From The Forest

Norway Maple_Friend or Foe?

On this week's show, we'll discuss the black-listed Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Norway maple was once planted abundantly as a replacement for dying elm trees in urban areas. Now, it has made the NYS DEC's list of plants that are "Regulated" and must be labeled at any nursery with a tag description of "invasive" and "harmful" to the environment.

What happened? How did this tree fall from grace? Is there place left for Norway maple? We'll consider the pros & cons of this tree, what it means to be "invasive", and more.

2019 Catskill Forest Festival

The Great Catskill Lumberjack Show / 65+ Vendors / Live Demonstrations
The Jake Rosa Memorial Convoy & Truck Show / Arts & Crafts / The Tent of Knowledge / Local Foods, Breweries & Distilleries / and so much more!

Fun For the Family!

Berries of the Catskills with Gary Mead

On tonight's "From The Forest" we'll be discussing BERRIES OF THE CATSKILLS with Gary Mead. Each growing season, Gary can be found picking some wild fruit and storing it for winter usage. Right now he's picking black-caps or black raspberries. We'll ask Gary about some of his other favorites.

Every third Wednesday of the month we invite Gary Mead on the show to talk about a particular tree growing in our Catskill Mountains or some other forest-related topic. Gary is the local owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery (http://www.gary-mead.com/) in Margaretville, NY.

Author: CFA Staff

Meet the Lonely Fisher

On this week's show we'll discuss the fisher; a large, carnivorous, forest-dwelling weasel that prefers to go it alone, but has made quite a comeback in these Catskill Mountains and New York State overall.

Fishers are sometimes misleadingly referred to as fisher cats. This may stem from the name "fisher" being closely related to the word "fitch", meaning a European Polecat (Mustela putorius) but... it's more likely the close visual resemblance and comparable size to a domestic cat. They are sexually dimorphic, meaning the male is much larger than the female.

Despite the name "fisher", the animal is not known to eat fish. Their primary prey is snowshoe hares and porcupines, but supplement their diet with berries, mushrooms, nuts, and insects, and are not averse to eating carrion.

Young Forest Initiative with Dr. Mike Zagata

On this week's show, we'll speak with Mike Zagata about some of the aspects regarding NYS's history with forest management that have gone poorly as well as improving the present and future under NYS's new initiative--the "Young Forest Initiative."

Mike Zagata, PhD served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ruffed Grouse Society. Before joining the Ruffed Grouse Society, Mr. Zagata served as the Commissioner (Chief Executive Officer) of New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation where he oversaw 4,000 employees and an operating budget in excess of $300 million.

He was inducted into the Offshore Energy Industry’s Hall of Fame for pioneering the Wetland Mitigation Banking and Rigs to Reefs programs, and was also recently inducted into the New York State Outdoorsman’s Hall of Fame. Mr. Zagata has also served as Field Director for The Wildlife Society, Director of Federal Relations for the National Audubon Society and Program Development Officer for the National Research Council’s Committee on Agriculture. In addition, he was Director of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) for Tenneco and Vice-President of EH&S for Transco Energy, and in these capacities was awarded the National Wildlife Federation’s Whooping Crane award and the Conservation Fund’s Alexander Calder award.

He serves as Director of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc. He has taught and conducted research on the impact of forest harvesting on wildlife while in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine, Orono. Born and raised in upstate New York, Mr. Zagata earned a doctorate in wildlife ecology from Iowa State University.

Spotted Lanterfly with Penn State Extension's Heather Leach

Heather Leach is the Spotted Lanternfly Associate with Penn State Extension responsible for developing a comprehensive understanding of spotted lanternfly priorities from every perspective and disseminating new information on biology, behavior, and effective management techniques.

Spotted lanternfly (SLF) was first discovered in Berks County in 2014. It has spread to 13 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. It poses a significant threat to Pennsylvania agriculture, most notably the grape, tree-fruit, hardwood and nursery industries, which collectively are worth nearly $18 billion to the state's economy. The insect also can cause damage to high-value ornamentals in home landscapes and can affect the quality of life for residents. Since NYS and the Catskill Mountains share a border with PA, SLF should be on our radar.

