tree farming for

Published by theMinnesota Tree Farm Program & BetterFORESTS Magazine.

Tree Farming for BetterFORESTSis sent FREE of charge

to Minnesota Tree Farmers.

Is is also available by subscription for $24.00 per year or $46/two years

for non-Tree Farmers.

Editor:Kathleen Preece

Technical Support: Michele OlsonNorma Belluz

Designer: Brenda Cooke

Printer: ProPrint

Advisory Committee:Mary Perala

Bob DeRocheJerry StensingJack Rajala

Gary Anderson

Young Naturalist Adviser:James Siems

Table of Contents

Coming to an oak (or an aspen?) near you...................................................... 3

American Tree Farm Standards ................ 4

Deer repellent potion? .............................. 7

A week in the woods ................................ 8

Gray ghosts of the bog ............................ 10

Forestry across landscapes...................... 12

For the young of age and heart .............. 16

Tree Farming from a national view ........ 17

Sappi Fine Paper .................................... 20

The pileated in our woodlands .............. 24

Tree Farming for BetterFORESTS1

Cover Photo by Earl OrfAdmirers of many of the covers of BetterFORESTS have the

opportunity to order a 2011 calendar showcasing Earl Orf’sphotos. Earl is offering two calendars featuring his photos.There is an actual 4x6 photo on each month’s page. To see the photos that are included, check out the followinglink. The calendars are in the Featured Galleries section.http://earlorfphotos.smugmug.com/galleries. Calendars canalso be customized, choosing from the photos on his web site.For example, you might like a calendar with all bird photos orall flower photos. Check out www.earlorfphotos.com. Contact Earl for an order form at his email address: Earl [email protected]

2

Of all the woodlands for which I am overseer, perhaps the most cherished goes most unnoticed in theeyes of my forestry colleagues, neighbors, and passersby. It is an insignificant quarter-acre hillside of tremblingaspen.

There is no diversity in that little stand; it’s merelyjust that - trembling aspen. The slightest wisp of windprompts it to cheer the skies on to another season; a narrow path crawls the hillside, winding its well-wornway through yellowing leaves and closely spaced trunks.Written in the trail are stories of the travels of the white-tails and the red fox who call my woodlands their home.

Autumn doesn’t come parading to that hillside; itnever comes overnight. Writer Hal Borland suggests it“tiptoes through the treetops.” It’s deliberate, takingsummer’s leftovers and turning them into a casserole ofcolor and texture and fragrance.

I often think that if, for some reason, I should haveto relinquish all of my woodlands, I would cling to this

tiny hillside of aspen, if merely to listen for its transla-tion of the passage of summer to autumn.

September pulses with life, but the frantic greeningand fecundity of June, July and August have subsided;the hillside responds to a different rhythm as days andnights are nearing their time of balance as we approachthe equinox.

It struck me on a recent wandering that a certainappreciation of our woodlands is lost as we focus onmanaging our forests: planning, planting, pruning,updating management plans, and cutting and stackingfirewood. We become consumed by the ‘doing.’

Pause from your ‘doing’ this autumn, and take awalk. Perhaps it’s to where the willow weeps, or where themaples turn scarlet and the basswood bronze. Maybe youwill experience an aspen-hillside moment. Leave theequinox to the record-keepers! Know autumn where youfind her, rekindle your desire to embrace another season.

Thank you, Members of the MFA

The Minnesota Tree Farm Program would like tothank woodland owners of the Minnesota ForestryAssociation for their support for, and readership ofTree Farming for BetterFORESTS. Your written feed-back, phone calls, emails, and support shown throughsigning up for a subcription are deeply appreciated.Tree Farm and the MFA share common ground aslong-serving organizations committed to those whoown the woodlands of Minnesota.

This issue of Tree Farming for BetterFORESTS marksthe last complimentary copy of the publication toMFA members. Note the magazine is available for freeto Tree Farmers in the state, and available to non-TreeFarmers by subscription. We welcome your feedback -as a Tree Farmer, a subscriber, a member of the MFA,and, most importantly - as a caretaker of the forestsof Minnesota.

Half-past Autumn By Kathleen Preece

In July 2010, the first confirmed gypsy moth caterpillar was found inMinnesota, in Duluth. While it is the first gypsy moth caterpillar found andidentified in the state, experts said they know that the moths have been

reproducing in Minnesota for years.Gypsy moths are exotic, defoliating insects whose feeding can contribute

to significant tree mortality. It is an invasive forest pest from Europe that isone of the most damaging tree defoliators in the U.S. Aspen and oak top thelist of its over 500 preferred species.

Currently, the moths are well established in eastern Wisconsin and aremoving westward. The moth is not yet established in Minnesota largelybecause of the eradication efforts of the Minnesota Department ofAgriculture. However, it is just a matter of time, perhaps five to ten years,before the moth becomes permanently established in Minnesota.

Landowners can minimize the impact of gypsy moth through active for-est management. Because trees are long lived and slow growing, forest man-agement practices are most effective when applied well in advance of gypsymoth defoliation. Forest managers are advised to begin now.

Once the moth becomes established, the most important factor affectinga forest's susceptibility to defoliation is the proportion of the forest made upof tree species that gypsy moth caterpillars prefer to eat (see table). Standsdominated by preferred species are defoliated at higher rates, more often, andfor longer periods of time than stands composed of avoided species.

Site conditions and individual tree vigor play a role in how much treemortality occurs after defoliation. Only a portion of those trees defoliated isat risk of mortality. A stand of trees that has a high proportion of preferredspecies and trees under stress or of low vigor, are at risk of significant mortal-ity. Vulnerable sites are characterized by frequent droughts, slow growth andlow amounts of foliage in the crowns. Ridge tops, and sites with shallow oroverly dry sandy soils are examples of vulnerable sites.

The greatest single indicator of the likelihood of tree mortality is a tree'sphysical condition at the time of defoliation. A tree with a full crown and onlya few dead branches has a good chance of surviving defoliation. A tree witha small crown and 50 percent or more dead branches has a poor chance ofsurvival.

There is a similar correlation with a tree's crown class or its position inthe canopy. A dominant tree that gets lots of sunlight has a good chance ofsurvival. A suppressed tree that gets little direct sunlight has a poor chance ofsurvival.

When gypsy moths become established in Minnesota and defoliate largeareas, the repeated defoliation and tree mortality will likely shift susceptiblestand composition away from oaks and other preferred species toward non-preferred species. On rich, good sites, species such as red maple, sugar mapleand green ash may replace lost oaks. On drier, nutrient-poor sites, where seedsources occur, red and white pines may replace the oaks. In northernMinnesota, balsam fir will likely increase in number.


Accumulatedstress from defoliation,drought, poor growingconditions and secondarypests contributeto tree mortality.

Coming to an (Oak, or an Aspen) Tree Near You…?

Continued on page 5

4

Printed on the pages of the attached Naturalist’s Notebook in this edition of Tree Farming forBetterFORESTS, is an Addendum to assist Tree Farmers who are looking to update their forestmanagement plans to be in conformance with the newly released 2010 – 2015 AmericanForest Foundation (AFF) Standards of Sustainability. All lands certified by the American TreeFarm System must meet the requirements of the 2010 AFF Standards by December 31, 2010.

The Management Plan Addendum covers only the new items required in the 2010 Standardsthat were not previously addressed under the 2004 Standards (which you would have beencertified under if you were certified before 2010).

For more information on the AFF Standards, please visit www.treefarmsystem.org/certificationor call Victoria Lockhart at 202.463.2738.

