The articles on this page are intended for and available to Cornell Cooperative Extension and partner organizations who can use these for their educational publications. Minor editing is permitted to account for changes in geography or local need, provided the educational message of the article is not altered. If you use these articles, please send an email to Peter Smallidge with the publication date, name of the publication/organization, and the URL (if applicable). Send this information to pjs23@cornell.edu. If you have any questions about the use of these articles, please contact Peter Smallidge.

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Table of Contents – Please select from the following topics to jump to the appropriate article.
American Beech Control
Annual Maintenance
Autumn Olive
Betulaceae
Buckthorn
Conifer Identification
Emerald Ash Borer – The Aftermath
Fence Design
Forest Planning
Forest Succession
Hardwood Regeneration
Harvesting Aesthetics and Forest Sustainability
Herbicides – Mixing Volume and Concentration
Improving Your Woodland
Integrated Vegetation Management
Logs to Lumber
Markets and Low Grade Trees
Oaks: Red and White
Protecting Seedlings and Wildflowers
Silvopasture – Assessing Site Potential
Single Stem Herbicide Treatments
Small Parcels
Small-Scale Maple Production
Sugarbush Assessment
Sugarbush Maintenance
Tree and Log Scales
Tree Identification Features
Tree Vigor
Trees to Cut During a Harvest
Trees to Retain During Thinning
Understory Clearing for Reforestation
Vegetation Management Matrix
Walnut Identification
Wildlife Habitat in Woodlands
Woodlot Soils
Young Forest Health

Other Articles

Betulaceae – The genera and species of the birch family (Betulaceae) can lookquite similarfor many of their features.Fortunately there are several features that can help in the differentiation of genera and species.   

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Anticipating the Next Forest: Ecology and Management for Sustaining Forests – Consider a long-term time frame to think about private forests specifically and broadly; how they used to look, how they have changed, and visualize what future private forests will provide to future owners.   

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Trees to Retain During Thinning – Thinning your woods is analogous to weeding your garden; you remove undesirable plants while providing more sunlight to the desired plants.  

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Trees to Cut During a Harvest – Selection criteria and methods for woodlot harvesting.  

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Assessing Woodlands for Silvopasture – Silvopasture is a land-management system that simultaneously focuses on the sustainable and integrated production of trees, forage and livestock.  

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Assessing a Maple Woods for Sap and Syrup Production – Maple production is compatible with goals that include timber and firewood harvesting, and in some cases offers additional economic and personal opportunities for the owner. 

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Annual Maintenance in Support of Woodland Management – Woodland owners have different styles of management, from fairly casual to fairly regimented. All different strategies can work, but there are annual maintenance, management and practical activities that are enjoyable, useful and support the objectives of many owners.

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What is tree vigor and why does it matter? – Dead and dying trees are a normal part of woodlands, and have value for wildlife, aesthetics and nutrient cycling. However, woodland owners want predominantly healthy trees. Tree health is often thought of as the absence of biotic or abiotic factors that stress the tree and limit its physiological capacity.

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Features of Trees Useful for Identification – Woodland owners who learn how to identify the trees and other vegetation on their property are better able to enjoy their land, and will make more informed decisions about their management actions. The terminology associated with dendrology, the study of trees, can be overwhelming.

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Tree and Log Scales – Tree and log scaling rules were developed to aid in the buying and selling of trees and logs. The rules provide a method to estimate the volume of wood in the tree or log, and thus assign some value.

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Red and White Oak – Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and white oak (Q. alba) occur throughout all of New York, except for portions of the upper elevations in the Adirondacks. White oak tends to be more restricted to drier soils; northern red oak has a broader tolerance for soil moisture.

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Forest Vegetation Management Matrix – Woodlot owners and forest managers face a growing number of problematic plants in wooded landscapes. There are numerous practices and treatments that can be applied to regulate the abundance of these problematic plants, whether native or non-native, collectively considered as interfering plants.

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Clearing a woodland understory: vegetation management that supports reforestation – The establishment of new plants, particularly tree species, requires that sunlight is available at the ground level. Some species may tolerate less sunlight than other species, but most tree species do best with moderately high light levels.

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Assessing the success of hardwood regeneration – For four decades or more interest in sustainable and “regenerative” forestry has been of primary interest to many people and organizations.

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Treatment of autumn olive and other interfering shrubs – Autumn olive is an introduced species and recognized as invasive because it can readily colonize fields, open woodlands, and may invade the interior of woodlands.

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Treatment of Single Stems of Undesired Woody Plants – There are many circumstances and species of woody shrubs, subcanopy, and canopy trees for which treatment of individual stems might be the optimal strategy.

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Protecting Seedlings and Wildflowers from Deer Browsing – Woodland owners often question why they can’t grow plants that they desire in their woods.

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After Emerald Ash Borer: Considering What to Do When Canopy Trees Die in Your Woodlot – The emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) will have significant impacts on eastern hardwood forests. In many areas the impact has happened.