Heather Leach has a Bachelor's degree in fisheries & wildlife & Master's degree in entomology from Michigan State University. As a graduate student, she focused on developing chemical, cultural and biological tools to suppress damage from spotted wing drosophila, a fly that can cause damage to many fruit crops. Heather served as a research technician for Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station, Michigan State University Extension. Currently, she is named Spotted Lanternfly Extension Associate with Penn State.

Tree Bark & Bark Peeling

On tonight's "From The Forest" we'll be discussing Tree Bark & Bark Peeling with Gary Mead. Tree bark can provide more than just being the outer covering of a tree - we can tan leather, build furniture, and even side houses with it. Gary will share his unique experiences with peeling and working with tree bark.

Every third Wednesday of the month we invite Gary Mead on the show to talk about a tree growing in our Catskill MOuntains. Gary is the local owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY.

Forest Landowners Association

On this week's show we will be interviewing Forest Landowners Association (FLA) CEO Scott Jones. The FLA is the only national representative of the economic interests of family forest landowners and their unique natural resource assets. Their mission is to ensure an expanding economic climate that enables America's forest landowners to prosper from their timber resources. That means:
Strengthening traditional and non-traditional market opportunities; Developing and maintaining regulatory structures that encourage the sustainable management of private forests; Developing and maintaining trade policy that grows markets; & Developing and maintaining tax policy that ensures the future of businesses

Scott Jones is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry, Scott has been entrenched in the forestry industry for more than 25 years, with a keen insight of owning and managing timberland, supply chain management and the impact of state and federal policies.

Scott’s early career included managing a 60,000-acre tract of timberland owned by Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation and serving as a procurement forester responsible for purchasing wood for a pulp mill. He then left the woods to begin his career in the forestry association realm, working for the Georgia Forestry Association and the Southern Lumber Manufacturers Association where he gained experience on policy issues from the local, state and federal level impacting the ownership of private forests, sawmills and the entire supply chain.

Author: CFA Staff

Hoppy Quick Goes to NYC

Hoppy Quick - a.k.a. The Catskill Woodsman - has become well-known for his portrayal of black bears carved into wood using a chainsaw. In fact, he makes a living carving bears among other wood-based artistic products.

Recently, Hoppy has ironically not been in the Catskills, but instead down in NYC where the few trees there have caught Hop's attention. Hoppy will discuss some of the cool, old growth trees he's found walking around NYC parks. We'll get a Catskill Woodsman's perspective of NYC's more natural offerings.

Hoppy is a Catskill native whose family has lived in these mountains for over three hundred years. He makes is living foraging the Catskill Woodlands for material and inspiration which becomes his art. Hoppy works in close harmony with the natural world around him, whether it be a wood carving, furniture, an architectural structure, or stonework. Every work has been touched by nature.

Trail Cameras with John MacNaught

This week we will be discussing Trail Cameras. Over the years, the way we're able to watch wildlife has really changed. Now with trail cameras, or "camera traps", we can get images and videos of wildlife on our properties day and night, as still images or video, and even have the footage sent straight to our phones and computers.
Ryan and John will discuss the importance of this tool, their use, and tell some stories of the wild things they've got pictures of on trail camera

Birding Locally With Local Bird Expert Andrew Mason

Andy Mason: Delaware-Otesgo Audubon Society (DOAS) Co-President (August 2017 - November 2017), Conservation, Membership and Sanctuary Chairman, and Hawkwatch Co-Chairman.
Andy lives in Jefferson with his wife, Gray, and works as a self-employed house painter, carpenter, and landlord. His interest in the environment and more specifically, birds, dates to the late 1970s when Andy & Gray traveled the country camping and hiking.

Upon his return, he discovered DOAS and became an active member. His first direct participation was with the then newly-acquired Sanctuary, and he has stayed involved ever since.

Andy feels strongly that those who appreciate nature have a responsibility to take action to protect it in return. He has served as DOAS President, Vice-President, and Conversation Chair, as well as holding executive positions on the Audubon Council of NY State, and the NY State Ornithological Association.

Red Spruce With Gary Mead

Tonight's show we will discuss the red spruce tree (Picea rubens). The red spruce can be mostly found in the Catskill Mountains above 3,000 feet in elevation. It is often confused with the more widely-found and planted Norway Spruce. We'll discuss everything from its habitat, to wood products, to Ryan's experiment with making spruce beer.

