggests that you let the needlessoak in water over night.

Now, if you are from the Western UnitedStates or Mexico, you could collect pinionnuts from those conifers. They are espe-cially good when roasted in the oven forfive minutes at 360°F.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture hasfound that a 100 gram portion of pinion nutscontains 635 calories, 13 grams of protein,60.5 grams of fat, 20.5 grams of carbohy-drates, 604 milligrams of phosphorus, 5.2

6 • NY FOREST OWNER

milligrams of iron, 1.28 milligrams ofThia-mine, 0.25 milligrams of Riboflavin, and4.5 milligrams of Niacin.

There is no doubt that Christmas tree-types have been consumed in the past and,in some rare cases, are even being con-sumed today. But, it's hard for me to be-lieve, that those Christmas trees were thepreferred food of the Algonquian Indians.If they had a choice, they probably wouldhave sooner dined on brook trout or veni-son.

So the answer is: It might be possible toeat your Christmas trees but not preferable.We had better get out the mulcher insteadof the cook pot. .A.

John Braubitz is a Professor in the ScienceDepartment of Cayuga County CommunityCollege.

After:

Before;

A plantation with too many trees?

Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation Department and mulcher with trees - 1995.

Tree Seedlingsfor Conservation PlantingTo Order, Call:(518) 587·1120

• Spruce • Pine • Fir• Wildlife Shrubs

New York StateDepartment of Environmental Conservation ~~~~~~~

Saratoga Tree Nursery

NYFOA ·1·800·836·3566· INFO JANIFEB 1997

NED WORKSHOP

The group gathers for a briefing at Peter Levatich's property.

By Art HarrisI attended an interesting workshop at Cor-

nell University this past Jul y, one that prom-ised to join two of my chief interests in life:trees and computers. This workshop was toevaluate a computer-based planning tool forforest owners and foresters. The NortheastDecision Model (NED) is a computerizedsystem that will provide foresters, land own-ers, and the public with recommendationsthat integrate the multiple values of forestsin the Northeast.

The program is an undertaking of theNortheastern Forest Experiment Station ofthe USDA Forest Service, located inBurlington, VT. Some 20+ of your fellowMaster Forest Owners (MFOs) and Penn-sylvania VIPs gathered at Cornell to giveone of the NED modules a trial run. We wereintroduced to the Forest Stewardship Plan-ning Guide (FSPG) from the ground up. Theworkshop included some basic computertraining Friday morning to get everyone ableto use "Windows" applications on personalcomputers.

After lunch, we used the computer plan-ning guide to analyze our own woodlots.Briefly, the guide poses questions to the user,the user answers them, and the programmakes recommendations on managing theforest to achieve specific goals. The guidecovers 5 categories of concern: ecological,visual/scenic qualities, water quality, wild-life and wood production.

The final report from FSPG captures theforest owner's major concerns and goals forthe forest land with clear and concise tablesand charts. FSPG would be of use in pre-paring a report for a forest owner, after agood woodswalk and interview. The pro-

NY FOREST OWNER

gram contains a lot of informative text thatdiscusses the consequences of certain goalsand conditions.

As is typical of an MFO training week-end, not a moment was wasted, so after din-ner, it was back to the campus for an eveningsession with another module in the NED setof computer programs. NEWild is a pro-gram that addresses wildlife habitat relation-ships for the New England area. It producesa list of wildlife that might be found in aspecified combination of plants, soils, andmoisture conditions.

Saturday morning was a real treat, a re-ward for the hard work on Friday. We startedwith an all you want breakfast at the Stu-dent Union on campus, then out toBrooktondale for a woodswalk with PeterLavatich (MFO '92.) Although the reasonfor the visit was to gather data for an FSPGsession later back at Cornell, I think we weremore focused on Peter's accounts and dem-onstration of his 25 year's stewardship of125acres of mixed hardwoods. In a word-won-derful.

After all this, we provided some feedbackto the group that is producing NED and allits modules. And we went home with yetanother tool to share with our clients asMFO/COVERTS Volunteers and to use incaring for our own woodlands.

For free disks oftwo modules contact: NeilLamson, USDA Forest Service, PO Box640, Durham, NH 03824. .•.

Art Harris is a Master Forest Owner andthe Editor of THE VOLUNTEER, the News-letter of the NY Master Forest Owner/CO-VERTS Program.

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

APplication for Membership inthe New York Forest Owners

Assoclatlon.

I!We would like to support good forestryand stewardship of New York's forestlands.

( ) I!We own acres of wood-

land.

( ) I!We do not own woodland but sup-

port the Association's objectives.

NAJJE _

ADDRESS _

City Zip

Telepbone _

County of Residence _

County of Woodlot. _

Referred by _

Annual Dues(Please Check One)

INDIVIDUAL $20

FAMILY (or co-owners) $25

CONTRIBUTING $30-$100

SPONSORING $101andup

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:

Six issues of the NY FOREST OWNER,woodswalks, chapter meetings, and two

statewide meetings for all members.

PLEASE make check payable to NYFOAand SEND TO:

NYFOA,IncP.O. Box 180.

Fairport, New York 14450

JANIFEB 1997 • 7

THE FARM MEETS THE FOREST AT CORNELLBy Louise E. Buck

Combining crops or livestock with trees tocreate integrated, sustainable production sys-tems is a common goal of New York landown-ers who attended a workshop of agroforestrypractitioners at Cornell University in October.

About 32 people from throughout the stateconvened for a day to share information abouttheir land management practices, and to con-sider how agroforestry may be improved andexpanded to address pervasive economic vi-tality and environmental quality issues. Work-shop participants have been part of an explor-atory study of agroforestry practice and po-tential in New York that began in 1993. Theidea of agroforestry at that time was familiarto only a few people and comparatively littlewas known about it in this region. Participantsin the study and workshop, however, areamong the innovators who are helping to pio-neer the development of this promising ap-

lake GeorgeForestry

Complete Forestry Servicesincluding:

• Detailed ManagementPlans

• Timber Trespass• Timber Sales• Appraisals• Deed Research• Timber Inventory• Watershed Management• Boundary Line Location• Tax Savings PlansNo property is too small or toolarge to benefit from experiencedprofessional assistance when youare faced with important decisionsregarding its use.Contact Lake George Forestry to-day to arrange a free initial con-sultation.

Christian Gearwear, President

LAKE GEORGEFORESTRY, INC.

50 Hendrick StreetLake George, New York 12845

Tel: 518.668.26231.800·7734611

Fax: 518.668.2486

8 • NY FOREST OWNER

:,

Agroforestry workshop in session.

proach to land use and resource management,which is beginning to gain recognition by ag-riculture and natural resources professionals.The activities have been cosponsored by theCornell Department of Natural Resources andthe Cornell Center for the Environment.

The underlying concept in agroforestry is thecomplementarity that various components ofa land use system, and how management canbe applied to maximize positive interactionsand minimize competition. Agroforestry sys-tems are designed, or they evolve, to producemarketable products as well as some form ofenvironmental protection.

The participants' experience with agrofor-estry falls into five broad categories of prac-tice: Forest Farming, Intercropping (includ-ing alley-cropping), Silvo-Pastoralism, Ri-parian Buffers and Windbreaks. These werehighlighted and examples given in an over-view presentation by the workshop organiz-ers from the Department of Natural Resources.More in-depth cases from each category werethen presented by selected participants.

Examples presented of forest farming in-clude trout and salmon rearing in foreststreams and ponds, apiculture, and woods cul-tivated ginseng.

Intercropping was shown to be useful inraising valuable hardwood nut trees, or Christ-mas trees, with annual crops in alleys betweenthe rows of trees. It is used also to convertabandoned crop and pasture land to high valuewalnut plantations in association with nitro-gen-fixing, black locust "nurse" trees.

Examples of silvo-pastoralism includedfallow deer and dairy sheep farming in rota-tional grazing schemes that make controlleduse of woodlots and orchards.

NYFOA ·1·800·836·3566· INFO

Riparian buffer planting can produce wil-low whips for decorative and craft purposes,and generate biomass energy from the cuttingswhile simultaneously providing streambankstabilization and pollution filtering functions.

Agroforestry windbreaks were shown tobe especially useful in protecting vineyards,and providing animal shelter as well as mois-tureretention in pastures. Many such practicescan foster important wildlife benefits.

