NEWS
from the
QUIET CORNER
ISSUE 1 - FALL 2012
ANNUAL REPORT
Alex Barrett, Forest Manager
Greetings Quiet Corner Neighbors.
In July, I took over from Richard
Campbell as the Forest Manager for the
Yale School Forests. I just finished up
my Master of Forestry from Yale this
past May. Much of my Masters work
revolved around the Quiet Corner
Initiative and I am excited to be able to
stay involved with the QCI in my new
job as Forest Manager. I had a great
time working for Richard and I hope
to continue his easy-going, fun, and
effective management style.
Welcome to the first Quiet Corner Initiative Newsletter! This past year has seen the QCI
grow by leaps and bounds and a newsletter seems in order. Thanks to a generous grant from
the U.S. Forest Service, we are able to expand our programming, research, and outreach.
We will continue to send out periodic updates about meetings, workshops and networking
opportunities. In the meantime, we hope this semi-annual newsletter will serve to update all
our friends, neighbors and partners about QCI activities. As always, please do not hesitate to
give us a call or send us an email. We hope to see you out in the woods soon!
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
A Wildlife Workshop Management Report by Shane Hetzler, QCI Coordinator
I grew up in North Egremont, MA and
have a great appreciation for wooded
New England. The woods, farmland
and small town feel of the Quiet Corner
remind me of home, and I am excited
to be a part of the many neighbors here
who are working to keep it that way.
One of my first jobs as Forest Manager
was to hire a Quiet Corner Coordinator.
As the Initiative expands, we needed
someone to guide the diverse aspects of
our programming, student work, and
continued outreach. We chose Shane
Hetzler, a colleague of mine from Yale
and wonderful QCI advocate as well
as a heck-of-a-nice guy. With Shane
running day-to-day operations, the
QCI has really taken off this fall and is
on track to build upon the successes of
last year.
I look forward to meeting those of you
who I have not yet met. Together, we
can continue to make the QCI a model
for collaborative forest stewardship.
Please contact me (alex.barrett@yale.
edu) if you have any questions about
our Forest and how we operate. Have
a great winter!
Cheers,
Alex
Dr. Mark Ashton demonstrates how to successfully girdle a tree with a hatchet to create a wildlife snag
On Saturday, October 13th, 11 of our
QCI partners met at Yale-Myers Forest
to talk about wildlife habitat creation and
monitoring on their land. After coffee and
muffins, as well as a warm welcome by the
fire, we headed out into the crisp but clear
fall day.
At the Red Front Lot, the wildlife
management demonstration area for YaleMyers Forest, we walked the trails with
Dr. Mark Ashton (Professor, Yale School
of Forestry & Environmental Studies),
Dr. Dave King (Professor, University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, and the Forest
Service), Matt Snurkowski (representative
from the NRCS) and Max Lambert
(Masters student, Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies).
Dr. Ashton demonstrated how different
forest manipulation techniques could be
used to benefit a variety of wildlife. One
stop showcased the school forest’s use of
fire to create early successional habitat in
a red and white pine stand. Another stop
demonstrated how owners could girdle
trees to create snags for birds and other den
animals. Yet another stop demonstrated
how stacks of piled wood could benefit
amphibians of all kinds for protection
from predators, especially when located
next to habitat features like vernal pools.
Max Lambert, our amphibian expert for
the day described how important vernal
pools are for amphibians since they do not
contain predators such as fish.
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them, we are investing in our future forest.
Dr. King, a bird biologist whose research
is focused on early successional birds
interpreted the landscapes of the Red
Front for us and explained how each stop
was benefiting a variety of bird species.
Dr. King spoke to us about how this
shelterwood was excellent for shrubland
birds and other forest species because
of the residual trees left standing from
the harvest. These trees provide both
shelter and perches to an already unique
early successional habitat feature. The
shelterwood strategy works for both
wildlife and timber harvesting because
it mimicks a natural disturbance one
might find in southern New England.
After a brief stop at one final shelterwood,
we returned to camp and the smell of a
barbecue dinner.
We returned back to the Yale-Myers camp
for a picnic lunch next to the timber
frame in the fall sunshine. Shane Hetzler,
the QCI Coordinator gave a synopsis
of the program to date, followed by a
robust Q&A session. Matt Snurkowski
then spoke to the group about funding
opportunities through programs such as
WHIP and EQIP. After the post-lunch
session, we headed back into the woods.
