The Annual meeting and Banquet was held at St. John’s
Church, Dover. The banquet was brought
to order by President Kathy Myers. The
meal blessing was given by Glen Groh before the 67 attendees. The wonderful meal of swiss steak and baked
chicken breast, with all the trimmings, and delicious pie, was prepared by the
volunteers of St. John’s Church.
Keith Dasher, forest technician of Clum Forestry
Consultants, gave an overview of an app they use to assist in finding boundary
lines. The onXmaps app was designed
for hunters to find public and private boundary lines. There are various “layers” available with
this app, including landowner names and addresses, topography, roads and
trails, and lakes and streams, just to name a few. Keith said it is very easy to use, and can be
used on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or home/business based computer. It is available for about $30. They find it extremely helpful in their
applications. When in the woods, a
little blue dot indicates your location on the map. Never get lost again! As landowners, you can
mark certain areas and save them for future use in planning your woodland. It is even possible to save maps, so when in
areas that are offline, you still have the map and the layers, and your location. Thank you, Keith, for informing us of this
very valuable tool!
Jeremy announced, and congratulated, Alan Walter as one of
the two finalists in the American Tree Farm System’s Regional Forester of the
Year. Alan received the Ohio Tree Farmer
of the Year for 2015.
There were 51 silent
auction items and 32 items in the live auction.
Many of the items were handcrafted by ECOFA members, friends and
family. Jeremy Scherf did a fantastic
job, as always, as auctioneer. The
lively, fun-filled auctions brought in over $2600 for the education fund, which
mainly goes for Ohio Forestry Camp sponsorships. Auction items included a Poplar bench, an
ECOFA themed wood-burned artwork centerpiece, tree-quilted wallhanging,
star-quilted center pieces, home-brewed honey wine, a jar of Ohio honey, 2-time
international winning maple syrup, a
gorgeous picture frame, chestnut picture frames, chestnut wood, a wooden basket
filled with home baked goodies, wood-duck nesting box, and that is just an
overview. So many wonderful items made
generously and will be enjoyed by many.
The most fun item was the “Pig in the Poke”, a wrapped mysterious item,
that ended up just that….a pig, made out of wood by our own Glen Hoerger! And, we cannot forget the wonderful homemade
delights made by Ellen and Janet. A huge
“Thank You!” to all who provided auction items.
It wouldn’t be possible without you!
“Thank You!” also to Alan Walter and Brian Werner for doing an onsite
data entry, thus enabling a quick exit for all after the auction.
At the May 4, 2016, 7:00 PM meeting of the
East Central Ohio Forestry Association (ECOFA) John Quimby, past director of
the Forest Health Program for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and ECOFA
Member, will talk about "Biological Control and Patience". His
goal is to encourage us to use bio control to deal with pest (insects, plant
diseases, and invasive "weeds") problems with alternatives to
pesticides. In many cases bio control can actually be less expensive, and
more effective than spraying a pesticide. One of costs, however, is that
one must study the options through resources other than the local hardware
store. One also has to be patient. During John’s 30 year career,
biological control was the primary focus of every pest problem he dealt
with. Sometimes the best plan of action is to do nothing. What a wonderful
resource, to have someone with so much experience help us solve our pest
issues!
Belmont, Guernsey, Harrison, and Jefferson, Counties
Jeremy Scherf
2050 East Wheeling Ave.
Cambridge, OH 43725-2159
Phone 740-439-9079
Toll free 1-866-274-0102
Fax 740-432-7711
Office day is Wednesday
Erie, Lorain, Huron, Medina, Ashland, Richland, Wayne,
and Holmes counties John Jolliff
950 ODNR
Mohican Rd. 60
Perrysville, OH 44864
Phone 419-938-6222
Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning, Stark and Tuscarawas Counties
Dan Bartlett
3601 New Garden Road
Salem, OH
44460-9571
330-222-1486
Office day is Wednesday
Coshocton, Muskingum, Noble and Monroe Counties
Adam Komar
6665 Cutler Lake Rd.
Blue Rock, OH 43720-9740
740-961-0194
office day Wednesday
Knox, Morrow, Licking, & Perry Counties
Andy Sabula
8995
E. Main St
- Plant Industry Building
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
614-425-7767
Upcoming Seminars and classes
There are some listed in the meeting notes on previous pages
Capturing Nature’s Wonders
Saturday, May 7, 2016 Workshop:9:00am – 5:30pm Field
Trip: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
A full day class plus evening field trip on how to take outdoor
photography to the next level. Intensive classroom preparation and ‘real time’
instruction in the field is planned to learn simple steps
that make the difference between ordinary snapshots and extraordinary
photos. Please see attached brochure for details of how to prepare and
what to bring to the class as well as what you will learn. Class includes
both lunch and dinner. Go to jimdoty.com for more photographs of the
instructor. This workshop is being held
at the OSU Mansfield campus and the cost is $90. Please call Call 614-688-3421
for questions
Second Friday
Series
Spring Edible
Plant-
When Fri, May 13, 9am – 6pm
Where Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest, Township Hwy 6, McArthur,
OH 45651, United States (
Also
noted on this page and since some of our members also are active with
this organization:
Lee Crocker and the National Wild Turkey Federation have been a huge part of
A DAY in the WOODS since it launched in 2012. The Ohio Chapter of
the National Wild Turkey Federation just announced that they will support A DAY
in the WOODS and the 2nd Friday Series with $1,000 in funding through their 2016
Super Fund Project . This funding will allow us to continue to offer
quality, innovative programming for woodland owners and enthusiasts in
Southeastern Ohio at an affordable price!
