Forests and Forest Products

(02/27/12) The Uihlein Sugar Maple Research & Extension Field Station in Lake Placid made its first batch of syrup last Thursday. Director Michael Farrell, who's been with the field station for seven years, says it was the earliest he's made syrup.

Crews started tapping trees at the 200-acre Uihlein Forest on January 31. That took about three weeks. Then, workers had to inspect the 60 miles of tubing that carries the sap from the trees to the sugar house.

Chris Morris joined Farrell for a tour last week. Farrell told him that mild temperatures have given area producers a jump start on the season.

(02/15/12) One city's relationship with trees is explored in a new museum exhibit in Ottawa.

Six moments in the history of an urban forest is the brainchild of Carleton University history professor Joanna Dean and graduate student Will Knight.

Present-day Ottawa began as rough riverside lumber shanties in the early 1800s. It grew to become the nation's capital, with various trends in tree clearing and tree planting along the way. More recently, the area has faced damage from natural disaster and invasive pests, like the emerald ash borer, which threatens perhaps 30% of Ottawa's existing tree population.

Although the display considers urban forestry from an Ottawa perspective, the challenge of combining trees with cities is universal. Lucy Martin spoke with co-curators, Joanna Dean and Will Knight on opening day at the Bytown Museum, beside the treed slopes of Parliament Hill. more

(12/29/11) Many North Country Maple producers can now tap into a new loan fund to help them increase the amount of syrup they produce. The Development authority of the North Country, or DANC, set up the program after several studies showed most maple trees in the area aren't being tapped. That means producers are missing out on a lot of potential revenue. Nora Flaherty has the details. more

(10/17/11) Close to 100 people braved the rain late last week to plant trees in communities along the AuSable River devastated by Tropical Storm Irene.

The Lake Champlain Basin "Trees for Tributaries" program, organized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, aims to restore and protect stream corridors connected to Lake Champlain following historic flooding Aug. 28. Chris Morris reports. more

(09/19/11) It's estimated there are about 8 billion ash trees in North America, and every one of them could be killed by a tiny invasive insect called the emerald ash borer. It was first found in Detroit 9 years ago, probably after arriving on a cargo ship from Asia. Since then the ash borer has devastated forests in the upper Midwest and has broken out into surrounding states. David Chanatry with the New York Reporting Project at Utica College reports. more

(08/25/11) There is actually more mature forest in the Northeast now than there was a century ago, but it is a very different kind of forest from the ancient pre-colonial woodlands. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley take to the woods.

(08/23/11) The Adirondack woodsman is a North Country archetype - brawny, independent, deeply versed in the ways of the North Woods. There are still loggers working in the forests of the Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau, though most are aided by chain saws and huge machinery today.

At Paul Smiths College, a summer school program is keeping the skills and ethos of the Adirondack woodsman alive. David Sommerstein reports. more

(07/25/11) Our Farmers Under 40 series continues throughout the summer. Today we have a profile of Joe Orefice, an assistant professor of forestry at Paul Smith's College.

Orefice taught the school's first sustainable community agriculture course this past year. He also owns and operates a small farm, which he uses as a teaching tool.

This summer Paul Smith's culinary students visited Joe's farm for a lesson in local meats. Sarah Harris joined them and has our story. more

(04/27/11) There are plenty of reasons to have a chainsaw, from getting ready for winter to cleaning up after a storm.

Useful as it may be, a chainsaw can slice through flesh and bone in the blink of an eye. That's why experts recommend paying close attention to safety - whatever your level of experience.

A number of organizations offer chainsaw safety courses, including one conducted in Kemptville, Ontario this April by the Lower Ottawa Valley Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot Association.

Lucy Martin sat in to learn more. more

(03/22/11) The Adirondack Nature Conservancy has emerged in recent years as one of the largest owners of timberland in the North Country.

The green group uses certified logging methods designed to protect rivers and other sensitive ecosystems.

But a landowner in Essex County is accusing the Conservancy's tree-cutters of damaging a certified trout stream.

As Brian Mann reports, state officials have opened an investigation. more