Muskingum River Woodland Interest Group

MUSKINGUM RIVER WOODLAND INTEREST GROUP

Bi-Monthly Newsletter September-October 2019

Paul Bunyan

Show “The study of plants with- October 4-6, 2019 Guernsey County Fairgrounds out their mycorrhizas is 335 Old National Road the study of artefacts. The Lore City (Cambridge), OH 43755 majority of plants strictly From the Ohio Forestry Associ- speaking, do not have ation’s Website: roots, they have

“Join us October 4-6, 2019 at mycorrhizas.” the Guernsey County (Ohio) Fairgrounds for the Official Paul - BEH (International Bank Bunyan ShowSM, the Original American Forestry Show. Open of the Glomeromycota) to both the trade and the gen- committee, 25th May 1993 eral public, it features exciting forestry competitions, educational sessions, forestry equipment demonstrations and much more. It's a great resource for forestry professionals and fun In This Issue for the whole family! “  Paul Bunyan Show

 Bobcat Pics “The mission of the Paul Bun- yan Show is to provide access  “Not Your to current knowledge and tech- Grandpappy’s nology which enhances the quality of life and market competitiveness of Woods!” individuals, families, industries, and communities. This mission is accom-  Down to Business plished by showcasing research, products, services, and experience  Field Day registra- through educational exhibits, presentations, and demonstrations on the tion deadline Octo- forest industries, natural resources and lifestyles.” ber 18th

 MRWIG Meeting (Continued on Page 5) Schedule

1 Don’t Forget to Bobcat Pictures Report Your Bobcats in Licking County! Wildlife Sight- By Mike Dorogi, Dorogi Wood Farm Creations Custom Woodworking ings! and Furniture September 19th, 2019 Whether it’s a bobcat or feral swine, ODNR’s Divi- A deer got hit in front of my neighbors house two days ago. I decided to sion of Wildlife uses put it way out back in front of my trail camera to see what shows up (and these reports to help not stink up the neighborhood). Kinda expected coyotes and buzzards. track species within the But nice to see this guy instead. He is camping out on it - a lot of pics - state. ODNR is especially both day and night. He is trying to drag it away too. He also buries it with interested in sightings of: leaves.

 Wild turkey

 Badger

 Bald Eagle Nest  Barn Owl Deer  Black Bear

 Black-crowned Night Heron

 Bobcat

 Feral Swine

 Fisher

 Gray Fox

 Peregrine Falcon

 Porcupine

 River Otter

 Ruffed Grouse

 Sandhill Crane

 Snowshoe Hare

 Trumpeter Swan

 Weasel You can report sightings Deer here: https://apps.ohiodnr.gov/ wildlife/speciessighting/

2 “Not Your Grandpappy’s Woods!” Deer Damage in Tree Plantations By Adam Komar, ODNR State Service Forester & MRWIG Secretary

Whether it’s a singular fruit tree in a yard or white pine plantation 10,000 strong, if you’ve planted a tree recently in Ohio, you have probably had a majestic white-tailed deer chow down on all your hard work. And can you blame them? Those trees were grown for over a year in a tree nursery, probably in light, rich, loamy soils, completely protected—the deer’s equivalent to a candy cane! And when you plunk those delicious morsels unprotected near the deer’s preferred habitat, you’re just asking for disap- pointment and heartache. Whether you are thinking about planting trees, or already have an established plantation, there are a few steps you can Blue-X© tree shelter on tree planted in Coshocton County in early 2018. take to ensure your hard work doesn’t just turn out to be an expensive Photo courtesy of ODNR. bonsai. Below are three strategies, when used in tandem, which can be fairly effective in limiting damage from white-tailed deer.

Tree Shelters 1.) Exclusion Protection of newly planted trees can be broadly broken into two catego- Also known as a bluebird ries—tree tubes and fencing. While both kinds of protection exclude deer trap, mouse-house, and and other critters from accessing trees, tree tubes are generally more wasp nest, tree shelters expensive than some types of fencing once plantings are larger than the have nearly as many downsides to upsides. At half-acre threshold (for a 10’ by 10’ spacing, 435 trees per acre). Tubes $2.52 per 52” tall Blue-X© have the advantage though of being fairly straight-forward in assembly shelter, the cost of just and installation. Fencing is either electrified or not, with non-energized shelters for every tree for fencing tall and strong enough to keep jumping deer from gaining access. a one-acre planting on a Electric fence, on the other hand, relies on conditioning animals with an 10-foot grid is $1,096, not electric shock to not enter the fenced area through use of baits on the including stakes. Howev- fence. Both tubes and fencing require constant maintenance during their er, if properly installed, use, which may be several years until the tree canopy is above browse tree shelters can boost height. While all types of exclusion are very effective when installed and the growth of the trees maintained properly, cost is generally high per acre which may be a limit- within, given the trees ing factor to some landowners. were planted correctly and the site does not ex- 2.) Deterrents & Repellents perience prolonged ex- Let’s make one thing abundantly clear: “deer resistant” plants are a myth, treme weather events at least in Ohio. I was aghast the first time I saw deer browse damage on (drought, flood, etc.). Where cost is a concern, Colorado blue spruce, and am now convinced that Ohio’s white tails are shelters can be used only part goat. Edibility aside, some trees may be less palatable to Mr. Buck, for high-value plantings/ but they all look pretty good when he’s trying to rub the velvet off his ant- species (such as hard lers, or it’s the dead of winter and there’s nothing else to eat. Deterrents mast trees), or on a per- and repellents do just that—deter and repel, through smell, taste, sound, centage of the trees light, etc. They run the gamut from expensive sprays and motion-activated planted to increase over- sprinklers, to low-tech options like hanging bars of soap. all survival and success.

