FOREST OWNER A Publication of the New York Forest Owners Association JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 People and Trees; Partners in Time ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ Z Clearcut! ~ '" ;..( ::r: " ~ Clearcut 'n 20 OFFICERS THE NEW YORK & DIRECTORS Allen Horn, President (991) 2978 Pompey Center Rd. FOREST OWNER Manlius, NY 13104 A publication of the New York Forest Owners Association Stuart McCarty. 'st Vice President (992) Karen Kellicutt, Editor 4300 East Ave. Rochester, NY 14618 Materials submitted for publication should be addressed to: R. Fox, R.D. #3, Richard J. Fox. 2nd Vice President (991) RD 3 DresservIlle Rd. Box 88, Moravia, New York 13118. Articles, artwork and photos are invited Moravia, NY 13118 and are normally returned after use. The deadline for submission is 30 days Morgan Heussler, Treasurer prior to publication in March. 900 Porterville Rd. East Aurora, NY 14052 Please address all membership and change of address requests to John Marchant, Executive Director Executive Director,P.O. Box 180, Fairport, N.Y. 14450. 'PO Box 180 . Fairport, NY 14450 (716) 377-6060 David Colligan (993) 173 Woodbridge Ave. Buffalo, NY 14214 President's Thomas A. Conklin (1991) 10 Artillery Lane Baldwinsville, NY 13027 Message Robert Hellmann (992) PO Box 231 Brockport, NY 14420 Members living within driving Verner Hudson (993) 246 E. Main St. distance of Gurnee Woods (owned by Elbridge, NY 13060 NYFOA Director Vern Hudson) Alan Knigh\iI992) should make every effort to attend the 96 Targosh Rd. January 26th woodswalk. This is our Candor, NY 13743 first attempt at scheduling a winter Mary McCarty (993) woodswalk and has the additional 4300 East Ave. Rochester, NY 14618 novelty of being conducted on X- country skis. The Hudsons operate a Harold Petrie (991) RD 1, Box 117 commercial X-country ski venture as Parish, NY 13131 one of their uses of their property and Sanford Vreeland (993) NYFOA members will learn POBox 185 Springwater, NY 14560 something of the possibilities and pitfalls of this business in case they Don Wagner (1993) RD I, Box 203C have an interest in trying it out on Graham Road. their properties. Allen Horn Utica, NY 12870 This is just one example of the Affiliate/Chapter Representatives: interesting things that members do with their land. In talking with The Forest Stewardship program THRIFT- Niagara Frontier Donald Colton BobWhite members and reading about chapter that you have heard so much about 5595 Trinity Avenue 56 WaterSt. has been funded for another year. Lowville, NY 13367 Holland, NY 14080 and affiliate activities, I have come across a number of other innovative Congress must have been impressed Catskill Forest Assn. Tioga Richard Black Howard Ward land uses that you don't find in the by what was done the first year Catskill Forest Association 240 Owego St. forestry text books. The best way to because they doubled the Arkville, NY 12406 Candor,NY 13743 learn about these kinds of things is to appropriation for the next fiscal year. Allegheny Foothills Southern Tiel' get out and see them on woodswalks A new Stewardship Incentive Charles Mowatt Donald Kellicott DECOffice, 115 Liberty St. RD I, Box 103 or to talk with other landowners at Program (SIP) was also funded.It Bath, NY 14810 . Lisle, NY 13797 chapter meetings. If you want to get will be a cost sharing program for Cayuga Western Finger Lakes the most out of your membership in multiple-use benefits. This will be Wendell Hatfield Raymond Wager RDI 365 Log Cabin Rd. NYFOA, there is no substitute for broader in scope than the cost-sharing Moravia, Ny 13118 . Victor, NY 14564 taking an active part in the for timber production under the older organization. FIP. The money for State and Private One of the last bills passed by Forestry increased from $104 million Congress in late October was the to $183million. This is the money that NYS DEC Assistant Regional Farm Bill. This is the first time an in part finances the DEC foresters Forester Robert Demeree dis- agriculture bill has had any who come out to your property and cusses the practice of clearcutting provisions dealing with forestry. advise you. Let's hope this extra in an article that begins on Page 3. Several of these programs will be of federal money will at least preserve The photos were taken in the interest to NYFOA members and the level of service you have been Cuyler State Forest by Jim Peek. other private woodland owners. getting. Allen Horn 2 FOREST OWNER Clear-Cut - Myths, Madness and Controversy by Robert Demeree Assistant Regional Forester, NYDEC Region 7 Clear-cut is -a word that always which can be from 20to 300years. The raises controversy. The mention or regenerated stand can be cultured at suggestion of a clearcut in any area