Every third Wednesday of the month we invite Gary Mead on the show to talk about a tree growing in our Catskill Mountains. Gary is the local owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill and Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY.

 

Harvests For Habitat With Audubon's Suzanne Treyger

On this week's show, we'll speak to Audubon Society's Suzanne Treyger about the state of birds and their habitats in New York State. Audubon is helping to create "Harvests for Habitat", a program targeted toward forest owners, loggers, and foresters within a portion of the NYC watershed that improves bird habitat.

Suzanne is Audubon's Forest Program Manager and promotes sustainable forestry practices on private and public land by providing outreach and technical assistance to landowners and land managers. This is a part of Audubon's effort to improve forest habitat along the Atlantic Flyway for focal bird species in decline.

Prior to joining Audubon New York, Suzanne worked for YardMap, a citizen science project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Suzanne was also the Stewardship Project Coordinator for New Jersey Audubon, where she managed public and private lands to enhance and restore habitat for species of conservation concern. She has also worked for the Smithsonian Institution and the New Hampshire Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program.

A native of central New York, Suzanne has a BS in Wildlife Management from the University of New Hampshire and an MS from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Forest and Natural Resources Management, where her research focused on invasive species management issues on private lands in the Adirondack State Park. Suzanne enjoys being outdoors alongside her husband, daughter, and dog

Author: CFA Staff

Turkeys and Turkey Hunting

Maybe you've noticed some strutting Tom (male) turkeys recently while driving around. May marks the time when Toms puff out their chests and don their tail-feathers to attract females. It also marks the beginning of Turkey Hunting Season in NYS when hunters can take advantage of misled and foolish males in their quest.

We'll discuss the biology of turkeys and their habitat in the Catskills as well as the hunting of these iconic North American birds.

Tree Planting

We'll discuss the ins & outs of planting trees. I've read a lot about tree planting, but nothing beats actually doing it. After planting fruit trees over the past few years, I've made my share of mistakes. We'll go over some basic techniques on planting trees that might help you out and save you time and money.

Hemlock With Gary Mead

This week we will discuss Hemlock Trees with Gary Mead. Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY.
Gary will give us his perspective on cutting, sawing, milling, and working with the lumber from Hemlock.

Trout Fishing With Judd Weisberg

April 1st marks the beginning of Trout Season in the Catskill Mountains & most of New York State. Judd Weisberg is an avid fisherman of trout in these hills. We'll discuss dishing & the fish that inhabit these beautiful streams.

Judd Weisberg, Lexington, NY - At the age of 4, he began fishing at camp Lexington owned by his family. His love for fly fishing has since taken him all over the world, from Maine to Japan. Judd is a licensed guide in NY and PA, specializing in float and wade trips. He teaches his "Elements of Fly Fishing" course to any and all who wish to learn the way of life of fly fishing. His inspiration for guiding is his desire to "see others catch fish".

Hidden Heritage With Paul Smith's College's Curt Stager

I've always heard that the more mountainous terrain of New York State - i.e. the Adirondacks - was never occupied by Native Americans. Reasons for this absence were that these uplands were either too cold, stony or sandy for growing crops.

But is that really true? Was this area always a '"wilderness" where the "works of man dwindle"? Dr. Curt Stager will discuss how he's been uncovering information and evidence that may "demolish this myth of absence" in the Adirondacks.

Dr. Jay Curtis Stager is an author, radio co-host, musician, and professor of natural sciences at Paul Smith's College in the Adirondacks Mountains of upstate New York, where he holds the Draper-Lussi Endowed Chair in Lake Ecology and Paleoecology. He is also a research associate with the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, Orono.

His research in Africa and the Adirondacks has focused on the use of lake sediment cores to reconstruct past climates, evolution, and human impacts on ecosystems over centuries to thousands of years.

In addition to investigating environmental histories of lakes in Africa, South America and the United States, he has studied acid rain recovery in Adirondack lakes, human impacts on Thoreau's Walden Pond, fish evolution in Uganda, megadroughts in the Afro-Asian monsoon region, coral reef ecology in the Bahamas, and exploding lakes in Cameroon.

