Catskill Forest Association
Articles
Oct. 15, 2013
Above: A fisher, via Wikimedia Commons.
A few days ago I was sitting comfortably at thirty feet high in an oak tree. Archery season for hunting Big Game opened on October 1st, and I was waiting for the white-tailed deer to come my way. It was a warm and... Read more
Sep. 27, 2013
By Ryan Trapani
Some define a forest’s health by its resilience to disturbances, while others by its mere biodiversity in flora and fauna. Many who make a living in the woods base their definition upon the products that can be ascertained from thereof... Read more
Sep. 6, 2013
By Ryan Trapani
Excerpt from Leonard Lee Rue III from “The Deer of North America” that really shows the importance of HABITAT. I firmly believe that despite all the good intentions of game laws, hunting regulations, etc., it is the change in habitat that... Read more
Aug. 13, 2013
What is forest health? We are bombarded by a variety of natural resources organizations – like the one I am employed for – about the importance of maintaining or improving forest health. However, it seems few take the steps to define what “forest health... Read more
Jul. 24, 2013
Come see all the Catskills forests have to offer at this year’s Catskill Forest Festival hosted by the Catskill Forest Association on Saturday, July 27th from 10AM – 4PM behind Freshtown Supermarket in Margaretville. The purpose of the event is to foster... Read more
Jul. 23, 2013
By Ryan Trapani
It is not uncommon to hear someone remark in our region that they thought they saw a wolf. Although what they saw probably was mostly a coyote. According to Roland Kays of the New York State Museum and researchers at the State University... Read more
Jul. 12, 2013
Today the Catskills are best known for their recreational opportunities available such as fly fishing, hiking, bicycling, and camping, among others. Some have known the Catskills as a place where water is procured for millions of thirsty New York City... Read more
Jun. 24, 2013
Above: The CFA runs a forest thinning workshop.
By Ryan Trapani
If you haven’t heard of our organization – Catskill Forest Association (CFA) – then you’re probably unaware of how much we profess about cutting “the right trees” in order to create a... Read more
Jun. 6, 2013
CFA has now developed a Tree Marking Program. This program was developed in response to the current and prospective forest management occurring in the Catskill Region on private land. Unfortunately in most cases, private landowners resort to a practice... Read more
May. 23, 2013
Above: Garlic mustard flowers. Photo by Sannse at the English language Wikipedia
By Ryan Trapani
In the natural resources field we often hear about the negative attributes of invasive species. In order to achieve invasive status, a plant is usually... Read more
May. 22, 2013
Matt Maloney led Catskill Forest Association's Forest Flower Woodswalk on Saturday, May 18th on Pakatakan Mountain in Margaretville, Delaware County. Although Matt hikes extensively throughout the east coast - he recently hiked from Saranac Lake, NY to... Read more
May. 22, 2013
Do you want to learn about the trick to identifying most of the trees in the Catskills? Learn the acronym - M.A.D. which will help you to do so.
Apr. 30, 2013
Above: Figure 1. The allocation of Carbon into structure, storage, and defense in lodgepole pine. Tree components with low numbers represent strong priorities for C allocations, whereas components with high numbers indicate a low priority for C... Read more
Apr. 16, 2013
Photo of a young black bear by the Forest Service, Northen Region, via Flickr.
By Ryan Trapani
Catskill Forest Association’s From the Forest sponsored article series depicts all things that are well… From the Forest. This may include a menagerie of... Read more
Mar. 26, 2013
Catskill Forest Association's Education Forester - Ryan Trapani - maple sugaring by hand in Ulster County. It was some year! The best season in 7 years. The sap was running heavy, and the sugar contents reached extremely high levels - averaging 2.5%.... Read more
Mar. 25, 2013
By Ryan Trapani
Snow is falling outside my window while the temperatures are barely above freezing. It’s March 22nd and spring supposedly began two days ago. Who could believe that one year ago today it was in the 70s? Yes, I remember how the abnormal... Read more
Mar. 7, 2013
Above: Evidence of hemlock wooly adelgid. Photo by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station / © Bugwood.org / CC-BY-3.0-US.
By Ryan Trapani
Each hunting season there is a certain amount of deer that... Read more
Feb. 13, 2013
By Ryan Trapani
It was a week or so ago that I had cut some trees down, split, and stacked them for firewood. Soon after, I noticed deer curiously walking between the stacked piles of wood. They are curious animals. I once called in a deer using a dying... Read more
Jan. 29, 2013
Above: Deer at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Credit: Craig Lewis/USFWS, via Flickr.
Every cold winter night ends in the same way – with the woodstove. Open the air intake. Open the stove door and scoop out any... Read more