Instructions

Management plans for properties certified by theAmerican Tree Farm System are required to be active,adaptive, em- body the landowner’s current objec-tives, remain appropriate for the land certified andreflect the current state of knowledge about forestryand natural resource management.

An active management plan is updated on a fre-quent basis with handwritten notes, plan revisions andinformal plan amendments such as this document.Please consider contacting a professional forester(consulting forester, landowner assistance forester,state agency forester) to assist you with your adden-dum or if your plans needs a more complete update.

1) Read through your current management plan. If you see any items that you would like to update,please consider including handwritten notes.

Please consider reviewing your managementplan annually and update informally with anypertinent information.

2) Please review each new required plan element(new under the 2010 Standards) and evaluatewhether or not your current management planmeets the new requirements. If your current planmeets these new requirements, please make noteof where in your plan this information can befound.

3) Where there are updates needed, please followthe guidance under each required resource elements. (For any check box sections, pleaseadd comments.) if appropriate.

4) Once you have completed the addendum,please attach to your current management plan.Be sure to initial and date the addendum.


Preferred Less preferred AvoidedOak Yellow Birch Ash

Aspen Box Elder Red CedarBasswood Walnut Balsam Fir

Paper Birch Spruce Silver MapleTamarack Cottonwood

Red and Sugar MaplesPine

What can you do to minimize the impact?There are two primary strategies in forest management that can help

mitigate future damage due to gypsy moth defoliation. The first strategyinvolves reducing the likelihood of defoliation by reducing the percent ofpreferred host species through selective thinning. While reducing the component of preferred hosts won’t prevent defoliation, it can lessen theseverity and shorten insect outbreaks. The second strategy aims to reducetree mortality following gypsy moth defoliation by increasing tree andstand vigor. This can also be done through thinning. Remove damaged andsuppressed trees and encourage non-preferred species where appropriate.Maintain host stand diversity and healthy preferred host species as an important component of the stand.

Make sure you have an up-to-date stand inventory before you begin.Effective gypsy moth management can only be done with a thorough under-standing of the site and the stand on it.

• Determine if your forest stand is at moderately-high to high risk of damage.

• Determine if the likely damage levels have the potential to affect land-use objectives.

• Where appropriate, increase the component of less-preferred or avoided tree species. However, maintain existing healthy oak trees in your stand as a valuable wildlife resource.

• Consider thinning crowded stands or those with a history of stress and/or disturbance. Remove trees that are suppressed or have weak, thin crowns.

• Determine if your trees are “overmature.” Old trees are more vulnerable to damage. Consider harvesting them - where that is appropriate.

• If you have hardwood stumps that have sprouted, remove all of the sprouts except one or two, where that's appropriate. A single sprout will develop a large, healthy crown less vulnerable to gypsy moth.

• When reforesting an area, plant a mixture of tree species with greater than 50 percent avoided or less-preferred species. Avoid monoculturesof any species.

• When planting trees, always match the tree species to the site. If you plant a tree where it doesn’t belong, it will be stressed and vulnerable to mortality.

• When in doubt, check with a resource professional. They can help you determine the potential risk of damage and help you develop a management plan where that's needed.

Gypsy Moth Host Preference

Continued on page 6

Continued from page 3…

Chemical ControlsWhile there are many chemicals labeled for use on

gypsy moths, only four chemicals are allowed under theFederal Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) thatguides all publicly funded gypsy moth treatments. Thesefour chemicals are: Btk, Dimilin, Gypchk, and Mimic.Many other chemicals can be used to effectively controlgypsy moths, but because the potential to harm otherspecies is considered too great, they are not recommend-ed for wide spread use.

SEE:USFS: Federal Environmental Impact Statement:

http://na.fs.fed.us/wv/eis/index.html

Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) is a natural-ly occurring soil bacteria. When eaten, Btk kills only cer-tain butterfly and moth caterpillars. It does not harmhumans, animals, or other types of insects. Because it canimpact some sensitive species, like the Karner Blue butter-fly, it cannot be used everywhere. Btk is applied as a sprayin the early stages of the caterpillars' growth cycle and canbe effective in eradicating small isolated infestations or inreducing large defoliating populations of gypsy moths.Due to its relative environmental safety, Btk is the product

most widely used by government agencies.SEE:

Health Risk Information on Btkhttp://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/pesticide/bt.html

Dimilin is a synthetic hormone that inhibits moltingin immature insects thereby killing them. It is very effec-tive. Because it also affects aquatic species, it is rarelyused by government agencies. However, it is the productmost widely used by private landowners.

SEE:Nontarget Impacts of Gypsy Moth Insecticides

http://anr.ext.wvu.edu/pests

Mimic is an insect growth regulator. Tebufenozide,the active ingredient, mimics the action of a natural insecthormone that induces premature molts of the gypsy mothcaterpillar, resulting in death. Mimic impacts most lepi-dopteron larvae, but does not impact other orders ofinsects. However, until recently it was not covered by theFEIS, so had not seen widespread use. With the new FEISpublished in 2006, it may become more common in pri-vate land applications.

6

Continued from page 5…


From hostas and yews to arborvitaeand white pines, a growing Northland deerpopulation has been giving homeownersand gardeners fits in recent years. Theproblem of hungry deer can be a headachefor homeowners and an economic disasterfor tree farmers, nurseries and foresters.And deer deterrents on the market untilnow tended to wash off in any rain.

But a Duluth scientist has developeda way for plants to absorb hot pepper con-centrate into their roots and up into theleaves, rendering them too hot for deer tomunch. Tom Levar, a forestry and horticul-ture specialist for the University ofMinnesota Duluth’s Natural ResourcesResearch Institute, developed the ideausing a chemical first used to treat musclesoreness in racing horses and, later,human athletes. The benign chemical,called DMSO, absorbs quickly throughanimal and human skin and into the blood-stream.

Levar found out that it passes throughplant “skin’’ as well, and then combinedDMSO with several bitter and otherwiseunpleasant tasting chemicals. Pepperconcentrate offered the best combinationof being easy to use, natural and extreme-ly effective. “You can use it when the plantis first put in the ground or incorporate itinto the soil with established plants,’’ saidLevar, adding that the plant will even emita peppery smell. People “don’t notice thesmell as much, but the deer sure knowwhat it is … It’s not really clear which is thebetter deterrent, the smell or the hot taste.Usually it’s one bite and they move on.’’

The pepper concentrate, called cap-sicum, is natural and doesn’t harm theplant. The stuff also works great to keepdogs, cats, rabbits, mice, voles, moles andgophers from eating plants and youngtrees, Levar noted. In tests at anAlexandria, Minnesota Tree Farm that hadsuffered huge losses of young conifertrees to field mice, the repellent proved100 percent effective. Michigan-basedRepellex, USA already has purchased the

licensing rights from the university andhas applied to the EnvironmentalProtection Agency for approval, expectedlate this year. Company officials expect tohave Repellex Systemic Animal Repellenton store shelves in March.