The key about repellents and deterrents is this: they are temporary, gen- Rabbit or Deer? erally expensive long-term, and rely on frequent application in order to be effective. This makes them useful only for short-term applications, high- When assessing damage to value plants, or disrupting behavior. If the same product is used in the seedlings, it is important to first same location over and over again, deer will habituate to it. An excellent identify if white-tailed deer are example of this was when I was working as a field tech for Michigan Tech- indeed the culprit. While there nological University in conjunction with the Wisconsin DNR back in 2009—we sprayed weekly certain shrubs that could not be excluded in a are some high-tech ways of restoration planting with Liquid Fence®. After a couple months, deer de- finding this out (using trail cam- cided they didn’t mind the taste and browsed the shrubs anyways! eras, for instance), you can quickly determine if a deer or 3.) Population Control rabbit chewed on your tree with This phrase is a four-letter word in many circles, including to many in the the naked eye. Rabbits are ro- hunting community. Whether through damage permits or legal hunting, locally reducing the size of the deer herd can help alleviate deer damage dents with sharp front teeth, and in the short-term. While the American conservation movement has been a cleanly clip vegetation when tremendous success story during the past century for game animal popu- feeding. White-tailed deer, on lations, it has done significantly less in comparison for large predators. the other hand, do not cleanly The result has been an explosion of large herbivores in many areas of the bite off leaves and twigs, leav- county, and this is becoming a bigger issue with the number of hunters in a steady decline. Of course, introducing wolves and mountain lions back ing a more ragged edge with into the landscape is controversial at best, and reducing deer densities is plant fibers exposed. not quite as simple as increasing bag limits. With an ever increasing rural- urban interface and decreasing hunting access, population control is becoming ever more difficult and more likely to run into conflict with stake- holders. Conclusion Like the title of this article suggests, current deer densities present some unique challenges our grandparents did not have to contend with, making it increasingly difficult to get good results with tree plantings. The key thing to remember is this: you can never completely eliminate deer browse damage, but you can bring it down to an acceptable level. There are plenty of informative factsheets and nifty products out there that can help you protect your trees, available online.

Ultimately though, the most pragmatic thing to do is to back up and take a long, hard look at the reasons why you want to plant trees. More im- portantly, ask yourself if what you’re trying to achieve can be accom- plished through improvement work on the existing forest on your property. All too often I see landowners spend a tremendous amount of time, labor, and capital on a walnut plantation that will not yield revenue for another generation or two, when they could instead spend cents on the dollar less on getting their existing woodland into ship-shape, thereby meeting their Hasta leaf browsed by a white-tailed objectives (financial and otherwise) sooner. deer. Photo courtesy of ODNR.

Visit an ODNR Paul Bunyan Show Service Forester (Continued from Page 1) “ACTIVITIES at the PB Show!  Ohio State Lumberjack Championships While you’re visiting Paul &  International Lumberjack Competition Babe The Bi g Blue Ox, don’t  Log Loader Competition forget to stop in the Education  Heavy Equipment Demonstrations  Arborist Skills Clinics and Demonstrations Hall and see your State Service  Chainsaw Carvers Forester! State Service Forest-  Chainsaw Clinics and Demonstrations ers can help answer any forest  Grinders and Chippers Demonstrations management questions you  Sawmill Demonstrations may have, and can put you in  Wood Stoves  Secondary Wood Products contact with additional tools and  Lumberjack and Log Burling Entertainment resources to help you achieve  Forest Industry Education and Seminars your objectives. The Education  Camping by Reservation or Walk In (water and electric) Dump station Hall is located near the South location on-site. Entrance, adjacent to the Great  All of the Latest and Greatest Forest Industry Equipment, Supplies and Services. Lakes Timber Show.  Wood Crafts  Wood Auction - All wood processed during the show will be auctioned off on Sunday afternoon. Firewood, milled wood, wood chips, mulch and more.  Awesome Food  Bobtail & Boom Truck Cruise In “

You can check up on this year’s show schedule and vendors on the “Paul Bunyan Show” page under the “Events” tab at www.ohioforest.org.

