OUTDOOR Forum at canaaninstitute.org

[Mike_L]

Well-known and highly respected ecological forester Mike DeMunn has asked me to distribute his urgent message below. Please distribute this widely.
Tony Ingraham
owlgorge@earthlink.net


Urgent Message to All Conservationists



The Finger Lakes National Forest is preparing to put out to bid a timber sale (the Cotton-Mill sale) which includes cutting all of the last OLD GROWTH white pine on the Finger Lakes National Forest, despite the fact that they gave their word that they wouldn’t do it!



Call or email the Finger Lakes National Forest and demand that none of the white pine be cut for this or any future timber sale. Act on this now!



Call: Finger Lakes National Forest, Hector, N.Y. Phone: 607-546-4470.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/gmfl/contact/index.htm



Contact Mike DeMunn at 607-546-4902 for further information.





Those who care about the environment need to be alerted to the pending deplorable action of the U.S. Forest Service in the Finger Lakes National Forest.



Within a planned timber sale, there are old growth white pine trees marked for cutting! These trees are very large and awesome to behold and are likely over 200 years old. They are by far the largest and oldest of their species on the entire 17,000 acres of the Finger Lakes National Forest and perhaps in all of western Schuyler County and beyond.



The trees are located on the top of Burnt Hill Road in Hector-Logan, N.Y. They can be seen from miles away towering above the rest of the forest on the Hector ridge and give the viewer a glimpse of what the ancient virgin forest looked like centuries ago. These white pines are beyond question the crown jewels of this national forest and it is unthinkable that ALL of them would be marked for logging!



The white pine is the sacred tree and symbol of the Iroquois Indian nations. These trees are survivors from the time the Indians inhabited this area. Old growth white pine is the rarest of the rare because it was so sought after for building purposes since settlement times. From a forest management perspective, there is not a single reason to cut these ancient trees, except they are big, old, and have at best some minor economic value.



These old white pine trees do not belong to the U.S. Forest Service. They belong to the American people, to natural history. They are every bit as rare and important to ecology and human society as any endangered species would be. The people of the future have a right to see these living trees, and not just the stumps of where they once stood for centuries.



The U.S. Forest Service was asked to NOT cut these old white pines and they gave their word that they would leave them alone. Time is now of the essence and all conservationists must act quickly by contacting the U.S. Forest Service at 607-546-4470 (Finger Lakes National Forest) and expressing your outrage at this senseless act. Let us hope there has been “miscommunication” on their part instead of deliberately breaking their word. ACT NOW on this matter.



Contact Mike DeMunn at 607-546-4902 for further information.


[Mike is a native of the Finger Lakes area. He has worked in various parts of the country for both the US Forest Service and the National Park Service, and he is an expert on old growth forest. He works as a private forestry consultant, helping landowners manage their woods with sustainable forestry practices. He is a leader in land conservation in the Finger Lakes area, and he is an author. He lives in Burdett, N.Y. near the Finger Lakes National Forest.
I hope to get some photos of these trees soon. Tony Ingraham.]

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Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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[Mike_L]

Hi, Mike

Here's an update I put together:


Following the distribution of Mike DeMunn’s alert about the planned sale of old growth white pines in Finger Lakes National Forest, DeMunn and three other concerned citizens, including members of the group Forest Watch, met with District Ranger Mike Liu, FLNF forest ecologist Diane Burbank, and FLNF forest planner Melissa Reichert, on the site with some of the old pines marked as part of the timber sale. After a long discussion, Mike Liu said he would make a decision soon about whether to continue including the old pines in the sale. He said he was inclined to save the trees, but that first he wanted to hear what his timber management staff had to say. Let’s hope that will be his decision.



Mr. Liu’s phone number is 607-546-4470 ext 314. His email address is mliu@fs.fed.us .



Kathy Engel of Forest Watch, who was present at this meeting, gives the following account:



"Mike DeMunn and Forest Watch had a meeting with the Forest Service under the white pines and the agency's main interest was in arguing over the definition of Old Growth and core boring the trees to establish their age. [The one tree bored is about 150 years old.] Core boring is damaging to trees and should rarely be done, especially on our oldest trees. Tony Ingraham videotaped the meeting and will make it available to public access television.



District Ranger Mike Liu did not make a decision, but has acknowledged that the trees have value as "legacy trees". The Forest Service ecologist would not concede that the trees were vital components of biodiversity on that site and that they were especially important as wildlife trees. The justification for marking the trees was to "reduce basal area of the stand as part of the commercial thinning objectives of the timber sale."



