Discussions regarding the ecological value of wilderness compared to an actively managed forest often centers around the health and well being of specific members of the wildlife community. While the flora and fauna that a tract of wilderness supports may be strikingly similar to that which occurs in periodically logged woodlands, the relative abundance of the various plants and animals contained in each is often quite different.In wilderness regions, there eventually develops a much higher concentration of those organisms whose lives are connected either directly or indirectly to the presence of dead wood.
Forests that are protected from timber harvesting operations contain substantially more dead wood on the ground and on the stump. While some trees that succumb to a disease or insect infestation may remain upright for only a few years after they die, many remain standing for decades before they eventually fall. Standing dead trees, especially ones that are larger than a foot in diameter, harbor numerous living entities and provide many animals with shelter. » Continue Reading.
Long Lake native David Andrews finished second this summer in the 2012 Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Championship.
Andrews, who graduated in May from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse (ESF), finished just two points behind the winner, Timothy Benedict, a third-time competitor from Penn State. Andrews competed in four events, placing first in the standing block event and second in the underhand. He was one of six competitors from around the country who earned a place in the national competition by placing first in a regional qualifier. » Continue Reading.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent commitment to acquire 69,000 acres of the former Finch Pruyn lands for the publicly-owned NYS Forest Preserve over the next several years completes a 161,000-acre conservation project of national and global importance.
Conservation of the paper company’s lands was a topic fifty years ago this summer when Paul Schaefer had an interesting conversation with then Finch Pruyn Company President Lyman Beeman. Both were members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Natural Resources then studying Adirondack forests. » Continue Reading.
There is a well-known story included in the wonderful Adirondack Reader (a collection everyone on the planet should own, in my humble opinion), which happens to be one of my favorite Adirondack tales. It is a narrative account of the journey of a young teacher and his student on the Raquette River in 1843 when its course was still largely unknown to the white man. Teacher and student made it as far as they could on a raft until they were stopped by debris clogging the river near approaching rapids. There on the banks they were come upon by the soon-to-be-famous guide Mitchell Sabattis. Sabattis and party agreed to guide the young travelers, saving them from their predicament.
The two men needed a proper craft to continue their voyage, so Sabattis and his companions built them a canoe. They selected a tall conifer with a straight trunk and a diameter of a foot-and-a-half and felled it. From that trunk they easily spudded off a sheet of bark roughly five by fifteen feet in dimension. With careful cuts of the outer layer of the bark they folded the whole into a canoe shape, then sowed it in place using the roots of the very same tree as thread. To seal the threads and make the craft watertight they chewed the sap of this tree and made gum which they pushed into the holes. Thus it was that one tree – a conifer of marvelous qualities – supplied the hull of a canoe that carried four men and their gear down the rapids of the Raquette River. » Continue Reading.
Before embarking upon our extended July visit to Lost Brook Tract (where we are as you read this) Amy and I made our food list. Per my recent Dispatch it is quite a list, including a fair number of fresh or perishable items. At the top of the list is bacon, we have to have bacon. Now we both love bacon as much as the next person, if not more, but normally we wouldn’t opt for it as it is unwieldy, doesn’t keep well and makes a real mess.
But we need it: not for the bacon itself, but for the bacon grease. » Continue Reading.
The Northville-Placid Trail Chapter of Adirondack Mountain Club is sponsoring a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved 3-hour chain saw safety course on Sunday, April 29th, from noon to 3pm in Colonie, near Albany. This is the course that is required as a minimum chain saw training to obtain a chain saw certification for chain saw use on state land. This is for trail stewards and other trail workers who have chain saws and want to use them during the chain saw window from April 1 to May 24th each year. the training will be held at the Littles Lake cabin in Colonie, at the south west corner of Route 377 (Van Rensselaer Blvd) and Route 378. Participants should bring their chain saws and safety equipment. The training will include outside hands on training. The cost is $30 and participants will receive a certificate of training to provide to the DEC forester for your section along with your first aid, blood borne pathogens and cpr certifications (not being provided at this course) that are needed for chain saw use on state land.
If you plan on attending contact Tom Wemett, Chair of the NPTrail Chapter at tom@tomwemett.com, or call 518-524-8875.
In this week’s dispatch we take up the remainder of the story that delivered Lost Brook Tract intact and pristine into the 21st century. When we last left it smoke was hanging in the air and one edge of the parcel was singed, courtesy of the 1903 fires. Logging and paper companies were moving into the area to salvage lumber from the vast amounts of burned acreage.
Adirondack residents and workers were returning to normal life. Hikers were encountering and documenting the tremendous devastation in the back country, decrying the “acts of God” that caused them. Amazingly, while the damage to the forests was horrific, by and large population centers were spared. That may be a reason why people continued to see these fires as fate instead of folly. » Continue Reading.
