Tree Farmer Bulletin - Spring 2013 - (Page 6)

on the ground INsPECTINg fOrEsTEr PErsPECTIvE Dennis Galway on the Challenges of Working in the Garden State courtESY carroll FamilY continuEd From pagE 1 courtESY dukE FarmS If you think about America’s most densely populated state, New Jersey, you probably think about what you’ve seen from the New Jersey Turnpike: commuter suburbs, heavy urban development, oil refineries, industrial parks and the occasional glimpse of farms and other rural areas. You would probably never guess that 42 percent of New Jersey is covered in forestland, and that there are more than 300 Tree Farms in the state. These properties range from small woodlots to large, multi-generational cranberry farms of southern New Jersey. Most Tree Farms in the state, though, are less than 200 acres. Being a Tree Farmer in this state has always presented complex challenges. Land is expensive—up to a quarter of a million dollars per acre in some parts of the state. There are few wood markets and they are mostly located in neighboring states. “New Jersey, when it comes to wood markets, is a conundrum,” says Dennis Galway, a consulting forester and Vice Chair of the New Jersey Tree Farm Committee. “We have a whole range of complex interrelated parts that present hard-to-solve problems.” Some of New Jersey’s problems are common to Tree Farmers across the United States. Proliferating white-tailed deer, which prefer a diet of native plants over non-native vegetation, have compromised the state’s oak forests and caused populations of invasive plants and trees to explode. “There were virtually no white-tailed deer in New Jersey in the 1970s, and now we have 50 to 150 deer per square mile,” notes Galway. “They eat the native vegetation down to the ground. We may be moving toward a forest Washington Update tree daMaGe at duke FarMS iN New JerSeY cauSed BY SuPer StorM SaNdY. that’s entirely non-native and invasive species.” And then there are the timber markets—or rather, the lack of timber markets. “On the one hand,” Galway says, “we have great, highquality wood. But it is very difficult for us to sell. Housing starts are way down, and we face competition from cheaper foreign products like bamboo. The only market that has held its own is firewood.” Because there is only one commercial sawmill, a few specialty mills and just a handful of loggers, New Jersey Tree Farmers have the added expense of shipping the timber or pulp they harvest to mills in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland or Delaware for processing. These difficult market challenges have become even more daunting in the wake of four mega-storms that have slammed New Jersey’s forests. Three storms in 2011—Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and a freak heavy snow in late October— brought down huge numbers of trees. Then came the devastation of what Galway calls “Frankenstorm Sandy,” which not only destroyed large sections of the New Jersey shore, but also wreaked havoc on Tree Farms that had still not recovered from the three previous weather disasters. “Sandy was just devastating,” Galway says. “The storm downed tens of thousands of trees, inundating the already small market for New Jersey timber. It’s a big challenge to get rid of all that wood. I’ve been working almost nonstop for my clients since the storm. First it was clearing out the driveways. Now it’s clearing out the woods and trying to find markets so the wood doesn’t just rot. We don’t have enough people and enough markets to handle such an overwhelming, historic event.” Unlike homeowners along the New Jersey shore, who are likely to receive government or insurance assistance to help cover their losses, “forest landowners will not get any compensation for the damage Sandy caused, unless a tree happened to fall on their house, car or fence.” “The emotional impact of the storms has been considerable,” he notes. “But, like the trees they love, Tree Farmers are strong and resilient and will recover. The fact that they’re willing to pay to clean up and restore their woodlands symbolizes their love for and commitment to their land.” larger number (53, plus 2 independents who will caucus with them, versus 45 republicans). With the White House also remaining in democratic hands, gridlock is likely to continue for at least the next two years. But there is much that we can, and should, do. We have already begun to build relationships with new members of the House and Senate and to strengthen relationships with returning members, given the states and districts they represent or the leadership positions they assumed. there are also several important issues in which we will need to engage: • the Farm Bill extension will expire on September 30, and the committees are likely to begin work on a full five-year bill as early as the spring. We will continue to keep our issues front and center: opening up market opportunities for forest owners, improving access to conservation tools and strengthening programs to combat invasive species. • congress will also need to make some decisions about federal spending. While we know forest programs should not be immune to spending cuts, we will continue to work to ensure we don’t see disproportionate cuts to programs that will help woodland owners— particularly those that combat invasive species and help forest owners restore healthy ecosystems. the american Forest Foundation’s strategy for the 113th congress will be to continue to build champions and make family forest owners’ voices heard on capitol Hill with the help of our tree Farm activists. aided by a strong grassroots network, we can continue to move our legislative agenda forward, even in a gridlocked environment. if you’re interested in joining our effort or working to educate your newly elected members of congress on family forests, please contact christine cadigan at ccadigan@forestfoundation.org. fOr ThE fUTUrE The Carroll Family: Mineral, Virginia The beauty and bounty of Virginia is everywhere on the Carroll family’s Claybrooke Farm. You can see it in the bumper crop of orange pumpkins in the fall or the rows of Christmas trees in the winter on this working farm. It is also on display in the acres of pine and hardwood on the Carroll’s certified Tree Farm, which shelters whitetail deer, wild turkey, quail and even the occasional bald eagle. Claybrooke Farm is where two generations have come together to maintain the land for future generations. Claybrooke Farm has been part of the state’s history since 1725, and came to the Carroll family through the relatives of Virginia Carroll. The farm is now managed by Virginia, her husband, John, and their two sons, Matt and Tyler, who describe it as an “over the river and through the woods kind of place.” When Virginia was a girl the farm was a cattle-and-crop operation with pigs, chickens, dogs, cats and a large garden on the 300-acre property. Virginia and her husband first started planting trees here 28 years ago, when their son Matt was still in utero. The family has planted thousands of seedlings since. Matt is now a forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry. He and his wife, Charley-Gail, who is a middle school teacher and involved in youth agriculture education, live down the road from Claybrooke and hope to eventually raise a family on the farm. Charley-Gail has been using the pumpkin patch 6 tree farmer® Bulletin area extensively in recent years, reaching out to groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and using the Claybrooke barn as the center for hayrides and games. Matt and Charley-Gail moved back to the area because they wanted to be near their family and more involved with the farm. Tyler is employed by the Virginia Division of Legislative Services and lives in Richmond but he makes regular trips to the farm to help out with harvest time and tree plantings. As the third generation of his family to work on the farm, Matt says, “I might have a different focus than my grandfather, he was more focused on agriculture and I on forest management, but we both share the same goals.” Matt’s interests have led to more active management of the hardwood forests on the farm. To ensure the regeneration of the white oaks, Matt recently did a crop tree release, leaving the white oaks and hickory, and he plans to do some future controlled burns. Matt and his dad, who is also a forester, meticulously went over the plans for the crop tree release together. “It can be tough to solve hardwood regeneration issues,” says Matt. But they do it so future generations of the family will enjoy these hardwood forests. They also manage their Tree Farm carefully so they and their community will benefit from all the advantages that these woods provide—from the clean water and wildlife, to the beautiful fall colors. These fall colors also help with attracting customers to their farm, leading visitors to hold impromptu picnics on the property. This, in turn, gave Matt and his family the idea to add some picnic areas and walking trails. The goal, Matt says, is “to give the people coming to the farm an experience in the woods as well.” 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer Bulletin - Spring 2013

Tree Farmer Bulletin - Spring 2013
Contents
On the Ground
Tools
For the Future
Tree Farmer Profile

Tree Farmer Bulletin - Spring 2013

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