2019 Backyard Maple Sugaring Report

The 2019 maple season is coming to a close. Both Ryan & John made some syrup on a backyard scale. Many of CFA's members also got into the backyard maple sugaring business as well. We'll discuss how the season went, things we learned and potential tips for making improvements.

Ryan Trapani has been backyard sugaring since 2007. John MacNaught used to manage Paul Smith College's maple sugaring operations while a student there. He now has 1,000 taps he currently manages where he grew up in Delancey, Delaware County; John sells the sap there to commercial maple producers, while making some syrup where he lives on a backyard scale.

Catskill Trees With Gary Mead_Maple

Every third Wednesday on 'From The Forest' we have Gary Mead join us to talk about a tree species growing here in the Catskill Mountains. This week we will discuss maple trees.

Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY. Gary will give us his perspective on cutting, sawing, milling, and working with the lumber from maple.

Forest Management On Smaller Acreages With CFA's Forester Patrick Dolan

On this week's show, Patrick will describe the challenges and rewards of managing smaller acreages of forestland inside the Catskill Mountains as newly hired Education Forester for the Catskill Forest Association.
Patrick joined the CFA in October 2018 taking on the role of Education Forester. He received an Associate in Applied Science in Wood Products Technology from Morrisville State College and his Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Resources Management from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, NY. His focus is in the development and implementation of the new Timber Management Program.

Impacts Of Fire Suppression, Climate Change, & More With USU\'s Steve Voekler

We often hear about the destructive nature that fires cause upon trees and forests. Often overlooked are the negative impacts that fire suppression can have on forests, too.

Oregon State University and Utah State University have been researching how trees can become more drought-sensitive due to fire suppression in western U.S. forests. Other negative impacts of fire suppression may include things like susceptibility to insect damage. Utah's State University's Steve Voekler will explain how he has used dendrochronology (the study of tree rings) to unravel these impacts.

Steve Voekler is an Assistant Professor of Dendroclimatology at USU within the Department of Plants, Soils, & Climate. He has his Ph.D. in Forest Science & Wood Science from Oregon State University, 2009; M.S. in Forest Ecology from the University of Missouri, 2004; and his B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 2001.

Conserving The Eastern Hellbender Wih Peter Petokas

Ever hear of the giant eastern hellbender? North America's largest salamander? It turns out these salamanders - that can grow up to 2 feet and live to see 2 decades - have become extremely rare since the 1990s.

A few have been found in the clean streams of the central Appalachians and the upper Susquehanna watershed (NYS & PA). Lycoming College's Peter Petokas will discuss this unique amphibian and how his team is helping to bring it back into abundance.

Peter Petokas has earned his A.S. from Westchester Community College; B.A. from SUNY New Paltz; M.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry; and Ph.D. from SUNY Binghamton. Peter initially taught within Lycoming College's Department of Biology, but now is a Research Associate there for the Clean Water Institute. As Research Associate, Peter was involved in stream restoration, incorporating elements of Natural Stream Channel Design. He is now in his 14th year of research on the giant hellbender salamander. He also studies other stream salamanders, vernal pool amphibians, and native and invasive crayfish.

Author: CFA Staff

The Apple Tree With Gary Mead

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in these Catskill Mountains. This week Gary will discuss one of the Catskills most revered of trees - the Apple Tree.

Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY.

Reading The Forested Landscape With Professor & Author Tom Wessels

Tom will describe how he uses "forest forensics" to decipher the history of a forest. Maybe there was a large hurricane, logging, pasture, cropping, or fire. By looking at the trees, topography and more, we can decipher the past. Tom is the author of "Reading the Forested Landscape: A History of New England."

Tom Wessels is a terrestrial ecologist and professor emeritus at Antioch University New England where he founded the master’s degree program in Conservation Biology. With interests in forest, desert, arctic, and alpine ecosystems, plus geomorphology, evolutionary ecology, complex systems science, and the interface of landscape and culture, Tom considers himself a generalist. He has conducted workshops on ecology and sustainability throughout the country for over three decades. He is the author of numerous book with his latest being "Granite, Fire, and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia".

Author: CFA Staff

History Of Wood Heat With Bob Conyea

Bob Conyea will describe how the wood stove & chainsaw industry have grown over the years. For instance, following the first Arab oil embargo in the early '70s, both industries took off as more Americans turned to wood heat & implements to cut down trees (chainsaws) to avoid high oil costs. During the embargo's peak in the '80s, the industry was selling 2 million wood stoves a year.