[Mike DeMunn pointed out that removing the pines would reduce the species diversity of the forest and eliminate the possibility of that area of the forest becoming a full-fledged old growth stand. He pointed out that the Forest Service could achieve its thinning objectives by simply removing the many diseased oaks nearby that will be gone in ten or fifteen years anyway, while these old pines could live centuries. T.I.]



Forest Watch is in the middle of a long negotiation with the Forest Service about excluding areas of PRIMARY FOREST from timber management objectives. PRIMARY FOREST is not technically old growth, but is composed of woodlands that have been continuously forested, never plowed or put into agricultural production, were probably logged during settlement times but retain remnants of the ancient forest, especially native plant populations and fungal associations. This is in contrast to SECONDARY FOREST, which has succeeded on old-fields and former cropland. 98% of the Finger Lakes National Forest is either secondary forest or open land.



There are less than 400 acres of primary forest on the Finger Lakes National Forest. Less than 20 acres of primary forest over 100 years old are included in the Future Old Forest Mangement areas and less than 90 acres are included Special Ecological Areas or Research Natural Areas. The remaining 250-300 acres of unlogged old-forest are in Oak Hickory/Even Aged Management areas to be managed for saw timber. Rotation ages in areas to be managed for saw timber are 100 years, and all stands 90-100 years or older are targeted for timber sales. The Cotton-Mill timber sale has been the poster child for the conflict in values between oldforest protection and Forest Service timber management goals. Forest Watch has appealed the new Forest plan on the basis that the Plan ina dequately addresses old-forest protection. This appeal is in process and we need support from the public to demonstrate how strong the community commitment is to preserving these areas as the final vestiges of the pre-settlement forest and the last refuge of many native plant communities."



Tony Ingraham
owlgorge@earthlink.net


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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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[Mike_L]

Finger Lakes National Forest District Ranger Mike Liu sent out his decision regarding the old growth white pines that were marked for cutting in the "Cotton Mill" timber sale. He decided to exclude the pines from the sale; that is, they will not be cut!

This change of plan occurred because so many people contacted the National Forest expressing their support for saving the pines; and because ecological forester and old growth expert Mike DeMunn and members of Forest Watch met with Mike Liu and other USFS staff on the site last week. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!


Credit must also go to Mike Liu for listening to the public's concerns about these trees and for considering alternative solutions to meeting their timber management goals. (Mike's email address is mliu@fs.fed.us , should you wish to send him a message thanking him for protecting the pines from this sale.)

The entire decision was sent out as a very large pdf file which may be hard for people with dial-up connections to download. Consequently, I have pasted the text below.

Tony Ingraham
owlgorge@earthlink.net


Cotton Mill Timber Sale
White Pine Decision

History:
The Cotton Mill Vegetative Management Project was first proposed in the winter of 2003. The
Forest Service attended meetings with the public and the Finger Lakes Forest Watch Congress in
April of 2004 and held two public field tours in March and August of 2004.
No specific concerns were raised related to the white pines present in the area during the public
scoping and comment periods. A decision notice and finding of no significant impact was signed
in December of 2005 to thin 53 acres of oak and clearcut 11 acres of red pine. The decision also
approved the cutting of aspen on 0.6 acres to stimulate aspen re-growth and creation of a small
0.25 acre group selection cut within a red pine plantation.

The decision was appealed by Forest Watch. However, an administrative review by the Regional
Office found the environmental analysis and public participation to be adequate and consistent
with Forest management objectives. The original decision was consequently affirmed, allowing
for implementation of the project.

Two of the three oak thinning units have remnant white pines and twelve of these were marked
during the timber sale preparation process. The pines were marked for harvest to reduce overall
stand density to favor existing oaks and benefit wildlife by maintaining mast production. The
marked white pines are about 18 inches in diameter and are second growth trees between 100-
150 years old (established post-settlement). While white pine are common on the Finger Lakes
National Forest and surrounding region, larger pines greater than 100 years old are less
common.

Issue:
During the summer of 2006, the Forest Service and members from Forest Watch met on site to
discuss the timber sale and Mike DeMunn expressed his opinions regarding the value of the
white pines within the stands. His concern was noted, but no decision or promise was made to
specifically protect all the white pine.

Once the stands had been marked for the timber sale, Mike DeMunn and others expressed
surprise at the marking of the twelve white pines and asked the Forest Service to reconsider.
Mike DeMunn felt the Forest Service had made a commitment to not cut the white pine and also
raised concerns related to the value of these specific trees to local residents who have enjoyed
viewing them from Logan road and attached a sense of place from them being there for so long.
He also expressed the spiritual value of older large white pines to Native Americans, and the
species and structural diversity these particular trees add to the stand.

In addition, an e-mail of unknown origin was sent to several list serves accusing the Forest
Service of not fulfilling promises and preparing to cut the few remaining white pines on the entire
Finger Lakes National Forest. Recipients were encouraged to write or call the Forest in protest.
The Forest received over 150 responses as a result of the e-mail.