Special thanks to ODNR’s Greg Smith & Steve McGinnis for assistance with this article.

Your State Service Forester can help you evaluate your woodland and provide free advice and technical assistance regarding woodland management. Photo courtesy of ODNR.

5 “ All are Down to Business welcome!” A summary of the “behind the scenes” work for MRWIG in 2019 By Adam Komar, ODNR State Service Forester & MRWIG Secretary

Like any good club or organization, programming and events are really the fruits of thoughtful planning and hard work. MRWIG is no different, and several members have contributed a tremendous amount of time, expertise, and vast social networks to make this organization what it is today. Below is a brief summary of recent events and happenings:

We Still Need a Treasurer! So far this year, former MRWIG President Dave Bonifant has graciously volunteered as acting Treasurer, but he cannot do it forever. We are still looking for somebody to volunteer for this position. Duties of the Treasurer include: attending MRWIG business meetings, writing checks, making Even if you’re not inter- deposits, and keeping track of MRWIG’s budget. If you are interested in ested in becoming an volunteering for this position, please contact one of the Executive mem- executive member, we bers listed in the “Contact Us” column on the back of this publication. encourage and welcome any and all MRWIG mem- Reorganization bers to participate in our After the 2008 financial crisis, the IRS has tightened rules surrounding business meetings, typi- banking. This is relevant to MRWIG because since being founded, cally held the second MRWIG has shared a Tax Identification Number with OSU Extension, Wednesday of every which is no longer allowed under current rules. What this means is that month at Weasel Boys MRWIG will need to transition to a different type of organization (such as Brewing Company in Za- an LLC) in the coming months in order to remain able to utilize its bank nesville. Grab a pint, kick account. Nothing has been finalized yet, and updates will be provided back, and help us steer the direction of MRWIG when available. If you have input or advice on this topic, please let us by providing input, ad- know! vice, and opinions. Changing Plans We want to hear what you have to say! As you are probably aware of, MRWIG has had to make some changes to its event scheduling— cancelling the May meeting and combining the September and November meetings. These changes are the result of a low attendance and the challenges that come with finding a suitable ven- ue to host the Annual Field Day. We appreciate your patience with these changes, as well as the suggestions made by members to improve future events.

MRWIG Registration Form

3rd Annual Field Day & Potluck Saturday, October 26th, 3-8 PM

Instead of our usual annual banquet in November and field day in September, MRWIG has decided to change things up a bit by combining the two events! The afternoon session from 3 to 5 PM will focus on a tour of a recent prescribed burn at Blue Rock State Forest, including discussions about oak management, silviculture, streamside management zones, Ohio’s Best Management Practices for Logging, and wildlife habitat. This will be followed by a presentation on Federal cost-assistance programs, potluck, silent auction & raffle, with the even- ing concluding with a stargazing and astronomy program. Members will be able to renew their membership at the event or by completing a renewal form that will be included with the December MRWIG Newsletter.

If you are interested in attending, please fill out the form below by Friday, October 18th and mail to:

MRWIG 6665 Cutler Lake Road Blue Rock, Ohio 43720

Registration forms can also be e-mailed to: [email protected]

Name(s) of Attendee(s):

Afternoon Session Potluck, Raffle & Silent Auction Stargazing & Astronomy I will be attending (please circle all that apply): (3-5 PM) (5-6:30 PM) (6:30-8 PM)

I will be bringing the following potluck item (please circle all Main Course Side Dessert that apply):

Name of potluck item

(optional): Hasta leaf browsed by a white-tailed Silent auction or raffle item deer. PhotoItem courtesy for (circleof ODNR. one)

donated: Silent Auction Raffle

7 Meeting dates are listed below: 2019 Meeting -February 13th Contact Us -April 10th Schedule -June 12th Muskingum River -August 14th Woodland Interest Saturday, October 26th -October 16th Group Fall woodlands & potluck at Blue -December 11th 6665 Cutler Lake Road Rock State Forest All are welcome!!! Blue Rock, OH 43720 3-8 PM 6665 Cutler Lake Road President: Tim Mason Blue Rock, OH 43720 740.404.8592 Please visit www.mrwig.org or see the previous page for registration Vice Pres: Lori Totman information or call (740) 961-0194. 740.392.7275 Treasurer: VACANT Business Meetings (Dave Bonifant acting) All business meetings will take place at 6 PM the 2nd Wednesday Secretary: Adam Komar of every other month at Weasel 740.961.0194 Boys Brewing Company in Za- nesville. Visit us on the web at Serving East-Central Ohio & the Muskingum River Watershed

Muskingum River Woodland Interest Group PLACE STAMP 6665 Cutler Lake Road HERE Blue Rock, OH 43720