THE CROSSCUT
The Crosscut is the official publication of the Maryland Forests Association.Published five times per year, The Crosscut keeps our members informed of the current issues impacting public and private natural resources, educational opportunities, and Association activities. What you are seeing on this web page is the lead article off the eight-page newsletter's front page, The President's Pen.
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From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster III
from the May / June 2008 Issue
a normal fluctuation in temperature cycles or the harbinger of either change in our local environment resulting from landscape changes or we are seeing the beginnings of climate change. Regardless of the cause, we have to adapt with change and make the most of the results.
Summer is here once again, just like clockwork, and I continue to be amazed as the trees leaf and flower each spring. Each year I seem to find several new trees and flowers to add to my recognition list. This spring, the tree pollen was exceptionally heavy, requiring me to wash our cars several times, a chore I can usually pass off to the rain or son if he wants to use one of his parent’s cars. But one of the anomalies I think I am seeing, I am told this a sign of old age, is that various plants are flowering earlier than when I recall them doing so a number of years ago. As a fisheries biologist, I know we are seeing fish spawning behavior occurring earlier in the season, and I have to assume the same is occurring with plants.
What does this mean, to some – nothing, but to a biologist, we could be seeing
With trees, adapting to changes and environmental impacts is a slow process. While the impacts from more people wanting a piece of the forest, i.e. fragmentation, are of concern, the scariest impacts will be from what people bring with them from around the world, i.e. exotic insects and diseases. We remember the remnants of decaying chestnut trees when we were growing up. We may see something similar with gypsy moth and emerald ash borer or EAB. Gypsy moth should be manageable with the proper attention. But EAB is a real threat to our ash trees and we should be planning for alternatives, especially in our urban forests and canopy areas. While we are reacting to areas of infection, we should be asking our foresters and landscapers to be proactive in selection trees for our landscapes.
The Maryland forest community has been proactive in preparing legislation for a Sustainable Forests Act of 2009 which incorporates suggested actions from The State of the Chesapeake Forests report, the Governor’s Commission for Sustainable Forests report, and numerous other study groups. The proposed legislation is being given to various parties and the public for comment in June so the inevitable issues can be ironed out before fall and presentation to the legislators. As part of the forest community, please watch for a link on the MFA webpage and please feel free to put in your two cents. ALL comments will be appreciated.
As an environmentalist, I know that change is slow and a matter of degrees, and that trees are a green way of keeping the degrees under control. So, remember that Trees are the Answer. And enjoy your summer. ~ JWF
Inside this Edition Page 2MFA members in ActionPage 3Forest Canopy Walkway planned for DCLSPPage 4Forestry for the Bay officially launched Member-Get-A-Member Campaign UnderswayPage 5More MFA members in ActionPage 6Master Logger Update USFS Seeks help locating butternut seed source Agro-Ecology Center Update MFA sees nominations for 2008 awardsPage 7ACM grads in Action Applications open for Maryland Woodland Stewards programPage 8Dates to Remember MFA Begins blog
from the March / April 2008 IssueSpring is arriving on the Shore. Its arrival usually coincides with the winding down of the legislative season, so that we can report on MFA’s endeavors, trials and tribulations in the Annapolis arena. The tone of the 2008 regular session seems to be one of resignation and weariness after the fall special gathering. The most noticeable attitude toward legislation is ‘let it have no financial impact.’ This has been the burden MFA’s legislative efforts have had to cope with.
The inability to alter the fragile budgetary structure has had an impact on getting aid to fight gypsy moth in Western Maryland and has taken its toll on what had been an effort to reform and redirect Maryland’s attitudes toward the long-term maintenance of our forests and forest resource industries. But all is not lost. There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.
The Sustainable Forestry Act (HB 1552), which originally embodied the recommendations of multiple commission reports, has become policy-based legislation, which outlines the directions for the future preservation and maintenance of our forested resources and industries. Ultimately, a little time for our government officials, representatives, and stakeholders to iron out sticky issues may allow for something really beneficial for the long-term resource sustainability to get through next season’s legislature. Your Governmental Affairs Committee has had to walk a fine line between desire and reality with the proposed legislation.
