Many landowners seek entrepreneurial opportunities from their woodlands, as a way to offset management costs or as part of a business venture.  Traditional opportunities have emphasized extraction of fiber (timber, firewood, pulp) or land rental fees (hunting leases), and of course maple syrup production. 

The buying and selling of sap has also been part of the rural tradition of woodland enterprises. Often, though, the process for the transaction, how to value the sap, and how to…

Swedish traditional agroforestry!
'Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation Duration 36 min 47 sec. Nm No. 42. Movie recorded for the Nordic Museum. The film was busy under the management of Ola Bannbers. Photo Gustaf Boge, Ragnar Westfelt.'  
https://youtu.be/0S7LTbJ-ErQ

Tree identification is a perennial favorite webinar topic, and the recent webinar on conifers was no exception.  Over 100 participants on January 20 learned about the ecology and identification of 10 common northeastern conifers.  Key features were presented, but importantly the process of learning a systematic approach was emphasized.

The webinar is now archived on youtube here.

I recently wrote an article about the…

New research. Efficacy? Cost per unit and efficacy is this viable? How quickly are the new lyme carrying tcks reestablished?

http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Fungus-kills-Lyme-disease-carrying-ticks-3379407.php…

  The NYS DEC is hosting a webinar on Deer Management. You may participate online or attend the season at one of the listed locations.

We've heard from deer hunters that they don't see the deer when they are out hunting, part of the problem this year is that it was warm and the deer went nocturnal along with the full moon. Deer tend not to move in warm weather during the day after gun season starts. We here from a few citizens that they still expect to see more deer while…

Heard a story on Marketplace this morning about forest legacy planning. Not a lot of details. But the forest owners technique for getting his grandchildren emotionally invested in the land made me smile.

http://www.marketplace.org/2016/01/06/world/family-forests

Introduction to Maple Syrup Production (BF 151)



Tues. Jan 12 – Feb. 16, 2016.

Webinars will be on Tues. evenings from 6:30-8pm EST

http://www.nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/introduction-to-maple-syrup-production-bf-151/



This online course explores the possibilities of maple sugaring on…

I did a quick notice, but wanted to give a more thorough description.  This new publication has some useful information. The state forestry stats arrive every several years, and always have solid and useful information.  This time, the analysis seems considerably richer and dissects some of the underlying patterns of forest ecology and human behavior.  This is lengthy, over 100…

It seems that many areas of the United States, and the world, have more quickly adopted agroforestry practices than New York and the Northeast.  This is especially true for forest farming practices (e.g., ginseng, mushrooms) and silvopasture. Although maple syrup production is well established here.  

The potential for woodland owners to participate in and benefit from a woodland enterprise centered on gourmet mushrooms production continues to expand.  Mushroom production has…

Tree identification is a great activity, appropriate for most ages, and possible throughout the year.  Although NY and the Northeast count scores of trees, a relatively few are common.  The webinar linked below illustrates tree identification for common northeastern hardwood trees, but more importantly discusses strategies for learning how to identify all trees.

Hardwood tree identification and ecology webinar…

Many woodland owners are unsure how to get started in their woodlands.  There is plenty of advice available.  The short answer is spend more time in the woods.  Soon, then, you start to ask questions and will seek assistance.  In NY, the two best starting points are:

1. Cornell's Master Forest Owner volunteers, for non-technical assistance  www.CornellMFO.info 

2. NYS DEC Private Forest Lands …

Logs to Lumber – Wise Use of a Renewable Resources

October 1, 2015.                                 

Peter Smallidge, NYS Extension Forester and Director, Arnot Teaching and Research Forest, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Ithaca, NY 14853.

Firewood is a hot topic (pun intended) for most woodland owners.  A recent survey showed that about two-thirds of owners have collected firewood for their personal use in the last ten years.  The research on firewood production and processing is limited, but there is considerable experience among people; some of whom have heated with wood their entire life.

A webinar on "Firewood from Private Woodlands was offered on September 16, 2015.  A link to the archive is…

Hi All:

The 4-H  Forestry Invitational is a great event for youth from across the nation that exposes them, with a high level of mastery, to forest management skills and principles.  Ingrid Hill of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orange County leads that 4-H program.  Dave Jackson of PSU Cooperative Extension provides national leadership.  These efforts of course supplemented by thousands of hours of volunteer time.  Thanks and congratulations to all!!  This year, NY placed second…

If you have not previously joined a webinar, you should evaluate your connection with a test meeting here http://www.webex.com/test-meeting.html

Title – Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: Ecology, Management and Recent BioControl Research. Mark Whitmore, Cornell University Cooperative Extension

June 17, 2015 (live at noon and again at 7PM for an hour each)

Instructions:

1. Read…

New post discusses the importance of preserving the wisdom of forest stewardship for future generations.

"….One of the realizations I’ve come to having worked many hours in the woods, is that forestry and agroforestry are inherently humbling practices, because when we enter the world of trees and forests, we have to look beyond years and decades, and start thinking about centuries. Many of the consequences of the choices we make (good or bad) in our lifetime, won’t be…

1st International Birch Sap & Syrup Conference

June 12-14, 2015 at Paul Smiths College in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The main purpose of the conference is to bring together many people who are currently producing birch sap and syrup products to network with each other, share ideas, and learn about the latest research and developments in this growing industry. It is also intended for sugar makers who have birch trees and are considering adding birch syrup…

The January 21 webinar on Ecology and Management of beech was particularly useful because of the discussion it generated.  It has been archived to www.youtube.com/ForestConnect at this specific URL (here).

Note that a related webinar on herbicide use in forests is scheduled via ForestConnect on May 20, 2015, but Dave Jackson.  See the events panel …

ForestConnect Webinar Series

Obtain your registration identification code for this webinar here

https://cornell.webex.com/cornell/onstage/g.php?d=649648064&t=a

password =     ForestConnect1

Webinars are live for an hour at noon and again at 7PM, the third Wednesday of each month.

Why trees grow where they…