of appropriate times to thin out the country is bound to raise the undesired species, trees of low value hackles of any so-called and vigor, and achieve optimum environmentalist within a hundred spacing to assure good growth of the miles as well as a raft of other people stand. who may not normally be Probably the biggest single reason environmental activists the to apply the clearcutting technique is hunters, hikers, campers, bird that the desired regeneration is shade watchers, etc. intolerant in nature.By this, I mean Why all the hullabaloo? What is it that the desired species will not grow about clearcuts that are so well in shade. Perfect examples of controversial? That is easy to answer. this in Central New York are black The Society of American Foresters cherry, ash, and oak. It is impossible defines clearcutting as the cutting of to regenerate these three species all trees two inches and larger at without some form of heavy cutting to diameter breast height in an area allow sunlight to reach the forest large enough so that a significant floor. portion of the clearcut area will Also, clearcutting is administra- receive one hundred percent sunlight tively easy. Picture this scenario. You Clearcut 'n 100. Photo: Jim Peek during the day. In central New York, own 1010 acres of forest land. One a one acre or larger clearcut will fill thousand acres is totally forested partial cutting system. The firs of the the bill. So it is easy enough to see why without any streams, swamps, or any west are too tall and immediately clearcutting is so controversial. One other interference to management, blow down if thinned, the pines of the day, there is a stand of trees and the and 10 acres is occupied by an south routinely regenerate to an next day or the next week they are all excellent road network that will allow undesirable scrub oak complex if gone, leaving nothing but raw stumps access and harvest throughout the managed by a system of partial cuts, and generally, tops limbs and debris. tract. You, as the owner, decide to and the marvelous oaks of Central To add insult to injury, the leaves or practice even-aged management. Europe would rapidly be replaced by needles from the cut trees on the Remember the term "even-aged". beech <also true in Central New York) remaining tops turn to a rust red color You go to the far corner of your tract and on and on. In fact, the Northeast, and remain there for a period of four and clearcut 10 acres.The next year, with its maple, beech, hemlock to eight weeks and look very unsightly you go to another corner of the tract complex, is probably one of the few - not a pretty picture. Worst of all, to and clearcut another 10 acres and the regions of the world where partial most of the concerned citizens, it next year, the same and every year cutting is a viable option. appears that the trees are gone thereafter for 100 years. Obviously, Careful management by an aware "forever". Also, people are convinced the trees regenerated in the first forester or forest owner can make that clearcuts are motivated only by clearcut (of course, we are assuming partial cutting, "uneven age short term greed. successful regeneration of valuable management", work in some areas of If clearcutting is such madness, species) will be 100 years old and the Northeast. Skillful manipulation why hasn't it simply been abandoned? ready to harvest. What could be of the stand that keeps a Not only has it not been abandoned on easier? There is a harvest every year representation of vigorous healthy a national level, it is probably slightly to provide income and at the end of 100 trees in all diameter classes is increasing in total area per year. Why years, the owner has 100 10-acre necessary. The danger here is the loss would forest managers continue to fly stands, everything is wonderful, and of the intolerants such as ash and in the face of adverse public opinion? you are a proud 130 year old black cherry, and because tolerants Why indeed?The answer is simply landowner. such as beech and hemlock have such that clearcutting works. Almost Sounds crazy? Only the age of the low value, they will be eliminated, without exception, clearcuts are landowner. With the exception of and a stand of pure sugar maple may regenerated to desirable species streams, swamps, cliffs, high peaks, result. Such a monoculture has some either by natural means or by and other impediments to inherent dangers. The price of sugar planting by man. It is not uncommon management, many of the forests of maple may fall periodically due to in Central New York to have 40,000 the world are managed under fashion changes in the furniture seedlings per acre be established something that approximates this industry, but worse, monocultures are after clearcutting.