A major development for the private forest landowner is the official launching of the Forestry for the Bay Program. This is a multiple organizational partnership effort to assist landowners with the sustainable management of their forests and woodland resources. We have been privileged to watch, and comment, as this program has developed. I highly recommend you look into their website for your own edification on forestry resources, regardless of how large or small your forest is: http://www.forestryforthebay.org/index.cfm
During this past year, I have been very pleased by how often I hear forests mentioned in the media. There seems to be a recognition that forests really do matter to the quality of our Bay, our open space, our climate, and our overall well-being. These are all benefits we have recognized and espoused for a long time. It is satisfying that the masses may finally be getting the message. Now, can our elected officials also become so enlightened?
As summer approaches, I am pleased to say that our next home project is to build a fence using local, Maryland grown white cedar pickets. After seeing so much imported lumber around, it is really personally satisfying to be able to find and use a locally grown and produced product. Now, anyone want to help paint? This is a great opportunity for personal growth……..JWF
Inside this Edition
- Page 2
- Grove’s to host Western MD Tree Farm
- Page 3
- Bruce Vincent to Keynote MFA Annual Meeting
- Legislative Update
- Page 4
- Master Logger Update
- MARBIDCO works on Emergency Loan Fund
- Page 5
- 2007 MD Big Tree report
- Page 6
- $22 MM in grants for Rural Legacy
- AgTEC Update
- Page 7
- Visual Guide EAB
- From the MFA Mailbox
- Nominations open for LOY
- Page 8
- Dates to Remember
- MFA Listserve notice
Words to Ponder ~ He who plants a tree loves others besides himself. -- English proverb
from the January / February 2008 IssueJanuary is a month of new beginnings and new expectations. January also means new beginnings and expectations in Annapolis as our legislature gathers for its annual session. Your MFA and the rest of our forest community are ready for what appears to be an active and exciting season legislatively. I will let your Government Affairs Committee and our Executive Director keep you informed through our website and their email updates.
Being part of advocacy efforts in Annapolis is a reminder of what MFA really is. It is not just a group of individuals talking and cajoling with legislators; It is a diverse group of active and interested landowners, loggers, foresters, mill owners, forest products industries, businesses and individuals who appreciate our forests and open space. We all need to recognize that being members of multiple forest organizations is positive and beneficial to our collective voice in Annapolis.
Each year we welcome new members into the MFA community. Frequently, however, we forget those few who for one reason or another forget to renew their membership and fall by the wayside. This year your Board of Governors has embarked on a mission to bring back our former members through our WE WANT YOU BACK campaign. Former members will soon receive a letter pointing out the benefits membership in MFA provides and asking them to consider coming back into the fold.
Thank you to all who have responded so quickly to your dues notices. Membership renewals appear to be coming in at a steady rate, with nearly 50% in at the halfway mark. A special thanks to those who also included an above dues donation. With the loss of corporate sponsor Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation (who sold their remaining Maryland assets last fall), MFA is facing some tight times ahead. Our corporate sponsors contribute nearly 35% of MFA’s dues income, so the loss of one of three corporate sponsors is significant to our operating base.
The only way to off set this kind of loss is to either raise dues or increase membership. We’d like to avoid the first option by encouraging the second. To our members, I ask you to contact those that share your interests and concerns and invite them to join you in being an MFA member. Applications, top reasons for joining, and details on benefits are all on the MFA website.
As for Annapolis this season, it appears there may be the beginning of some significant legislation to help sustain our forests and raise awareness of the significant function trees and forests play in our everyday lives. Your Board has pledged to try to keep you informed of the trials and tribulations of Maryland’s legislative season. I just hope it fairs as well as the Giants season was.
Now, go forth and appreciate your woodlands. ~ JWF
Inside this Edition
Page 2- Grove’s to host FLO Field Day
- ACM seedling sale
Page 3
- 2008 Legislative Reception
Page 4
- USFS FLO Tax Tips
- Students ~ NRCC application time is here!
- Dues are Due
Page 5
- Guest Editorial
Page 6
- RMC—Treemendous Pilot Project
- Low Interest Loans from MARBIDCO
Page 7
- What is CWA?
- FRA launches Online Job Board
Page 8
- Dates to Remember
- Did you know…….
Words to Ponder
“Policies are many, Principles are few,
Policies will change, Principles never do.”
~ John C. Maxwell
American Entrepreneur, Author and motivational speaker
from the November / December 2007Issue
From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster IIIWe have just returned for the MFA Annual Meeting in Ocean City. Kit and I had an enlightening time in spite of the winds of Hurricane Noel. The Annual Meeting is always a good time for meeting with friends from the forest community and listening to discussions concerning the state of ours forests, some ideas on the future of our forests, and new products and uses which our forests may provide in the future.
