Statewide News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing fiscal year 2022 assistance opportunities for agricultural producers and private landowners for key programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program. While USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) accepts applications for these programs year-round, producers and landowners should apply by state-specific, ranking dates to be considered for this year’s funding.
New York is experiencing, first-hand, the far-reaching impacts of climate change and the global nature crisis. Climate change during our lifetimes may affect New Yorkers more than people in other parts of the world.
The LOG‐A‐LOAD FOR KIDS ‘DAVE DRIVE’ RAISES FUNDS FOR CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS IN HONOR OF LATE VOLUNTEER
DEC’s Regenerate NY program provides cost-share grants to New York landowners looking to enhance forest regeneration on their property. Landowners who want to plant trees, control competing vegetation, restore a degraded forest stand, or exclude deer are encouraged to apply for project funding.
In a recent listing of the best forestry bachelor's degrees, SUNY-ESF made the top of the list.
On December 7, 2020, Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA) and co-sponsors, including NYFOA, hosted a Zoom presentation on "Forest Carbon & Family Forests". There were over 200 participants logged in at the time or the presentation. ESFPA subsequently released a recording of that presentation which can be linked to here.
On Thursday, November 19th the NYFOA SOT chapter and the Broome County Cornell Cooperative Extension will host an online Zoom meeting at 7PM. Ed Newhauser, will be talking about Renewable Energy From the Land: Wood Fuel to Solar and Wind. Learn some of the efficient ways to harvest wood fuel and also the possibilities and cautions you need to know before turning your land into a wind or solar power area. The meeting is open to the general public.
The Forest Incentives Program Act is now making its way through Congress
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that oak wilt, a disease that affects oak trees, has been detected in Middlesex, Yates County.
NYFOA Announces Details of "Managing Your Woodlot for Wildlife" Symposium/Event, Hosted by the Capital District Chapter. The event will be held on Saturday, September 28th at the John Boyd Thacher State Park. The event is graciously developed and hosted by our Capital District Chapter. Details are given here.
New York State Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball today highlighted the success of the first-ever “Into the Woods” Forestry Camp held at the Oswegatchie Educational Center in Croghan, New York. NYFOA President, Art Wagner, states: "A successful program and mini-grant money well spent."
On March 5, 2019, four NYFOA members (Frank Winkler, Mike Zagata, Dick Gibbs, and Stacey Kazacos) attended Forestry Awareness Day (FAD) 2019 at the Legislative Office Building in Albany. FAD was organized by the Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA), an organization which supports many of the same major issues as NYFOA. ESFPA invited a number of its members and a select group of related organizations to send representatives to meet with NYS legislators and staffers to insure our message is heard.
The spring program for NYFOA is now finalized with speakers and topics. Also, a form has been provided for registration.
DEC has added an additional meeting to the series already held/planned to make it easier for residents in the Southern Tier/Delaware County area to attend.
NYFOA Chapters report on their involvement with DEC sessions held across the state.
The New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA) fully supports The NYS DEC Forest Tax Law Program regulatory reform efforts. NYFOA looks forward to working with DEC and other stakeholders to successfully revise regulatory aspects of the 480-A program.
NYFOA board member Greg Lessord presents an informed summary of the efforts underway to make 480a more "user friendly" to private woodland owners in NYS...
SAVE THE DATE! The NYFOA Board of Directors announces that the 2019 Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at the ESF campus in Syracuse, NY. Times and program details to follow.
The NYFOA Executive Committee recently approved a Public Service Announcement template and Interview Guide for use by Chapters in bringing their activities to the attention of the public.
​NYFOA's Director of Organizational Development, Mike Zagata, has developed a Speakers Bureau. This is a list of topics and speakers who have volunteered to talk about these topics at NYFOA events. Chapter Program Directors are invited to contact these speakers directly to arrange for presentations. Mike considers this a work-in-progress and invites all NYFOAns to contact him with suggestions for additional topics and additional speakers.
This year the Northern Woodlands conference will be held October 12-14 in Fairlee, Vermont.
The NYFOA-sponsored Timber Growing Contest received national coverage in a recent issue of the National Woodlands magazine.
Since the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1960, Americans have focused on preserving our forests. Only now, decades later, have we come to realize that we were inadvertently evicting those wildlife species that depend on grass, brush and young forests for their survival. It is those places that provide them with the habitat they need to survive. The Golden Winged Warbler and the New England Cottontail served as the “canaries in the mine” and signaled to us that we needed to reverse course and begin again to actively manage our forests. The following article explains in-depth why conservationists have now shifted to the “Young Forest Initiative”.
Marilyn Wyman is an environmental education visionary who nurtures relationships between woodland owners and their woodlands; loggers and their safety and well-being; funders and their contract deliverables; invasive species and their Early detection and Rapid response; youth and their stake in our future world….and that was just in the past week!
The recipient of the NYFOA Outstanding Service Award for 2018 is Dean Faklis of Springwater, NY. An active Master Forest Owner volunteer and NYFOA member, in the last four years or so Dean has conceived, birthed and raised to maturity at least five successful initiatives. Dean has a fertile imagination and likes to think big. Shortly after being elected President of NYFOA, I had to add a folder to my email entitled “NYFOA – Dean's ideas.”