Participants considered types of educationalor policy measures that might help to improvethe potential for agroforestry practice to ex-pand. A key issue for many was the perceivedoverpopulation of deer, inhibiting the estab-lishment of new planting. The idea of form-ing research partnerships with groups of prac-titioners who face similar technical issues,together with faculty from various disciplinesat Cornell or other universities was discussedas a promising avenue of development. Par-ticipants identified the need for small grantsto enable this type of activity.

An upcoming activity that should help fos-ter closer relations between agroforestry prac-titioners and Cornell researchers is the 5thNorthAmericanAgroforestry Conference thatwill be held in IthacaAugust 3-6, 1997. It isexpected that landowners will participate aspresenters, and as hosts for agroforestry fieldtours. For more information contact BarbaraCliff, Cornell Department of Natural Re-sources, 607-255-8191. A.

Louise Buck is a Senior ExtensionAssociate,in the Department of Natural Resources atCornell University and Coordinator of theAgroforestry Working Group in the CornellCenter for the Environment.

JAN/FEB 1997

THE PLUNGE FELLING CUT ByPeterS.Levatich©1996f.l1~'1e

NoiGW~--

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CUT ,.~,sA~ie-rz,..''''.$&'TJ..-r'~ ~C;a.PlZ.lVe IN ~~& "T~ FeLt,.-

TOUCH THE TREE WITH THE CHAIN AT A POINT BELOW THE TIP OF THE

BAR. DO THIS DECISIVELY. HOLDING THE SAW FIRMLY, SWING IT TO A

POSITION PARALLEL WITH THE NOTCH WHILE PRESSING THE BLADE INTO

THE TREE. FORM A FAT HINGE FIRST AND, WHEN THE PLUNGE CUT IS

COMPLETED, NARROW IT FROM THE PLUNGE CUT SIDE TO SUIT.

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NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO JANIFEB 1997 • 9

Penn State Researchers DevelopNew Bat House Design

By Paul D. Curtis Brittingham, from Penn State University,Bat houses have been used for more than have developed a new bat-house designed

60 years in Europe, and are increasing in to overcome temperature-related problems.popularity in the United States. Bat Con- The top half of the boxis contained in blackservation International (Austin, Texas) has roofing paper to absorb sunlight and in-promoted bat conservation and provided crease the internal temperature. Thesehomeowners with an Official Bat-House boxes should be oriented between south-Builder's Guide. However, anecdotal re- east and southwest to receive at least 6 hoursports of bat-house acceptance has indicated of full sun during morning and afternoon.marginal use by brown bats (Myotis spp.). Bat boxes should be attached to a buildingRoost fidelity and acceptance of boxes ap- or pole at least 10 feet above ground, aspears to vary by species, roost type, and those secured to trees are not as readily ac-geographic range. A recent research article cepted by bats. Following these instruc-by Alison Neilson and Brock Fenton (see tions, bat acceptance has been quite high.Wildlife Society Bulletin 22: 8-14, 1994) The Pennsylvania box design will housesubstantiates these reports for little brown between 150 and 200 bats. The overall sizebats. Ninety-nine percent of 547 little is 30 x 30 inches, and the box is 7 inchesbrown Myotis banded in colonies that were deep. Remember to install boxes away fromexcluded from structures did not join other window sills, porches, or decks where drop-nearby colonies, nor did they occupy bat pings falling from the box will cause prob-houses constructed at the Chautauqua In- lems.PennStateCooperativeExtensionhasstitution in southwestern New York. Our- prepared a brochure describing bat-boxing the 3-year study, none of the 43 bat construction and location guidelines. Forhouses of4 different designs installed at the more information contact: Margaretinstitute attracted a resident colony of bats. Brittingham, Extension Wildlife Special-It was speculated that low temperature con- ist, 302 Forest Resources Lab, Penn Stateditions may have been partially responsible University, University Park, PA 16802for bats avoiding these boxes, as tempera- (814-865-2150). A

ture affects the metabolism of the motherbats and growth rates of their young. Build- Paul Curtis is a Senior Extension Associ-ing roosts with active colonies tended to be ate with the Dept. of Natural Resources atabout 6 degrees C warmer than the bat Cornell University and the EditorofWIW-houses. LIFE DAMAGE NEWS, from which (Vol 6

Lisa Williams-Whitmer and Margaret '95) this article is taken.

An Example - For Bats Only

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from NYFO SIO '92

Bruce E.Robinson,

Inc.FORESTRY

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10 • NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA ·1·800·836·3566· INFO

• FOREST PRODUCT MARKING& MARKETING

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JANIFEB 1997

WATCH OUT-Don't Be Liable!By Dinnie Sloman

Do you have any of the following haz-ards on your property: holes, ledges, stonewalls, wire fences, old sheds, or fallen trees?If you own rural property in the Catskills,chances are that you not only have all theones I just listed, but quite a few more.Many landowners are petrified of the pos-sibility that someone using their land willbe injured and sue them. In these days oflaw suits and exorbitant jury awards, no onewants to be liable for injuring another. For-tunately, New Yorkers generally are pro-tected from liability.

In New York, a statutory law (General Ob-ligation Law 9-103) protects landownersfrom liability for injuries to recreationalusers of their property. The law lists anum-ber of covered recreational activities: hunt-ing, fishing, organized gleaning, canoeing,boating, trapping, hiking, cross-countryskiing, tobogganing, sledding, speleologi-cal activities, horseback riding, bicycleriding, hang gliding, motorized vehicle op-erations for recreational purposes, snowmo-bile operation, cutting or gathering woodfor noncommercial purposes and trainingof dogs. The protection arises regardlessof whether the property is posted. Whileposting is essential to winning a trespasscase, it does not affect liability under thestatute. Likewise, the statutory protectionarises regardless of whether the recreationaluser has permission to be on the property.Thus, under most circumstances, the land-owner has no duty to recreational users tokeep the premises safe or to warn of a dan-gerous condition, use, structure or activity(a "trap".)

Two conditions deprive the landowner ofthe law's coverage: (1) the landowner will-fully or maliciously fails to guard or warnof a "trap," or (2) the landowner requirescompensation for the recreational use oftheir property. Willful and malicious refersto an intentional act of an unreasonablecharacter performed in disregard of a knowor obvious risk so great as to make it highlyprobable that harm will result. For example,a wire gate that was not visible from a dis-tance adequate for a snowmobile to stopwas considered a willful failure to warn forwhich the landowner was found liable. A"trap" does not include natural features orman-made structures plainly visible andreasonably avoidable.

NY FOREST OWNER

Compensation includes fees. Rent fromhunting leases probably constitutes com-pensation, but no cases have arisen wherea property owner was successfully sued bya hunting lessee. At least one case has foundthat the law did not cover a recreational clubthat charged an initiation fee and member-ship dues. In addition, the law does notcover accidents occurring on portions of theproperty not suitable for recreation, suchas gravel pits, even though most of the prop-erty is suitable.

Thus, the statute does not cover non-rec-reational uses, willful or malicious "traps,"and compensated uses. When the statutedoes not apply, landowner liability is de-termined by case law. In New York, the fa-mous 1976 case of Basso v. Miller set thestandard. It states that the duty of care owedby a landowner depends on theforeseeability of the risk of injury. Severalfactors contribute to foreseeability: whoowns the land, the injured person's age,whether the injured person paid for usingthe property, the location of the property inrelation to populated areas, and what mea-sures the defendant would have to take tofind and prevent the "trap." Applying thesefactors, the highest duty is owed to chil-dren paying to use the property where thelandowner could have taken easy, inexpen-sive measures to shield a known danger. Onthe other hand, the least duty is owed tounknown, adult trespassers where the land-owner could not easily know of or protectagainst the danger. Duty of care, therefore,is determined on a sliding scale dependingon the factual circumstances surrounding aparticular danger. To limit exposure, a land-owner should determine who uses the prop-erty (even trespassers) and how. If the useis not covered by statute, then either keepthe people out or inspect the property toshield all "traps" when reasonable. In addi-tion, the landowner should purchase ad-equate insurance under the circumstances.

In conclusion, staying within the boundsof the statute offers you the greatest pro-tection. First, try to limit uses to the activi-ties listed. Second, inspect your propertyto ensure that you have not created anywillful and malicious "traps." Third, keeppeople out of your non-recreational areas.Fourth, do not charge a fee.

Of course, seek professional legal adviceif you have any questions concerning your

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566· INFO

particular situation.

