In These Woods Issue One: March 2021 - Getting Started - Cornell Cooperative Extension
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In These Woods:
In These Woods
Getting Started
Issue One: March 2021
sWelcome to In These Woods!
“In These Woods” is an educational series celebrating all things woodland. Between March and
November, readers receive a monthly issue covering a wide range of topics. This is a great resource for
woodland landowners (new and old), stewards, enthusiasts and anyone looking to learn more about
forest systems.
You’ll also find many tools and insights for both the beginner and expert levels. Our 2020 readers will
see new articles and resources to keep you moving forward. If you’re joining for the first time, welcome!
There is something in here for everyone, just like the woods...
2021 Issues:
April - Understanding Forest Ecology
May - Woodland Enhancements
June - Wildlife & Recreation
July - Agroforestry
August - Timber Management
September - Invasive Species
October - Protecting Your Forest Assets
November - Bringing It all Together
In These Woods Woodland Stewardship Series is a collaboration among Cornell Cooperative Exten-
sion of Columbia & Greene Counties, New York City DEP, USDA Forest Service, and the Watershed
Agricultural Council’s Forestry Program
March 2021
Contents
2 About Us
6 A Forester’s View
9 Meeting Your Woods
10 Using Maps to Learn & Plan
16 Activity: Distance Pacing
17 Families in the Forest
18 Resource Collections
19 Woodland Owner Networks
1
About Us
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) is dedicated to working with communities to meet the needs we have
and prepare for the bright future we see and share. CCE was first established in both Columbia and Greene
counties in 1917. We joined togther in 2012 to better serve both communities. Today, CCE Columbia &
Greene works with residents, governments and partners in pursuit of a simple, yet powerful mission:
Our Mission
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties puts
knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological and agri-
cultural sustainability, and social well-being. We bring local experience
and research-based solutions together, helping individuals, families and
communities in Columbia and Greene Counties thrive in our rapidly
changing world.
You can learn more about the programs and services we provide on our website. You can also contact
us directly to help overcome a challange, share stories and gather tools to help you achieve your goals.
Below is the contact information for our two offices. We look forward to hearing from you.
Acra Hudson
Agroforestry Resource Center Extension Education Center
6055 Route 23 479 Route 66
Acra, New York 12405 Hudson, New York 12534
(518) 622-9820 (518) 828-3346
Email us at: columbiagreene@cornell.edu
Or visit our website:
http://ccecolumbiagreene.org/
March 2021
Agroforestry Resource Center
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Agroforestry Resource Center (ARC) was established in 2003 to
help sustain the vast, privately-held forest resources in the Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountains and
surrounding region. It is home to the Agriculture and Natural Resources team who focus on regional
education and outreach in all woodland and working landscape subject areas.
Agroforestry is defined as the combination of agriculture and forestry practices that create integrated,
productive and sustainable land-use systems. These practices can include ginseng, mushrooms, maple
and other high-value products.
Through a variety of programs and partnerships, CCE offers land stewards economically viable and
ecologically sustainable practices to help preserve and manage woodlands. The ARC includes a diverse
and talented group of natural resource educators, an interactive indoor space and a 142-acre model forest
that supports an outdoor “laboratory” for demonstration, research and hands-on workshops.
To learn more about the Agroforestry Resource Center, visit:
Agroforestry Resource Center
3
Siuslaw Model Forest
Siuslaw (Sy-use-luh) Model Forest is our 142-acre living classrom. It’s one of our greatest educational
resources and sits right across the street from the Agroforestry Resource Center in Acra. Our Natural Re-
sources team and its partners manage this diverse property for all to experience. It’s home to innovative
demonstration sites, habitat, trails, and real-world examples of woodland stewardship principles and best
management practices.
History
In 1956, Eric Rasmussen, a forester educated at the
College of Forestry in Syracuse (now SUNY ESF),
embarked on a career as the owner of Lange’s Grove
Side Resort. For the next 50 years, Eric pursued
his interest in forestry through the sustainable
management of 150 acres of land owned by the
resort. Eric named this property the Siuslaw Tree
Farm. Siuslaw is a Native American word meaning
“land of the far away river,” referring to the Hudson
River. The name was also a tribute to the Siuslaw
National Forest in Oregon, where Eric worked as a
forester in the 1950’s. In 2006, Eric and his family
generously donated the Siuslaw Tree Farm to
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County
(CCE Greene) so that the forest would continue to
be managed to provide research and educational
opportunities in the future.
