Developing an Understanding of Carbon Sequestration-Northeastern Woodlands

It was suggested by Brett Chedzoy that I develop a blog on the issue of carbon sequestration as it applied to forests and forest management decisions. Much of the emerging forestry science on the subject is counter-intuitive and perhaps that is what leads to the confusion. The other confusing issues are  that carbon production/release, carbon sequestration, and climate change are…

Carbon sequestration: Managing forests in uncertain times. Valentin Bellassen & Sebastiaan Luyssaert…

If anyone needs DEC pesticide Credits, this course was just approved for NYSDEC Pesticide Credits as follows:

5.50 in Categories 2, 3a, 9 and 10;

4.50 in Category 25;

3.00 in 6a;

1.00 in 1a.

ISA CEU Credit also pre-approved.

See sidebar under Upcoming Events for details.

• Sample Location: Swamps near Dodge Pond in Lyman
• Scientific Name: Prunus serotina

The black cherry tree is widely distributed in the eastern half of North America.  It grows everywhere in the United States east of the Mississippi River, except for the lower portion of that river valley itself, far northern Maine, and south of Lake Okeechobee in Florida.  It can also be found in the Canadian Maritimes, the Midwest as far west as eastern Kansas and…

Unnatural Selection

Paul Hetzler

After a winter fraught with temperature swings, ice and near-record cold such as this past one, being able to finally plant things outdoors is especially welcome. While flowers can be dug up and replanted around the yard much like arranging the lawn furniture, it is different with trees.

Consider that the act of planting a tree is in many ways a transcendent one. Sure, a new tree will give us shade, beauty, energy savings and increased…

About a year ago, I started a paper, which attempts to describe all the trees found in New Hampshire, my home state.  I started this project as a school project, where I would just observe trees and their habitats and write what I saw, but it quickly morphed into an informal research paper focused on silvics and commercial uses of the described…

Tree Pruning Workshop

Or:

Neglecting Young Trees Leads to Delinquency!

When: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Where: St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Learning Center, 40 West Main Street, Canton

Agenda:

9:30: Registration

10:00 to 10:45:Tree Wound Response & Compartmentalization

10:45 to 11:15: Trees and Threes—The Commandments of Pruning

11:15 to 12:00: Why We Prune, & Reality…

Love Trees

Generally speaking, I love trees, even those I must admire from a distance, such as the love-tree, a.k.a. the cacao, Theobroma cacao, from which chocolate is derived. Not only is chocolate associated with romance—most notably on Valentine’s Day—it can potentially help us feel more lovey-dovey thanks to some of the chemicals the tree produces.

Native to Central America, the cacao tree grows almost exclusively within about twenty degrees latitude either side of the…

Happy New Year!  and Happy New Name!  We're now Firewood for Charity (F4C) and I'm pleased to announce that Dave Keebler is the winner of the naming contest.  Dave receives a $20 gift card to use as he pleases.  Dave is very creative and hard working and.....a happy winner! 

Congratulations and thanks Dave!

It was a bit…

Emerging Invasive Forest Pests: Identification, Prevention & Management

When: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 9:00 AM until 3:30 PM

Where: St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Center, Classroom A, 40 West Main Street, Canton NY

Cost: $10.00 Includes lunch and materials.

Pre-registration required; please call (315) 379-9192. For information, email…

Many woodland owners harvest timber, yet wonder how to handle (optimize) the tax liability.  The "go to" website is www.timbertax.org

Another resource is from the USFS Timber Tax team and their annual timber tax "tips" attached here  TaxTips2018.pdf

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/news/new-smithsonian-study-links-declines-suburban-backyard-birds-presence-nonnative-plants?fbclid=IwAR0v_un3xd1Bl3QBF0sIxrJ0tcTtkIgjkTOMdaIQSGGn3e_pH_KGWyChQCw

A new mountain of great timber was donated and delivered to the landing today by the Wagner Companies.  We're extremely grateful to our partners at Wagner Hardwoods for their strong and continuing support.  David needed a wide angle lens to capture all of the wood!  There's good work to do on this mountain of logs and Eileen is in the process of scheduling upcoming C4C gatherings.…

Run, Dorothy—Emerald City is Falling

Watertown is poised to become an Emerald City, but that’s not good news. Jefferson and Lewis will soon be Emerald Counties, and St. Lawrence County began the process of change two years ago. Unfortunately, this kind of transformation does not involve happy…

I'm happy to report that 2018's hard work is paying off for Camp Onseyawa (https://www.onseyawa.org/), The Rotary and NYFOA.  The team from the Walworth-Ontario Rotary came to work on Saturday October 13 and picked up another six face cords for their patrons in and near Wayne County.  I asked Jonathan Wordingham, the team's leader, to take some pics:…

Evolution, Just for Fun

Every time I make primordial soup, it tastes terrible, but maybe some element is missing.

Roughly four billion years ago in the original batch of soup—or possibly it was a stew or even a souffle; that detail is a bit hazy—single-celled organisms first made an…

If you enjoy working in your woodlot and struggle with the undesirable trees that you may not have time and skill to safely fell, this study is designed to find a solution for you.

Many woodland owners have a large number of undesirable trees, or large trees, they would like to kill, yet they lack the skill or time to safely fell these trees. Felling also may not be desirable because of the risk of damage to nearby…

Plant a Tree or Rental It: Your Choice

Planting a tree isn’t rocket science, which is good thing. If it were that complex, I’d wager we’d have a lot fewer trees lining our streets. It may not take a scientist to plant a tree correctly, but a lot of money is spent each year to buy and plant trees which may as well be leased, because they will only live a fraction of their…

Porcelain Berry

A total lunar eclipse is likely more common than the swift removal of a novel invasive plant infestation, but fingers are crossed that such a thing happened in St. Lawrence County this summer. The plant eradication, I mean—we all know about the celestial event this past July, the first central lunar eclipse since June 2011. Thanks to the sharp eyes of Dr. Tony Beane, a Professor of Veterinary Science at SUNY Canton who is also an avid naturalist, an exotic vine capable…