Gardeners can simply dig a few pel-lets into the soil around the base of theplant and, when it rains or plants arewatered, the natural process of plant nutri-ent transfer will suck the stuff in. It will beavailable in tablet form at first and eventu-ally sold in granules that can be simplyshaken onto the ground around the plant.Levar said Repellex Systemic will lastthree months or more, and company offi-cials say the tests are showing full effectfor an entire growing season. “This reallychanges the whole (deer repellent) indus-try because it’s inside the plant.Everything else out there was really ashort-term solution that washed off andhad to be re-applied repeatedly,’’ saidElizabeth Summa, president of RepellexUSA. “It’s going to cost a little bit more(than spray-on deterrents) for a singleapplication. But because you don’t have toreapply it, it’s going to be much lessexpensive in the long run.’’ Levar notesthat Repellex Systemic shouldn’tbe used on edible plants“unless you want yourstrawberries to taste

like hot peppers,’’ he joked. “You’d defi-nitely be able to taste it.’’ For the NRRIand University of Minnesota, Levar’sresearch showed exactly how theirapplied research effort is supposed towork. NRRI scientists developed an envi-ronmentally sound concept that had possi-ble economic potential. Repellex discov-ered Levar’s patent as they looked for anew product line. And the University’sOffice for Technology Commercializationnegotiated the license agreement withRepellex. “It’s worked out pretty well. I’mglad we could get it out to the public so itcan do some good,’’ Levar said. “Andthere are quite a few other applications forthis as well, for getting pesticides or fungi-cides into plants.’’

Scientist’s Potion Deters Hungry DeerJohn Myers - Reprinted permission from Duluth News Tribune

Company officials expect to have Repellex SystemicAnimal Repellent on storeshelves in March.

8

A Week in the

W hat came to mind when you read the title ofthis short essay? Hunting? Bird watching?Hiking? Camping? A cabin in the woods?

What else?For a hardy group of folks—ages 5 to 80 years--

from interior Alaska, a week in the woods meant atime to search for treasures—tree bark, unique treeand branch shapes, tree roots and the like. Oncefound, these treasures were turned into whimsicalcarved figures and functional objects like spoons,shrink boxes, carrying yokes, baskets, and knifehandles and sheathes to name a few things that werefirst imagined and then created from these treasures.

I was fortunate to participate in the “treasurehunting” both as a “student” and as an instructor—doing birch bark basketry. Charlie Mayo (anotherbirch bark guy and one of Minnesota’s premier birchbark weavers)) and I flew to Fairbanks, AK in mid-July for the one week camp. Following the camp wealso taught birch bark classes in Fairbanks andTalkeetna. Most of the participants were fromFairbanks, but others had traveled from Tok,Talkeetna and Nikiski, Alaska. The camp was locat-ed in a forest of Alaska paper birch, aspen and whitespruce near Fairbanks in the Tanana Valley StateForest.

I’m sure some of you are asking if we were eatenalive by mosquitoes. Believe it or not there werealmost no mosquitoes or other insect visitors! Thismixed species forest was on a dry upland site andmosquitoes are generally not a big problem in theseareas….but they can be really bad in the lowlandblack spruce areas. Minnesotans would beimpressed with upland forests in interior Alaska.White spruce are often 1-2 feet in diameter and over100 feet tall. They make beautiful house logs andfine lumber. Dimensions of the aspen and birch aresimilar to Minnesota’s “popple” and birch. If I had

to mention one interesting difference it would bethat tree age tends to be much greater in Alaska,particularly for aspen and birch. It is common tofind mature aspen and birch that are well over 100years old and some over 200 years.

These treasures we sought are the product of thewonderful alchemy of photosynthesis that combinesthe suns energy, carbon dioxide from the air, waterand nutrients from the soil into building blocks (forexample sugars, starch) and stored energy thatbecome leave, cones and seeds, wood and roots.The plants internal genetic code provides the basicplan for the structure and development of the treewhile the surrounding environment---wind andrain, falling trees and branches, animals from thesmallest of insects to birds and moose, and fungi—works to alter these inherent forms either by acci-dent or planned nipping and clipping. Combined,this internal code and the environment around itproduce the sought after treasures such as “normal”wood, character wood from crooked trees and treebranches, tree burls, spalted wood, and inner andouter bark.

If you were part of this group you would havebeen without electricity, cell phones, computers,microwave ovens, and other modern gadgets. Youwould have been sheltered by a tent, cooked over awood fire, swatted a few mosquitoes, used a latrine,hauled water uphill and whatever else was neces-sary to live “off the grid” for a week.

During the course of the week you would haveused a variety of human powered tools—“normal”knives, crooked knives, draw knives, in cannel andout cannel gouges and chisels and the means tokeep them sharp and efficient, hand saws, bowsaws, hand augers and many more “old fashioned”hand tools. Using these tools you would havelearned the importance of working with the grain of

A multigenerational exploration of the forestBy John Zasada

Retired research scientist, US Forest Service


Woods:

the wood, differences between the carvingcharacteristics of green and dry wood, theproperties of heartwood and sapwood,how to remove birch bark without killingthe tree, where to dig roots and once“dug” how to debark, split and weavethem, finding and using tension woodand more.

“Week in the woods” was organized byJohn Manthei and Rebecca Levy. andsponsored, in part, by the University ofAlaska Fairbanks summer session pro-gram. It is probably obvious from theabove descriptions what the goal for theweek was. For me, it was really interestingbeing involved with people of all ages asthey learned about the forest and thetreasures waiting to be found. Regardlessof age, everyone had something good tooffer and we all learned important thingsfrom one another.

People of different ages approachedprojects very differently. Those of us whowere older liked to have definite instruc-tions to follow. The children, however,would “dive headfirst” into a project, notworrying about the particulars other thanhow they might make something imag-ined from one of the treasures.

Perhaps the ‘species’ from the Week inthe Woods was the multigenerationalcomposition of the participants. And per-haps the greatest lesson from a Week inthe Woods came from the children.

Do not be cautious and “rule bound”when learning new things. Just dive in (asthey do!) and see where the journey leads.

10

In the year of 1880, the clicking sound of tendons sliding over bones was muf-fled by winter snows and sphagnum moss. Occasionally, the restless caribouherd passed over Ludlow Island, a high spot in the vast patterned peat land.

The island supported a stand of 100 year old plus northern white cedar accom-panied by bunchberries, star flowers and orchids of several varieties, as well asmosses and lichens, a feast for caribou. In the cold fog of a boreal forest morn-ing, the ghostly caribou pawed for the lichens and both male and female rubbedtheir antlers on the gray trunks of cedar. The fragrance of frayed cedar bark filledthe cool air. The herd marched on, the clicking of their feet, a cadence to theirpassing.

As the seasons passed through the big bog of northern Minnesota, the laststronghold of woodland caribou in the lower 48 states became imperiled by set-

tlement, fragmentation, farming and drainage. Yearafter year, the clicking feet of “xalibu” or “one thatshovels” dwindled in Minnesota. In 1928, only 13caribou clicked and clacked in their restless bogwandering from island calving grounds in Ontario towinter range in the Minnesota big bog. By 1946,none were found, and today only the ghostly imprintof the age old caribou trails across the bog, andrarely, a fleeting glimpse of a wandering cariboualong the Canadian border, remind us of their trav-els. Today, the caribou are found in Canadian andAlaskan tundra and boreal forest and a few reside atthe Minnesota zoo where one can still hear their ten-dons slide over bone and click when the caribouwalk.

In the drought years before 1931, the bog gradu-ally dried out like a giant sponge set on the kitchencounter in the sun. Many small peat fires, started byland clearing/slash burning practices of settlers,smoldered for months below ground. On September11, 1931, humidity dropped like a bomb, windspicked up from 25 mph to 35 mph and then gustedto 60 mph. By the end of the day, a wildfire, runningwith a cyclonic blast of heat, scorched 137,000 acres.At the end of 1931, the big bog was blackened,including 1,024,000 acres, primarily in Lake of theWoods and Koochiching counties.