Dinnie Sloman is the Executive Director ofthe Catskill Forest Association and both agraduate forester and lawyer. This articlewas reprinted from CFA NEWS (Vol. 12,No.4), the Newsletter of the Catskill For-est Association.

JANIFEB 1997 • 11

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEBy Bill Minerd

This past September 7-8, 1996, NYFOAheld the "Second Chapter Leadership Work-shop" in Cortland. This workshop is de-signed to assist chapter officers and news-letter editors in their continued developmentof their chapters. It was a time to discusscommon problems and share experienceswith a focus on building member relations.This year's program was organized by BettyDensmore, Eileen Van Wie and CharlieMowatt. Betty chaired the newsletter sec-tion on Saturday while Eileen conducted theleadership component on Sunday. The dis-cussions were very lively with a great ex-change of fresh ideas for improving ourchapters. I would encourage all chapter of-ficers and newsletter editors not to miss thenext edition of this workshop. A specialthanks to Betty, Eileen and Charlie for an-other successful NYFOA event.

I was unable to attend the NYFOA FallMeeting hosted by the Catskill ForestAsso-ciation; business prevented me from attend-ing this meeting. However, from all accounts

the success prompts me to recognize thespecial support by CFA members and a spe-cial thanks to Donna Rogler who organizedthis event.

I came across an article several weeks agothat I found very interesting and could bebest titled as "Whatever Happened to theGypsy Moth?" Over the past ten years, thegypsy moth has destroyed 25 million acresof woodlands in 16 Eastern states and theDistrict of Columbia. Efforts to destroy thispest have cost $69 million since 1992(Source: U.S. Forest Service.) Well, it seemsthat the gypsy moth has met its match. Itbeing killed by a microscopic Japanese fun-gus called Eniomophaga maimaiga. Scien-tists aren't sure how the fungus arrived here,but they do know that it is killing the gypsymoth at an accelerated rate. This summerdamage from the gypsy moth is at its lowestsince 1969!

In 1869 Leopold Trouvelot brought gypsymoth eggs from France to his Medford,Massachusetts Laboratory. He was attempt-ing to cross-breed to produce disease-resis-

tant silkworms. Popular legend has it, thathe placed the eggs on a window ledge andthe eggs blew away. By 1889, trees in East-ern Massachusetts were being defoliated. Inan effort to combat the gypsy moth, scien-tists introduced the maimaiga fungus at sev-erallocations around Boston. In a short timethe fungus disappeared and the spread of thegypsy moth continued.

Just as the Forest Service was consideringthe reintroduction of the maimaiga fungus,it suddenly, after 70 years, reappeared. Sci-entists find it hard to believe that the fungusremained dormant over all these years andspeculate that accidentally it was reintro-duced. Noel Scneeberger, an entomologistwith the Northeast Area of the U. S. ForestService states that the fungus' destructionseems to be limited to the gypsy moth. How-ever, he adds, the long-term effect of thefungus is yet to be determined.

I wonder if it will take another 100 yearsfor this story to play out!

A reminder. Directors and Officers havean important Board Meeting, January 27,1997. ~

(I

NYFOA CHAPTERS JOIN IN PROGRAM EVENTBy Jill Cornell

The NYS Nursery generously provided aShow & Tell Tour of their facility in SaratogaSprings on Saturday, Nov. 2nd for the Capi-tal District and Southeastern AdirondackChapters. A record number of members andthe public saw the many stages of the seedseparation process, a planting demonstra-tion, one and two year old seedling beds ofJapanese and European Larch, streamcowillow, balsam, spruce, and fir, and seedorchards for wildlife species.

The nursery which started in 1902, wasonce the largest nursery in the nation. In1972, "branch" operations were closed, andthe operation was consolidated at the cur-rent two facilities in Saratoga Springs. Thenursery now provides seedlings forrefores-tation to state forests and parks, NY schoolplanting projects, and private woodlandowners. Seedlings are also sold to Vermontand Maine.

Four of the nine regular employees, Di-rector John Solan, Jim Sessions, Dave Leeand Pat Whalen guided groups of 15 par-

12 • NY FOREST OWNER

ticipants through the seed extraction process.Seeds of the species for wildlife are putthrough a masher-separator machine whichfunctions like a seeder-juicer as it separatesthe mash from the seeds. The process forconifer seed extraction is more complicated.Norway spruce seeds, which take 1 to 2 yearsto develop are collected from correctionalfacilities and private landowners. The ripe,but closed cones are slowly conveyedthrough a 150°F- kiln to open the cones andrelease the seeds. A series of tumbler andshakers remove the "wings", debris, andhol-low seeds. They are then dried, blended, andready for storage. The final product, 95%pure seeds, are weighed, labeled, and storedin five gallon glass containers in a refriger-ated vault. Open, empty cones are sold toflorists for seasonal use (2 bushels @ $10),and all the chaff is composted.

Director Solan discussed the basic require-ments for a good nursery site: 1.) sandy soil,2.) a stream, and 3.) almost flat topography.A nursery operation is similar to other agri-cultural productions, except that the harvest

NYFOA -1·800·836·3566 - INFO

season is in the spring and the planting sea-son in the fall.

In a cooperative venture, the nursery isgrowing streamco willow for biomass de-velopment in conjunction with a researchand development project at SUNY, Collegeof Environmental Science and Forestry [SeeNYFO NID'96, 6.]

They also produce hardwood seedlings.All of.the wildlife species are grown from

seeds from NY sources.To receive a list of available species, write

the NYS Nursery at 431 Route 50 South,Saratoga Springs, NY 12866; 518/587-1120.{See display ad, page 6 this issue]

Thank you, John, Jim, Dave and Pat. ~

Jill Cornell is a member of the Capital Dis-trict Chapter and serves NYFOA as our VicePresident.{According to the Nov/Dec Issue of the Ad-irondack Foothills Chapter Newsletter, theirannual nut/seed harvest by members yieldedover $1000 to the Chapter treasury.]

JANIFEB 1997

WESTERN FINGER LAKESCHAPTER

Our November general meeting drew ap-proximately 43 people. Ron Schroederfrom DEC spoke on property rights duringhunting season. Ron included informationon posting your land, how the DEC partypermit system works, and basic rights of thelandowner. DEC forester, Mark Keisterspoke on the devastation of seedlings bydeer. Mark highlighted tree species that deerchoose for gourmet meals, and those theywill choose if nothing else is available toeat. Our hearty thanks to Ron and Mark forsharing their information and time with us.

I would like to thank everyone who hasvolunteered their time to our chapter thispast year. All the DEC people (who have solittle time to spare, but always help us),Mark Keister, Billy Morris, Jim Peak,Jim Pitt and Ron Schroeder. Our chapter'ssteering committee members, Carol Fox,Phil Fox, Dale Schaefer, Jim Minor,Chuck Winship, John McMahon, JackHamilton, Walter Schuchardt, Ron Reitz,Dave Bott, Dick Dennison, Harry Dieter,and Ron Freese. The volunteers who helpat meetings, or host a woodswalk on theirproperty. Volunteers who aren't even mem-bers of our chapter, such as BruceRobinson, and Charlie & MarionMowatt. If! left anyone's name out, I apolo-gize. Happy New Year to everyone andTHANKS TO ALL OF YOU!

-Eileen Van Wie

NIAGARA FRONTIER CHAPTERNew officers of the Chapter were recently

elected. They are Rita Hammond, chair-person; Ed Janulionis, treasurer; BobPreston, progams; Elberta Barberi, mem-bership; David Colligan, secretary and Bar-bara Tucker, newsletter.

An interesting woods walk is planned forthis spring at Fran Harrison's property inLockport. We will see the log cabin she builtfrom her own trees. She has one ofthelarg-est black walnut trees in the area.

The annual pancake breakfast hosted byDave Colligan at his sugar shanty in theAllegheny foothills is tentative for March15.

On the October woodswalk on RitaHammond's property and that of the adjoin-ing neighbor in Holland, members saw twocompletely different ways of harvesting.Lots of helpful hints on how to pick a log-ger were shared.

NY FOREST OWNER

FAMILY FOREST FAIRMOVES

Boards of the Capital District and South-eastern Adirondack Chapters have agreed tohold the Family Forest Fair for 1997 at theWashington County Fairgrounds inGreenwich on Saturday, June 14th. This fairhas been sponsored by the Central New YorkChapter and very successful for the last threeyears.