Eric working on a bog bridge, Fall 2020
March 2021
Siuslaw as a Model:
In 2007, Siuslaw was designated a NYC Department of Environmental Protection Model Forest. Siuslaw
is one of four model forests in the region that all demonstrate the importance of sustainable land
stewardship, forest health and water quality protection through education.
Today, Cornell Cooperative Extension hosts many public education programs in the forest and partners
with researchers, ecological monitors, and other institutions and organizations like SUNY ESF and the
Watershed Agricultural Council’s Forestry Program to bring these resources to the community.
The Siuslaw Model Forest is open to the public during our regular business hours (8:30-4:00 Mon-Fri).
There are miles of trails for non-motorized recreation and many interpretive signs that educate around
best management practices and activities you can bring home to your woods.
Demonstrations
Mushroom Laying Yard Best Management Practices (BMP)
See how we grow shiitake and oyster Walk the woods roads and learn about open
mushrooms on sections of logs. The laying topped culverts, broad based dips, water bars
yard is a great first step in planning a and other techniques for preventing erosion
backyard or small commerical mushroom and protecting water.
operation.
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) Enhancements
See the different stages of growth and There are bird nesting boxes, pollinator
practices employed to restore habitat or thin houses, American chestnut restoration
dense stands of trees to encourage healthy planting, habitat thinnings and plenty of tree
forest conditions. identification markers to keep you learning!
5
A Forester’s View
Ron Frisbee
Ron acted as CCE Columbia & Greene’s Natural Resource Educator for almost a decade and soon embarks on a
retirement adventure on his family farm in Delaware County. Ron contributed endless woodland knowledge and
expereince as a career educator and beloved member of the forestry and natural resource communities.
The 2020 Forester’s View allowed me to
pontificate on the content offered each month
from a consultant forester’s perspective. As I
am leaving CCE soon to expand my “boots-
on-the-ground” presence on my family farm
and in my clients’ woods, this month will be
my last chance to influence public opinion.
For me, the lessons from 2020 include the
words Resilience, Reciprocity, and Resistance.
The words I hope will resonate in 2021 are
Renewal, Rejuvenation and Retirement. The
last one will be tempered by the fact that I am
not stump jumping like I did 20 years ago!
Get out there, Act with your heart, and Learn from your mistakes:
My warm-weather ball cap displays the question, “Got Woods?” My assumption is that you are an
eager participant in this letter series because you do have some woodlands (woods) OR there are woods
perhaps, that you do not own that are important to you. As seekers, this learning experience will be jam-
packed with resources and opportunities for further review and study. As the sage steward of our model
demonstration forest at the Agroforestry Resource Center says, “Just do it!”
The learning will occur only while taking risks. Same concept applies in your woods! I advise you to
come to know your woods from the many perspectives offered here. The journey you are starting is not a
sight-seeing outing. Spend time observing or noticing the multitude of processes at work in your woods,
then adapt and apply your learning. Learn from your mistakes….just minimize their impact by starting
out at a smaller scale when possible. Listen carefully to the “experts”, but act with your heart, as we are
mere stewards.
March 2021
“This land is your land, this land is my land…”
And so starts a song we all learned in grade school. Taken literally, our history of private land ownership
in this country is well engrained in our individual and collective psyche. Taken more holistically, the
land “belongs” to all of us. As woodland owners and as individuals who have relationships with some
woods, somewhere, we all assume some level of responsibility for the stewardship of these resources.
Often we segregate our woods into trees, wildlife, water and air resources, yet the sum is greater than the
whole as synergy and symbiosis are at work to nourish all. My hope for you, as you move through this
letter series, is that you will feel empowered to steward, brave enough to teach, and resilient to provide a
legacy.
As a young buck forester, I wrote some awesome
forest management plans that I’m sure would have met
the needs of the trees, wildlife, and water resources.
The goals of the woodland owner however, maybe not
so much, as many of the recommendations never were
implemented. Lack of contractors with markets for
low value trees was, and still is, an impediment to good
silviculture (tree growing) in my neck of the woods..
Loggers are the professionals who cut the trees, get the
wood out to the road, and often can improve access
and the health of your woods. They are synonymous
with the builder in the construction trades. The forest-
er performs like the architect to inventory the site, de-
sign a plan with the owner, and supervise the successful
completion of the project. Or you can do it yourself?
DIY has been a blessing and a curse here on the farm…
just ask my wife. A future discussion on SAFETY is in
order.
7
A Forester’s View
continued
Of prime importance as you move ahead with notions of active stewardship of your favorite woods, is a
realistic assessment of T.I.M.E.