Bob Conyea is co-owner of Ashokan Turf & Timber in Shokan, Ulster County, NY. He's a veteran wood-burner, chainsaw mechanic, and history buff.

Author: CFA Staff

The Eastern Coyote With Roland Kays

The eastern coyote has made a comeback to the northeast in recent decades. This animal has the ability to thrive in both heavily forested and urban areas. Yet today's eastern coyote differs from its predecessors 100 years ago, according to DNA and museum records found by Roland Kays.

Roland Kays, North Carolina State University Research Professor, has been tracking the eastern coyote's comeback for some time. We'll find out from Roland what makes today's coyote unique from other areas and eras and how it's adapting to today's remote and urban areas.

Roland is a zoologist with interest in ecology and conservation. He is an expert in using new technologies to track free-ranging animals and collects data through fieldwork and studies of museum collections. He is the Head of Biodiversity Lab, and NC Museum of National Sciences.

Author: CFA Staff

Saving The New England Cottontail With SUNY ESF's__Amanda Cheeseman

Ever hear of the New England cottontail? This little bunny looks extremely similar to the eastern cottontail but is apparently much rarer. SUNY ESF Ph.D. Post-doctoral Research Associate – Amanda Cheeseman – will explain her research on this rare rabbit as well as management recommendations to increase its numbers.

Amanda’s research focus at SUNY ESF is on underrepresented mammals of conservation interest. She studies the ecology of the declining New England cottontail, and its responses to the introduced eastern cottontail. As an early successional obligate species, it's thought that recent range contractions in the New England cottontail are due to the progressive loss of early successional habitat as it matures. Additionally, it is thought the presence of eastern cottontails might inhibit re-colonization of suitable habitat patches. Using genetics and telemetry, Amanda examines the impacts of eastern cottontails on New England cottontail habitat associations, survival, and dispersal in the Hudson Valley, NY.

Amanda is originally from Michigan and received a B.S. from Michigan State University before obtaining an M.S. from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. After matriculating to SUNY ESF, she hopes to continue research and teaching as a professor. When not working, Amanda enjoys reading fiction and playing with her Australian cattle dog, Brisbane .

Author: CFA Staff

Flora & Fauna--Summer Vs. Winter--With Gary Mead

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in these Catskill Mountains. However, this week Gary will discuss the differences between the animals, trees, & more that we see throughout both summer and winter.

Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY.

Apple Tree Pruning & Grafting

It might seem cold out there, but spring is coming. Before those buds begin to pop, there are some things that can be done amongst this cold weather to make this year more fruitful: Apple Tree Pruning & Grafting. We'll discuss some of the basics behind pruning and grafting. Grafting normally occurs during spring (April/May), but "scionwood" or cuttings must be collected now in winter.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly With Colgate University's__Tim McCay

Although earthworms are well known for their positive role as decomposers of plant litter, they can have negative effects on ecosystems in which they did not evolve. The central problem regarding exotic earthworms in Upstate New York is that little information is available to land managers regarding the distributions of exotic and native taxa. Colgate Professor Tim McCay seeks to develop a better understanding of the distributions of exotic and native worm species in natural areas of central New York, and a better understanding between the different species and land-cover types in the region.

Tim McCay is a Professor of Biology & Environmental Science at Colgate University. His research focuses on the forest floor ecosystem, soils, plant debris, and associated organisms, namely shrews and earthworms.

Author: CFA Staff

Catskill Trees With Gary Mead__Christmas Trees

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in these Catskill Mountains. However, this week is special and we'll be discussing Christmas Trees: History, Growing, Usage, Species, Fake vs. Real, & more.

Wagner Lumber Company With General Manager__Tom Gerow

Tom Gerow is General Manager at Wagner Companies. In other words, he's their main guy in charge of overseeing one of the northeast's largest sawmills at Wagner Lumber. We'll ask Tom about what it's like to make a living from New York's timberlands and how Wagner makes it all happen.

Wagner Companies produce over 55 million board feet of lumber annually and supply the furniture, cabinetry, and specialty-use product industries worldwide.