Our purpose in doing the Fair is to edu-cate the general public, legislators and otherwoodlot owners about the wonders of NewYork's forest resources. Not only are theybigger than they were in 1800, but we knowmore about managing them for timber, wild-life, recreation and protecting New York'sair and water quality,

What we want to accomplish is to providea realistic backdrop of Forest Benefits forideas like the "Right to Harvest Law" and"Tax Relief for Woodlot Owners."M~L-

-tJ~' "F:MI~YFORESTFAIR

---::; .

We hope to provide an opportunity forNYS schools and colleges which have for-estry or environmental programs to meetwith interested students from local highschools.

Forestry and forest products related ven-dors. organizations and exhibitors will beoffered an opportunity to set up exhibits anddo presentations at the Fair (These includegroups from the NYS Bluebird Society, theNature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, andSpelunckers, to chain saw sculpters, portablebandsaw dealers and wooden pen produc-ers.)

WENEEDYOURHELPI The many av-enues of publicity, vendor possibilities andorganization groups are long lists to us atthis point, and we believe that many of youhave ideas, special skills and contacts thatcould aid us in pulling off this big venture.Please contact us and give us your expertiseand skills in aid of this project.

CaD to volunteer:Jill Cornell518/753-4336

Mike Greason518/943-9230

TIOGA CHAPTERForest owners from New York's Southern

Tier and Pennsylvania's Northern Tier willgather at the Guthrie Inn April 4 through 6for a first-ever Twin Tiers Forest Expo andConference.

Organized by the Tioga Chapter in coop-eration with the Bradford-Sullivan Forest-land Owners Association, and The FannersFriend newspaper, the three-day eventpromises to offer a wide range of forestmanagement ideas, time-and money-savingideas, personal contacts, and helpful equip-ment displays and demonstrations.

The conference will begin Friday evening,April 4th, with a special seminar aimed atleaders of forest owner associations on bothsides of the state border. Officers of land-owner associations, Christmas tree growerassociations, and maple syrup producergroups will make brief presentations andshare winning-and losing-ideas.

"The idea is to help grow our associationsby learning what has worked and what hasnot worked elsewhere," says DonaldSchaufler, chairman of the Tioga Chapter."We're looking forward to a great exchangeof ideas and experiences."

Besides an on-going trade show filled withequipment, demonstrations, and services ofinterest to forest owners,Saturday's program will feature "from thehorse's mouth" practical presentations byforest owners, Christmas tree growers,maple syrup producers, and forest entrepre-neurs-more sharing of ideas that forestowners can take home and put to work.

Seminar programs will be capped Satur-day night with a forest owners banquet.

The trade show, exhibits, and equipmentdemonstrations will continue Sunday until3 PM.

The Guthrie Inn will be offering specialrates for overnight accommodations in con-nection with the Forest Owners Expo andConference.

Tickets and information will be availablethrough participating forest-owner associa-tions, from businesses that will be exhibit-ing, from The Farmers Friend newspaper,and bye-mail atFarmforest@aol.com.

Companies and individuals interested insetting up a booth at the Forest Owners Expoand Conference are encouraged to contactJack Brown, advertising manager for TheFarmers Friend, at 800/253-3662; fax 717/265-4200.

JANIFEB 1997 • 13

John Hastings518/623-3671

Jim Durller518/747-5958

NYFOA ·1·800-836·3566· INFO

TREE SQUIRRELSBy Philip A. Wellner and Paul D. Curtis

Description of Species and DamageFive different tree squirrel species are na-

tive to New York State, including the foxsquirrel (Sciurus niger), red squirrel(Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), eastern graysquirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and bothsouthern (Glaucomys volens) and northern(G. sabrinus) flying squirrels. Fox, red, andgray squirrels may cause conflicts withhomeowners and agriculturists. Squirrelsmay damage or remove valuable nuts andfruits from orchard trees; feed on corn, to-matoes, and strawberries from gardens; andsometimes will damage the bark or eat thebuds of ornamental trees and shrubs. Squir-rels are quite comfortable in suburban land-scapes, and may make their homes in theattics, walls, and other accessible spaces inhouses and other structures. Though thisdamage may be more of a nuisance in manycases rather than an economic burden, squir-rels are capable of inflicting serious dam-age to property (i.e., by chewing electricalwiring, insulation, etc.). In many suburbanareas, tree squirrels are responsible for thelargest proportion of nuisance wildlife com-plaints.

RangeThe range of the eastern gray squirrel, both

flying squirrels, and the red squirrel includesall of New York State, except for regionswith the highest elevations in the Catskillsand central Adirondacks, where there aredeep winter snows and a minimal mast crop.Because New York is on the northeasternedge of the fox squirrel's range, this speciesinhabits primarily Chautauqua, Cattaraugus,and Allegheny Counties, though individu-als may occasionally be found in otherSouthern Tier counties.

Life HistoryThe life history of the tree squirrel is very

similar. Squirrels do not hibernate, thoughthey may remain in their dens for severaldays at a time when there is heavy snowcover. Gray and red squirrels frequent hard-wood and coniferous forest habitats, whilefox squirrels are found in more open habi-tats, such as wooded edges of agriculturalfields. Squirrel home ranges average 1.3acres, and with good habitat, there can be as

f4 • NY FOREST OWNER

many as 3 squirrels per acre (though 1 peracre is much more common). With the ex-ception of flying squirrels, the other speciesare diurnal. Several raptors (i.e., great-horned owls (Bubo virginianus), red-tailedhawks (Buteo jamaicensisJ) and smaller car-nivores, i.e., bobcat (Lynx rufus), occasion-ally prey upon squirrels. Squirrels are so-cial animals, often feeding together ingroups of two or three individuals unlessthere is strong competition for food. Maleswill compete with each other for femalesduring breeding season.

Legal StatusGray and fox squirrels are protected game

animals in most states, and they can behunted in season with a valid small gamehunting license. Section 11-0523 of the NewYork State Environmental ConservationLaw states that, "whenever black, gray, andfox squirrels are injuring property on farmlands or dwellings, they may be taken at anytime and in any manner by the owner or oc-cupants thereof.." Red squirrels are unpro-tected in New York State and may be takenat any time without limit with a small gamehunting license. When nuisance squirrels aretaken under Section 11-0523, they must beimmediately buried or cremated. Section 11-0511 of the Environmental ConservationLaw specifies that squirrels cannot be pos-sessed or transported except under licenseor permit from the Department of Environ-mental Conservation.

Damage Management MethodsExclusion- Squirrels can be prevented

from climbing isolated trees by the installa-tion of a two-foot-wide sheet-metal band onthe trunk (fastened with springs to allow fortree growth) at least 4 feet above the ground.They can be prevented form traveling acrosswires by installing 2-foot lengths of 1- or 2-inch-diameter plastic pipe over the wires,which will rotate when the squirrels crossover these barriers. Squirrels should be ex-cluded from buildings by sealing all open-ings that could be used as entrances withheavy galvanized metal or concrete. Travelfrom tree-to-tree and onto roofs can be pre-vented by pruning or removal of branches.Gaps of at least 10 feet wide should be main-tained between tree limbs and houses to pre-

NYFOA • 1·800·836·3566 • INFO

vent squirrels from jumping onto rooftops.

Traps- Trapping is one of the most effec-tive ways to remove problem squirrels. Avariety of traps can be used, and the type oftrap selected should be matched to situation,considering the risk of capturing non-targetspecies. To eliminate squirrels from a resi-dence, it is best to seal off all entrances ex-cept one, and then place a trap at the remain-ing opening. When squirrels are a problemin fruit or nut orchards, traps can be securedto tree branches in order to avoid capturingnon-target species. Effective baits includewalnut and pecan meats, sunflower hearts,peanut butter, apple, and orange slices.

Repellents- Naphthalene or para-dichlo-robenzene mothballs and flakes are regis-tered in New York State as animal repellents,and may be somewhat effective for repel-ling squirrels from buildings ifused in con-fined spaces.

However, the New York State Departmentof Health is concerned that young childrenmay develop hemolytic anemia after expo-sureto fumes from mothballs. Care shouldbe taken to avoid mothball odors within hu-man-occupied rooms in structures.

Shooting- Squirrels can be effectively re-moved from trees with a .22-caliber rifle ora shotgun if safe conditions are available,and local ordinances permit the dischargeof firearms. In suburban areas, check withlocal law enforcement agencies before us-ing firearms.