MFA Executive Director Karin Miller deserves a big thank-you for all her efforts in organizing the meeting and seeing that we were where we were supposed to be. Larry Walton deserves thanks for organizing our Friday coastal wetland forest trip to Assateague Island. We thank all who contributed and bid at the silent auction. The proceeds go to the MFA educational activities. Speaking of which, MFA members assisted 11 forestry students from Allegany College of Maryland to attend the meeting. Having been in their place more years ago than I want to admit, it is an eye opening experience to see that the professional world of forestry is dealing with similar issues students are discussing in school. I hope we left a positive impression upon these budding foresters. And we thank everyone else who assisted in making the meeting a success.
Your Board of Governors met this past month, joined by two new members, Brian Knox, a forester from Anne Arundel County, and Phil Gottwals, a forestry and agricultural consultant from Howard County. Both will be great additions to an already energetic board. Our thanks to out-going board members John Colton and Bob Eaton for their MANY years of service.
As our year nears its end, we begin to see trucks with Christmas trees heading to markets. This has become a reminder just how diversified our forest products industry is and that, if we work at it, we can make our forested lands more productive and profitable.
Along with Karin and your Board, I wish all our forest community a happy and safe holiday season. ~ JWF
Inside this Edition
Page 2
Outstanding Legacy Award goes to Robert and Anne Hess
Welcome New Members
Remembering MFA Member Greydon TolsonPage 3
R&S Logging MFA’s 2007 Logger of the Year
Safety group earns nearly 1/4 million in dividendsPages 4 & 5
MFA 2007 Annual Meeting Thank-yous and photo diaryPage 6
Walton Receives Outstanding Service to Forestry award
Christmas Tree Facts
Dawson names MLP Training Coordinator
ACM Students say “Thanks”Page 7
MFA Committee Updates
Membership
2008 Annual Meeting
Governmental Affairs
“Go Real” this ChristmasPage 8
Dates to RememberWords to Ponder
Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
from the September/October 2007Issue
From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster IIIFall is definitely here on the Eastern Shore , as the evenings are getting cooler, the trees are beginning to show a slight change in color, and the rockfish are schooling up in the river. Looking back we have had a very fruitful summer from the forest perspective, in spite of a drought on the shore and gypsy moth issues in the western part of the state.
In June Kit and I traveled out to McHenry for Logger Field Days. This being the first LFD we have been able to make, I was pleasantly surprised on Saturday morning by the number of vehicles in the parking area as we arrived. The weather was great, the displays and demonstrations were enlightening, and the entire event was a demonstration of the quality and strength of the Western Maryland region forest community. The committee, headed by Steve Resh and Bob Shives, did an admirable job of organizing this event. We all need to thank them and their entire committee for all their work and contributions for putting on a quality event!
Our summer ended by with two forest events on the Eastern Shore . MFA board member Robert Hess was named the Maryland Tree Farmer of the Year at a well-attended gathering at Robert's tree farm in Princess Anne. The event combined an enlightening series for talks on issues affecting our forests and means of improving the quality of what we grow. Following a delicious chicken lunch, we were treated to tours of Robert's woodland. His tree farm is an excellent demonstration of many progressive silvaculture practices in both hard and soft wood stands, with everything from natural regeneration to the finest plantation pine plantings on the shore.
The Delaware Forest Association, which is lead by Mimi Wright, also Maryland tree farmer and MFA member, celebrated their 25th anniversary with a well attended affair at Redden State Forest . Our congratulations go to DFA for all their work in promoting and protecting the forests and forest industry of Delaware .
The Maryland Forest community lost a strong advocate of our state's old growth forests with the passing of Bob DeGroot. While we may not have always agreed on how to protect our forests, Bob was always a strong supporter of protecting our state's forests and the need to maintain this resource.
