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

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ofzest gnfomo cgi, AUBREY I-I. MACANDREWS HF forest entornology picture has changed greatly since the second world war. With the appearance of new insect pests to destroy more trees, new diseases to take further toll of a dwindling tim-ber supply, and with an ever increasing demand for more and more wood, we are faced with the major problem of conserving what we have left. The scope of the field has broadened considerably and more intensified training is necessary for the man who wishes to specialize in forest entlomology. Because of the complicated relationships that exist in the forest today, it is now necessary for a forest entomologist to have a thorough grounding in plant, animal and insect ecology in order to interpret what he observes, and to apply control accord- ingly. Many scientific developments of the war have had direct peacetime application in forest ento- mology. Methods and materials have undergone drastic changes, and the cost of control has been re- duced to the point where it now has a practical application. The large scale treatment of vast, inaccessi- ble areas of insect-infested timber has been made possible by the use of aircraft and new chemicals de- veloped during the war which have since been made available for civilian use. Following VVorld War l, aircraft dusting was introduced as a new step forward in the large scale control of forest insect outbreaks, but this was costly and had a limited application. After Worlcl VVar U, aircraft 'spraying was attempted with fixed-wing' machines, and from this developed the use of the autogiro and eventually the helicopter, until today we have some excellent examples of large scale forest insect control operations such as the gipsy moth in the east and the tussock moth in the west. . A further startling development was the advent of the mist and fog' machines for ground treatment of insect outbreaks in parks, city streets, plantations and nurseries. These machines intro- duced a big saving in time and labor-costly items in any type of control. Another type of control which is receiving' considerable attention, especially by the Canadian en- tomologists at the present time, is natural control. The most recent step forward in this 'field has been the establishment of a highly specialized laboratory in Canada for the express purpose of studying, cul- turing and liberating diseases to destroy harmful insects. This type of work is in its infancy and re- quires a broad conception of forest ecology and highly trained men f-or successful operation. It is the aim and hope of the advocates of natural control to build up in the forest a natural popu- lation of parasites that will serve to keep in check our forest pests and so establish and maintain a necessary balance. ln as much as its successful application is dependent upon the existence of the right combination of environmental factors, we will always be dependent upon nature for success in the use of insect diseases. All of these methods of control, however, must continue to be more closely correlated with forest management in the future if the results are to be of a permanent and lasting nature. Professor Bennett, Mr. Sinieone, Dr. Krall, Professor MacAndrews. tl3l

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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

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fandsca e an Recfzeational mana emevtt GEORGE A. ALBRECHT l'iCRl9ifX'l'lON is a major use of forest land, together with timber production, watershed protection, and grazing. Men who think they would find it interesting to plan for the provision of recreation facilities, or who would find it to their liking to be responsible for the public use of such facilities can utilize the specialized training which forms the curriculum of the Department of Landscape and Recreational lllanagement. Their major task in years to come would be to make var- ious public lands accessible and pleasurably usable without destruction of certain organizationsg there- fore, the training is broad enough to enable graduates to work with either type of agency. Provision of facilities which make a recreation area satisfactory entails a knowledge of road and building construction, drainage, water supply, and other utilitarian matters as well as familiarity With, and skill in landscape planning and design. The latter field requires an acquaintance with a wide va- riety of plant materials and an appreciation of the architectural appurtenances which often are a part of a park development. Courses in landscape design require most student time and consequently the cur- riculum in this department is quite comparable to that in a school of landscape architecture. lndications are that there will be plenty of work to do for those who see fit to prepare themselves f-or this field of activity. liach year an increased number of visitors enjoy national, state, and county forests, and it seems that there will be a continual increase in the amount of planning and construction necessary to provide facilities for these visitors. Therefore a major task in the field of forestry is to fit these devolpmezits into the over-all program of the forest so that the American citizen may experi- ence a healthful change from city environment and individuals may learn to appreciate the value of these vast governmental land holdings. During the last decade highway departments throughout the United States have been much more concerned with the appearance of their roadsides and with other matters which are within the field of interest of graduates of this school. The indications are that there will be a further demand for men trained in landscape design to contribute to the efforts of the highway engineers. Recently New York State established a landscape bureau as a part of the Department of Public VV-orksg an important addi- ti-on to the list of states which already had established comparable organizations. Much is being done in parkway plan-ning and the work involved requires men with landscape training and experience. Students most often enter the department with the idea of finding employment in forest recrea- tion or park work. However, it is interesting to note that the landscape design training they receive enables them to qualify for positions concerned with any development of land fgf human use and en- joyment. Recent graduates have accepted jobs as site planners with housing authorities, as city plan- ners, or with private landscape architectur- al design firms or landscape contract or- ganizations. There seems to 'be a variety of opportunity to suit the tastes of men who either like to plan for new things, or to actually go out in the field and construct them, or to supervise their use and main- tcivance. From left I0 right Mr. Vtfelch, Prof. Arnold, Mr. Viertel, Mr. VVillard, Prof. Albrecht, Prof. Sears, Prof. VVilliams. l19l