There is a common conception that logging for prized wood such as the Eastern White Pine or the Red Spruce led to the depredations that nearly lost the Adirondacks for posterity. This is not exactly right.
In truth it was mining that led the charge to subdue these mountains. One of the early names given to the Adirondacks was the Peruvian or Peru Mountains, so named by the French – optimistically, one would have to say – and then used by early British miners as well, Peru being a country fabled for its precious ores and Incan gold. » Continue Reading.
Logging by hand has to be one of the most pointless and inefficient activities I have engaged in so far. I have been “cleaning the woods” as it were, dragging out large limbs and cutting dead trees to get wood for next year’s firewood supply. This year’s supply is large, but the quality of the wood is not that good.
When we moved here in the fall, my then-roommate and I didn’t have the money to buy firewood, and since we had fifty acres at our disposal, we figured we could cut, haul, and split our own wood. Luckily, we found a pile of logs that had been cut three years ago. It was mostly soft wood like white pine, spruce, and poplar (aspen), but it was free and dry. » Continue Reading.
The Town of Newcomb has completed its purchase of 348 acres for a total of $256,591.00 from The Nature Conservancy. The town officials hope the purchase will boost economic development and public access, particularly along the Route 28N travel corridor, and other community objectives outlined in its Comprehensive Plan, which was updated in 2009. “There are all kinds of options for these lands,” said Newcomb Supervisor George Cannon. “Now that the transactions with The Nature Conservancy are complete, we look forward to exploring those options. The log yard parcel is probably the most important acquisition; it is an excellent site for a potential business.” Cannon has been a vocal opponent of state land purchases in the past. » Continue Reading.
What follows is a guest essay from the Adirondack Forest Preserve Education Partnership (AFPEP).
On the heels of additional discoveries of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle in forests in multiple parts of New York including the Catskill Forest Preserve, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) urges all New Yorkers and visitors to comply with the state’s stringent regulations prohibiting the movement of untreated firewood, the major vector for the introduction of this insect. » Continue Reading.
Tupper Lake Woodsmen’s Days is July 9 and 10 this year. The annual event attracts thousands of visitors for two full days of timbersport events, heavy equipment contests, the Adirondacks’ largest horse-pull and chain saw carving events, as well as a wide range of games and contests for the entire family.
Woodsmen’s Days kicks-off Friday evening, July 8, with the an annual banquet open to the public. The weekend’s events honor woodsmen and women, heavy equipment operators and representatives of the wood products industry. Those wishing to attend the banquet should call the Woodsmen’s office at 359-9444 for a reservation. The Woodsmen’s Days action begins at 10 a.m. Saturday morning with a miles-long parade featuring over 50 floats, marching bands and pieces of logging equipment through the business district en route to the municipal park where the weekend’s events take place. This year’s parade theme is “Dreams, Wishes and Imagination.”
At noon on Saturday timbersports contests among lumberjacks and ladyjacks begin in the park area; the contests will run continuously throughout the afternoon. Contestants, some of the best in the United States and Canada, will chop, saw, roll and maneuver heavy logs in a number of contests that afternoon in an attempt to garner the highest number of points in each event to be declared the overall winner at the end of the daylong competition. Events will include open and modified chain sawing (four classes), crosscut and buck-saw matches, log rolling, axe throwing, human log skidding, tree felling and horizontal log chop.
Outside the staging area, as well as the lakefront area, various vendors and heavy equipment dealers will display everything from new machinery to t-shirts and caps. Games and contests, food and refreshments and live music will also be offered both days.
As soon as the parade is over, the chainsaws will come alive as they compete in a number of chainsaw carving events, including a 60 minute carving contest, which will be held outside the main grandstand area. Following the event, an auction will be held for the completed work.
Also that afternoon, at 1 p.m. in the heavy equipment area, some of the best heavy equipment operators in the northeast face off in the popular loading competition.
A highlight of the evening will begin at 7 p.m. when youngsters compete in their own games including maneuvering a horizontal greased pole. At approximately 7:30 p.m., men and women will team up in various competitions, including the popular tug-of-war and grease pole climb (also open to women).
At noon Sunday, the Adirondacks’ Largest Horse pull will kick off the afternoon. Over $3,700 will be presented to the top teams of heavy and lightweight horse pull divisions. Also that afternoon, at 1 p.m., contestants will compete in the skidding and truck driving competitions.
For information about this year’s event contact the Woodsmen’s Association at (518) 359-9444.
The Tupper Lake Woodsmen’s Days Committee has announced some new features for this year’s event, which is scheduled for July 8-10th at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park. The traditional welcome event on Friday night will be an informal family friendly BBQ at the Park with live music by the band Movin’ On. This year’s parade will kick off Saturday’s events at 10:00 am with the theme “Dreams, Wishes & Imagination.”