On Ludlow Island, the big 200 year old cedartrees, with thin bark, high oil content and shallowroots that do not withstand high temperatures, easi-ly succumbed to the fire that roared across the islandin minutes. The peat, laid down year after year by

By Cathy Handrick and Chris Weir-Koetter


decaying sphagnum moss, is fuel indeed.Seldom is it naturally dry enough to burn.

The white cedars (arborvitae, or “tree oflife” as it was named in the 1500’s for its powerto heal scurvy) stood as black scarecrows,silent testimony to the power of fire in a placethat seldom burns. As the years passed, theyweathered, grayed, the roots loosened theirhold and tipped over. The ghosts linger on theforest floor today, gray and moss covered. Westill can scrape the black fire char from thetrunks and stumps and mourn the passing ofcaribou and cedar.

Ludlow Island and the surrounding bog isnow part of the Big Bog State Recreation Areawhich was created in 2002. The island has amile long boardwalk inviting visitors into theinaccessible expanse of bog land. There is apicnic shelter, a former gravel pit with fish init, and other trails around the island, includingone called the Caribou Trail.

With few mature cedar remaining on theisland to regenerate a new cedar forest, theisland has become populated by an aspen for-est with a couple of well intentioned whitespruce and scotch pine plantations from theCivilian Conservation Corp era. Many of theunderstory plants remain - those typical of acedar forest, reminding us that the forest wasonce a very different place.

Because Ludlow Island is managed by theMinnesota Department of Natural Resources -Division of Parks and Trails, the managementgoals are to return forests, where possible, topre-settlement conditions, emphasizing therestoration of plant and animal communitiesthat are not as common today on the overalllandscape as during earlier times. In southernand western Minnesota this means restoringprairies, in pine country - long lived conifers,such as white and red pine. At Ludlow Island,resource managers focused on restoration ofthe upland white cedar forest. Northern whitecedar is in decline in northern Minnesota dueprimarily to over abundant deer annuallybrowsing the growth buds of the young cedarto stubs and may be a species that will bepushed north with projected climate change.White tailed deer and occasionally snowshoehare can browse white cedar so severely that astand cannot become established. BecauseLudlow is an island surrounded by bog and isfrequented by wolves, the deer numbers are

Continued on page 22

12

The Landscape StoryExcerpted from an article by Tim King, The Land Correspondent

Among many of us, the word ‘landscape’ evokesimages of vast stretches of land, hurrying by us fromcar windows. Or, at other times, it likely prompts us tothink of that yard, right outside our front and backdoors that needs some special attention in the springof the year.

In the world of forestry, ‘landscape’ is a word thathas been placed into a special category of interest andfocus of forest management. In Minnesota the land-scapes, those 10s and hundreds of thousands of acresof forestland, are owned by a patchwork of privatelandowners, county governments, various agencies ofthe state and federal governments, Indian tribes, forestindustries and investment corporations. Historicallyforests have been managed to the property line of aparticular owner. Step across the property line andyou’ll step into a different forest management scheme.Usually, each landowner managed for a specific resultsuch as timber production or recreation. If the goal of for-est management is to preserve forests, and the servicesand products they provide, that piecemeal approach islargely a failure.

“We’ve lost well over half of the forest land in WestCentral Minnesota in the last 100 years,” accordingChuck Erickson, a retired Ottertail County dairyman andmember of what is known as the West Central RegionalLandscape Committee. This committee is one of six sup-ported by the Minnesota Forest Resources Council(MFRC). The MFRC is a small state agency established bythe Minnesota Legislature in 1995. The legislature gave itthe task of creating large regional forest landscape plans.

Concerned landowners like Erickson are partneringwith the MFRC, in an attempt to not only preserveMinnesota’s remaining forests but to improve and, insome areas, expand them. They are doing this by takingon a landscape approach to the forests of Minnesota.

Within 10 years of its creation, the five person staff ofthe MFRC had worked with hundreds of citizens and localofficials to create six regional Forest Resource ManagementPlans. The plans largely follow county lines in the WestCentral, South East, North East, North Central, Northern,and the East Central regions of Minnesota.

You are encouraged to look at the landscape that sur-rounds you, and in which your woodland joins.Landscape Committees typically meet quarterly to dis-

cuss the challenges and opportunities inherent within theforests of their respective landscapes. LandscapeCoordinator Lindberg Ekola can connect you with thelandscape group nearest you. Contact him at:

MFRC – Landscape Program434 East 7th Street North • Melrose, MN 56352

320-256-8300 • [email protected]

The Kreklau Family StoryBy Tim King, The Land Correspondent

Curt and Margaret Kreklau are planning to give theirland to their grandchildren.

“I can’t say for sure what they’ll do with it, but Iintend to do everything possible to care for it in my life-time,” Curt, a Wadena County landowner, said. “Then itwill be up to them.”

Curt, who owns land in Wadena County but lives inAlexandria, figures he has three responsibilities. The firsttwo go like this: Be a responsible steward of the land now.The second responsibility is to teach his grandchildren, inconcert with their parents, the necessary values, and hopethey’ll do the right thing when the land is theirs.

Curt’s father Wilfred showed him how to do the rightthing. “My Dad bought the land in 1939 or 1940,” he


said. “It’s in North Germany Township nearBluegrass. In the 1950’s my Dad started to doconservation practices when the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture first cameout with them.”

Some of the conservation practices thatWilfred put in place were contour strip crop-ping, grass water ways, and hillside dikes. Allthese practices keep the water from washingaway the soil. The idea, Curt said, is to pro-tect the soil so that the land's productivitywill be maintained. Curt has continuedfarming the contour strips that his fatherstarted. Thanks to new technologies he'sbeen able to improve on his father’s dikes. The improve-ments assure that the water that leaves Curt’s hills is cleanwhen it enters Hay Creek and the Red Eye River.

“Since I took over the property I’ve actually builtdikes with tile outlets to catch the water,” he said. “Nowall the water stops by the dikes. Then there are tiles thattake it down to a lowland by a ditch. That puts it into anold stock pond where it settles out. Then it dischargesinto Hay Creek on the Southeast corner of our property.It goes where it naturally would have gone.”

When Curt was young he was a little like the water inHay Creek. It was natural for him to leave the farm. Hehad a professional career. Like the water from Hay Creek,he went different places. But as water goes to the oceanand then returns to the land, so do farm boys often returnto the home place. When his Dad passed away in 1981the farm passed to Curt. By then he had a family, a pro-fession, a part time career in the US Naval Reserve CivilEngineer Corps, and an established home in SouthDakota. He wasn’t prepared to give that up for a life ofmilking cows. But he did find himself spending more andmore time at the farm. He loved walking in the woods.He enjoyed planting trees. Hunting deer with familybrought him great pleasure. During those early years ofwalking and observing the land and the woods, a ques-tion began to form in his mind. This brought his thirdresponsibility to mind.

“What happens to the community and land when thelandowner is kind of remote?” Curt asked himself. “Ihave been looking for a way for people like myself - prob-ably they inherited the land but don't want to sell it andhave it broken up - to be able to do something with it thatwill at least pay the taxes.” The land, Curt decided, has tobe financially, as well as environmentally, productive.Planting, and harvesting, trees is an excellent approachfor the remote landowner, he decided.

At about the time Curt was reaching his conclusions

about forestry for the remote landowner, the concept ofagroforestry was taking on new meaning in Minnesota.University researchers had been breeding fast growingtrees using genetics from cottonwood trees. The resultinghybrid poplars could be planted on agricultural land andharvested in less than twenty years. Curt thought theymight provide a source of income from his farm.