NYFOA President Charles Stackhouse announces new Director of Organization Development, Michael Zagata.
Cornell Small Farms Program is offering a one-day workshop this winter in eight locations around New York State titled: "Log-Grown Shiitake: Economics and Management for a Profitable Crop"
Welcome to Maple Weekend... March 17-18 & 24-25, 2018 During Maple Weekend maple farms across New York State invite visitors to their “sugar houses” to experience firsthand how pure, mouth-watering maple syrup and other related products are made. Visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy fun, family-friendly activities, taste New York’s freshest syrup and purchase maple products.
"You and Your Forest" is a FREE informational letter series starting this February for woodland owners offered through Cooperative Extension. Your participation does not require any previous knowledge of forests or forestry. Topics include forest protection, wildlife, invasive species, and crop tree management. If you sign up, you will receive seven self-study installments beginning February 2018 and sent via email every two weeks. Call CCE’s Agroforestry Resource Center 518-622-9820 x0 to enroll.​
NYFOA is seeking a professional to work on a part-time basis, assisting our volunteer Board of Directors, Standing Committees and regional Chapter leadership in maximizing operational effectiveness. The applicant will be called upon to advise the Board regarding organizational structure, procedures and controls, but the primary emphasis will be support for the ten regional Chapters.
With a looming legislative deadline of February 9th President Stackhouse is urging NYFOA members to write to key legislators in support of the proposed "Empire Forests for the Future Initiative” (EFFI) but opposing the unnecessarily burdensome Commercial Harvest Notification provision.
Over the summer I created the attached fact sheet to help inform landowners about forest impacts of deer. It occurred to me that NYFOA might be interested in distributing it. Anyone can print the pdf, of course, but I also have a bunch of copies on nice glossy paper, so let me know if there’s someone I can send or deliver some to for distribution to your members.
Highlights of this issue from our neighbors to the South include: Regenerating the Forest, Profiles in Conservation, and Interesting Research News and Tools for Landowners
Longtime active NYFOA member, Dick Patton, is featured in the American Forest Foundation's August newsletter.
DEC Seeks Participants for Summer Wild Turkey Survey Citizen Scientists Help DEC Gauge Turkey Population New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today encouraged New Yorkers to participate in a survey for wild turkeys and help state biologists better understand this iconic bird.
The Saratoga Tree Nursery will purchase cone and fruit from private individuals for our seed procurement program. The species desired, approximate ripening date, and price paid per bushel are listed on page 2. The ripening date is an estimate. Cone and fruit should be inspected prior to harvesting in order to determine if it is ready to be picked. Seed that is immature will not be accepted. If you are not sure, feel free to contact the Nursery.
Empire State Forests for the Future (ESFF): This is the governor's proposal to bolster the forest products industry and support private forest landowners (e.g. through 480-B, and grants for private forest land stewardship).
A (PA) statewide effort to build appreciation for forests, the people who own them, and the importance of tending them, the Walk in Penn's Woods is a day with organized woods walks in each county in Pennsylvania. Anticipated to become an annual event, this inaugural Walk in Penn's Woods day happens the first Sunday in October across the state.
Each year, NYFOA presents the Heiberg Memorial Award to honor outstanding forestry and conservation contributions in New York State. This year’s recipient is Jerry Michael. Jerry richly deserves this award based on a lifetime of service to NYS woodlands and woodlot owners — individually, as a board member of NYFOA, and as an active member of several other organizations that promote interrelated forestry and conservation goals.
Each year the board looks around and asks itself what one individual has demonstrated unmatched contributions to the responsibilities of NYFOA at the state and chapter level. A number of dedicated and eligible candidates for the Outstanding Service Award come to mind, but Phil Walton’s name really rose to the top of the list.
Many people prune their trees in spring and summer. DEC recommends holding off on pruning oak trees until winter to protect them from oak wilt, a deadly tree disease.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that Oak Wilt Protective Zones have been established in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Greenwood Heights, Kings County; the Town of Canandaigua, Ontario County; and all of Suffolk County. These zones are the first line of defense in preventing the spread of oak wilt, a deadly tree disease. Previously, DEC established Oak Wilt Protective Zones in the towns of Glenville, Schenectady County, and Central Islip, Suffolk County. The county-wide Protective Zone for Suffolk County replaces the zone for Central Islip.
Members of the NYFOA Board Executive Committee and the Policy Committee have met with DEC representatives regarding these proposals on at least five occasions over the past two years. The proposals have also been discussed (debated) at regular NYFOA Board meetings, including input furnished by Chapter-designated Board Members.
​From Niagra Frontier Chapter's Secretary, Pat Glidden: "Here is a link to the Time Warner Cable’s “Outdoor Beat” hosted by Bill Hilts Jr. interviewing our Chapter Chairman Bob Glidden and Vice Chairman Mitch Banas
Here are the materials referenced in NYFOA President Charles Stackhouse's Email to NYFOA members dated November 6, 2017....

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