The MFA Annual Meeting is coming up November 2 and 3 in Ocean City . The meeting topic is "Can Money Grow on Trees" with presentations on the values of the ecological services received from forests, and reports of the state of our forests in Maryland , Delaware , and nationally. This is shaping up to be a very enlightening program looking at the future of our forests and forest industry. We have invited the Delaware Forest Association to join us and I look forward to seeing you all in Ocean City! ~ John
in this issue:
page 2
• Centennial Wrap-up page 3
•Robert Hess Tree Farm 2007 MD TF of the Year
•Landowner tool receives award
•TOT Scholarship awarded
•NRCC online video •New Members page 4 and 5
•2007 Field Day Tribute page 6
•FRA Activism award goes to local loggers
•MFA member creates Sequestrian Project
•Update on Bald Eagle and impact on logging operations page 7
•Biofuels and the Bay
•Champion Tree update
•State of American Forests released by SAF page 8
•dates to remember
from the May/June 2007Issue
From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster IIISpring has come and I picked off the first ticks of the season today! And your forests association is hard at work on the up coming Logger Field Days and Annual Meeting in the fall. The Field Days, June 8th and 9th, at the Garrett County Fairgrounds in McHenry, are developing into a great demonstration of our logging and forest community at work and play, an event in which all involved with forests and the forest community should participate. Kit and I will be out in McHenry on Friday and Saturday, and I highly recommend all MFA members attend. Please join us in celebrating forestry in practice.
Our Annual Meeting in Ocean City is developing into what should be a very informative event for forest landowners, forest resource professionals and forest industry. This year, we have invited the Delaware Forest Association members to attend as we will have state of the forests reports for both Maryland and Delaware. Congratulations go out to MFA member Mimi Wright, a Maryland and Delaware forest landowner, for her election as president of the Delaware Forests Association. She has already twisted my arm to join DFA, based on my proximity to Delaware.
This spring has brought out both positive and negative news concerning invasive organisms in Maryland's forests. First the good news. Steve Koehn, our State Forester, announced that DNR believes they have removed all ash trees within the one mile area around the known out break of Emerald Ash Bore (EAB) in Prince Georges County. It is hoped they were able to eradicate EAB there. If not, we are threatened with a forest devastation not seen since the chestnut blight in the 1920's. If I recall correctly, Baltimore City alone could lose 50% of its trees! There is no known treatment for EAB other that removing and burning infected trees.
In Western Maryland, the State is trying to slow a Gypsy Moth outbreak that is wreaking havoc in Allegany and Garrett Counties. There they are spraying for the moth, but there are only funds for treating the State lands. Private landowners are left to pay for spraying themselves or take the gamble on their trees eventually surviving the initial outbreak.
But the really scary part is that even if we control EAB and Gypsy Moth, we still have Sirex wood wasp which is in New York attacking pines, Hemlock wooly adelgid which is attacking hemlocks from Maine to Georgia, and the Asian long-horned beetle which kills primarily maples, elms, and willows. While the future of our forests may be scary or changing with the treat of non-native pests, we as landowners, foresters, loggers, and industry have to be positive and vigilant in protecting all our trees.
After the forest community's progress on emphasizing to our Legislature this season the need and significance of our forests in maintaining the health and quality of life as we have become accustom, I do see and feel a ray or two of sunshine and hope that our forests may be able to prevail.
Now, I expect to see and welcome all of you to our Logger Field Days at McHenry June 8th and 9th. Come and enjoy the festivities!!! ~ JWF
from the March/April 2007Issue
From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster IIIIt is welcome to see spring arrive, though some of you in Western Maryland may still have snow and freezing nights. Here on the balmy Eastern Shore, the last of the snow and ice has gone, the daffodils are in bloom, the perch are running in the streams, and on the lower shore our pine seedlings are planted. For me, winter is when I do most of our woodland management and this year we are experimenting with spraying and mowing, trying to convert a field of green briar to a pine plantation. We will know more in about four years.
Spring also means that Maryland's legislative session is coming down to the bottom of the ninth with major landuse preservation legislation, with the Green Fund bill (HB1220 / SB 901), still up in the air. The heavily amended House version of the bill, which has passed the House and awaits action in the Senate, now acknowledges forests as a more desirable landuse. All the members of the forest community, MFA included, who so actively pressed for the inclusion of forests and the forest industry in the bill are to be applauded. It took a concerted effort by all our partners for this to occur.
It seems that forests have been a forgotten stepchild in Annapolis when it comes to funding resource management and recognizing the environmental and economic benefits of our forests. As a community, we need to keep reminding our good legislators how actively managed forests benefit the welfare of the entire state. Our Forest Service is again being short changed in this year's budget. The policy out of Annapolis that MFS "Can do more with less" is getting old. This budget crisis has been going on for 15 years now. When will the Governor's budget office realize that to have the quality of forest management that made Maryland a leader in forest management and that MFS needs adequate funding? After all, you cannot continue excellence with a declining forestry staff.