“I’m a member of the Minnesota AgroforestryCooperative,” he said. “We’re trying to promote what wecall productive conservation. The idea is to keep land inproduction but at the same time conserve the resources.We coined that term and the USDA actually gave a grantfor planting biomass under the term ProductiveConservation. I was accepted so I’ll be planting 33 acres ofbiomass. Part of it will be hybrid poplar and part of it isnative prairie.” Curt is also a farmer cooperator with theUniversity of Minnesota, hosting two test plots. One plot iswillow trees and another is Alder and willow varieties.Both species can potentially be grown as biomass crops.

As Curt works to assure the conservation efforts onhis land are productive for himself and his grandchildren,he is also thinking about the larger forested landscape inWadena County and Central Minnesota. Some years agohe was invited to join the Minnesota Forest ResourceCouncil’s West Central Landscape Committee. One ofthe primary objectives of the committee is to keep asmuch of the forest in the region intact so that it can cleanthe area's water, shelter its wild life, and provide an eco-nomic resource for the region's citizens. For Curt conser-vation involves both a private effort on your own landand a more public effort.

Those linked private and public values and goals arewhat Curt is interested in passing on to his grandchil-dren. They will ultimately be the ones who will, or won't,assure that the fields and forests are both protected andproductive. Curt’s father, Wilfred, would likely agree.

Curt & MargaretKreklau

14

WC Region Landowners Win NationalRegion Tree Farm Award

Minnesota should be proud. One of its private forestlandowners was recognized nationally as an exemplarymanager of some of the nation’s forests. Bob and IngridSonnenberg of New York Mills, were selected as theNorth Central Regional Tree Farmers of the Year; theywere honored in Vermont in July at the National TreeFarm Convention. The Sonnenberg Tree Farm grows inthe West Cemtral Landscape Region, and was selected in2009 as Minnesota’s State Tree Farm of the Year.

Bob grew up on the Tree Farm he now currently owns;upon retirement, he moved back to the farm In 1996, Bob and his wife, Ingrid, sought professional forestry help in managing the less productive forestlands. A ForestStewardship plan was created and the Sonnenbergs havebeen managing the woodlands ever since. In 2002, theirforest was recognized as a certified Tree Farm.

Since 1998 Bob has planted more than 80,000 treeson 100 acres of his land and has an 85 percent successrate. He is currently working with the University ofMinnesota on hybrid aspen clones.

Bob has restored a 45-acre wetland and given thenumerous geese, ducks, and pheasants a new nestingground. Along with other wildlife efforts the Sonnenberg’s

oversee all of the work done in their Tree Farm. “Bob hasa passion to understand and the will to implement goodforestry practices,” says David Johnson. David is aDepartment of Natural Resources forester who nominatedthe Sonnenbergs for their national award. Dave attests:“He has made his land into the best example of forestryand agriculture.”

Bob and Ingrid are host to numerous educationalopportunities including woodland advisor training, gryrotrack wood mulcher demonstrations, and field daysincluding the 2009 Minnesota Foresty Association’sForestry Field Day and the annual field day for theRegional Cultural Center on Forest Sustainability.

Bob is involved in many forestry organizations suchas serving on the board of directors of the MinnesotaForestry Association; he is past chair of the MinnesotaForest Resource Partnership, and also serves on theMinnesota State Stewardship Committee.

Bob and Ingrid are “one of you” - the estimated 11million private forest landowners collectively managing56 percent of the forestland (423 million acres) in theUnited States. These lands provide many economic,social, and conservation benefits including supplyingclean water as forests supply more than 50 percent offreshwater flow in the lower 48 states.

The American Tree Farm System (ATFS), founded in1941, is the oldest and largest forest conservation, certifica-tion, and advocacy program in the United States. ATFS promotes the sustainable management of forests througheducation and outreach to private forest landowners. TFShas enrolled 24 million acres of privately owned forestlandand 91,000 family forest owners who are committed toexcellence in forest stewardship. Landowners manage theirforestlands for wood, water, wildlife, and recreation withassistance from 4,400 volunteer foresters.

Landowners Lauded asMinnesota RegionalWinnersBrimson Forest Landowner Honored for Stewardship

Forest landowner John Rinne was honored by theMinnesota State Tree Farm Program for his woodlandmanagement and stewardship activities on 550 acres offorestland he owns north of Brimson.

As a Region 2 winner, John has been acknowledgedfor his timber management efforts, particularly the whitepine species. His harvesting, replanting, control of insect

Bob & Ingrid Sonnenberg


Nordis & Don Estrem

and disease issues, and development of a trailsystem were lauded by the state committee.

The woodland has been certified as a TreeFarm for over 36 years. Rinne has used the for-est to host Tree Farm fields days, as an outdoorclassroom for elementary students from TwoHarbors, and as a demonstration area for theDepartment of Natural Resources on whitepine management.

According to the Tree Farm Committee,John “has not only operated an outstandingTree Farm, he has tirelessly promoted forestry,white pine restoration, and tree farming as awhole. Rinne was nominated for the awardby Finn Ostman, a private forest consultant.

Dennison Area Couple Honored for Woodland ManagementIn a place were trees and forests do not abound, a Dennison

couple have been honored for taking care of, and promoting thevalue of the natural resources that do exist.

Don and Nordis Estrem were honored by the MinnesotaState Tree Farm Committee for their stewardship of 40 acres ofwoodland. The forest has been under a forest management planfor over 33 years and a certified Tree Farm for 32 years.

The forest has been used for timber production, personal recre-ational pursuits, and as an outdoor classroom for teaching forestryto students of 4H and Future Farmers of America programs.

Don has conducted salvage harvests after wind blow-down inthe area, removing mostly firewoos which he donates either to hischurch or to others in need. An active member of the GoodhueCounty Forestry Committee for many years, Don has pushed foreducational programs and for the rights of fellow woodland owners.

Crow Wing County Forestland Example of Good ForestryA unique ownership of forestland in Crow Wing County

recently received honors by the Minnesota State Tree FarmCommittee.

North Shore Pines, Trust located in Ideal and TimothyTownships, is 264 acres of woodland managed for timber, recreational opportunities, and wildlife. A number of familiesare involved with managing the Tree Farm and has formed itsown “forest committee” to guide their management and deci-sion making activities. The landowner families of the trust aredirectly involved with forest management projects includingplanting seedlings, installing tree protection shelters, andmaintenance of the woodland trails.

The North Shore Pine Trust was nominated for the awardby Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ForesterDean Makey.