In addition to the traditional lumberjack competitions, chainsaw carving, equipment contests and the area’s largest horse pull, there will be live music playing throughout Saturday afternoon by Winter Camp, led by local musician Jamie Savage. Kids’ games will also be scheduled throughout the entire weekend with a grand finale magic show on Sunday afternoon. Also new this year, will be weekend passes available for pre-sale at discount prices.
Anyone interested in participating in the parade or wanting more information should contact the Tupper Lake Woodsmen’s Association at 518.359.9444 or email tlwoodsmens@gmail.com or cmccandlish@roadrunner.com.
The Tupper Lake Woodsmen’s Association is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1983. Their annual event, the Woodsmen’s Days, is held the second weekend in July. Any proceeds from the event are used to make contributions back to the community, including: Adirondack Medical Center; March of Dimes; Tupper Lake Rescue Squad; Castles of Toys; Tupper Lake Food Pantry; the Piercefield Fire Department; the local S.A.D.D. program; and Hospice.
When you buy a car or a refrigerator, you receive an owner’s manual. But when you buy a piece of land, you’re on your own. Until now, that is. A new owner’s manual is now available for New York landowners, and it’s free.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is working with the publishers of Northern Woodlands magazine to distribute this new publication that will provide New York landowners with essential information for taking care of their land and getting the most out of it. The guide, called The Place You Call Home: A Guide to Caring for Your Land in New York, is being distributed free of charge to people who own 10 or more acres in New York. » Continue Reading.
Some of the nation’s top experts on Mass Customization for the wood products industry are coming to northern New England and New York to share their knowledge with owners and managers of the region’s wood manufacturing businesses in a series of one-day workshops.
Mass customization is a promising business model that uses advances in manufacturing and information technology to produce made-to-order items that fit a customer’s unique preferences, but which are manufactured with low cost and short lead times. The approach enhances the economic competitiveness of companies by helping them better serve their existing customer base, serve new market niches and protect against overseas competition. The Regional Wood Products Consortium—an initiative of the wood products manufacturing industry in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and northern New York—will conduct specialized one-day innovation workshops on Mass Customization for the Wood Products Industry in late April and early May.
The Mass Customization Workshop is geared to leaders of small- and medium-sized wood products companies and will be repeated in five locations throughout the four-state region on the following dates:
April 26, 2011 – Augusta, ME April 27, 2011 – Concord, NH April 28, 2011 – Randolph Center, VT May 10, 2011 – Utica, NY May 11, 2011 – Glens Falls, NY
Each workshop will feature presentations by experts on the subject of mass customization as well as a local manufacturer who will share their personal experiences of using mass customization, overcoming the challenges and making it a key part of their business strategy.
Featured presenters include Dr. Urs Buehlmann of the Virginia Tech Department of Wood Science and Forest Products; Dr. Torsten Lihra of FP Innovations, Canada’s wood products research institute, and Russ Kahn of 20-20 Technologies.
The New York workshops will feature Lisa Weber, CEO of Timeless Frames, Timeless Décor & Timeless Expressions—the largest, single-site custom picture framing facility in the country.
Any wood products company in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont or northern New York is eligible to participate in any of the workshop sites at a special subsidized registration fee of only $25 per person. Full workshop details and online registration are available at www.foresteconomy.org.
All workshops are co-sponsored by the Wood Products Manufacturers Association (WPMA), Maine Wood Products Association (MWPA), New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA), Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association (VWMA), and Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA).
The workshops on Mass Customization are the fourth in an initial series of innovation workshop topics that the Regional Wood Products Consortium is conducting for wood product companies in the region. More than 90 companies have attended the previous workshops, including many that attended more than one topic. The final workshop in this initial series will be held in the fall of 2011 on “Enhancing Economic Competitiveness through Going Green.”
The Regional Wood Products Consortium is a collaboration between the region’s wood products manufacturing industry and Sustainable Forest Futures. Funding support for the Consortium is provided by the Neal and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Northeast Utilities Foundation, and the Wood Education and Resource Center, Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
More information about the Regional Wood Products Consortium and the Mass Customization Workshops can be found at www.foresteconomy.org or by contacting Collin Miller: 603-229-0679, ext. 110; or cmiller@northernforest.org.
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Discussions regarding the ecological value of wilderness compared to an actively managed forest often centers around the health and well being of specific members of the wildlife community. While the flora and fauna that a tract of wilderness supports may be strikingly similar to that which occurs in periodically logged woodlands, the relative abundance of the various plants and animals contained in each is often quite different.In wilderness regions, there eventually develops a much higher concentration of those organisms whose lives are connected either directly or indirectly to the presence of dead wood.
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