New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Lands & Forests MULLER HILL UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN FINAL Towns of Georgetown, DeRuyter, Lincklaen, Otselic, and Cuyler, in Madison, Chenango and Cortland Counties MARCH 2012 NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Region 7 Sub Office 2715 State Highway 80 Sherburne, NY 13460 (607) 674- 4036 ANDREW CUOMO , Governor JOSEPH MARTENS , Commissioner ROBERT DAVIES, State Forester ANDREW M. CUOMO JOE MARTENS GOVERNOR COMMISSIONER STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ALBANY, NEW YORK 12233-1010 MEMORANDUM TO: The Record FROM: Joseph J. MartensD~ DATE: MAR - 9 2012 SUBJECT: Final Muller Hill UMP The Unit Management Plan for Muller Hill UMP has been completed. The Plan is consistent with Department policy and procedure, involved public participation and is consistent with the Environmental Conservation Law, Rules and Regulations. The plan includes management objectives for a ten year period and is hereby approved and adopted. FINAL Muller Hill Unit Management Plan A Management Unit Consisting of Three State Forests in Southwestern Madison and Northwestern Chenango Counties Prepared By: Greg Owens, Senior Forester Jason Schoellig, Senior Forester New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Lands & Forests Office 2715 State Highway 80 Sherburne, New York 13460 607-674-4036 P r e f a c e It is the policy of the Department to manage State Forests for multiple uses to serve the People of New York State. The Muller Hill Unit Management Plan is the basis for supporting a multiple use* goal through the implementation of specific objectives and management strategies. This management will be carried out to ensure the sustainability, biological improvement and protection of the Unit’s ecosystems and to optimize the many benefits to the public that these State Forests provide. The multiple use goal will be accomplished through the applied integration of compatible and sound land management practices. The Muller Hill Unit Management Plan is based on a long range vision for the management area. Specific goals and objectives to support that vision have been developed to implement management activities on the Unit for the next 20 years with a review in 5 years and an update due in 10 years. It should be noted that factors such as wood product markets, changing social mores, budget and staffing constraints and forest health conditions may, at the judgment of the Regional Forester, necessitate deviations from the schedule. Article 9, Title 7, of the Environmental Conservation Law authorizes the Department of Environmental Conservation to provide for the management of lands acquired outside the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. Management is defined as watershed protection, the production of timber and other forest products, recreation and kindred purposes. The Draft State Forest Land Master Plan provides the overall direction and framework for meeting this legal mandate. This plan was prepared by Greg Owens and Jason Schoellig with assistance from Andrew Blum, Donna Baddeley, Christopher Sprague and Glenn Wolford from NYSDEC and John Demler from Colgate University. Muller Hill Unit Management Plan NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Lands & Forests 2715 State Route 80 Sherburne, NY 13460 (607) 674-4036 www.dec.ny.gov * Bold text words are defined in the glossary. i Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................... i Green Certification of State Forests ................................................................................................. 1 Map of the Unit ................................................................................................................................ 2 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 3 I. Information on the Unit ................................................................................................................. 4 A. History ..................................................................................................................................... 4 B. Geography - Community Profile .............................................................................................. 8 C. Geology .................................................................................................................................. 10 D. Soils ....................................................................................................................................... 11 E. Land Classification and Stages within the Unit ..................................................................... 12 F. Forest Resources .................................................................................................................... 12 G. Wetlands and Water Resources ............................................................................................. 13 H. Fisheries Resources ............................................................................................................... 13 I. Wildlife Resources .................................................................................................................. 14 J. Significant Plants, Wildlife and Ecological Communities ..................................................... 14 K. Recreational Resources .......................................................................................................... 16 L. Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................. 16 M. Property Use Agreements ..................................................................................................... 16 N. Roads ..................................................................................................................................... 17 O. Other Facilities ...................................................................................................................... 18 P. Forest Insects and Diseases .................................................................................................... 19 Q. Hardwood Regeneration & Interfering Vegetation ................................................................ 20 II. Resource Demands on the Unit .................................................................................................. 21 A. Timber Resources .................................................................................................................. 21 B. Biological Resources ............................................................................................................. 23 C. Recreational Resources .......................................................................................................... 23 D. Mineral Resources ................................................................................................................. 24 III. Constraints on the Unit ............................................................................................................. 25 A. Physical Constraints .............................................................................................................. 25 B. Administrative Constraints .................................................................................................... 26 C. Societal Influences ................................................................................................................. 26 D. Department Rules, Regulations and Laws ............................................................................. 27 IV. Vision Statement ...................................................................................................................... 27 V. Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................. 27 A. Land Management ................................................................................................................. 27 B. Public Use and Recreation ..................................................................................................... 36 C. Community Forestry .............................................................................................................. 40 VI. Management Action Schedules ................................................................................................ 41 A. Land Management Actions ................................................................................................... 41 B. Summary of Annual Stand Treatments (acres) ..................................................................... 56 ii C. Grassland Maintenance .......................................................................................................... 61 D. Boundary Line Maintenance .................................................................................................. 61 E. Public Use Action Schedule ................................................................................................... 61 F. Boundary Line Survey ............................................................................................................ 62 G. Forest Inventory Data Collection ........................................................................................... 62 VII. Glossary ..................................................................................................................................