Time Things
Intention OR I
Money May
Energy Enjoy
Stewardship may be active or passive. T.I.M.E. will often dictate the ebb and flow of your interactions
with the woods. Our woods are dynamic systems and the trees will grow. Our response to a call to
action on climate change may give us a greater stature in the eyes of folks that have counted on us
woodland owners to provide ecosystem services for free in the past. How to start?
Take a walk, observe. Read a lot and share your observations with loved ones. Try something, observe
and repeat if you like what you see. Start out with a task that seems easy for you. We all have different
learning styles! Measure success in your own terms and reward, reward, reward. “Me like cookie!” Ask
for help. This letter series offers many additional resources for you to facilitate your success. Above all, be
safe and have fun with it all.
Best trees last! Ron
March 2021Meeting Your Woods
New York State has more woods than any other state in the Northeast. Of all the land in New York State, about
63% of it is wooded. That’s 18.9 million acres, nearly an acre for each and every New Yorker!
With this vast a resource, it’s amazing how many opportunities there are to enjoy and interact with woodlands.
In These Woods offers tools and resources for everyone to use when engaging with learning and stewardship.
Woodland Owners:
Your path may be pretty straightforward. You own your woods and want to learn more about them.
Maybe you’re interested in taking a more active role to care for or work with your woods.
As a new or long-time owner, one of the most important first steps is knowing where your woods are and
what they hold. This will inform your process for developing goals and priorities. Engaging in this sort
of thinking can help you find clarity in determining next steps so you can achieve those goals sustainably.
In many cases, a forester can help you understand and develop these goals. You can also learn from other
landowners and various organizations. In These Woods will compile many of these resource for you to
take and use.
Stewards
You might be looking for opportunities to learn about stewardship or engage with the land that you care
about. Now that you know how much of the state is forested, you know that the potential is there!
In These Woods covers many stewardship practices and opportunities. You can take these tools to your
favorite woods and see what’s happening, what could happen or what might need to happen. You could
consider reaching out to a family member that has woods. You can also contact your local land trust,
parks or preserves that rely on volunteer support. Not owning a woodland does not mean that you can’t
be a steward!
Woods-Lovers, one and all!
Hikers, hunters, naturalists and admirers from afar - there is always something to learn to enhance your
knowledge and experience, whatever that may be. But you don’t have to own, work or activity visit
woods to love them. Like so many natural systems, the woods are intertwined with our lives in countless
ways. We’ll cover many of those in this series.
We hope all the readers of In These Woods find the resources helpful and empowering.
Who knows? You might even discover an entirely new topic to explore or a hidden path less traveled by to follow.
When in doubt, visit the woods and keep on learning.
9Using Maps to Learn and Plan
Nothing can replace a good walk in the woods. It’s how we engage with natural landscapes first-hand.
Over time, we make countless observations that often lead to deep connection and boots-on-the-ground
decision making.
Maps can broaden that perspective and help us see what’s beyond your iew. These tools can shed light on
a new property, reveal interesting things about woods we know well, and in some cases, offer information
otherwise unavailable in the field.
Some of the information maps can provide include property boundaries, past practices, planting and
harvesting sites, significant natural communities and rare habitat, financial program eligibility and even
regulatory considerations like wetlands or hunting zones.
When used as a learning and planning tool, maps can deepen our connection and improve our
understanding. And that can make all the difference.
Free Maps for Your Woods
Mapping tools are more widely available than ever. Many are free and user-friedly. There
are advanced programs often used by professionals, but you don’t need to be pro to make a
map.
In the following section, we’ll review a few maps to get you started. We’ll be highlighting
mapping tools throughout the series, so if you don’t see the one you need, stay tuned.
Siuslaw Model Forest Trail Guide NYS DEC Forest Health Aerial Surveys, 2007. NYC DEP Watershed Boundary
March 2021Native Lands Digital
An important starting point when exploring the woods is acknowledging the history and story behind
a property. This tool is a very easy-to-use visual aide to help begin that learning process. The map
allows you to see any location based on contemporary infrastructure markers alongside the approximate
territories, treaties and languages of indigenous populations of the region. This map is made available by
Native Lands Digital, a Canadian non-profit.
Follow this link to locate your woods:
Native Lands Digital Map
CCE Columbia & Greene Land Acknolwedgement
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Agroforestry Resource Center is located on Indigenous Lands of the
Mohicans. We recognize their sovereignty and long-standing presence on this land, which precedes the
establishment of Cornell, New York State, and the United States of America. Cornell also benefited from
the profits created from the dispossession of indigenous lands far beyond New York State (1862 Morrill
Act), mostly belonging to the Anishinaabeg Ojibwe people. Today, the descendants of the Mohicans
live primarily on the Stockbridge Mohican Reservation in Wisconsin. Our team is grateful for the
opportunity to work on this land and work in support of their sovereignty as independent nations.