John Rinne

These are just a few of the families that make up North Shore Pines, including:(front left): Karlene and Will Mears; (back left): Roddy Mears, Marilyn & George Hobbs, Andy Johnson, Cindy & Geoff Hirman

North Shore Pines

16

Delaware .................................... American HollyPennsylvania .............................. Eastern HemlockNew Jersey ............................................ Red OakGeorgia ................................................ Live OakConnecticut ........................................ White OakMassachusetts ................................ American ElmMaryland .......................................... White OakSouth Carolina ........................................PalmettoNew Hampshire ................................ White BirchVirginia ................................................ DogwoodNew York ........................................ Sugar MapleNorth Carolina ............................................ PineRhode Island ...................................... Red MapleVermont .......................................... Sugar MapleKentucky............................................ Tulip PoplarTennessee .......................................... Tulip PoplarOhio ...................................................... BuckeyeLouisiana ........................................ Bald CypressIndiana.............................................. Tulip PoplarMississippi ............................................ MagnoliaIllinois ................................................ White OakAlabama ........................................ Southern PineMaine .................................... Eastern White PineMissouri ................................ Flowering DogwoodArkansas ...................................................... Pine

Michigan ............................................ White PineFlorida .................................. Sabal Palmetto PalmTexas ........................................................ PecanIowa............................................................ OakWisconsin........................................ Sugar MapleCalifornia .............................. California RedwoodMinnesota .............................................. Red PineOregon.............................................. Douglas FirKansas.............................................. CottonwoodWest Virginia.................................... Sugar mapleNevada .................................... Single Leaf Pinon Nebraska.......................................... CottonwoodColorado ............................ Colorado Blue SpruceNorth Dakota .................................. American ElmSouth Dakota ............................ Black Hills SpruceMontana ...................................... Ponderosa PineWashington .............................. Western HemlockIdaho ................................................ White PineWyoming.......................................... CottonwoodUtah .................................................. Blue spruceOklahoma .............................................. RedbudNew Mexico .............................................. PinonArizona................................................ PaloverdeAlaska.............................................. Sitka SpruceHawaii ...................................................... Kukui

For Tree Farmers Young of Age and/or Young of Heart

Compiled by James D. Siems • 4th grade, Schoolcraft Learning Community

There are state flowers, state birds, and even state muffins. But do you know the state trees? Listed in order of states joining “the Union.”

For Tree Farmers Young of Age and/or Young of Heart

Compiled by James D. Siems • 4th grade, Schoolcraft Learning Community

There are state flowers, state birds, and even state muffins. But do you know the state trees? Listed in order of states joining “the Union.”


The number one concern we hearfrom family forest owners-‘We needmore markets for our sustainablygrown wood!’

Green building, a trend in buildingconstruction to reduce energy useand greenhouse gas emissions, isTHE fastest growing constructionmarket in the country, and even inthese tough economic times, the mar-ket continues to flourish. Greenbuilding presents a great opportunityfor growing markets for your sustain-able wood. Unfortunately, TreeFarmers and the sustainable woodproducts produced from your land,are being left out of these markets!

How is this happening? A privateorganization, the US Green BuildingCouncil (USGBC), one of the largestcertifiers of green buildings in theU.S-including many federal govern-ment buildings., has a green buildingrating system called Leadership InEnergy and Environmental Design(LEED), In LEED, builders are notencouraged to use wood productsover other, less environmentallyfriendly materials like steel and con-crete. If a builder does decide to usewood products though, they can onlyreceive wood certification credit forusing wood certified by the ForestStewardship Council but not forwood from American Tree FarmSystem or Sustainable ForestryInitiative certified forests.

What is being done to correctthis? The USGBC has released sever-al versions of their "ForestCertification Benchmarks" which aredesigned to help USGBC determinewhich certified wood products are eli-

gible for points in their green buildingrating system. Their goal is to use the"Benchmarks" in place of their spe-cific reference to individual forest cer-tification standards like the ForestStewardship Council.

The individual credits and prereq-uisites that make up the“Benchmarks” are intended to trans-parently articulate the policiesUSGBC believes forest certification

systems should have in place to be inline with USGBC’s values. Thisprocess is important because thebenchmarks, once approved by aUSGBC member vote, will be used toevaluate all forest certification sys-tems to determine if they can beincluded as a credible source underthe Materials and Resources creditwithin various LEED building ratingsystems. If the American Tree FarmSystem (ATFS) meets the bench-marks, wood harvested from TreeFarm certified lands can be used by

builders and architects to gain creditunder the LEED system.

The American Forest Foundation(AFF) is working with many partnersto inform USGBC about the needsand concerns of forest owners.Unfortunately, this very complicatedand technical process has continuedfor a few years. While USGBC hasattempted to rectify this problem,they have only made it more complexto use wood and still exclude ATFScertified wood.

Several elected officials fromMinnesota have spoken out andurged the USGBC to change theirLEED standards to recognize woodfrom ATFS and SFI in the wood cer-tification credit. Both Governor TimPawlenty and Chairman ColinPeterson (D-MN-7), who leads theAgriculture Committee in the U.S.House of Representatives have sentindividual letters to the USGBC, andin June, Representative JamesOberstar (D-MN-8) joined 78 otherRepresentatives in signing a joint let-ter to the USGBC.

We appreciate Governor Pawlentyand Representative Peterson andOberstar for stepping up and repre-senting the interests of family forestowners in Minnesota and across thecountry. While this issue is notdirectly tied to legislation, Governorsand members of Congress are weigh-ing in because it directly affectshealthy markets for wood products intheir states—impacting jobs and ruraleconomies.

Congressional representatives arealso weighing in because the federal

Tree Farming From a National PerspectiveBy Melissa Harden - Manager, Public AffairsAmerican Forest Foundation

Unfortunately,Tree Farmers and

the sustainablewood productsproduced fromyour land, arebeing left out ofthese markets!


18

A Future Without Ash

Plan for a future with fewer ash trees?Minnesota now has more ash trees than any other state, a

claim held by Michigan until emerald ash borer (EAB) arrivedthere and destroyed millions of ash beginning in 2002.

Ash is an important part of Minnesota’s forest environ-ment and our communities. It is also very common in windand snow fencing around the state.

University of Minnesota Extension recognized the seriousimpact EAB would have when it helped fund and develop theEAB First Detector program in 2007. The program trainsdedicated citizens to look for the first signs of this invasiveforest pest, and trainees were involved in the first discovery ofEAB in Minnesota last year.

Since 2007, Extension’s EAB education has broadened toinclude Forest Pest First Detectors (www.extension.umn.edu/pesticides/2010/eab/), EAB Community Preparedness andnumerous other training opportunities. Additionally,Extension has begun to develop ash management recommen-dations for private forest landowners.

If you have ash trees on your property, now is the time toplan for a future with fewer ash trees. If you live within 15miles of known EAB infestations in St. Paul, Minneapolis orHouston County, consider insecticides for your trees. If youlive anywhere else in the state, you need to start preparing fora future without ash.

Here are some helpful tips for homeowners:• Think outside the box. Contemplate a wider choice of

tree species appropriate to your site and needs.• Underplanting. Consider planting shade-tolerant trees

beneath canopies of existing trees.• Diversify the species you select. Tree and plant diversity

will help prevent future large-scale mortality the next timewe discover a major pest attacking a tree species. When Dutch elm disease killed the elms, for example, many communities planted ash. It would be unfortunate if we replanted with only maple (a tree already overplanted in many communities) and then found Asian longhorned beetle, an insect that kills maple.

• Extension’s Tree and Shrub Selection: Recommended Trees for Minnesota by Region (www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2008/11/recommended-trees-for-minnesota-by-region/) features resources for identifying trees suitable for your location. If you own woodlands, find woodland management recommendations and an informative video at EAB and Your Minnesota Woodlands(www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2009/10/emerald-ash-borer-and-your-minnesota-woodlands/). Learn moreabout emerald ash borer at Extension’ EAB page (www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2009/03/eab-ash-in-mn/).

By Angie GuptaForestry ExtensionEducatorExtension RegionalOffice, Rochester

Ash diebackPhoto by Eli Sagor


By now, most of us know that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a sig-nificant invasive forest pest. This non-native insect has thepotential to cause extensive tree mortality of Minnesota’s ash

trees and seriously alter forest stand composition in stands with ash.EAB may also negatively impact traditional forest product

economies, plant communities, wildlife, and water quality. In May2009, EAB was discovered in St. Paul, with subsequent detections inMinneapolis and Houston County-making it a very real threat toMinnesota’s forested landscape. Currently, there are several jointefforts being made, between and among agencies to educate the publicand communities throughout Minnesota on EAB.