Landowners Susan Sibiga, Jackie Granata and Rich
Deszo search for salamanders in a strategically placed
pile of white birch logs (picture by Shane Hetzler)
Driving up the camp road, we visited
the “Dyslexic Duo” shelterwood, located
in the heart of Yale-Myers forest. A
shelterwood is a common silvicultural
technique used at Yale-Myers where by
harvesting all but the best parent trees,
resources such as sunlight and nutrients
in the soil are redistributed to the young
desirable “trees of the future” waiting in
the understory for their chance to grow.
By reallocating space and resources for
A WORD FROM THE QCI COORDINATOR
When I was a student at the Yale School
of Forestry and Environmental Studies, I
spent half of my graduate career working
on the fledgling Quiet Corner Initiative.
Looking back, it is with excitement that I
write you today.
Our initiative has grown more than
we ever could have hoped for, from 40
curious neighbors to over 70 committed
landowner partners in just 2 years. By
the end of this year, 12 partner properties
will have Management Plans written
for them, and two River Assessments
on the Bigelow Brook will have been
completed. These reports, along with
other publications already completed
have been valued at $160,000 worth of
professional consulting services provided
to our partners to date. Not a bad start!
This collaborative effort between Yale
F&ES and our neighbors in the Quiet
Corner has not only provided valuable
resource management information to our
partners, but has created an invaluable
experiential learning opportunity for our
students. I am reminded almost daily by
these young professionals how great it is
to be working with engaging landowners
on real working lands, learning from
our partners and sharing expertise.
Besides our students, faculty at Yale have
been conducting research outside the
boundaries of Yale-Myers, asking and
answering questions that have relevance
to conservation issues across the country.
You see, our initiative stands to benefit
everyone involved. As a native Oregonian,
I’ve seen first hand how collaboration
has changed the face of conservation.
Embattled groups that were used to
interacting with each other through
courtrooms have begun reaching out to
each other for mutual benefit, as well as for
the benefit of the people and lands around
them. It is partially in this spirit that the
QCI moves forward, recognizing that -in
the words of Dr. Ashton- “We are only as
strong and as successful as our surrounding
neighbors”. The road to preserve working
lands and rural livelihoods in the Quiet
Corner is not always straightforward, but
together we stand a much better chance of
success than alone. I thank you for your
continued participation and support of
the QCI, and I look forward to working
with you more in the future.
Shane
The day’s visits were regaled over drinks
in the warmth of the Yale-Myers fireside
room. We were joined by some of Dr.
Ashton’s students who are currently
working on management plans for
property owners in the Still River
sub-watershed. With full bellies and
new knowledge about wildlife habitat
management, we said goodbye and until
next time, another great day in the woods
with new friends.
SAVE THE DATE!
Did you miss the Wildlife Workshop?
Don’t worry. We’re looking forward
to seeing you at our upcoming events!
...Who said the Quiet Corner was so
quiet after all?
• Monday, December 17th, 2012
Management Plans Presentations
Teams of students will present their
management plans to the owners
they’ve been working with during
this Fall (invitations only)
• January 2013
Bandsaw Mill Workshop
Come learn about mobile sawmill
equipment and how to use it to get
the best value out of your timber.
• May 2013
Estate Planning & Conservation
Workshop
In this workshop, we’ll talk about
how to ensure the future of your
woodlands for you and your family.
• June & July 2013
Environmental Film Festival
A series of award-winning movies on
environmental topics, coming to a
theater forest near you this Summer!
MANAGEMENT PLAN: A BLUEPRINT FOR YOUR PROPERTY
Luke McKay,
Master of Forestry 2013
Chances are if you are reading this and
your property includes some forestland
you have heard of a management plan
– whether it be from a neighbor, friend
or family member – who has had one
written for their property. But what is a
management plan and why have one?
In simplest terms, a management plan is a
blueprint for your property that includes
a series of recommendations on how to
effectively manage your forestland for
both your short- and long-term objectives.
These recommendations are based on a
detailed assessment of the biological, social
and historical attributes of your property.
More specifically, the management plan
itself may include property information
and history, the landowner’s objectives,
maps, current forest conditions as well as
non-timber attributes, and forest stand
descriptions and prescriptions.
So now that you know what a management
plan is, what you may now be asking
yourself is “why have one?” This is a
very good question with lots of possible
answers. First and foremost, developing
a management plan encourages you as
a landowner to think about what you
want to do on your property and how to
achieve those objectives through various
sustainable management strategies. These
objectives may include deriving income
from your land both now and in the future;
encouraging forest health, aesthetics, and
wildlife habitat; and ensuring that your
property remains healthy and productive
for both you and your family as well as for
future generations.
If this all sounds great and you find
yourself asking, “I think I might want a
management plan for my property but I
don’t know how to get one,” keep reading!
