SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry - Empire Forester Yearbook (Syracuse, NY)

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Sltrrzdiizfl, left I0 right Dr. Lowe. Dr. Zabel, Dr. ofzesf gofaml DR. RAY R. Hmm forest is a group of many species of plants that are commonly associated and have certain common requirements for their best growth. Hence the subordinate vegetations may serve well as useful site indicators for reforestation. increased knowledge of taxonomy and ecology will aid in recognizing and understanding better the significance of these minor plants in a 'forest community. As the practice of forestry becomes more and more intensive, attention becomes. directed toward smaller and smaller stands, and the importance of the individual tree within a stand increases. Thus there is greater need of more information about the physiology of forest treesg for more knowledge of those living and non-living influences that affect the health of forest treesg and for all the data we we can secure on how to grow trees well under the artificial 'environment of a young plantation. Vtfhen a tree is viewed as an individual organism, it is easy to understand that it has quality and character of its own. It may have a pleasing shapeg it may grow unusually rapidlyg it may character- istically have a single trunk instead of a forked trunkg or it may -be resistant to disease. Quite often these characteristics can be continued in offspring produced vegetatively from cuttings, grafts, or by budding and occasionally they are carried over in seedlings. Genetics as applied to forest trees is rapid- ly developing in America and is a fruitful field for the young forester. Fungi cause many of the serious diseases of forest trees and are responsible for wood decay. The major forest tree diseases are being studied with a View of control by the application of silvicul- tural practices. By recognizing the fungi and the symptoms of their presence in trees, and by asso- ciating their presence with the amount of cull, a more rational utilization -of the forest crop can he ob- tained. Mycology and forest pathology contribute to this knowledge. The field of forest botany extends beyond the actual forest. Fungi may greatly decrease the value of forest products and even destroy many through decay. Studies are in progress concerning the control of stain and decay through the use of wood preservatives. Preservatives that control one fun- gus sometimes, in certain concentrations, stimulate other decay fungi to develop more rapidly. The fungous flora in one part of America not the same, necessarily, as in other parts. This creates dif- ferent control problems. Changes in house construction and insulation have created new problems in decay control. Closer utilization of wood has caused slightly decayed lumber to appear on the market. As yet no one knows if such wood is less or more subject to decay 'by those fungi which inhabit service timbers. Forest botany is a broad field that offers many opportunities for research which can contribute greatly to the welfare of man. l t l Silverborg, Dr. Morrison, Dr. Decker. Smled Dr. l-firt.

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gflviculfufze SVEND O. HEIBERG .ll.VlCUI,TURli is the branch of forestry which deals with the establishment and the care of forests. Until a few decades ago silvicul- ' ture was a newcomer to the American continent. Today silvicultural principles are at least established within both public and private forestry, but many private forest owners, both large and small, are still somewhat skeptical as to the need and profitability of investing money and labor in growing crops of timber. Nevertheless the application of Silviculture is expanding at a tremendous rate. Many private companies that took few measures to increase growth or reproduction of desirable species ten years ago are today employing rather intensive measures and are investing considerable funds to insure future production of their forest areas. This increased application of technical principles provides an opportunity for the employment of more men trained in general forestry. Forestry is no longer concerned solely with the acquisition and protection of forest land, but also with the treatment of the forest for higher and more profitable pro- duction of forest products now and in the future. Along with the greater interest in applied silviculture comes a rapidly increasing need for basic knowledge, especially in forest ecology and forest economies. lt is not enough to know how to pro- duce a stand of trees regardless of cost, it must also be a stand that will serve the economic purpose for which it is to be established and it must be done in a manner so that the expected return is consider- ably greater than all the expenses involved. Research is therefore needed within these two basic silvicultural fields. So far, the greater em- phasis has been placed upon forest ecology. This should not be lessened. But it is of equal importance to have exact economic data on the various details of the logging operation as well as volume growth translated into value growth. Silviculture will not wholly be accepted until it clearly can justify itself on an economic basis. Another area of investigation that is of great importance for better silviculture, but as yet -hard- ly recognized and developed, is forest genetics. Agriculture and horticulture have long since started using genetics for economic purposes. The vast improvement in both quality and quantity of food crop yields is due primarily to genetical selection and hvbridization. Silviculture today is using the na- tive forest vegetation as it is without appreciating similar hybridization and selection possibilities with- in each species. The general objective to which silvicultural methods have been developed has been wood pro- duction. However, on many forest areas, there are other objectives of equal or greater importance. Recreational demands, production of the greatest sustained volume of potable wa- ter and the best environment and food for game are other objectives for which silvi- cultural methods have only been developed to a limited extent. Mr. Barrett, Mr. VVhite, Dr. Farnsworth, Pro- fessor I-Ieiberg. E151

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ofzest Qoofogil RALPH T. KING HFRIC is an increasing appreciation of the importance of animal life in the forest, both as one of the valuable products of the forest and as one of the essential constituents of the forest community. Animal life, as a product of the forest, is of primary concern to hunters, trappers, fisher- men and the many other persons who visit the forest in search of recreation. Animal life, as an es- sential constituent of the forest, is of primary interest to those responsible for the management of the forest-its protection, maintenance a11d improvement. Most forest animals are beneficialg many of them 'because they provide food, furs and recreation for man, ibut an even larger number because they perform services that aid in protecting, maintaining and improving the forest. A few are harmful due to their destructive habits. The continually increasing demands for the products and services of our forests-timber, forage, recreation, watershed protection, etc., make it necessary for us to utilize every known means and, if possible, to discover new means of increasing the productivity, improving the quality, and protecting the forests. l urthermore, these diverse and increasing uses of the forest markedly affect the entire forest community. Changes in animal populations affect for good or ill the production of timber and forage, and in some instances, the nature of the soil on which timber and forage are dependent. The manner in which the timber and forage crops are removed profoundly affect the animal populations, not only those on the land but also those in the soil and in the waters of the forest. These interrelations between the animals and the welfare of the forest, and between forest man- agement and the welfare of the animals usually are complex and quite often difficult to trace out and evaluate. lf, however, we are to manage our forests economically and effectively, keeping in mind all of their products and services, we must understand these complex interrelations. The better We un- derstand them the more we can make them contribute to reducing the costs of management, increasing productivity, and insuring continued productivity. lt is the business of' forest Zoology to discover these relationships -between the animals and the other constituents of the forest community, and to determine the effects of the animals on the other pro- ducts of the forest and the effects of forest management practices on the animals. In order to do this., forest zoologists must know what animals are present in the forest, their periods -of activity, the extent of their movements, their requirements in the way of foods, cover and water, and the numbers in which they occur. Although much of this information is now available there is still much to be learned. 'l urthermore, no two forest areas are exactly alike and no single forest area remains the same over an extended period of time. As a consequence of the relatively recent development of forest zoology, its increasing applica- tion in forestry, and the complexity of the problems with which it deals, the forest zoologist finds it necessary to carry on the three phases of his work simultaneously- fll the devising of techniques that will enable him to learn more about the habits, requirements and numbers -of the animals, Q25 using these techniques to the best ad- vantage, and Q35 applying this knowledge to the problems of controlling animal pop- ulations, increasing the beneficial species and reducing the harmful species. Dr. XViebb, Professor Stegeman, Professor King, Professor Deuce, Dr. Alexander. f17l