Toxicants- No toxicants (i.e., rodenticides)are registered for homeowner use to controlnuisance squirrels in New York State.

Health ConcernsSquirrel are often infected with internal

parasites (i.e., roundworms, tapeworms andhookworms), as well as external parasites(i.e., mites, fleas, and ticks). Cutaneouswarbles caused by larval Cuterebra flies orfibromes caused by pox virus may be un-sightly; however, they have no reported pub-lic health implications.

Paul Curtis is a Senior Extension Associatewith the Dept. of Natural Resources at Cor-nell University and the Editor ofWIWLIFEDAMAGENEWS,jrom which (Vol 6 '95) thisarticle is taken.

JANIFEB 1997

FLYING SQUIRREL By Clayt Seagears (N. Y. STATE CONSERVATIONIST JunlJul '50,)

NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA - 1-800-836-3566 - INFO JANIFEB 1997 • 15

1996- THE YEAR OF THE 7TH AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESSBy Henry S. Kernan

The current number of the NY FORESTOWNER comes one year after a gatheringin Washington planned to be highly signifi-cant to forestry for the number and diver-sity of the participants, for the subjects cov-ered, for the statements of vision elements,the revised and draft principles that evolved,and for the methods used to elicit and phrasethem. In preparation for the SeventhAmeri-can Forest Congress were 51 localroundtables and 43 collaborative meetings.New York had three of the former and oneof the latter.

Upon registering, each participant indi-cated one or more affiliations among a listof twelve. Forestland ownership was notamong the twelve. The largest group (593)were those helping to manage ecosystems.The next (584) were members of green ad-vocacy groups. Supporters of forest preser-vation numbered 455. Likewise among theCongress's 53 Directors were academics,civil servants, employees of industry andemployees of associations, but not one iden-tified as a forestland owner!

We Non-industrial Private Forest Owners(NIPFs) number over ten million and weown nearly 60% of the American forest.Surely, we deserved a place on the Board,or at the very least a place among the affili-ations.

The Congress had 1519 registered partici-pants and provided three days conducive todiscussion and exchange of ideas. In groupsof 12-15 we worked out statements of vi-sion elements and of principles. Commit-tees then sorted out and consolidated thosestatements into 13 vision elements, 21 re-vised principles and 30 draft principles. Thefinal exercise was for participants to indi-cate their approval, neutrality or disapprovalof the 73 statements. They did so with col-ored dots; green for approval, yellow forneutrality, and red for disapproval. The Fi-nal Report contains the vision elements and

principles, each with a bar colored to indi-cate the degree of consensus. The Final Re-port contains no recommendations, no reso-lutions, and no interpretive comments.

The next step is therefore to extract guid-ance from whatever the bars convey-guid-ance for resolving forestry issues at the stateand local levels.

Such extractions turn out to be extraordi-narily difficult. The statements do not makeclear whether they are hopes or expectations.Number 12 of the vision elements reads:

"In the future our forests will be managedon the basis of a stewardship ethic with re-spect, reverence and humility".

Will they be so managed? Or do we hopethat they will be so managed? To what ex-tent are such moral qualities part ofmanag-ing forests? Do the 271 red ratings advo-cate disrespect, irreverence and arrogance?

The arbitrators of the Congress presum-ably gave attention to the statement's mean-ing and wording. Yet the color patterns ofthe bars convey a sense of confusion, andeven of participants who do not belong in acivilized and rational society. How elseshould the following earn 215 red dots ofdisapproval ?:

"Conflicts over forest issues will be re-solved through non-violent processes."

Or the following receive 362 red dots?:"Soil productivity is a basic component of

forest health."Do the 'red doters' prefer violence and the

denial of the obvious?Draft Principle No. 39 states,"Logging on public lands. (No logging on

public lands.)"Here 987 dots were red, 53 were yellow,

and 47 were green! Of the 73 statementsnone received more consensus. Yet, consen-sus on what? Logging or not logging?

A lively issue at the time was the SalvageRider which allowed increased logging onNational Forests. Revised Principle No. 20proposed to repeal that Salvage Rider. AI-

16 • NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

though 1039 participants listed themselvesas forest preservationists and members of"green" advocacy organizations, repeal re-ceived only 252 of the 1076 dots. The colorbar of No. 20 is indeed a surprise.

At the Paul Smith's pre-Congressroundtable the following received approval:

"Teach.forestry students to be less boorishin their. appearance, speech and manner."

Whereas the following caused so muchcontroversy as to remain unresolved:

"Human interventions in forest resourcesmust be made with knowledge of and respectfor the ecological structure of those re-sources, and should never be in a form tocompromise the future of the forest unlessconversion to another land use is made inthe public interest. "

At the Congress even the most innocuousstatements ("National Forests are not na-tional parks") received disapproval. Evi-dently meaningful consensus is hard to comeby. Discussion, disagreement, controversyand even violence (at the fringe) are partsof the process. Perhaps that is just as well.Most of us feel strongly about forests andprefer not to leave them in the limbo of in-difference and neglect. .•

Henry Kernan is a consulting forester inWorld Forestry, a Master Forest Owner, anda regular contributor to the NY FORESTOWNER.Additional comment on the Seventh Ameri-can Forest Congress and the preliminarysymposium may be found in the NY FOR-EST OWNER, MIA, 13,16To obtain a free copy of the 4-page Sum-mary of Forest Congress Results and otherpublications, contact: Forest Congress In-formation Center, 205 Prospect Street, NewHaven, CT06511, 2031432-5117; 2031432-380915942Fax; Email: yff@yale.edu; WorldWide Web: htpllwww.cis.yale.edulforest congress.

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

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NY 14572

JANIFEB 1997

GOVERNOR KILLS STATE PARK LOGGINGA plan for limited timber harvesting and

forest management in New York's AlleganyState Park posed no threat to the forest andmight well have accelerated the diversityof plant and animal life there, according totwo leading forestry experts.

Governor George Pataki abandoned thelimited cutting plan this past year after ob-jections from environmentalists.

managementregular harvesting can help maintainAllegany State Park forest in a healthy, vig-orous state," said Dr. Ed White, dean of re-search at the State University of New YorkCollege of Environmental Science and For-estry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse.

"The social opposition to cutting trees isgenerally based on a lack of public knowl-edge concerning modern forest manage-ment, "White said. He added that the origi-nal plan for limited cutting posed no threatto the Allegany Park forest near Buffalo."Modern harvesting practices do not dam-age the land, but do promote natural regen-eration of young trees," he said. "Trees donot live forever. Not harvesting them doeswaste a potential renewable resource."

Dr. Donald E. Koten, who wrote the ini-tial Recreation Resource Management Planfor Allegany State Park in 1982, said thestate's decision does not serve the goal ofplant and animal diversity. "There is a largenumber of plant and animal species, not justdeer, that thrive in a forest ten to 15 yearsafter a harvesting operation," said Koten,also a member of the SUNY-ESF faculty.

Koten noted that the proposed manage-ment plan called for no harvesting of treeson 73 to 80 percent of the park land. Thesetrees would have presumably advanced toold growth. The limited logging in the re-mainder of the park would have promotedthe presence of the shade-intolerant plantspecies and early stage wildlife for thosewho wish to experience and enjoy the fullrange of plant and animal diversity possiblewithin the park boundaries, Koten noted.

"Harvesting mature trees promotes diver-sity, and diversity is inherently valuable fora forest," he said.

A committee of citizens, recreationists, 10-

NY FOREST OWNER

cal officials, academic experts and indus-try representatives worked for more than adecade to assemble a master plan forAllegany State Park The committee con-cluded that efforts should be made to in-crease diversity in plant and animal spe-cies and that limited logging was the bestway to achieve this goal. In addition, theforest products industry had proposed thatan outdoor education program be estab-lished to help park visitors learn more aboutmodern forestry.

Ironically, much of the 66,000 acres thatnow comprise Allegany State Park was do-

nated and sold to the state by forest prod-ucts businesses and much of the land hadbeen managed and harvested over the years.

This article was adapted from THENORTHERN LOGGER AND TIMBERPRODUCER, March 1996.

"I'mguaranteed Social Security, but my acorns ... ?"