To lean more about land acknowledgments, visit:
Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgement
Native Lands Digital map of the Central and Catskill/Hudson Valley region of New York State, Western MA and CT as they
are known today. The black icon marks Siuslaw Model Forest and the Agroforestry Resource Center.
11NYS DEC Environmental Resource Mapper
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hosts this free mapping tool that
includes over 70 “layers”. Layers are digital representations of information. They often highlight specific
areas of interest or features that you can add or take off your map to see the resources you want.
The Environmental Resource Mapper has specific locations for some features and generalized locations
for others, such as endangered and threatened species. Here are some of the features you can explore:
• Tax parcel data, roads and municipalities (also available on county tax maps)
• Freshwater wetlands regulated by the State of New York
• Federally regulated wetlands from the National Wetlands Inventory.
• Streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds; water quality classifications are also displayed.
• Rare Animals and plants in New York, including those listed as Endangered or Threatened
• Significant natural communities, such as rare or high-quality forests, wetlands, and other
habitat.
Below is an example of the map in use. The light blue boundary line is the Siuslaw Model Forest tax par-
cel. You can see the Sawmill Creek (blue) running through and the Bowery Creek along Rt. 23, a near-by
significant natural community (pink), and a neighboring water body and wetland buffer (green).
To find and use this map, visit:
NYS DEC Environmental Resource Mapper
March 2021Google Earth - Aerial Images
Google maps is a familiar tool whether it’s on your phone or computer. Google Earth is a
more interactive version that can really help with aerial imaging and even some planning.
You can add polygons, flags and add a few layers.
In many cases, there are aerial photos dating back years. This can help understand past
activities vs. current conditions, near-by changes to the landscape or any significant tree
health issues like large-scale defoliation.
13MyWoodlot
MyWoodlot is an interactive website for all those who own, steward, or enjoy woodlands. It is a great
collection of resources often referenced throughout In These Woods. It is a project of the Watershed
Agricultural Council’s (WAC) Forestry Program. WAC works with farm and forest landowners and
professionals in the New York City Watershed to protect water quality.
MyWoodlot also has a great mapping tool to learn about the watershed and its resources.
A unique feature is the WAC Forest Stewardship Projects layer. WAC’s Forestry Program has a
Management Assistance Program (MAP) that provides financial assistance and technical support to
landowners who wish to conduct certain stewardship activities on their forestland. This layer shows
WAC’s current stewardship activity portfolio. Funding is only available to landowners in the NYC
watershed region. Eligible stewardship projects include:
WAC Forester site visits To use this map, visit:
Tree planting MyWoodlot Mapping Tool
Riparian improvement (stream buffers)
Invasive plant control To learn more about funding opportuni-
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) ties, visit:
Wildlife improvement Management Assistance Program
March 2021Web Soil Survey
Most people don’t associate soils with woods as naturally as we do with agriculture, gardens or yards.
This is partly due to need. We don’t pursue woodland projects that require suitable soils as often as with
conventional cultivation. There are many times, though, when it’s really helpful to know what’s going on
beneath the leaf litter.
Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil
Survey. It is operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and provides access
to the largest natural resource information system in the world.
Accessing soil data can be a useful tool if you’re re-establishing woodlands through planting. You can de-
termine what soil conditions are present and compare those with the needs of certain tree species. Many
agroforestry practices, especially forest farming, can be aided by soil data. In combination with other
indicators (slope, aspect, species presence), soils can be a determining factor for understory crop success.
There are plenty of other uses such as planning forest roads or timber harvests.
To check out the soils in your woodlands, visit:
Web Soil Survey
11
15Activity: Distance Pacing
Pacing a distance with reasonable accuracy is useful for a variety of woodland management practices and
is easy to master. A tape measure should be used when exact distances are required, but pacing is a great
way to find boundaries and other features. Follow these steps to determine the length of your pace. This
is a great activity after you’ve reviewed a map and want to see how that translates on the ground!
A. Starting with one foot, count a pace every C. Divide the sum of the total number of paces
time that foot is put down. With a measuring by the number of times you paced the distance.
tape or length of rope, mark off 100 feet in a This figure represents the average number of
moderately dense forest stand. paces it took to walk the 100 feet.
B. Using a normal stride, pace the 100 feet D. The length of your pace will be each to 100
about 4 times, noting each time the number of feet divided by the average number of paces it
paces it takes to cover the distance. took to travel the 100 feet (calculated in step
3).
