[MassChestnutOrchards] Globe article on clear cutting in MA

Sat Mar 13 10:58:34 EST 2010

There are three letters to the editor in today's Boston Globe that are 
critical of the recent article on clear-cutting. The are entitled:
1. Focus on missteps of clear-cutting obscures states vital role.
2.Emotion overcomes reason in land management.
3. We need to hear from the foresters.

They can be seen at boston.com

I also sent a letter to the Boston Globe but it was not used. I find that it 
was not saved in my Sent Items file as I responded through their web site.
I said that the reporter should come back a year or two after the clear- 
cutting and see the reproduction.
The DCR had a timber harvest behind my house several years ago. Seed trees 
were left. The forest consists of white pine, white oak, red, black and 
scarlet oaks, red maple, black birch and some American chestnut sprouts. 
There was an almost complete cover of huckleberry and low bush blueberry 
present but they produced almost no fruit in the shade.
Now a few years later the hardwoods have resprouted, there are many healthy 
seedlings and the berries have had abundant fruit. Sedge is very present now 
and it was not present before the harvest. Obviously seeds were present and 
when sunlight came in , up came the sedge.
During the fall while on a walk, I came upon a large flock of robins that 
was feeding on the berries. Good habitat.
Carl Anderson, a resident of Upton and a TACF member passed away a few years 
ago in his mid-nineties. He had told me about working in the woods as a 
young man for his uncle who owned a timber harvesting company . The 
harvesting was all clear-cutting. It produced timber and firewood and even 
the pine branches used to start the fires in a nearby foundry were 
collected.
In 1935 the state purchased the cut over "wood lots" ( purchase price could 
not exceed $5 per acre) and they are now the Upton State Forest.
An 1830 map of the town indicates that except for very difficult terrain 
areas the land consisted of pasture and crop land. Very little forest.

Rufin

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Hebard" <Fred at acf.org>
To: <masschestnutorchards at masschestnut.org>
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 1:51 PM
Subject: Re: [MassChestnutOrchards] Globe article on clear cutting in MA

I don't know much about New England forests, but forests re-establish
prolifically in the southern Appalachians after clearcutting.
Shelterwoods or other silvicultural regimes may be helpful in
preventing early succession trees that produce numerous wind-borne
seeds --such as yellow poplar and red maple-- from taking over a
site.  Or some other silvicultural practice might be prescribed for
encouraging desirable species.

However, clearcutting itself is often the best means of establishing
desirable stands.  Unfortunately clearcutting has been demonized in
order to alter the behavior of the Forest Service and other land
management agencies.  And the demonization has transmogrified in the
public mind into an established fact, that clearcutting is
necessarily a bad forest management practice, when it's not.  It's
just another tool in the toolbox, that has to be evaluated in
choosing the best silvicultural prescription to achieve the desired
objectives, while keeping the long-term health of the ecosystem in mind

Fred

Frederick V. Hebard, PhD
Staff Pathologist, Meadowview Research Farms
American Chestnut Foundation
14005 Glenbrook Ave.
Meadowview, VA 24361

Email: Fred at acf.org
Web: http://www.acffarms.org
Phone: (276) 944-4631
Fax: (276) 944-0934

On Mar 12, 2010, at 11:54 AM, Mirick, John O. wrote:

> My thought is that we should use up any political capital that we
> may have by weighing in on this issue.
>
>
>
> John
>
>
>
> From: masschestnutorchards-bounces at masschestnut.org
> [mailto:masschestnutorchards-bounces at masschestnut.org] On Behalf Of
> Yvonne Federowicz
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 11:25 AM
> To: masschestnutorchards at masschestnut.org
> Subject: Re: [MassChestnutOrchards] Globe article on clear cutting
> in MA
>
>
>
> It sounds like some of the cuts might have made it more difficult
> to re-establish forest, since they didn’t properly do a
> “shelterwood” cutting? Would these also make it more difficult to
> plant chestnut?
>
> It would be good to hear from Bruce, Dennis and Lois.  I doubt
> we’ll be in the position to make any official statements anyhow as
> a group, probably not an issue – unless someone cuts our trees or
> improperly prepares a site that is agreed upon for one of our
> plantings, in the future.
>
> Re. expressing opinions - seems more like a situation where
> Massachusetts residents might want to express opinions as citizens,
> or forestry professionals – as Bruce has done.
>
>
> On 3/12/10 10:03 AM, "Gary Jacob" <gjacob at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> Interesting article.  It is too bad that a state like Massachusetts
> should be setting such a bad example.  I think it is important,
> however, that we not take a position or express any official
> opinions concerning this issue.
>
> What we should do is to begin thinking about different planting
> plans we would use, for future American chestnuts, depending on
> whatever harvesting situation we may find.
>
>                 Gary
>
>
> From: masschestnutorchards-bounces at masschestnut.org
> [mailto:masschestnutorchards-bounces at masschestnut.org] On Behalf Of
> Jamie Donalds
> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:21 AM
> To: orchard mgrlist
> Subject: [MassChestnutOrchards] Globe article on clear cutting in MA
>
>
> Hi All,
>
>  Here is an article in the Globe I found this morning about clear
> cutting in MA. It has a quote from Bruce Spencer.
>
> I would like to here more about this issue and how it might affect
> future restoration plantings at Quabbin  and elsewhere.
>
> Does this effect any plans for our seed orchard  at Moore State Park?
>
> Perhaps Bruce , Dennis or Lois  would be interested in talking on
> this subject at the April Meeting?
>
> Food for thought,
>
> -Jamie
>
>
>
> http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/03/04/
> a_clear_cut_controversy/
>
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