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO JANIFEB 1997 • 17

EXPERIMENTAL SILVICULTURE IN SOUTHERN BRAZILBy Robert Bamber Marshall

The following summary of some scenesmore memorable by photos can describe theresults of my experimental silviculture insouthern Brazil:.

i) A bottomland loblolly 30" dbh at 27years which was one in a row previously pro-viding seed for up to 100,000- seedling an-nual reforestation. ii) A hillside loblolly 19"dbh at 13 years (See Fig. 1.) iii) A slash pinestand planted 2x2 meters, thinned this sec-ond time by horse logging at 18 years, eachtree yielding 10 logs 8 foot long to 15 emsat the top for sawmilling; i.e., 80' merchant-able and 93' total height. iv) A slash pine24" dbh at 25 years, with I' stump, 72' mer-chantable to cutoff greater than 15 ems anda 19' top, thus 92' total height (See Fig. 2.)v) My record slash pine: 40" dbhin 28 years!vi) A loblolly pine forest before third andfinal cutting at 22 years, with trees from 12"to 20" averaging 16" dbh and 95' total height,now planted with cherrybark oak and greenash partly because the landowner may usethe oak bark in his tannery. vii) A blackwalnut 65' at 23 years and, viii), a coast red-wood, Sequoia sempervirens, 70' and 15"dbh at 20 years.

Species that failed shortly after germina-tion, in half-shade and quarter-shade and anyreasonable nursery work were: Douglas fir,western hemlock, and grand fir fromseedlots from California's redwood regionand southwest Oregon. These results showsome highlights of subtropical southernBrazil's exceptionally favorable environmentfor some subtropical USA species.

Southern Brazil's subtropical forest regionof fifty million acres or twenty million hect-ares extends from 23 to 28 degrees southlatitude and 49 to 54 degrees west longitudeat elevations commonly between 1000 and4000 feet. This region which includes muchof the states of Parana and Santa Caterinasoon probably will become one of theworld's most productive and valuable forestregions. Not because of native species, how-

Fig. 1 (r)A 19" DBHLoblolly Pine planted2.5x2.5 meters in 1970

& harvested at athinning in 1983 withthe author indicatingannual growth rings.

ever well managed, but rather because of theintroduction of exceptional exotics. Not onlyare the biological and physical qualities ex-ceptional but right now also the sociologi-cal and economic considerations. Brazilians,youthful, multiplying, and hungrily-search-ing, will not wait for tree-hugging environ-mentalists to determine the details of bestmanagement practices for the costly returnof native forests before they plant withprayer whatever exotic seeds someone sayswill soon bring to their Brazilian life theNorth American lifestyle. As a cost-con-scious forester who was born an instinctive

CONSULTING FORESTER. NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

VINCENT P. CHEBET~ JR. ACF

Assisting Woodland Owners Since 1967

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

NYS Cooperating ConsultantMember: NYICF, ACF, SAF

18 • NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

Fig. 2 (l) A Slash Pinefrom a plantation

planted in 1968 andfinally harvested in

1993 at 24" DBH in arelease treatment for

Sequoias, BlackWalnuts, Bald Cy-

press, & Port OxfordCedars. Total height

92 ", 72' merchantable.

tree bugger, I remind myself repeatedl y thatthe more cutover brushland and low-produc-tion agricultural land is reforested with highvalue logable sustainable species, the moreland economically can be in recreationalreserves and reserves illustrating each typeof native forest and other ecosystems char-acteristic of Brazil. Soon, in a second Bra-zilian miracle welcoming Brazil into first-class world status, North Americans will besurprised to find Brazilians sustaining for-ests sustaining Brazilians! A

This article is derived from an Abstract ofthe Poster presented at the Oct 28-Nov 1,1995 National Convention of the Society ofAmerican Foresters at Portland, Maine. Theabstract is published in the proceedings ofthat Convention, the theme of which was,"PEOPLE SUSTAINING FORESTS SUS-TAINING PEOPLE" .Robert Bamber Marshall a consultant For-ester and member of NYFOA's LowerHudson Chapter, has promised to forward asequel to the above from Brazil in time forour next issue.

JANIFEB 1997

By Mark KeisterAt a recent statewide DEC forestry meet-

ing, the main theme focused on our image.For the past few years our program staffhas been cut repeatedly, leaving moralewithin our Bureau at a new low. A grassroots "outreach" committee ofDEC forest-ers was organized to deal with this issue. Ibelieve it is worthwhile to pass on some ideasthis committee has recommended.

Of prime importance is society's need tobe aware of the benefits of forest manage-ment. Most people do not have a clue as towhat a forester's job entails or what pro-grams the DEC's Bureau of Forest Re-sources provides to the people of New YorkState. The forestry profession in the U.S.has not done a very good job of providingthis information. In a recent trip to Viet-nam, one of the poorest countries in theworld, I saw a billboard regarding forestryand reforestation, in both Vietnamese andEnglish. When was the last time you saw aforestry billboard in New York? (Smokey,the bear, does not count!) I bet that in arandom sample, more people in Vietnamthan in New York, could correctly answerthe question ... "What does a forester do?"

IMAGEIt is no wonder our programs are cut whenmost of the taxpayers are not aware of whatwe do. We have no image rather than a badimage.

The DEC image committee, has mademany worthwhile suggestions such as la-beling our vehicles with a "Forestry" sticker,improving our internal communications byproducing a staff newsletter, utilizing ourstate forests more for public education andoutreach, and using volunteers to helpspread the word. However, the facts are theDEC is unlikely to get any additional re-sources in the near future to be able to in-crease our outreach efforts.

This is where NYFOA and the DEC havea tremendous opportunity to benefit eachother, through NYFOA volunteers helpingwith outreach activities. NYFOA will ben-efit by potentially strengthening DEC pro-grams and we could probably provide bet-ter and timely assistance to the member-ship. Management of New York's forestlands would improve with increased pub-lic knowledge of forestry. The DEC's for-estry department and NYFOA would gainrecognition and public support, once the

public is aware "we" are making a positive,long-term influence on these resources.

How can this be done?A prime example is our chapter's partici-

pation at the recent Pittsford Harvest Festi-val. There were eight NYFOA volunteershosting a woodswalk as part of the day'sactivities. Other examples are: guest speak-ing at your local school, business or serviceorganizations; preparing and distributingdisplay materials such as flyers, bulletins andposters; making your elected government of-ficials aware of forestry issues and voicingyour opinion to them; becoming more in-volved in NYFOA programs; expanding ad-vertising of NYFOA programs to the gen-eral public; and networking with groups ofsimilar interests such as the Finger LakesTrailAssociation, Nature Conservancy, WildTurkey Federation or the American Chest-nut Society.

I hope that some of these ideas havesparked your interest to volunteer with out-reach activities. By working together wecan help create the image, "Trees benefitus, every day!" .•.

This article was reprinted from the News-letter of the Western Finger Lakes Chapter.

SCIENTISTS PRODUCE "REDWOOD" ASPENGenetic engineers at Michigan Technol-

ogy University have found a way to makeaspen trees produce red wood. The discov-ery, they predict, could lead to importantchanges in the wood products industry.

And it all came about through serendip-ity, according to Dr. Vincent Chiang, Di-rector of the MTU School of Forestry andWood Products' Plant Biotechnology Cen-ter. Chiang is renowned for his work in ge-netically altering lignin in wood pulpingspecies to make the pulping process lesscostly and more environmentally safe forthe wood products industry.

Chiang credits his postdoctoral researcher,Chung-Jui Tsai, with the discovery. "Shewas working on a project to develop ge-netic engineering procedures for aspen andin the process introduced two differentgenes to aspens that were designed to altertheir lignin to make it easier for pulping.When she peeled away the bark of our testsaplings, she found that one of the geneshad manifested itself by causing the sap-lings to produce red wood instead of theusual white."

NY FOREST OWNER

While the success of the lignin researchcould provide significant breakthroughs forthe forest products industry worldwide,Chiang notes that it lacks the charisma ofcolored aspen.

"You don't have to analyze the red aspen,"said Chiang, "you just look at it, and thereit is."

"Usually you have to wait for years forresults," said Tsai, "We just pulled back thebark, and wow! Even a kid can tell."

Chiang said the new aspens are a salmoncolor, rosier than cedar, less red than red-wood-a color he describes as "very distin-guished." And it varied from tree to tree, inhue, intensity, and design. "Some of the sap-lings were mottled, spotted like a Dalma-tian, red and white," he said.