Example:
A person with an average pace of 5 feet wishes to find a boundary marker 138 yards away. Home many
paces will it take to cover this distance?
1. First convert yards to feet: 138 yd. x 3 ft. = 414 feet
2. Then divide the distance (in feet) by the pace length:
414 ft. divided by 5 ft. = 83 paces (rounded to the nearest whole pace)
CCE Team Leader, Connor Young, paces out Siuslaw Model Forest: woods roads are great
a milkweed field edge with his niece in tow. for practicing and measuring paces.
Goff, G., Lassoie, J., Layer, K. Timber Management for Small Woodlands, Information Bulletin 180, CCE, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
March 2021Families in the Forest
by Anna Harrod-McGrew
Everyone should spend time in the woods, no matter their age. In each letter series we will offer
suggestions and activities on ways to enjoy the woods at all ages and stages of life. Our hope is
that everyone will enjoy walks in the woods and learn a bit about their surroundings along the
way.
Late winter is a magnificent time to learn all about birds, without even leaving the house! Below
are instructions on how to create pinecone bird feeders with kids. This is a simple activity that
all ages can enjoy.
PINE CONE BIRD FEEDERS
MATERIALS
• Pinecones – any kind will do!
• Peanut Butter or Crisco
• Birdseed
• Plastic spoon/knife
• String (or pipe cleaners)
• Bowl
DIRECTIONS
1. Gather pinecones on a nature walk
2. Put bird seed in a bowl
3. Attach a pipe cleaner or piece of string to one end of the pinecone
4. Spread the peanut butter or Crisco all over the pinecone!
5. Roll your pinecone in the bird seed until it is completely covered
6. Hang your feeder outside
7. Watch the feeder and see how many different kinds of birds you can spot!
17Resource Collections
MyWoodlot
As highlighted above, MyWoodlot offers a wide selection of resources on woodlands. There are activities
and blogs from professionals and other landowners that highlight projects and ideas that you can actually
implement. The activities broadly include beauty and scenery, privacy and trespassing, recreation, reduc-
ing taxes, nature and wildlife, income, protecting water, pest, fire and storm damage, and leaving a legacy.
Create your MyWoodlot profile for free to save and organize activities and resources that match your
goals. Follow the link below to begin exploring all these resources and keep up to date with new activities
that are added weekly!
Visit MyWoodlot
ForestConnect
A Cornell University resource to connect woodland users to the knowledge and resource needed to
ensure sustainable production and ecological function on private woodlands. The site houses information
for woodland stewards, educational resources and offers countless webinars on a wide variety of
woodland topics.
Visit ForestConnect
CCE Columbia & Greene
Visit our site to find resources and more information on upcoming events. Our Natural Resoures Team
is also ready to support you in all your woodland stewardship goals. Please reach out if you’re looking for
specific information, have questions about your woods, or need assistance in determing next steps.
Visit CCE Columbia & Greene
March 2021Woodland Owner Networks
Women Owning Woods
We are a group of women landowners and natural resource professionals from the Catskills and the
Hudson Valley region of New York. We’ve organized this group of professionals and landowners as a way
to foster learning experiences and discussions about forest property. Details about gatherings will be sent
out via email in our eNewsletter. To subscribe to that list you can email wow@nycwatershed.org to join.
Follow us on Facebook to stay connected, share your stories, and learn from your peers.
Find WOW on Facebook
Master Forest Owner Volunteers
The Master Forest Owner (MFO) program provides private woodland owners of New York State with the
information and encouragement necessary to manage their forest holdings wisely. Since its inception in
1991, MFOs of Cornell Cooperative Extension have helped over 1,000 landowners. The term “Master”
Forest Owner implies education as in “School-Master”. Experienced and highly motivated volunteer
MFOs are available statewide, ready to assist neighbor woodland owners with the information needed
to start managing their woodlands, through free site visits to landowners properties. The training
volunteers receive complements their experience as forest owners.
Learn more about the MFO Program
Catskill Forest Association
The Association was formed for the purpose of promoting knowledge and understanding of forest
ecology and economics; to promote long-term forest management; to educate the public and enhance the
economy of the Catskill region; to demonstrate economically feasible and environmentally sound forest
practices: to serve as a source of information about forest management; to serve private landowner rights;
and to identify and manage private forest lands dedicated to the demonstration and practices of high
standards of forestry.
Learn more about the CFA
New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA)
The mission of the New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA) is to promote sustainable forestry
practices and stewardship on privately owned woodlands in New York State.
Learn more or join NYFOA
19You can also read