Many people learned, during the Black Ash Symposium held inBemidji in May 2010, the ash genus (Fraxinus) is a significant compo-nent of Minnesota’s landscape with nearly one billion trees.Minnesota’s wetland hardwood forests are more than 50 percent ash.Land managers recognize the variability and complexities among nativeplant communities, especially in relation to hydrology. There is alsogeneral consensus among forestry professionals on the lack of silvicul-tural knowledge to manage ash stands with regard to EAB. Currently,natural resource professionals are working to address this issue on pub-lic lands. Researchers are now launching ash management researchprojects that will help us learn more about the ash resource and devel-op strategies to maintain the resiliency of our forests.

But how do we help Minnesota’s familyforest landowners who ownapproximately one third of Minnesota’s forest ,when we aren’t reallysure ourselves?

This fall, Angie Gupta and Julie Miedtke, will facilitate an expertpanel (DNR, University of Minnesota, US Forest Service and others) todevelop recommendations for family forest landowners using a toolknown as “the Delphi Process.” The Delphi process is a method forstructuring a group communication process that allows all voices to beheard. The Delphi process has been touted as an effective way to facil-itate a diverse group to deal with complex problems, especially when agroup is asked to predict future ecological consequences on plans thathave never been tried. After the panel settles on content and prelimi-nary recommendations, a publication for this special audience- you, theprivate landowner-will be written and distributed in May 2011.

Sponsors of the Ash Management Guide for Family ForestLandowners include: the Renewable Resources Extension Act,Department of Natural Resources-Division of Forestry, and MinnesotaState Stewardship Funds.

To be ‘hot off the press: Spring 2011Ash Management

Guide For Family Forest Landowners

By Julie Miedtke-Extension • Angie Gupta-Extension • Mike Albers-DNR

20

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories about Minnesota’s wood industry: the mills who produce our lumber and paper, and the manufacturers of our specialty forest products.

Sappi Fine Paper NorthAmerica is a preeminentNorth American producer of

coated fine paper used in premiummagazines, catalogues, books andhigh-end print advertising. Thecompany has facilities in Maine andMinnesota, and produces coatedfine paper. Sappi’s Cloquet mill— alarge pulp and paper mill complexhas an annual production capacityof 330,000 metric tons of paper and455,000 metric tons of pulp.

To produce the pulp that isrequired to make coated fine paper,Sappi must obtain fiber and therefore purchases wood from:loggers across the Lake Statesregion (Minnesota, Wisconsin andMichigan); county, state and federaltimber sales; and from privatelandowners.

To purchase the wood, SappiFine Paper North America has full-time wood procurement teams at itsmills— highly trained forest profes-sionals that are responsible for thewood buying process and ensuringthat sustainable forestry practicesare followed, as part of this process.Our team works closely with publicand private landowners, who are

interested in managing their landsustainably and has an extensivenetwork of environmental and mar-keting resources to help landownersachieve their goals. Sappi offers avariety of services that can help pri-vate landowners:

• Develop a forest or timber management plan

• Determine the value of your timber

• Conduct timber harvests that maximizing your return, both now and in the future

• Assist with wildlife managementand aesthetics

Sappi’s foresters will:• Work with you to meet your

objectives for your land • Maximize the return on your

timber investment, by identifyingthe highest value markets at the time of your harvest

• Work with reputable and insured timber harvesting contractors

Why consider Sappi’s forestmanagement services? Forest man-agement can often accelerate the

growth of timber, meaning yourtrees become available for harveston more frequent intervals. Whenforests are left unmanaged, crowncanopies close in and the stands orgroups of forest trees of uniformspecies, composition and agebecome denser, creating competi-tion between the trees for resourceslike sunlight, water, and nutrients.When these stands undergo forestmanagement, more room is createdfor the remaining trees to grow dueto less competition for the neededresources. The result is greaterdiameter growth in the remainingtrees until the crown canopy closesagain.

The tree cookie or cross sectionof a tree trunk, shown here was in astand that was left unmanaged until16 years of age. After the stand washarvested, diameter growth more

Sappi Fine PaperNorth America’s Sustainable Forestry Services

in the Great Lakes RegionBy Ross E. Korpela

Senior Wood Procurement Manager, Cloquet MillSappi Fine Paper North America


Sappi Fine PaperNorth America’s Sustainable Forestry Services

in the Great Lakes RegionBy Ross E. Korpela

Senior Wood Procurement Manager, Cloquet MillSappi Fine Paper North America


than tripled. Each year of age, a treewill develop a new growth ring. Howwide a ring is, which represents diam-eter growth, indicates how much atree grew in any individual year.

Each stand of timber is uniqueand requires its own managementtype, which is why Sappi offers freeprofessional forest management assis-tance to landowners. Forest manage-ment can offer several benefits to thelandowner and the land itself, such asgenerating income for landowners,helping with wildlife management andincreasing the health of privateforests.

For more information aboutSappi Fine Paper North

America’s sustainable forestrymanagement services in theGreat Lakes Region and its

sustainability initiatives, call:(218) 878-4312 or visit:

www.sappi.com/na.

Tree Farm Inspector Training Workshop

December 16, 2010 - 9:00am- 3:00pmCloquet Forestry Center

CFE Contract Hours, Category 1: 4 CreditsThis workshop is for forest resource managers

interested in becoming a certified Tree Farm Inspector or for Inspectors

who need to update their certification to the new 2010 Tree Farm Standards.

Tom Witkowski22445 E. Lake Hubert Dr • Brainerd, MN 56401

218-232-3948

Sappi continued from page 20

22

locally low, creating a rare opportunity for cedarrestoration that is difficult to impossible in mostother areas.

White cedar tolerates shade, so little sitepreparation was needed for this restoration proj-ect. Battling brush and deadfall, MinnesotaConservation Corp members planted 30,000white cedar seedlings on Ludlow Island in 2009-10. A portion of the trees were caged with wirefence as a safety measure to ensure protectionfrom the occasional hare and deer that mighttrack by. The uncaged seedlings will undergo anannual fall treatment of deer repellent for severalyears to protect leader growth from hungrymouths.

Some areas of Ludlow Island are degradeddue to gravel pit construction and other distur-bances. Because it takes more than trees to makea fully functioning forest community, additionalplant species can be added to improve the com-position of the forest understory. A road con-struction project by MDOT along Highway 11 inLake of the Woods and Koochiching countiesprovided an opportunity to salvage hundreds ofshowy and yellow lady slippers. Again CCMcrews were called in and clump by clump, ladyslippers were moved from the roadsides to dis-turbed areas within Ludlow Island, providingvisitors with the opportunity to continue enjoy-ing these beautiful flowers.

It will be a long time before visitors to BigBog’s Ludlow Island can witness the splendor ofan old growth white cedar forest. Although theyhave a lifespan of up to 1000 years, cedar arevery slow growing. Hopefully people will not bethe only visitors to the cedar forest. White cedarforests provide excellent summer habitat for sev-eral increasingly rare warblers (northern parula,black-throated green, blackburnian, black-and-white, and magnolia), white-throated sparrows,and kinglets. For now we must be patient andwait for the trees to grow, protect them from deerand snowshoe hare and marvel as the ghosts ofthe past transform again into trees of life for thefuture.