And the new color reportedly won't sinkback into the gene pool, never to be seenagain. MTU researchers have already pro-duced a second group of colored saplingsstarted from cuttings taken from the firstsamples.

Chiang has talked with four wood prod-ucts corporations abut growing the red as-

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

pens and "They've all responded vigor-ously."

Aspen has never been a popular wood forlumber. "It's a kind of boring, white color,"said Chiang. "Now it will have other uses."He counts the ways. "Furniture, exposedbeams, panelling ... I'm looking forward tothe day when I won't have to paint thehouse."

Chiang, Tsai, and their colleague, Dr.Gopi Podila want to gain a fundamental un-derstanding of how the color change takesplace in aspens. And they also want to tryout their red-wood gene on other speciessince it affects a genetic pathway that iscommon to many hardwoods.

The researchers have applied for a licensefrom the U.S. Department of Agricultureto plant the red aspens outside, so they canbe studied as they grow to maturity in anatural environment. They are also seek-ing immediate copyright protection of theirprocess.

This article is repriniedfrom THE NORTH-ERN LOGGER AND TIMBER PROCES-SOR, Nov'96

JANIFEB 1997 • 19

SEED BUGS AND LADY BEETLES-SEARCHING FOR BEDS BUT NOT BREAKFAST!

By Douglas C. AllenIn recent years, the tranquility of New

York's fall season has been marred by in-creasing numbers of unwanted guests thatinvade homes and other dwellings. Gener-ally this is a relatively quiet time of year asfar as insect 'pests' are concerned. Exceptfor the occasional problem with yellow jack-ets and cluster flies, we anticipate insect ac-tivity around the home to subside as tem-peratures cool and day length shortens. Thisexpectation, and the fact that large numbersof conspicuous insects inside the home are,at best, a nuisance is probably why the in-creasing abundance of a seed bug and a ladybeetle over the past few falls has been soannoying. It is unlikely that these fall inva-sions will subside in the foreseeable future,so I thought while the intruders were freshin your mind it might be an opportunity totell you something about them!

THE CULPRITSThe larger of these two insects, known as

the leaf-footed seed bug because a segmentof each hind leg is expanded and "leaflike",is native to North America (Fig 1.) Appar-ently its original distribution was limited tothe west coast, but during the mid-1980s and

Fig. 1. Adult seed bug. Actual length = 0.7".

20 • NY FOREST OWNER

early 1900s, it was discovered in easternCanada and the northeastern United States.Since then populations have increased rap-idly, and now it is a common member of theinsect fauna throughout eastern North

transform into adults, the insect's statuschanges from one of entomological interestto that of a major household pest. It is inearly to mid-fall that adults seek suitablehabitat for overwintering. In nature, this is

Fig. 2. Norway spruce cones.

America. The immature stages (nymphs)feed on seeds in developing conifer cones,including Norway spruce (Fig. 2),Douglas fir and several species of pine.Adults feed on developing flowers, succu-lent shoots and young cones. In the south-eastern and western parts of the country seedbugs are considered important pests in seedorchards. The latter are plantations of treesmanaged specifically to provide geneticallysuperior seed.

BIOLOGYAfter mating in the spring, light brown,

cylindrical eggs approximately 0.1" long aredeposited in neat compact rows on theneedles of the host tree. Following egg hatchthe young nymphs move to developing conesand feed on the seed within by inserting theirpiercing -sucking mouthparts. The insect in-jects saliva into the seed which partially dis-solves the endosperm (the solid portion orcenter part of the seed) and this liquid is thensucked into the bugs digestive system.

Generally, feeding causes no detectableproblems on conifers in urban forests or treesmaintained for ornamental purposes. Whenthe brightly colored nymphs complete feed-ing by late August or early September and

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

accomplished under loose bark, in stonewalls and other substrates where there is adegree of protection from the elements.

Unfortunately, these bugs have "discov-ered" that dwellings, woodpiles, stackedlumber, and other habitats created by hu-mans also are ideal refuges. Leaf-footed seedbugs are strong fliers and recent studies witha western species indicate that the male pro-duces an odor which is very attractive to bothsexes, called an aggregating pheromone(ferro-mone.) This ability to fly significantdistances and to attract conspecifics ac-counts, in part, for the large concentrationsof bugs that can be found overwintering incertain locations.

Members of this family of bugs possess ascent gland on each side of the body betweenthe bases of the middle and hind legs. Theseglands emit an unmistakable odor when theinsect is disturbed. This odor probably playsa role in discouraging predators.

The second invader that has gained muchnotoriety in the fall is known as the AsianLady Beetle. As the name suggests, this in-sect is native to eastern Asia. These vora-cious predators were purposely introducedinto several states for the biological controlof aphids and scale insects that infest pecan

JANIFEB 1997

Fig. 3Adult of the Asian lady beetle. Actuallength = 0.25".

and various fruit crops. The oval, brightlycolored beetles vary is size and color. Theymay be as large as 0.25" in diameter (Fig.3) and vary from a mustard yellow to darkred. Most are clearly marked with varyingnumbers of conspicuous black spots, butspots can be very indistinct or totally ab-sent.

BIOLOGYThe eggs are deposited in the spring on the

undersides of tree leaves. The immaturestages, called larvae, are very effectivepredators of many sucking insects. Whenlarvae have completed development, theytransform into the pupal (pew-pull) stage,from which the adults eventually emerge.With the arrival of fall, the beetles begin todisperse in search of suitable overwinteringsites. It is at this time that large numbers col-lect on the sides of houses and, if they cangain entrance around windows, doors orother openings, soon become a nuisance in-

side. When disturbed, the beetle exudes adroplet of yellowish liquid which can stainwalls and ceilings. As in the case of the odorgiven off by the seed bug, this liquid prob-ably has an antipredator function.

MANAGEMENTFirst of all, it is important for homeowners

to realize that neither the bug nor the beetlewill do physical damage to buildings or con-sume food stuffs. They invade structuressolely for the purpose of overwintering.When warm weather arrives in spring, bothinsects will leave as quickly as they arrived.

There are two tactics at your disposal tominimize this nuisance. First, a good defen-sive measure is to be sure that storm win-dows and doors fit tightly and attic vents areproperly screened. The best offensiveweapon is a vacuum cleaner! This approachis especially useful for removing the ladybeetles without leaving a yellowish stain.Vacuum window sills and remove insectsfrom walls and ceilings in this manner tosave time and avoid handling. Neither in-sect will bite and both can be handled safely,but a vacuum cleaner is quicker and leavesno residue.

Check firewood before bringing it into thehouse. Wood piles are favored habitats forthe seed bug, and serve as a source of re-peated introduction even after cold weatherarrives. A

This is the 30th in the series of articles con-tributed by Dr. Allen, Professor of Entomol-ogy at SUNYIESF.NYFOA has prepared: 1) a book of thesearticles suitable (digitized @600dpi)forre-production and distribution by institutionsand others ($25-mailed); 2) photocopiessuitable for individual use ($6-mailed.) Con-tact the editor.

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LETTERSLOW RISK FELLING

I would like to comment on PeterLevatich's article "Of Dangers, Accidentsand Risks", in the Sep/Oct '96 issue. Myconcern is parts D and E of his article thatdeals with his felling technique.

This really needs some clarification, per-haps with diagrams. I even had the opportu-nity to show this article to a professional inthe tree service business. He was equallyconfused.

I would appreciate further information/ex-planation on this technique.

Thank you.-James D. DeLellis, ClarenceSee Peter Levatich's response on page 9.This cut requires some practice but is highlyrecommended by professionals familiar withthe results.

FOREST FIRES"The right amount of fire is as essential asthe right amount of rainfall and sun-Ught"-Sharon Hermann, fire ecologistcommenting on an article, THE ESSEN-TIAL ELEMENT OF FIRE by M. Parfit &R. Gelnnan in the Sept. '96 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC-From CAPITAL IDEASof the Alabama Forest Owners' Association

BIODIVERSITYJack McShane, President of the Catskill

Forest Association, in his summer messagein CFA NEWS referred to NormanRichards' view of attaining maximum biodi-versity as five landowners say with one thou-sand acres each, contiguous:

No.1 Practiced a well thought outmanagement plan.No.2 Continuously & repeatedly highgraded.

No.3 Did a complete clear cut.No.4 Allowed wildfire to rage.No.5 Did absolutely nothing.

Jack thought the view an interesting hy-pothetical.