Wagner purchases standing timber from private landowners as well as logs from loggers and landowners throughout New York State and the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania to supply their mills.

Reading The Forested Landscape

Discussion on "forest forensics" to decipher the history of a forest. Maybe there was a large hurricane, logging, pasture, cropping, or fire. By looking at the trees, topography and more, we can decipher the past.

Catskill Trees With Gary Mead Black Walnut

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in these Catskill Mountains. This week we will discuss the black walnut tree; a tree rarely planted in the Catskill Mountains.

Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY. Gary will give us his perspective on cutting, sawing, milling, and working with the lumber from black walnut.

Forestry In NYS With Forester Chris Prentis

Forester Chris Prentis - Owner of Lower Hudson Forestry Services - will discuss his perspective on managing private forest land in the southeastern New York State.

Chris Prentis has spent the last 17 years in the forestry field. He graduated in 1997 from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst with a B.S. in Forestry.  Spent 8 years in Oregon and California working for the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management as a forester and wildland firefighter. Came back east in 2007 and worked in the Adirondacks for two private forestry consulting firms managing large investment forests for a variety of clients as well as numerous watersheds for different cities and villages. Achievements and ceForestry in New York State with Forester Chris Prentis

Author: CFA Staff

Spring-Time Traditions In The Catskill Mountains With Long-TIme Syrup-Maker Marty Giuliano

Marty Giuliano is a long-time maple producer who owns Marty's Maple Products Farm in West Shokan, Ulster County. The maple sugaring season - believe it or not - is right around the corner. We'll get Marty's perspective of this Catskill tradition before it starts this year.

Bow-Making With Jason Beever From JWB Bows

Jason Beever from JWB Bows will be our guest this week; he is the owner of JWB Bows where he specializes in making home-made bows from local trees.

JWB is an internationally known bowyer, located in the Catskill Mountains, who embraces the craft traditionally. His methods are rooted in history as he processes all his materials by hand - from harvesting and processing the wood from the forest, making his own glue from fish air bladders and flakes of tendon, untwisting and flattening horn into plates, and always varying fabrication techniques from various cultures around the globe.

Jason's repertoire ranges in eras and locations around the world: from the Asiatic and Eurasian composite horn bows to the long bows, recurves, and other individual styles of the indigenous peoples of Northern Europe and North America. Each JWB Bow is unique, crafted by hand, and roots into a heritage shared by humans across the earth.

Forest Talk With CFA President Michael Porter

Catskill Forest Association's President--Mike Porter--discusses a variety of forested topics from firewood to maple sugaring.

Mike Porter is a retired science teacher from Margaretville Central School. Mike has heated his home with firewood since the 1970s, has built a cabin from trees located on his own property, and makes maple syrup each year as well, among other forest-based things.

Catskill Trees With Gary Mead Catalpa

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in these Catskill Mountains. This week we will discuss the catalpa tree; A tree that is "new" to the Catskills.

Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill and Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY. Gary will give us his perspective on cutting, sawing, milling, and working with the lumber from red pine.

What We've Learned About Catskill Forests Since 2014 With Dr. Mike Kudish

Dr. Michael Kudish will discuss a variety of topics since he last appeared on From the Forest in 2014. Mike will discuss his findings surroundings hemlock forests going back thousands of years in the Catskills up to the tannery-era and the present. We'll also go into his extensive study of land-use history surrounding Native American burning, agriculture, 1st growth forest, and forest products industries and their network of roads.

Michael Kudish is an author, railroad historian, forester, and retired professor. He received his Ph.D. in 1971 from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. His dissertation, on the history of Catskill forests, was the beginning of a lifelong study. It was later expanded and published as The Catskill Forest: A History. His previous degrees included a B.S. from the City College of New York, and an M.S. from Cornell University.

As a professor in the Division of Forestry at Paul Smith's College, he has written three books on the vegetation of the Adirondacks, including Adirondack Upland Flora, a number of articles on forest history of both the Catskills and Adirondacks. As a railroad historian, he wrote Where Did The Tracks Go?, an initial description of railroads in the Adirondacks, followed by Railroads of the Adirondacks, for a long time considered the definitive work on the subject. He has retired from Paul Smiths, moved to the Catskills, and is working on a four-volume set on the Mountain Railroads of New York State. It updates Railroads of the Adirondacks in the first three volumes, and adds a fourth volume covering the Catskills.