It is unlikely that future conditions will favorthe return of woodland caribou to Minnesota,although the bog remains largely in a wildernesscondition. We can support keeping habitat forthem in other states and countries where theherds still move with a single purpose, followingroutes trod by generations of big footed travelers,accompanied by the castanets in their anklebones.

Continued from page 11Thinking - Spring?

It’s autumn; therefore, it’s time to think ‘spring,’(at least when it comes to planning and planting!)

The Minnesota State Tree Nursery, as well as numerous private landscape and tree nurseries have tree seedling orderlists available for your 2011 woodland endeavors. Take some to

look over the available species and place your orders for spring.

DNR Nurseries Order Form: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/nurseries/orderform.pdf

Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association: http://www.mnla.biz/plantminnesotatrees/

Many Soil and Water Conservation Districts provide tree seedlings.To call your RC&D, look in the

Government Section of your phone book,“Agriculture, Department of . . .”


government is one of the largest sup-porters of LEED—including the U.S.Department of Agriculture, the U.S.Forest Service, the U.S. Departmentof Energy, and the EnvironmentalProtection Agency. Government-owned or occupied LEED buildingsmake up almost one-third of allLEED projects.

Our government should be look-ing to create U.S. jobs, conserve ourforests, and help families stay on theland, instead of undermining thesegoals by supporting LEED’s currentrequirements that limit the market forwood products from family-ownedforests.

Over three-fourths of the certifiedforests in North America are certifiedto ATFS, the Sustainable ForestryInitiative (SFI), or the CanadianStandards Association. Productsfrom these sustainably-managedforests account for millions of

acres and are currently ineligible

for the LEED forest certification cred-it—cutting these woodland ownersout of green building markets. Lessthan one-quarter of North America'scertified forests are certified to theForest Stewardship Council (FSC),and 60% of FSC's supply is from off-shore. Purchasing wood overseas cre-ates economic hardship for Americanfamilies and rural communities, hurt-ing the over 1 million jobs in the for-est products industry.

Family forest owners also needaccess to markets—like the emerginggreen building market—in order tomaintain healthy forests. When wehave healthy markets for wood prod-ucts, forest owners have incentivesand the means to invest in theirforestland, improving managementand ensuring sustainability. Forestsand woodlands serve as a line ofdefense in the protection of cleanwater and air, wildlife habitat, andrecreational opportunities. Shutting

family forest owners—who own themajority of the nation’s privateforests—out of market opportunitiesmeans these families will have a moredifficult time keeping their land andproviding the benefits all Americansneed and value.

The AFF represents family forestowners on public policy issues,including green building. If youwould like to stay abreast of publicpolicy issues and legislation inCongress, you may visit www.family-forestaction.org to sign up to receiveupdates and opportunities to takeaction.

Continued from page 17

24

At close range, this largest of Minnesota's woodpecker species is awe inspir-ing. The brilliant red cap, large size, and 27" wingspan make this a veryimpressive bird to see. These woodpeckers occasionally allow us a glimpse

into their lives, letting us watch them excavate or feed.The pileated woodpecker (Dryocupus pileatus) is the largest woodpecker

in North America (two larger species are most likely extinct). As do others inthe Picidae (Woodpecker) family, it has stiff tail feathers, unique toe arrange-ment, a long tongue and stiff/hard bill; all traits which help the woodpeck-ers excavate holes in trees for nesting and feeding.

The pileated woodpecker is found throughout theeastern U/S, south-ern Canada, and in the mountainous west, but absent in the Great Plainsand prairies. In Minnesota, they are present throughout most of the statewith the exception of the far southwestern counties.

"Pileateds" are a year –round resident species, and one of the moreconspicuous and colorful of the bird species which can be seen here in thewinter. The males and females bond for life, setting up a large territory.

Males are slightly larger (16.5" long), and possess a red moustache, whilefemales lack this feature.

They have several distinctive vocalizations; primarily a "kuk kuk", alongwith loud drumming are key sounds which identify the bird.

Pileated woodpeckers excavate large cavities in old mature trees; usually atleast 8" diameter at breast height (dbh). Their nest are made of wood chips in the

bottom of the deep (almost 19") cavity hole. After courtship, an average of 3-4 whiteeggs are laid in Jue. Both the parent birds incubate those eggs, which are incubated for 15-

19 days before the young woodpeckers hatch. Both parents feed the young woodpeckers a regur-gitant of the primary prey items, which include ants, beetle larvae, fruits and seeds.

After 22-26 days, the young woodpeckers are ready to leave the nest, or fledge. Forest predators include the goshawk,Cooper's hawk, red-tailed hawk, American marten and greyfox.

As forest landowners, you may wonder, what can I do to make sure that these wonderful birds have a home on myproperty?

Pileated woodpeckers like old/mature forest. They prefer forests with canopy closure, and also high snag densities.Studies show that they are found in highest abundance in dense deciduous (aspen) stands, conifer, or mixed woodlandforests. The density of trees, and also the density of snags are a factor in their abundance. Some studies recommend leav-ing as many as 31 snags/acre, and 40 logs/acre to attract "Pileateds" to the forested parcel. Management of the forestproperty to retain these old forest features or preservation of corridors of older forest will ensure the continued presenceof these large and interesting birds. The cavities excavated by the pileated woodpeckers are used by more than 40 speciesof wildlife for their nesting habitat, including chickadees, wood ducks and raccoons.

"Pileateds" occasionally will frequent suet feeders, but anecdotal reports indicate that they will readily feed on a deercarcass left hanging from a tree. Don' expect these birds to come too close to the window though; they are rather shycreatures.

So the next time you are out cutting firewood, or taking a hike through the woods and you hear the characteristic "kukkuk kuk", you will know that the pileated woodpecker is nearby. Surely an icon of northern Minnesota forests, their abun-dance in our state is another indicator of the overall health of our forest communities.

Get ‘close up’ to a pileated on the back cover of this issue of Tree Farming for BetterFORESTS.

The Pileated Woodpecker - Excavator Extraordinaire

By Katie Haws, DNR Regional Nongame Wildlife Specialist

State Tree Farm Committee

CHAIR Ross Korpela, Sappi Fine Paper

Ph: [email protected]

Region 1 Chair: Brian Bignall, Potlatch Corp.


Region 2 Chair:Quintin Legler, UPM-Kymeeene


Region 3 Chair: Dean Makey, DNR Forestry


Region 4 Chair: Don Mueller, DNR Forestry


Gary Anderson, Anderson Consulting Forestry


Andrew Arends Minn. Department of Natural

ResourcesPh: 651-259-5261

[email protected]

Jim Berkeland, UPM-Blandin Paper Ph: 218-327-6385

[email protected]

Bob DeRoche, NewPage CorporationPh: 218-525-6988

[email protected]

Michael F. Greenheck, Tree FarmerPh: [email protected]

Ray Higgins, Minneosta Forest Industries

Ph: 218-722-5013 [email protected]

Dave Parent, Tree Farmer Ph: 763-753-1619

[email protected]

Mary Perala, Boise, Inc.Ph: 218-285-5334

[email protected]

Kathleen Preece,Tree Farming forBetterFORESTS Editor


Eli Sagor, Univ. of Minnesota Extension

Ph: 612-624-6948 • [email protected]

Tom Witkowski, Witkowski Foresty Consult.


Bruce ZumBahlen, MN Forestry Association


PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDDuluth, MN

Permit No. 1003

tree farming for

Documents