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Aren’t they all just “pines”? Conifer Identification – Fall and winter are great seasons to learn about the needle-bearing trees that most people call “pines.” These trees have needles, and may also be called evergreen.

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Promoting Healthy Tree Growth in a Young Forest – The patterns of tree growth in brushy areas of young forest mature is called succession. Forest succession, also called forest development, is typically predictable.

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The Benefit of Markets for Managing Low-Grade Trees – Considerable attention is given to high-value trees, particularly how to grow them and their value when harvested. The harvest of just the high-value trees from a woodland is known as high-grade harvesting, selective cutting, or simply “high-grading.” This unsustainable practice has also been discussed because it diminishes the ecological and financial value of a woodlot.

pdf            MS Word jpg fig. 1 LGT jpg fig. 2 LGT jpg.fig. 3 LGT jpg fig. 4 LGT jpg fig. 5 LGT jpg fig. 6 LGT   Managing Woodlands to Improve Wildlife Habitat – Most landowners own their land for a variety of reasons, though at any point in time one objective might be of more interest than other objectives. For many woodland owners, they are interested in seeing more wildlife, whether as birds or game species, or just knowing they are providing habitat. Some owners prioritize creating habitat that they know will benefit wildlife, regardless of what they personally see.        pdf            MS Word jpg fig. 1 MWW jpg fig. 2 MWW jpg.fig. 3 MWW jpg fig. 4 MWW jpg fig. 5 MWW jpg fig. 6 MWW jpg fig. 7 MWW

 

Seasonal Control of American Beech – American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is a native species that has many desirable attributes, but suffers from an insect-disease complex that results in the majority of beech trees dying.

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Which Walnut Is It? – Is it black walnut or butternut? What’s the difference? These species are common in some areas of NY, and have numerous positive attributes. It’s not common to have both on the same property, though it is possible. Both are prized for the beauty of their wood, the utility of the walnuts they produce, and their stately appearance. Both have some serious health concerns.

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Getting Started with Small-Scale Maple Syrup Production – Making maple syrup is a time-honored tradition for woodlot owners, and anyone who has even a few maple trees. The process is as simple as boiling sap, but attention to a few details will make for a more pleasant, productive, and safe experience.

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Buckthorn – Control of an Invasive Shrub – Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and common/European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) are common in many parts of NY, and can aggravate many ownership objectives. A variety of chemical and mechanical (i.e., organic) methods are available to control these species.

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Strategies to Improve Your Woodland – Many landowners, especially those new to the process of managing their woodlands, want to know if and how to make improvements. This is a common question that illustrates an interest and commitment by the owner to be more fully invested in their property.

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Harvesting Aesthetics and Forest Sustainability – Forest harvesting, or logging, happens throughout New York. Harvesting is often described with unfavorable terms, but those terms or labels need to be considered relative to some standard or measure of performance. Labels such as good, bad, or ugly are subjective.

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Low-Cost Fence Designs – to Limit Deer Impacts in Woodlands and Sugarbushes – The effects of deer browsing on woodlands and sugarbushes can have long-lasting effects (called “legacy” effects) that persist for decades after deer impacts are reduced.

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Small Parcels  – In New York and most of the eastern states, the greatest proportion of woodland owners have relatively small parcels. A “small” parcel size is not defined, but often considered to be greater than 10 acres, or less than 50 acres.

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Forest Succession – The succession of plant communities is a process that has drawn attention from woodlot owners, ecologists and foresters for decades.

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Logs to Lumber – Wise Use of Renewable Resources – A common feature of managed woods, and an aspect that has made them popular among farmers, woodlot owners and maple producers is the potential to harvest logs and produce boards.

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Integrated Vegetation Management – controlling undesirable woody plants in the forest   – American beech and many other native and non-native woody plants can dominate a woodland, exclude or limit the regeneration of desired plant species, and limit the biodiversity of the site.

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Maintaining a Healthy Sugarbush – A sugarbush is a special type of woodland. Woodlands include a complex mixture of natural processes and attributes such as soil type, elevation, tree species, types of wildlife, history of use, tree age and more.

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Mixing herbicides – starting and ending concentrations – Interfering plants can complicate the plans of woodland owners and foresters to regenerate desirable trees species, or otherwise enjoy the benefits of their investment. In some circumstances mechanical or organic methods can be used to control interfering plants.

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How to Use Soils information for Woodlot Management – An understanding of forest soils will hlep owners manage their woods for improved tree health and more efficient growth of trees.

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Other Articles available below.

• Woodland Guidelines for the Control and Management of American Beech
• Early Detection of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) in Small Northeastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) Woodlots
• Silviculture and Invasive Insects
• Biology and Silvicultural Management of Sirex Woodwasp
• Controlling Invasive Species in Woodlots
• Enhancing Wildlife Habitat
• Forest Gardening
• How to Choose Firewood Trees
• The Stewardship Ethic: A Guide for Using Your Land
• Tree and Forest Health
• Biomass to Biofuels in the Woodlot