American Ginseng Pharm With Anna Plattner

"American Ginseng Pharm (AGP) Regional Center is an agroforestry enterprise located in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. AGP is now the biggest wild-simulated Ginseng Farm in the world. They have successfully planted hundreds of acres of forested land in Albany, Delaware, & Greene Counties. They are dedicated to growing wild-simulated American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), Reishi (Lingzhi) mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum), Cordyceps as well as a variety of other medicinal plants and mushrooms."

Anna received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University, majoring in Natural Resources. Her work at Cornell focused on applied ecology and Agroforestry, with special interest in the application of science to conservation through the cultivation of forest ecosystems. She has worked as both a field technician studying long-term growth patterns of northern hardwood forests and as a technician at Cornell University’s experimental forest farms, where she maintained the university’s mushroom laying yards and wild-simulated ginseng plots.

After graduating, she spent two growing seasons interning and working on organic vegetable and pasture-raised livestock farms, giving her a well-rounded background in sustainable agricultural practices. Anna is supervising both full-time and seasonal employees as well as overseeing the site preparation and establishment of wild simulated American Ginseng on more than 200 acres of forested land. Her duties also include managing the company’s medicinal mushroom growing operations.

Ryan's Walk In The Woods

From the Forest's Ryan Trapani will discuss his short 2-day walk in the woods surrounding the High Peaks of the Catskill Mountains. We'll discuss observations surrounding forest types, animals seen, abandoned farms, plants, abandoned bark roads, old growth forests, trout streams, and more

Catskill Trees--Red Pine

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in these Catskill Mountains. This week we will discuss Red Pine.

Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill and Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY. Gary will give us his perspective on cutting, sawing, milling, and working with the lumber from red pine

Catskill Ginseng

Ryan and John will discuss one of the Catskills most mysterious -- yet famous -- little plants: American ginseng. Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a world-renowned "Adaptogen" used medically for thousands of years. We'll talk about some of the history, biology, habitat, and role in the Catskills of this uniquely long-lived herb.

Black Bears

Ryan and John will discuss bear biology, behavior, habitat, and range in New York State, as well as bear hunting. This year's Early Bear Season begins Sunday, September 9th in the Catskill

Arboriculture With Arborist Charlie Blume

Charlie is a Veteran-Arborist serving both Long Island & Sullivan County throughout the last few decades. We'll speak with Charlie about what he's learned about serving both trees and people in the Catskill Mountains, as someone that must balance the needs of trees with the customer's expectations.

Bark Tanning In The Catskills--Past & Present

Each year we cover one of the Catskills' most famous forest industries - the Bark Tanning Industry. The Catskills' hemlock trees used to play a major role in the leather-making process, which demanded tannins from the bark on hemlock. We'll discuss this historical industry as well as our experiences in hobby-tanning and deerskins today.

Red & White Cedar With Gary Mead

Every third Wednesday on From The Forest, we have Gary Mead talk about a tree species growing here in the Catskill Mountains. This week we will have him discuss red and white cedar, giving us his perspective on cutting, sawing, milling, and working with the lumber from cedar trees. Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & Gallery in Margaretville, NY.

Red cedar is a species native to eastern North America from southeastern Canda to the Gulf of Mexico and east of the Great Plains. This dense, slow-growing coniferous evergreen is a pioneer species, meaning it is one of the first trees to repopulate cleared, eroded or otherwise damaged lands.

White cedar is also a coniferous evergreen. The northern white-cedar is known as eastern arborvitae, a name frequently used in the horticultural trade in the United States. Arborvitae is Latin for "tree of life", due to the supposed medicinal properties of the sap, bark, and twigs. Despite its common name, it is not a true cedar in the genus Cedrus.

Clear-Cutting, Forest Health & Hudson River History

Author Mike Freeman will discuss some of the benefits and controversy surrounding the polarizing practice of 'clear-cutting'.

Mike Freeman lives in Rhode Island and has written articles in Northern Woodlands Magazine & The Bird Watchers Digest about the practices of clear-cutting. He is the Author of both Drifting: Two Weeks on the Hudson & Neither Mountain Nor River: Fathers, Sons, and an Unsettled Faith.