Thanks to Lee and
the Ohio Chapter of NWTF!
Wild Wednesday at Deerassic Park
April 27th 6 to 7
pm…Trophy Catfishing It’s time to kick off the fishing season! Mark Meeker
and Chris Dyer will teach you everything you need to know on how to
successfully land the big one! No fishing tales during this presentation. Learn
the different types of fishing, where and when to fish, what type of equipment
to use, and tips and techniques to catch the biggest catfish in the state!To
register, please call 740-435-3335 or
email brooke@deerassic.com
2016 Forestry & Wildlife
Conservation Camp - June 12-17, 2016
When to Prune
This depends to a large extent on why you prune. Light pruning and the
removal of dead wood can be done anytime. Otherwise, here are some guidelines,
but recognizing that individual species may differ is important to remember.
Winter Pruning
Pruning during dormancy is the most common practice. It
results in a vigorous burst of new growth in the spring and should be used if
that is the desired effect. It is usually best to wait until the coldest part
of winter has passed. Some species, such as maple, walnuts and birches, may
“bleed”—when the sap begins to flow. This is not harmful and will cease when
the tree leafs out.
Summer Pruning
To direct the growth by slowing the branches you don’t want;
or to slow “dwarf” the development of a tree or branch, pruning should be done
soon after seasonal growth is complete. The reason for the slowing effect is
that you reduce the total leaf surface, thereby reducing the amount of food
manufactured and sent to the roots. Another reason to prune in the summer is
for corrective purposes. Defective limbs can be seen more easily, or limbs that
hang down too far under the weight of the leaves.
Pruning Flowering Trees to Enhance Flowering
If your purpose for pruning is to enhance flowering:
For trees that
bloom in spring, prune when their flowers fade.
Trees and shrubs
that flower in mid- to late summer should be pruned in winter or early spring.
When Not To Prune: Fall
Because decay fungi spread their spores profusely in the fall and healing
of wounds seems to be slower on fall on cuts, this is a good time to leave your
pruning tools in storage.
Keys to Good Pruning
Begin visual inspection at the top of the tree and work
downward. Use The ⅓ and ¼ Rules of Pruning. Never remove more than ¼ of a tree’s
crown in a season. Ideally, main side branches should be at least ⅓ smaller
than the diameter of the trunk. For most deciduous (broadleaf) trees, don’t
prune up from the bottom any more than ⅓ of the tree’s total height. Where
possible, try to encourage side branches that form angles that are ⅓ off
vertical that form “10 o’clock” or “2 o’clock” angles with the trunk. For most
species, the tree should have a single trunk. Identify the best leader and
later branches before you begin pruning and remove defective parts before
pruning for form.
Don’t worry about protecting
pruning cuts. For aesthetics, you may feel better painting large wounds but it
doesn’t prevent or reduce decay. Keep tools sharp. One-hand pruning shears with
curved blades work best on young trees. For high branches use a pole pruner. A
major job on a big tree should be done by a professional arborist. For larger branches, cut outside the branch
bark and ridge collar (swollen area). Do not leave a protruding stub. If the
limb is too small to have formed a collar cut close. When simply shortening a
small branch, make the cut at a lateral bud or another lateral branch. Favor a
bud that will produce a branch that will grow in desired direction (usually
outward). The cut should be sharp and clean and made at a slight angle about ¼
inch beyond the bud.
Annual Tree Pruning Steps from Planting to Maturity
Tree
pruning, trimming, or cutting is an ongoing process throughout the life of your
tree. After selecting the right tree and carefully planting it, early pruning
is the most important thing you can do for a young tree. Proper pruning will
save you money and give you a safer more beautiful, healthier, and
easier-to-maintain tree. Remember what you do to your tree in its first few
years of life will affect its shape, strength, and even its life span.
Tree Pruning Steps at Planting. Leave as much of the entire leaf surface as possible
to manufacture food that will build a larger root system. Roots will be larger
after one year if left unpruned. Do prune the following and trim close to the
trunk: broken branches, branches
competing with the leader, swollen
branches from insect eggs or stings, and remove tree tags.
Note: This article was
from Arborday.org