As the district ranger, I personally visited the site on October 26, 2006 with our Forest ecologist
(Diane Burbank), Forest Planner (Melissa Reichert) along with Mike DeMunn, Kathy Engle, and
Susan Wiener from Forest Watch. The field visit and discussion was recorded on video by an
acquaintance of Mike DeMunn.

Cotton Mill Timber Sale
White Pine Decision
Following discussions with our Forest wildlife biologist, ecologist, silviculturist, and timber
preparation forester, I determine inclusion or exclusion of the white pine from the timber sale will
have no effect on the analysis completed for the wildlife report. In addition, I determine that both
the overall management objectives and the protection of the twelve white pines can be met if
additional hardwoods are marked as replacements for the white pines.

Decision:
It is my decision to protect the twelve white pines by removing them from the Cotton Mill Timber
Sale and to replace the associated basal area with other hardwoods from within the same stands.
This will meet the desired stand density and achieve the identified management objectives. It will
also add species diversity and structure to the existing stand while protecting the white pines
which hold special value to local individuals who have enjoyed seeing them in the landscape and
have developed a sense of place from their presence. This decision also honors the spiritual
values held by the Iroquois and other Native American nations. My decision is site specific and
limited to the Cotton Mill timber sale. Because this decision does not result in any substantive
change from the original decision for the Cotton Mill Vegetative Management Project, no
additional public review or comment is necessary and this administrative decision is not subject to
appeal.

/s/ Michael C. Liu 31 October 2006
Michael C. Liu Date
Hector District Ranger

Addendum:
Around the time these white pines were small seedlings, Mark Twain wrote: “…the report of my
death was an exaggeration.” I want to thank those of you who took the time to express your
concerns with me. I appreciate the opportunity to provide you with specifics related to this issue
and hope you will continue to feel free to contact me directly when you receive reports that disturb
you regarding the management of the Finger Lakes National Forest.
I value the public trust we hold in managing our National Forests and encourage healthy
productive public dialogue. I look forward to your participation in the future and working with you
on various management activities.



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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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[Mike_L]

I have put together a little website telling the story of the threatened
old white pines in Finger Lakes National Forest, complete with photographs
and a map with directions. You can find it at
http://home.earthlink.net/~owlgorge/savingoldgrowthwhitepinesinfingerlakesnationalforest/ .

My apologies for the inevitable multiple postings.

Tony Ingraham
owlgorge@earthlink.net





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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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[Mike_L]

Hello listserve:

Here's the official press release from the Forest Service. Kathy Engel and Susan
Wiener went to bat on behalf of the oldest stands of trees in the FLNF, and
have been successful having 400 acres of old forest removed from the harvest
list, at least for this version of the managment plan (15 years). Their determination,
eloquence, and persistence are worthy of our admiration and emulation. Plus,
Kathy learned how to use GIS to get her analysis done to strengthen the appeal...yea
Kath! They, along with Anne Wibiralske (Hobart and William Smith professor),
will be doing field reconnaissance this summer to verify the location and integrity
of the stands which were the focus of their appeal.

***********************
Hector, NY — Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell announced that the Finger Lakes
National Forest and appellants, Kathy Engel representing Finger Lakes Forest
Watch and Susan Wiener, have successfully resolved the appeals filed on the
Finger Lakes Forest Plan. The appeals were resolved through the informal resolution
process conducted between the appellants and the Forest Service. The appellants
have withdrawn their appeals as a result of the resolution agreement.

The Forest Plan was approved by Eastern Region Regional Forester, Randy Moore,
and released on June 12, 2006. Two appeals were filed with the Chief of The
Forest Service in Washington DC. The concerns raised in both appeals were similar,
and expressed their belief that some old forest areas were not being adequately
protected in the Plan. The appeal focused on the protection of stands with
a year of origin of 1907 or earlier, approximately 228 acres, and some other
older forest areas on the FLNF.

Through the informal resolution, the Forest Service and the appellants agree
to: a) defer timber harvest within the identified older stands until a more
in-depth evaluation can be made and appropriate management determined; and b)
use these older forest stands to meet the Forest Plan age-class objectives for
the old age-class. The Forest Service and the appellants also agreed to work
together doing field studies to further identify the least disturbed old forest
areas on the Finger Lakes National Forest.

Finger Lakes National Forest District Ranger Michael Liu said “This is a great
example of collaborative problem solving. I really appreciate the willingness
of all parties to put a great amount of effort into coming to an agreement that
helps implement the Forest Plan. We look forward to building on this cooperative
effort in the future management of the Finger Lakes National Forest.”
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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