On a more positive note, we will again be celebrating our forests and forest community on June 8th and 9th at the Logger and Forestry Field Days at the Garrett County Fair Grounds. This is a great opportunity to see our logging and forestry community at work in a tick and chigger free environment! Regardless of where you live, this is an enjoyable and fruitful event for the whole family and Western Maryland is delightful at that time of year. Plan on joining us this year! ~ John
from the January/February 2007Issue
From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster IIIAs we enter the New Year, my natural thoughts are toward vacationing in a warmer climate, spring seedling planting, and the coming of fishing season. But the reality at MFA means looking forward to the legislative season and the unpredictable surprises that abound. This year may be especially exciting for the forest community in an unusual convergence of events with what seems like a mass awakening of our environmental and government leaders to seeing the light ‘that forests are the best landuse for the maintenance of the quality and health of our Chesapeake Bay'.
First came the ‘State of the Chesapeake Forests' report followed within weeks by the final report from the Governor's Commission for Protecting the Chesapeake Bay through Sustainable Forestry. Both studies noted the plight our forests face from the pressures of development and the vital services our forests make toward the preservation of the health and welfare of our Chesapeake Bay and to the people of Maryland.
These studies were followed by an election where the health of the Chesapeake Bay was paramount in a campaign which is bringing change to our governorship and legislature. I am very pleased to report that MFA has been at the forefront in carrying the forest torch to not just the legislature but also in preparing our new governor for the tasks ahead. From your Government Affairs Committee, both Kirk Rogers and Chris Holmes participated on two transition subcommittee's and were instrumental in placing an emphasis on forest issues in the briefing documents presented our state's new governor and staff.
I am very excited by the ‘new' recognition forests are getting in their role in maintaining the health and welfare of our state and MFA has been able to respond to the call. Maybe a new light is dawning. ~ John
from the November/December 2006 Issue
From the President's Pen ~ John W. Foster IIINow the real job begins – after two years of watching and ‘learning' from the sideline, I get to jump into the action with both feet. I just hope I can live up to the expectations set by our previous presidents. It will be a real challenge to follow in the foot-steps of Chris and Kirk. They both set the bar at a high level. But after having watched the leadership of MFA these past years, one significant element that continues to appear is the ‘team work' within the board to meet our challenges.
Over the past year, there have been several exciting, positive developments within our forest community. Last winter the Maryland Department of Agriculture revised their strategic plan. And for the first time, ‘Forests' were included as a major player of the total farm and agriculture community. This was a significant move by MDA in recognizing that our forests contribute just as much to our ‘working landscape' as our open fields, and ‘teaming' together, we will gain more than by each going alone.
Two other significant events significantly affecting the forest community were the simultaneous completions of the Governor's Commission for Sustainable Forestry ( GCSF) and The State of the Chesapeake Forests report by the Chesapeake Bay Commission. It is not surprising that the findings and suggestions of these reports are very similar. How it is time for the really hard work, implementing the recommendations of these select groups. Both reports point out factors impacting the continuity of our forests.
- Development pressures are causing fragmentation and loss of woodlands.
- The health and quality of our forests is deteriorating with the increase of the deer population and damage from pests such as gypsy moth and emerald ash bore.
- As our population grows, education of the benefits and functions of our forests, the responsibilities of forest landowners and the value and functions of our forest based industries, becomes necessary.
- Long term protection of forests as a landuse for the ecological as well as economical functions. Both reports recommended increasing landowner incentives.
- The GCSF pointed out the need for technical services for landowners and how the Maryland Forest Service is limping along under reduced staffing and funding.
Again, the forest community has an opportunity to join together and ‘team' to jointly push for the implementation of the recommendations of these groups. MFA will be pressing for several legislative initiatives resulting from these efforts in this season's legislature. And when you have an opportunity to speak with your legislative representatives, be forward and ask them to champion the continuity of our forests.
I look forward to helping to lead MFA and our forest community into the new year. I hope our ‘team work' continues not just within the MFA community but within the entire forest community. ~ John
Food for thought...."Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert
Published 5 times a year, articles and ideas for future editions of The Crosscut are always welcome.
Deadlines are Friday of the third week of January, March, May, September or November.
E-mail your articles and ideas to mdforests@hereintown.net
Updated by Karin E. Miller