HUNTING LEASES & LIABILITYThe Alabama Forest Owners Assoc. an-

nounced that they have 1000 forest ownersand 2000 hunting clubs using their groupliability policy to cover hunting activities on800,000 acres.

For further information: R. Lee Laechelt,Exec. Vice President, PO Box 361434, Bir-mingham, AL 35236 (205/987-8811)

JANIFEB 1997 • 21

A BATH IS MORE THAN GETTING CLEAN

By Jane Sorensen Lord" PHD, OTR, NDIt's here!The cold, the frost, the wind!And the blues, the blahs, the chilblains,

colds and flu.For me, as well as friends and clients I use

and recommend one of the world's most an-cient therapies. Water-with herbs, spicesand perfumes, of course.

For a bath to be the most effective, it shouldbe hassle and worry free. You should planto relax a while or go to bed afterward.

You need a few items: large nonslip bathmats for inside and outside your tub forsafety; a bath tub pillow for comfort andlarge towels and/or a terry cloth robe tobundle up in afterwards; several cheap, thin,rough washcloths and rubber bands to makeherb tea bags/washing pouches.

Of course you need a selection of herbs,spices and scents. You can use herbs andspices (dried) you have gathered or herb teasfrom the health food store. For scents youcan use your favorite perfumes or after shaveor splurge on a couple of aroma therapy

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22 • NY FOREST OWNER

agents. You can pick out the smells that ei-ther stimulate or calm, depending on yourintent for your state of mind.

You will also need 12 oz. cans of evapo-rated milk, a quart bottle of 100% aloe geland a couple of pounds of kosher or Epsomsalts. The milk or aloe soothes the skin. Thesalts are supposed to draw out poisons.

Now, there is no one particular recipe ormethod to follow. You can create an herbformula for whatever is your fancy. The herband spices have the same effect in a bath asin a tea you drink.

Let's say you have fleeting aches and painsand may be coming down with a cold. Youalso feel extra tense by changes at work.Andyou've noticed you are a bit edgy at night.

You decide to use elder flower for yourcold and mint to calm you. You pick laven-der and rose oils for their tranquilizing aro-mas.

First you make a bundle of the herbs in thewash cloth and secure it with a rubber band.You shake about ten drops of each the lav-ender and rose onto the cloth. You can alsoshake them directly into the bath water. Butgo easy with smell. Too much can over-whelm a small room like a bath and makeyou focus on that rather than relaxation.

Now, start the bath. Test and retest the tem-perature of the water as the tub fills and be-fore you get in. It should be comfortable,not too hot. "They" say no warmer than110°F.

When the tub is about a quarter full, pourin a cup of the salt (to draw out the cold)and a cup of aloe (to soothe the skin.) Youswitch between aloe and the milk for yourskin. If you have herb oils on hand, you canuse 10 drops in your bath in addition to the

NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO

above. :.NEVER use more than that. .. It canbe dangerously slippery.

Now throw in the wash cloth "tea bag." Letthe tub continue to fill and make sure thebag soaks ten minutes. Some herbs color thewater. I like hibiscus which turns it red.Chamomile tints it yellow and lavender, deeppurple!

Now test the temperature one last time andstep into the healing water. Slide down sothat as much of you is submerged as pos-sible and adjust the bath pillow. Squeeze thewash cloth pouch a few times and swirl itaround distributing the herbal essence.

Then, after you've relaxed for ten or fif-teen minutes breathing the aromas (inthrough your nose and out through yourmouth) begin to massage yourself in smallcircles with the pouch. Again "they" say thatcounter-clock wise circles help you relaxwhile clock wise circles stimulate.

While you are massaging, open up the stopand let.the water out. As the water drainsaway continue your massage, but also imag-ine that the water is taking your cold andstress with it down the drain.

When the water is out, slowly turn ontoyour hands and knees and lift yourself fromthe tub. Go slow, the heat can make you alittle light-headed. Cuddle yourself dry thenrest or go to bed.

Sleep usually comes easily. You feel like adream! ~

Dr. Jane, a regular contributor; is a MasterForest Owner and Certified Tree Farmer.She has a private consulting practice in Oc-cupational Therapy and Naturopathic Medi-cine and teaches on the Faculty of Healthat Indianapolis University.

JANIFEB 1997

The MarketplaceATTENTION small woodlot owners/part time loggers - For FARM! winchesand VALB Y chippers, write Hewitt's Hill Haven, Locke, NY 13092 or call (315)497-1266 (Before 8AM or after 6PM).

MEADOWVIEW NURSERY: QUALITY FIELD GROWN SEEDLINGSAND TRANSPLANTS for reforestation and establishing wildlife habitat.SPECIALIZING IN NUT TREE & WE1LAND VARIETIES. P.O. Box 241,Byron, NY 14422 (716) 548-2207 FAX (716) 548-9014.

FOR SALE: 170 acres Allegany County; 80 acres pine and hardwoods; deer,turkey, grouse; call Henry Hansen, evenings (716) 334-3569; Good project forinterested woodsman.

WHITE OAK NURSERY: DECIDUOUS SEEDLINGS, TUBE GROWNSEEDLINGS, WHIPS TO 5 FT, B&B STOCK including most commercialhardwoods and premier native shade trees and ornamental shrubs of the East. Forreforestation, naturalizing and landscaping. 8456 Harpers Ferry Rd., Springwater,NY Livingston County 14560716/669-2960

READY TO BUILD: 22.7 Acres, surveyed, good well, septic test approved, 15acres of beautiful woods, very private, shed and garden, 5 minutes fromCobleskill. CaU518/234-3984

FOR SALE: 611 acres mix woods with streams and over 4000 ft. frontage onprivate 3/4 mile-long lake, borders state land-Fulton County-l hour west ofAlbany-$115,000 RRSTERGAS, Broker, 5181762-4484.

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Circulation 1800.

FORECON INC.Forestry - Recreation - Ecology - Conservation

Now With Three Offices to Better Serve Your Needs!!!Main Office 100 E. 2nd St., Jamestown ,NY (716) 664-560211 N. Main St., Suite 202, Cortland, NY (607) 753-3113314 E. Fourth St., Emporium, PA (814) 486-1276

NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA -1-800-836-3566 - INFO JANIFEB 1997 • 23

NEW YORK FOREST OWNERS ASSOC.PO BO)( 180FAIRPORT, NY 14450

R.J. Fox, EditorRD#3, Box 88Moravia, NY 13118FaxlPhone (315) 497-1078richard_fox@nyforest.edu

DEBBIE GILL.

NOTICETHE FOREST OWNER is mailed

third class and will not be forwarded.Notify Administrative Secretary DebbieGill, PO Box 180, Fairport 14450 or call1/800/836/3566 with a change in ad-dress!

Nolan'sSporting Supplies

Outdoor Equipment Specialist

37 • 47 Genesee StreetAuburn, NY 13021

315/252·7249

NYFOA SPECIALSThe following promotional items especially designed for

NYFOA may be obtained from Deborah Gill, AdministrativeSecretary; PO Box 180, Fairport, NY 14450; (716) 377-0391or directly from and with support for your local chapter:

Shoulder Patches $2.00 50% Cotton T-Shirts $8.00Window Decals 0.50 100% Cotton T-Shirts 9.00Member Sign 2.00 Long-sleeved Shirts 13.00Pewter Lapel Pins 4.00 Sweatshirts 16.00

PLEASE PROVIDE SIZE & PHONE NO.

For Information OnBluebirds, Bats & Bugs,

Beavers and .Call our FREE information Database

and Debbie will get the answers for you.INFO RMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

1-800-836-3566

24 • NY FOREST OWNER NYFOA ·1·800·836·3566· INFO . JAN/FEB 1997

9709Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMoravia, N.Y.

13118Permit No. 21

FOUNDED 1963

WOODLOTCALENDAR

JAN 15: WFL; 7:30 PM; Panel Dis-cussion; Highland Ave. ;Rochester;716/367-2849

JAN 29-31: NYSAF; The MaineReferendum - NY Lessons;Liverpool; 315/348-2208.

FEB: NFC; Evening; 716/874-4074.

MAR 5: WFL; 7:30 PM; TBA;Highland Ave., Rochester.

MAR 15: NFC; Pancake Bkfst.;Dave Colligan.

APR 4-6: TIO; Expo & Conference;Guthrie Inn; 800/253-3662.

APR 26: NYFOA SPRINGMEETING; Syracuse.