Although anyone can write a management
plan, it is strongly recommended that
you have one completed by a licensed
forester or a qualified natural resource
professional. Fortunately for landowners
in the Quiet Corner, «Management
Plans for Protected Areas», a fall semester
course at the Yale School of Forestry
and Environmental Studies, provides an
excellent opportunity for Yale graduate
students to work with landowners in the
Quiet Corner to develop management
plans for their properties. This
partnership not only serves as a benefit to
students – who learn the technical skills
and knowledge necessary for writing a
management plan as well as the invaluable
experience of working directly with
landowners – but also as a benefit to the
landowner who receives a professionally
researched and written plan. With a total
of twelve management plans expected for
completion by the end of this year, this
partnership between students and Quiet
Corner landowners has been a productive
one for both sides to say the least.
RESEARCH IN THE QUIET CORNER
Alex Barrett & Marlyse Duguid, Research Coordinator
Since its beginning, the Quiet Corner
Initiative has focused intently on
research. We believe that our efforts
to better understand the biological,
physical and social aspects of the region
must be anchored in sound data that
we collect and analyze. Furthermore,
if we want to measure sustainability
and the impacts of the QCI, we must
collect, store, and analyze as much
information as possible. Students
at the Yale School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies are always
eager to do research, and the QCI
works to harness that energy and put
it to good use in the Quiet Corner.
Weatherproof consultants: Masters student Naazia
Ebrahim working on a Management Plan in the first
snow of the year (picture by Mik McKee)
The Yale-Myers Forest hosts dozens of
active research projects in the natural
and social sciences. In recent years,
thanks to a grant by Yale’s Center
for Business and the Environment
(CBEY), we have been able to broaden
this research into the rest of the Quiet
Corner. Currently researchers are
focused on valuation of ecosystem
services and other alternative sources
of forest-based revenue for private
landowners in the Quiet Corner. Much
of the initial research was carried out
in the summer of 2011 and consisted
largely of interviews and surveys that
collected data on peoples’ willingness
to pay or to be paid for things that the
forest provides such as clean water or
recreational opportunities.
This research resulted in two articles
that are currently working their way
towards publication:
1. “Alternative Sources of Revenues
and Private Forest Landowners,” by
Sinead Crotty, Angela Orthmeyer,
Robert Mendelsohn and Mark Ashton
2. “Understanding nonmarket values
of private forestland in Southern New
England,” by Angela Orthmeyer,
Sinead Crotty, Richard Campbell,
Robert Mendelsohn and Mark
Ashton.
In a similar vein, Master of Forestry
student Evan Ray is preparing a
paper titled “A Financial Analysis of
Managing Integrated Versus Separate
Market Values in a Southern New
England Forest.”
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His work compares different options for
making money off of forest land in the
Quiet Corner—from outright sale of
land, to selling timber, as well as nontimber forest products (i.e. long-term
maple syrup production).
The hope is that these publications will
shed some light on how the economics
of rural working lands help to shape the
landowner decisions in regards to how to
manage their woodlands.
Looking forward, we hope to continue our
research efforts in and around the Quiet
Corner. We are currently developing
research projects looking at renewable
energy, small-scale sustainable agriculture,
and landscape-scale conservation efforts.
Armed with data, we aim to monitor the
success of the Quiet Corner Initiative and
to learn from areas where we fall short of
our goals. Over the long-term, we will
be able to analyze trends in the Quiet
Corner and working with our partners,
offer recommendations for management
decisions on the ground.
GET IN TOUCH!
Do you want to learn more about
management plans or get one
for you property? Do you have
a topic for a workshop, a picture
that you’d like to see printed in the
newsletter? Or are you just curious
about our work?
If you have questions or comments
or just want to say hello, please
contact us! You can reach Shane
Hetzler, the QCI Coordinator, at
shane.hetzler@yale.edu.
The QCI creates partnerships that expand the educational and research opportunities for students and faculty
at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, while supporting the work of private landowners,
natural resource managers, and forest industry professionals in and around the Yale-Myers Forest. The QCI
supports strengthened local livelihoods, increased forest health, and rural economic development for the longterm benefit of the land and those that live on it by providing knowledge, energy, and expertise to our
partnering landowners and organizations.
Issue 1 / Fall 2012
The QCI Newsletter is brought to you by the Yale School Forests / 360 Prospect Street, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
Words by Alex Barrett, Shane Hetzler, Marlyse Duguid, Luke McKay and Claire Nowak / Pictures by Shane Hetzler and Mik McKee / Layout by Claire Nowak
YALE SCHOOL FORESTS
360 PROSPECT STREET
NEW HAVEN CT-06511